Harney & Sons Chocolate Mint
Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 12:20PM As a tea enthusiast, I find that I have a problem walking into any establishment which has a hint of a tea presence without sniffing it out and making a purchase, if possible. That's what I found myself doing a few months ago when I walked into my local Barnes & Noble and ended up purchasing, not a book, but a cup/teapot set and a tin of Harney & Sons Chocolate Mint tea.
The tea is presented in a beautiful crimson tin and the tea is separated into what they call "sachets" (not tea bags... heh). But it is a beautiful presentation and honestly, I do feel as if the satchet design allows for more even distribution of the tea than one would get with a standard tea bag.
As for the flavor, the tin describes the tea as, "a special blend of Chinese black tea flavored with chocolate extract and embellished with peppermint."
For my taste, the Chocolate Mint does have a very even flavor, with the chocolate and peppermint evening out the natural bitterness that I can sometimes taste in black teas. I generally will steep for around three minutes, but haven't really noticed much more of a bitterness when I allow it to steep for four, or even five minutes. Naturally, the stronger peppermint flavor is more pronounced than the chocolate. But I'm quickly finding chocolate to be one of my favorite additions to black tea. In fact, it is one of the few black teas which I regularly drink with no added sweetener (I think we have already established my sweet tooth on this site).
If there's one caveat to the blend, it would be that it really leaves me with a "parched" feeling when I am finished drinking. But of course that's not a surprise, and certainly not a deal-breaker.
At any rate, while Harney & Sons Chocolate Mint might not be one of the highest quality teas on the market, I do feel like they have a great blend here and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Harney & Sons Chocolate Mint
Reader Comments (6)
As a tea lover, how do you feel about products flavoured with tea. Chocolates for example, if the Chocolate Mint Tea was Peppermint Tea Chocolate would that appeal? Many Chocolatiers use Earl Grey (and many other teas) to give a delicate tea taste to the ganache inside a chocolate do tea lovers enjoy this?
I'm not so sure, I like to be more classic and purist with my products, giving a twist or element of humour without being too clever and muddling things up, surely coffee and chocolate are better bed fellows than tea and chocolate.
I do have exceptionally good biscuits that can be produced with a cricket or tea theme, perfect with your cuppa.
lol, it's hard to walk in a place like Barnes and Noble and not make a food or beverage purchase. I think when they get hired they go to a school just to show them how to fan food and beverage smells into the store. Nice post.
I've tried Chocolate Hazelnut tea that I wasn't too keen on. Next time I go into Barnes and Noble I'll check out the Chocolate Mint tea bags; it seems that is a marriage made in heaven for any chocolate lover.
I am in love with a good chai tea (and not what they sell in certain coffee houses).
The best is, to do the herbs yourself and mix it to your favourite flavour.
Here in Sweden people don't drink that much tea.
But luckily they play a lot of Golf.
I know exactly how you feel!
It's the little things like flavored teas or even some coffees with caramel overtones that make us smile when we really need that lift.
I'm excited to try the chocolate mint tea, thanks for the suggestion!
Betty
Espresso and Coffee Makers are my passion :-)
I have a similar problem with coffees and french presses, and coffee cups and.........
espresso makers