Tag: Tealish

Chocolate Mint by Tealish
Rooibos / Flavoured
$9.50 for 50g

Tealish’s Chocolate Mint came to me as part of The Sugared Teacup’s December themed subscription box.

First Impressions

I did not know that Chocolate Mint was a rooibos blend at first, the packaging for this sample packet was lacking information regarding the ingredients as well as steeping instructions. Chocolate Mint does come in a sealed, and resealable, white foil pouch. It’s described as an herbal tea/tisane, and I found it under “Rooibos Tea” on the Tealish website when I went hunting for information. Of course, as soon as I opened the bag I could see that it was a rooibos blend.

Chocolate Mint is an excellent name for this blend, it does smell like chocolate and mint. I reminds me a lot of my dad, actually, since he loves all things chocolate mint and he always gets a lot of chocolate mint goodies around the holidays. Surprisingly, I cannot really smell the rooibos base – which is a pleasant surprise since I don’t really like rooibos… at all. Chocolate Mint consists of: rooibos, apple pieces, peppermint leaves, cacao nibs, natural flavouring, and orange peel.

Preparation

Tealish recommends steeping Chocolate Mint in boiling (100°C/212°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Chocolate Mint for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Chocolate Mint steeps to a very bright orange colour. It has a fairly strong chocolate mint aroma to the tisane, although I can make out the rooibos base in the background although it is very mild compared to the chocolate mint goodness. Taste wise, I found that the chocolate mint flavour wasn’t strong enough to hide or overcome the rooibos base. I’m not a fan of the medicinal flavour of rooibos, and that is unfortunately present in Chocolate Mint. I can taste chocolate notes and minty notes, but it’s just not strong enough to cover up the rooibos for me. If you’re a fan of rooibos though, you might like it!

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Chocolate Mint once. I found that the flavour of the rooibos was the only thing I found in my cup, I couldn’t taste the chocolate mint notes at all.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Tealish’s Chocolate Mint was just okay. I think if I was a fan of rooibos, I would scored this tisane a lot higher. I found that the aroma of mint and chocolate in the dry leaf was excellent and very close to the ‘real deal’. I was pretty underwhelmed by the initial steep because I was really hoping for the chocolate mint flavours to be a lot stronger to overcome the rooibos base in Chocolate Mint. That said, the rooibos base does stand out and if you’re a fan of rooibos you’ll probably really enjoy this tisane. Because of my lack of love for rooibos (and most rooibos blends aren’t really well-loved by me…), I’m just not a fan. If you love the flavours of chocolate and mint together and you’re a rooibos drinker, I think you’ll really like Chocolate Mint!

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

Maple Cream by Tealish
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$9.50 for 50g

Tealish’s Maple Cream came to me as part of The Sugared Teacup’s October themed subscription box.

First Impressions

I was intrigued when I unboxed my October box from The Sugared Teacup and found Maple Cream – mostly because of the name, it sounds like a chocolate I’ve had from a certain local chocolate company (yum). I found the tasting notes on the back of the packaging were fairly accurate. The first thing I noticed when I opened the resealable bag was the fact that it smells like maple syrup and walnuts. I didn’t notice any apple fragrance, despite it being the first in the ingredients list.

The ingredients in Maple Cream are: apple, orange, rosehip, walnut, safflower, sunflower, calendula, maple sugar, and natural flavours. The aroma of maple syrup is pretty distinctive, and with the name like Maple Cream I’m glad it really comes through.

Preparation

Tealish recommends steeping Maple Cream in boiling water (100°C/212°F) for 3 to 5 minutes. My initial steep of Maple Cream was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Maple Cream steeps to a lovely yellow colour, which I think can be attributed to the safflower, walnut, orange and possibly the apple. The aroma of the steeped herbal tisane smells of sweetness, maple syrup, and a little bit of the walnut. The flavour of the tisane matches the aroma of the steeped tisane really well. I can taste maple syrup, there’s a good amount of sweetness in it, and there’s a bit of nuttiness in the undertones that are quite pleasant. I don’t really get a lot of fruity flavours (there is apple and orange in the blend), but I trust that both add to the sweetness.

A Second Cup?

I did attempt to resteep Maple Cream, but found that the flavour just wasn’t there. I would say that Maple Cream is good for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I  liked Tealish’s Maple Cream. I found that the flavour really made me think of autumn and fall, which makes it a great seasonal option for those who want a caffeine-free beverage. I think it would be a great tisane to mix with a hot apple cider, to have that nutty flavour of the walnut with a boost of apple flavour and sweetness.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.