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“Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2025 Tea #2 – Your newest tea This was just delivered in a 52Teas order, so it is my very newest tea. A part of me felt I needed to buy this one, as I MIGHT...” Read full tasting note
“I crafted this tea to try to be an improvised version of Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao from Frank’s era because trying to source the Qu Hao at a price and/or minimum purchase within my budget...” Read full tasting note
A delicious black tea with notes of milk chocolate & marshmallow! When served hot, it is reminiscent of a favorite childhood treat (after which it is named!) When served chilled, it tastes a bit like a glass of chocolate milk, but better, because TEA!
Tea of the Week for June 3, 2024!
Yum! The original inspiration of this tea is a tea that Frank crafted in his final year (?) of tea blending – just before he handed over the business to me: he created a milk chocolate blend called Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao. I have been asked several times to reblend this tea – unfortunately, sourcing Qu Hao black tea (aka black silk) proved to be a difficult task- Frank’s source for this tea no longer carries this particular variety. One of my frequent tea sources is able to obtain it, however, the price point & minimum purchase – let’s just say it wouldn’t have been financially responsible for me to purchase the tea!
So, I decided to try blending something similar to the Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao without actually having to source the Qu Hao/Black Silk Tea. I utilized Gu Zhang black tea here that has an intense chocolate-y flavor to it – plus a little bit of Assam & Yunnan tea to round out the flavor just a bit. Then I used Frank’s recipe for the original blend & added some vanilla bean because . . . vanilla bean.
To be honest, I don’t have any more of the original Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao nor do I have a vivid memory of the tea itself. It was – after all – more than 9 years ago! However, I like the way this turned out. When chilled & sweetened lightly, the flavor is reminiscent of a cold glass of chocolate milk, but what the flavor of the hot cuppa reminded me of most is a favorite childhood treat (aka Pinwheel cookies) so I decided to call the tea “Pinwheel” in honor of that treat.
Not only a tasty cuppa, it’s also vegan & gluten-free!
ingredients: black tea
organic ingredients: black teas, marshmallow root, cacao nibs & shells, vanilla bean & natural flavors
to brew: Shake the pouch before measuring. The tiny vanilla beans & the bits of cacao nibs & shells should be properly redistributed before measuring! Use 3g of tea to 12oz of near boiling water (205°F) & steep for 3 ½ minutes. Strain & allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before you start sipping. Enjoy!
serving suggestion: this tea is delicious served hot without any additions, but I found that just a teensy bit of sugar helped bring out the pinwheel-ness of the tea. For more of a chocolate milk flavor, I recommend cold-brewing (or even hot brewing & allowing it to chill a bit).
But if you really wanna go over the top – make this a latte (or a frappe!) by brewing it strong & adding milk & a teensy bit of sugar (or crush the ice for the frappe). However you choose to serve this, it’s gonna be GOOD!
At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2025 Tea #2 – Your newest tea
This was just delivered in a 52Teas order, so it is my very newest tea. A part of me felt I needed to buy this one, as I MIGHT be the person who has asked Anne to reblend Frank’s Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao the most. Probably definitely. It was still in stock on the site after a few months, so I decided to order! It might be my favorite of Frank’s blends. Definitely top five. So I was thrilled that Anne tried to recreate a similar blend! The Qu Hao base used in the original blend is rare, impossible to find when it isn’t expensive, so I understand it won’t be the SAME blend. But I also was very happy that Anne aimed to recreate it. The base in this blend is Gu Zhang mixed with Assam and Yunnan. Sounds good to me! Though I am not sure I have ever actually had another Gu Zhang leaf before. (A quick search of all the teas that I have rated in my Steepster lifetime tells me no, no Gu Zhang in my tea drinking history, at least directly in the name.) I’m wondering if Anne has ever used it before? So I have no idea how the Gu Zhang tastes on its own. But I was also thrilled that Anne still has the original recipe for the Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao… as sometimes I hear many of Frank’s recipes were lost. So there was a chance the flavoring would be similar! AND IT IS. The base probably isn’t as deep as the Qu Hao, but the flavoring is spot on. It’s like a silky smooth mix of chocolate/ marshmallow/ vanilla and kahlua. You know… exactly what the ingredients contain… minus the kahlua. But wow, the flavors really meld together so well and very balanced. (One of my favorite combinations of flavors is chocolate/marshmallow, so this is very much my thing.) It’s amazing that the flavors are so spot on to the original blend. It seems like a simple mix of flavors, but I have only ever noticed this exact flavoring with Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao before. The third steep (milking the leaves for all I can) is quite good too — smooth, never harsh. In a mystery taste test, I would definitely compare the two blends. So… mission successful! I was so blinded by the lack of Qu Hao in the tea world, that I didn’t realize something similar could be recreated, especially by someone with Anne’s talents! Thank you! Very glad you put this together!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 23 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 10 minute steep
I crafted this tea to try to be an improvised version of Black Silk Chocolate Milk Qu Hao from Frank’s era because trying to source the Qu Hao at a price and/or minimum purchase within my budget was proving an impossible task for me. Frank’s source for the tea no longer carries it, and one of my sources was able to locate it for me but I would have had to purchase so much of the tea that I wouldn’t have been able to store all that tea, much less sell all of it at a price that would have even allowed me to break even. So, reblending it is not going to happen, at least not for the foreseeable future.
so, instead, I decided to try to improvise and create something similar, without being exactly that tea. The blend of teas I used for this blend is one of my favorites: Gu Zhang – which has a natural chocolate-y tone to it, then I added a small amount of Yunnan & Assam to it to help round out the flavor just a bit. I like the base, it is really rich & flavorful.
It’s been AGES since I last had the Black Silk Milk Chocolate blend from Frank, but, I think this tea hits the mark. It’s chocolate-y in a way that reminds me of chocolate milk when it’s chilled & lightly sweetened, but when it’s hot as I’m drinking it right now, it tastes a lot more like Pinwheel cookies, hence the name. (I hope those that make the cookies will not notice little old me and want to seek legal action, I just like the name, really.)
Anyway, I really love how this one turned out!
Also, I can’t remember if I have ever had Pinwheel cookies, so I can’t say if the name is accurate or not. Though I trust Anne’s judgement on that!
Daughter who lives with us LOVES Pinwheel cookies, and actually prefers the Publix brand version because of the size. I made most of her advent this year with Pinwheel cookies as the daily treat!
@tea=sipper thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed this tea! When I realized you were the one who bought the last of the Pinwheel that I had in stock, I was glad, because I had blended this with you in mind, hoping you might like it, because the blend of teas was about as close to the Qu Hao that I could manage without this blend costing WAY too much.
@ashmanra – pinwheels were my favorite as a kid, and it wasn’t always the pinwheels that were purchased, I think Nabisco also makes Mallowmars? which are basically the same thing. Which is kind or weird, actually, because Nabisco makes both cookies but I think they’re both basically a cookie base topped with a marshmallow and then it’s all covered in chocolate. I’ve always loved anything chocolate and anything marshmallow, so these cookies were a bit of heaven for me. :)
ashmanra – I love that! And I loved hearing about all of the advent details of your fam this year. :D
52Teas – Ah, Anne, thank you. I had a feeling you MAY have had me in mind in creating this blend, and your comment just warms my heart. :D I saw Pinwheel was still on the site after a few months of giving anyone else a chance to grab them, so I just went for it and purchased. Another BIG thank you!