And relax! Summer is almost over and those cooler autumnal winds are starting to blow in. What better time to open up my cupboard of cosy teas? Today, I’m reviewing Aduna Relax tea, a heady blend of organic cacao with cinnamon, ginger and other classic autumn spices. So, before we get sidetracked by pumpkin spice lattes and maple syrup, let’s take a moment to slow down and enjoy this chocolatey caffeine-free tea.
P.S. you might have noticed a few changes on our site this month. Professionally, the owners of this website (including myself) are content writers and creators. We are using Immortal Wordsmith as the base of our operations. But fear not – the blog will continue as usual, and you’ll find plenty of new tea reviews in the months that follow.
Aduna Relax Tea at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Organic cacao with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper and natural flavourings
- Flavour: Light, warming and comforting with notes of chocolate and cinnamon
The aroma might be rich and heady, but the flavour of this relaxing tea is quite light with notes of chocolate and cinnamon coating your mouth and lingering into the aftertaste.
Full Review – Aduna Cinnamon Spiced Cacao
- Type: Tagged biodegradable pyramid sachets
- Ingredients: Cacao shells, cinnamon, liquorice root, ginger, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, natural flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Light, warming, comforting, chocolate, cinnamon
- Aroma: Dark cacao nibs, hazelnuts, dark chocolate, roasted, rich
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Chocolate teas can be quite hard to get right – there’s no way that you can beat the luxurious texture of a real hot chocolate, so tea blenders must think outside of the box to introduce interesting flavour combinations to keep you hooked. Let’s see if Aduna has succeeded.
Opening the box, the initial aroma is intense. The cacao nibs create an unmistakably rich aroma with notes of roasted hazelnuts adding some nuttiness. There’s no hint of cinnamon at this point.
I brewed the tea according to instructions (see below for the official instructions for brewing Aduna Cinnamon Spiced Cacao Tea) and created a pale, nutty brown tea with orange tones. It’s inviting, but doesn’t at all match up with the intensity of the aroma.
That first sip was a little disappointing. The tea is light and not as rich as expected. But with every additional sip, it grows on me. It’s warming and comforting with mellow chocolatey notes coating your tongue in the aftertaste. The cinnamon, ginger and black pepper work together to add a tingling sensation and contrast beautifully with the slightly cloying flavour of cacao nibs.
As for the texture of the tea, it is moderately thick and a little bit cloudy as you reach the bottom of the cup. But to be totally honest, by the time you reach the end of the cup you simply won’t care. Aduna have found the perfect name for this tea – “relax” I shall!
How to Brew Chocolate Tea
Aduna’s instructions are to use 100°C water – approximately 250ml – and brew for five to seven minutes. I highly recommend timing your tea brewing in this case, as if you brew for less than five minutes you just won’t draw out all the flavours well enough.
You can also try this tea iced, brewing in 75ml of water for five to seven minutes and then pouring it over ice to instantly chill it.
If you’re interesting in learning more ways to combine chocolate and tea into delicious recipes, read my Guide to Chocolate in Tea.
Why Aduna Organic Tea?
I delved into Aduna in more depth in my last review (Aduna Defence) but let me give you a short recap: Aduna was founded in 2012 and aims to support African communities that grow and harvest the ingredients for their tea.
The cacao, cinnamon, liquorice, ginger, black pepper, cloves and cardamom in this tea are all Soil Association Organic – only the natural flavourings are not. That’s pretty impressive, though I always prefer a tea to skip additional flavourings altogether, if it’s possible.
Interestingly, Aduna also sells a superfood powder made from cacao. They show that it can reduce stress and boost your mood – who doesn’t feel happier after eating some chocolate? I think this tea was aptly named, as I certainly felt the potent relaxing properties of cacao when I finished my cup.
Summary
Aduna Relax Cinnamon Spiced Cacao is a delicious tea that’s well-blended and has a long-lasting chocolatey flavour. However, I felt that the flavour wasn’t quite as good as the aroma, and Aduna haven’t really pushed the boat out with the ingredients. Chocolate and spices are a classic combo, and I needed something a little extra to push the score past a slightly-better-than-average 3.6 out of 5.
Try the tea for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Tea Recommendation
If nutty, sweet and chocolatey drinks make you salivate just at the thought, I recommend taking a look at English Tea Shop Chocolate, Rooibos & Vanilla next. I reviewed this caffeine-free tea back in September 2021, and to be totally honest, I still think about it! Read the full review to find out what it’s all about.