Mexican Hot Chocolate

I sipped this far too quickly this morning, enjoying the spice when I had to abandon it and come back to it cold. Sipping on it cold I’m noticing a depth that I hadn’t noticed when hot. I’m picking up on the coffee notes much more now. The chili is more subtle when cool, but the whole thing still has a light feel that I attribute to oolongs. The second steeping seems a little weak. No chili, just mild coffee flavor. I’m going to have to pay more attention to this tea next time I have a cup!

This was a free sample that came with my order.

The initial smell is the same as the Banana Split tea sample that I ordered. I stored them together so I think that the other tea’s smell rubbed off on this bag. There were only 2 marshmallows in my sample and I removed them because I’m vegetarian and don’t eat gelatin.

Prep: I used the whole sample up in one 10 oz mug. Prepared as instructed on the package. Steeped covered western style.

Taste wise this falls flat for me. It’s very watered down tasting cocoa powder. There is no sweetness so it needs some additives. I can’t taste the oolong really much either although I’ve never had or heard of the type of oolong listed in the ingredients. Even though while brewing it had a pleasant roasted smell that you often find with oolongs. The most interesting aspect of this tea is the chili flakes. I enjoyed the spice from the chili flakes in my cup. This tea would have definitely benefited from more chili flakes though. It also would have benefited from some sort of natural creaminess. Even though I was disappointed with this tea I gulped down my mug of this.

Also please note that before this I had a cup of some Mushroom hot cacao so my expectations may have been a little high but this tea could be really nice with some added cacao nibs or carob. I’m glad i got the chance to try it.

Sipdown (457)!

Finished this free sample hot with milk today. I was initially excited about the idea of a spiced hot chocolate/cinnamon hot chocolate – but that was when I thought the spice was coming from just cinnamon. As soon as I tasted this one, I immediately got the fiery kick of chili pepper in the mix and it was just a little bit too much for my delicate white people taste buds.

Seriously; I got hiccups from the spice…

Also, I didn’t think there was enough chocolate in here to actually make for a convincing cup of ‘hot chocolate’ inspired tea. Ignoring the over bearing spices, it just wasn’t rich enough in the chocolate department to be satisfying. I don’t know; maybe this one would work for some people but for me at least it was a fairly big miss overall. Like, still drinkable and not bad – just not something I’d revisit again/pay money for.

You know what would make this tea better? More chili. Apparently chili flakes are present in this blend but they appear to be void today. Maybe next time? Everyone else seems to find this spicy, so maybe it was just my spoon serving.

I preferred the sweet spices when it was hot with milk, but the anise popped in an interesting way without the milk and when allowed to cool.

Sipdown! 12/365

Less spicy than that jalapeno tea, thankfully! I think this tea lost a bit of its chocolate flavour, but it was still good.

Very unique, I didn’t know what to expect. I drank while eating a little piece of chocolate, which goes together with basically any tea.

The chocolate taste isn’t that strong to me really, but the tea is very calming and smooth. Every sip leaves a feel of the spice in the throat. I imagine this would be nice for a cold. It’s definitely a super stimulating tea – I definitely had an extra pep in my step for awhile after drinking this one :)

I previously rated this low, but now I’m not sure why. I’m kind of sad this is a sipdown now. :(

The black base goes very well with the rich, earthy cocoa. There is a bit of sweetness, maybe some vanilla also. I am not getting any marshmallow or chile pepper, but the earthy + chocolate combo + rich black base makes me want to rate this higher.

Thanks for the sample Evol Ving Ness
I am not really a fan of spicy things, but hey I like chocolate!
This was just ok for me, it was spicy enough, but the chocolate was too faint. The oolong and black base was a nice combination IMO.

I am happy to have tried it but not likely something I would order.

This was the tea that sparked my entire order from A Quarter to Tea, it sounded too good to pass up (especially since my all-time favorite drink happens to be Mexican hot chocolate.) Unfortunately the tea didn’t really live up to its name. It’s a little sweet, with a hint of chocolate flavor and a slight kiss of heat. The flavor is nice, but not really what I was looking for, especially since the dominant flavor comes from the oolong. Still, if you’re looking for a spice tea that isn’t chai, this is a great alternative, it just isn’t something I’m likely to order again.

You can read the full review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2016/3/29/tuesday-tea-mexican-hot-chocolate-oolong

I had this the other day and forgot to log it (life has been extremely hectic lately.)

It was good, but not great. The spices shine, but the chocolate/hot cocoa flavor was long on me and the oolong base had more power (which is okay – just not for me.)