While I enjoy drinking tea on its own, it is sometimes nice to mix it up. Since the weather is still cold where I live, this hot chocolate was a warming afternoon treat!
Description: “With just the right amount of peppermint, this hot chocolate was made for cozying up next to the fire when it’s cold outside.”
Instructions: 2 tablespoons per cup* | Stir well
*The packaging suggested 2 tablespoons per cup but the website noted 1 tablespoon. I used 2 tablespoons.
Review: I like trying new tea products and Plan de Vida has a line of vegan hot chocolates with a handful of them infused with tea, so it seemed like the perfect product to try on the blog! The mix being dairy-free was a huge bonus for me since I’m lactose intolerant. The last time I had a tea-infused mixed product, was a soup from DAVIDsTEA a few years ago. So, it was about time!
I normally make hot chocolate with non-dairy milk, so I used oat milk for my tastings as it has the most neutral flavour of all the non-dairy milks I’ve tried without being watery or gritty. The first few times I made the mix, I added the oat milk directly to the mix in a cup. However, I noticed the Plan de Vida website suggested adding a bit of water to the mix first, making it into a paste, then adding water or milk of choice. I highly recommend adding water and turning the hot chocolate mix into a paste first because it ensures that the mix was fully dissolved before adding the rest of the milk.
After adding the water to the mix, a peppermint smell wafted in the air, followed by dark chocolate. I used a hand frother to incorporate the hot chocolate mix and oat milk and it made a nice layer of froth. The sip started with a rich dark chocolate taste which was replaced with a peppermint note and a faint vegetal-grassiness. The dark chocolate and peppermint taste circled back around and lingered in the mouth and back of the throat. Since I used oat milk, the liquor had a creamy texture.
Overall, I liked this tea-infused hot chocolate mix and it reminded me of a peppermint candy cane. That being said, I didn’t really taste the matcha. Also, I tried the mix with only water and I found it a bit too sweet. So, I preferred using oat milk since it helped tame down the sweetness. I’m glad Plan de Vida suggested the mixing method with the water as it made sure the mix was thoroughly incorporated and therefore had a much richer taste. This would be nice for anyone who is vegan, likes dairy-free beverages, enjoys hot chocolate/dark chocolate or wants to try something new. If you’d like, you can see me making this hot chocolate in my Youtube Short! (4/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: Unknown
- Caffeine: Medium caffeine
- Ingredients: Peppermint matcha (green tea leaves, peppermint), organic cocoa powder, organic cane sugar, organic coconut milk powder (organic coconut, organic maltodextrin), salt
- Company: Plan de Vida
The question of the post: I also have the Matcha Hot Chocolate and the Earl Grey Hot Chocolate! Should I taste those in the future?
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