Strawberry Chocolate Tea

Lately, I've been on the quest for the perfect little black dress of chocolate cake recipes. You know the kind I'm talking about -- the perfectly moist, rich and decadent cake that you have to wash down with a tall glass of ice-cold milk. Why the sudden interest in chocolate cake? I was recently asked by a coworker if I could make a wedding cake for her upcoming October wedding. I was honored that she asked and I take this type of thing very seriously, so I told her I would make a few sample cakes for her to try. I ended up making 3 different chocolate cake recipes for her to sample and they were all very tasty; I will make another test cake for her to try when her family comes into town in a couple of months. Since I'm still in chocolate research mode, I will post the recipe at a later date.

For now, I will leave you with a new tea to try.
It's not nearly as good as a slice of chocolate cake, but if you're wanting to avoid the calories of said cake, this would be a great alternative. Last weekend, in my search for all things chocolate, I stumbled upon this Strawberry Chocolate tea made by the Republic of Tea. Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so this would make a great gift for the tea-loving Valentine. To score bonus points with your Valentine, pair the tea with some chocolate-covered strawberries!
 

This tea has a lovely chocolate aroma and delicate strawberry flavor. It is great on its own, but I enjoy mine hot with a bit of cream and sugar. This tea is available locally in Central Market and World Market.

David's Tea Review: Dessert Teas

I haven't posted about tea in a while. I know, I have been a very bad blogger. This has turned out to be mostly a food/recipe blog, despite it's name (I can't help it, I love to bake!). Every now and then, though, I do post about tea, and if you came here to read about tea, you're in luck! As you know by now, I'm generally not a hot tea drinker, much less hot coffee or even hot chocolate. I'm not very patient, so I don't wait around for things to cool off, and I'm certainly not a sipper. However, I have found some tea that really makes me want to make an exception. Apparently, I have been living under a rock and did not realize the dessert tea phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. One of the blogs I follow, A Beautiful Mess, recently wrote a post about the tea, and right after reading her post, I found myself on the David's Tea website placing my first order. Lucky for me, they have several sampler boxes which enable me to try lots of different teas, since I had considerable difficulty making up my mind. My order came in last week just in time for Christmas, which means I will be making lots of tea for family when they come in for a visit. I have sampled a couple of the flavors already and they are very yummy. The weather has been colder lately, so it is nice to enjoy a hot beverage for a change. Hot tea is finally growing on me!

A picture is worth a thousand words. Check out all of these flavors in one box:
 

A few of the flavors in the winter collection include Alpine Punch, Chocolate Chili Chai, Banana Dream Pie, Cookie Dough and Cocomint Creme:
 

The Toasted Marshmallow has me dreaming of Smores by the campfire:


Just look at all the nuggets of goodness in this tea:


Now, I'm off to enjoy another cup!