Organic Colombian black tea with cacao husks and nibs brought to my tea table by White Antlers. My first knowing taste of Colombian tea! All I drank in Colombia was coffee… very good coffee.
Dry, the blend smells of cocoa butter and raisin-tobacco. The steeping time range given by Upton says 4-6 minutes; I was aiming for 4 but ended up at 6. The liquor is a dark amber-red color with a chocolate aroma filled out by a complex fruity midtone.
The liquor is very full-bodied, very fruity taste almost like cherry-orange-raisin and tobacco with some rose. The influence of the cacao isn’t so evident but I feel it provides some grounding to the fruity brightness and a unique sweetness to the tea. In general, the flavors beyond the fruitiness are subtle and in a good way. The same fruit taste lingers with wood in the aftertaste.
There is some neat, seamless texture transition going on. It starts like a thick ball on the sip to midmouth where it turns brisk, finally leaving the palate clean and tingly with oily lubrication.
One thing that threw me was sometimes a soapy taste. It could have been the result of the oils in the cacao going rancid but I think this is a relatively fresh tea. Or maybe the temperature was too high and steep time too long. Regardless, I wish I didn’t save only a sample of this approachable tea for myself before dispersing the rest of the bag across the world.
Song pairing: Queens of the Stone Age — Mosquito Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiLsvRSU5H8
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
The tea was purchased in late spring of this year. I drank it once and did not get any of the wonderful nuances or soap you described. As I always say…it tasted like tea.
Interesting!
Regardless, I wish I didn’t save only a sample of this approachable tea for myself before dispersing the rest of the bag across the world. Well, depends how much I will receive :) Maybe I will send some back, if I have too much of it. Looks promising though!
The tea was purchased in late spring of this year. I drank it once and did not get any of the wonderful nuances or soap you described. As I always say…it tasted like tea.
Interesting!
Regardless, I wish I didn’t save only a sample of this approachable tea for myself before dispersing the rest of the bag across the world. Well, depends how much I will receive :) Maybe I will send some back, if I have too much of it. Looks promising though!