Jaffalicious

Kelmishka Homemade Advent Day 4! This tastes similar to the herbal Teapigs chocolate orange tea. The primary flavor is a pretty tasty chocolate, which is nice with skim milk, but I bet it would be even better with almond or oat. After that, a bitter twang hits that I don’t enjoy, maybe from the orange peel. This doesn’t have coconut, but something in here tastes almost like coconut just starting to go off. So I really enjoy where this tea starts, but I’m unfortunately not into where it ends. Maybe what’s bothering me is the puerh funk? The orange could also be stronger, though I’d prefer if they used another method, not just bitter peel.

I was skeptical of this one, as chocolate teas tend to be pretty hit and miss for me. But this blend hits the spot! The orange flavor is juicy and natural and the chocolate is a rich, dark, dark bittersweet chocolate that balances the fruitiness perfectly. I like it straight and also with a bit of milk. It was also a huge hit with friends we invited over a few weeks ago, who were very disappointed to learn it’s no longer readily available in the USA. Wishing I’d gotten around to trying T2 before they closed down their American website!

The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #22

T2 closing sale, not so long time ago… I remember putting this tea to my order list, but apparently no shipping to Europe was available, so I have shrugged and moved on.

Actaully I am glad I haven’t bought it. Because it is such a huge dismal. Tastes like a cheap chocolate with no orange in sight and with alcoholic aftertaste. Jaffa cakes are my favorite snack, great with cup of tea… but as a tea, it doesn’t work.

I drank half a cup and my sister-in-law was asking what I am drinking that it smells lovely. I told her, offered her a sip. She really liked it, so I have offered her the rest of the mug… happily, because I don’t have to finish it and the tea wasn’t prepared in vain. Honestly I am not sure if I could finish it myself.

Having never ordered from T2 in the past, I scooped up a few teas before they stop selling in the U.S. (I’m a sucker for 50% off!). This one is very appealing to me in concept and it smells delightful, but there’s something discordant about the flavors! I get a little milk chocolate, yes, and maaaybe a smidge of orange, but also something kind of earthy that doesn’t quite work (probably the pu’erh).

For me, a chocolate-orange blend needs to be really bold and vibrant in flavor, and maybe even a bit sweet. This one is none of the above. I’ll have to try significantly overleafing it.

I will say that it stands up to a bit of nondairy milk quite well. Maybe I’ll try it as a latte.

Sample Sipdown! (29)

This is one of a few remaining T2 single serve packets that I have left from a huge T2 sale. They had sampler packs and individual 100+ gram teas for $5 each, so of course I bought a truckload…

I’m not sure why it’s taken so long for me to drink this one – I love chocolate and orange!

Anyway, this is pretty good! It’s not Three Friends, but you know… It has a nice milk chocolaty flavor that’s smooth and creamy, and a fairly good orange flavor that’s not too acidic and doesn’t taste too much like orange peel.

I will say, it’s just a bit weak, so would likely have required overleafing. This one in particular isn’t available anymore, so I guess I’ll never know if that would have improved it!

I’m sure it would have made a particularly yummy latte though!

190/365

I’m not sure how I’ve become the only person to have reviewed this particular selection of T2 blends? I came by them in the Hottest Hearty Brews sampler box, but from what I can see when I’ve been looking to see if some of them are still available, they have been sold individually as limited edition blends. Some of them are really good, so I’m a little surprised they haven’t garnered more of a following on here. It’s not like they’re a niche UK brand, either.

Anyway. Jaffa cakes aren’t really my thing, but this one promises to be chocolate orange and I can get behind that as a flavour combination. It’s a black tea, so perfect for first thing Monday morning. Something has to brighten things up, and it isn’t going to be work. I’m bored stiff a lot of the time.

First sip, and this one tastes quite a lot like a jaffa cake. The cocoa is the primary flavour to begin with, and it perfectly captures the dark chocolate coating. It’s perhaps a little dryer than I’d have liked, but still good, and I like that it’s not over-sweet or watery in the way some chocolate teas can be. The orange emerges in the mid-sip, with a slightly sour tang. It reminds me quite a bit of Terry’s chocolate orange at this point, in that the orange is unmistakable as a flavour but not quite natural-tasting. There’s a touch of biscuitty flavour towards the end of the sip, but it’s fairly fleeting. I don’t mind particularly, since I wasn’t really looking for jaffa cake; as a flavour combination, chocolate orange alone is fine with me.

I’m enjoying this one. The flavouring is excellent, and the black tea base is a sound pairing. There are a few from this sampler than I’m really sad not to be able to repurchase, and this is one of them. 50g of this wouldn’t go amiss in my cupboard!