Tia Maria Arrriiibbbbaaa! (Tia Maria)

Member Name: splodgethecat

Product:	Tia Maria
Date:	24/07/01 (471 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smooth, Tasty, Good value

Disadvantages: None reallly

Tia Maria is a dark liqueur, which brings the delicious taste of coffee to every glass. It can be drunk straight, over ice, in coffee or mixed with other drinks to make the most scrumptious cocktails. It is the UK's leading coffee liqueur and in 2000, and 2001, it was awarded the gold medal in the Liqueurs category of the International Wine and Spirits Competition. And deservedly so.

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Although I tend not to have sweet tooth where food is concerned, I do love rich, sweet and creamy liqueurs, so I have partaken of Tia Maria many times. Not a drink I keep in the house on a regular basis, but definitely one of the ones I buy for special occasions, or if I am expecting friends round. Everybody seems to love Tia Maria, therefore it always goes down well. Also, of course, it can be served in so many ways, so no one gets left out.

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The history of Tia Maria can be traced back over 300 years and starts in Jamaica. In the mid 17th century during the Colonial Wars, a beautiful Spanish noblewoman was forced to flee her home. In her rush she only managed to retrieve one or two trinkets of her possessions, along with an old manuscript for a secret family recipe for a cordial. She named the rich dark drink 'Tia Maria' after her maid. The drink started to be commercially produced in the 1940s when Dr Kenneth Leigh Evans a prominent scientist and gourmet was given the drink at a dinner party.

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The drink is produced from coffee beans which have been harvested from foothills of the Blue Mountain Peak range in Jamaica and its production is a major contributor to Jamaica’s economy. A blend of cane spirit, Jamaican coffee, vanilla and sugar, it is dark brown in colour, fairly thick, smooth, warming, with a hint of coffee, chocolate and vanilla popping through the alcohol.


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It can be drunk neat as well as in a number of other ways, for example;

Black Russian <
br>Pour vodka over ice, add a slightly smaller measure of Tia Maria and a splash of cola.

White Magic
Pour Tia Maria over ice with a generous splash of milk and stir.

Supernatural
Pour Tia Maria and 1oz of cream over ice. Add a splash of cola and stir briefly.

Hocus Pocus
Pour equal measures of Tia Maria and brandy together into a glass. Swirl together

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There are a number of other cheaper copies of Tia Maria, Kahula being the obvious one, but the taste and texture of Tia Maria is easily recognisable. It comes in two sizes, coming in at around £8.99 and £14.99, so useful if you just want to buy a small amount to entertain friends. The bottle is also very attractive with a red and gold colour scheme (and when empty of contents, makes a very attractive candleholder!)

Summary: