52teas

Sipdown (194/196)!

I didn’t really make an effort to partake in Sipdown Saturday today, but I will take comfort in the fact I squeaked in one sipdown before the clock passed midnight tonight (six minutes before midnight; go me!). And, it’s a sipdown that I’m pretty happy about; I don’t have any qualms with seeing this one go.

Overall, I just couldn’t buy into the cinnamon/strawberry pairing; it’s just too weird for me and it makes me uncomfortable. So I think in the long run this is a tea that’s going to be pretty forgettable to me. You know, in and out. I definitely appreciate the sample from VariaTEA though – when you have an oppertunity to try a 52Teas blend you take it; afterall who knows how long they’ll be around for.

The cup this is going out on? Surprisingly more strawberry than cinnamon but also fairly watery. Oh well.

Bwahahaha i stole Cavocorax’s pouchhoard!
i feel really touched that she sent this tea to me when she loves it so much!!

it’s true i’ve been wanting to try this tea for a long time.
but … i have a confession, …i’m not even a harry potter person! Eeeeee
pleeeeaze don’t revoke my fangirl membership card!!!!
i mean, the tea just sounds yum!
Butter… Beer… Duh! O_o

and it is! it is totally yum!
and i have cups worth to drink!
giant muggle cups of rootish beer and buttery tones.
sluuuuurp a slurp.
luckiest muggle ever.

This is a good cinnamon roll tea for the most part and its caffeine-free which is a plus but I find myself wanting just a bit more of warming cinnamon flavor. I think the fact that the tea cooled from steeping for so long might have something to do with that but oh well.

Gods, I adore genmaichas…there’s something about the melding of toasty rice and grassy greens that I find intensely comforting. With this blend you get the added layer of sweet and smooth marshmallow (both roots and flavouring, I think) woven in between the familiar notes…

My only real complaint is that it gets sorta bitter and astringent as it cools and that clashes with the sweetness of the marshmallow. It might be better as an iced tea and for that reason I’m going to have to knock the rating down a bit.

Not sure it’s my favourite tea ever, but I’ll probably drink it intermittently.

This is the first tea I decided to try out of the package MissB was holding for me (OMG! Thank you SO MUCH. I’m now at 258 from 219. :) ).

It… could be more. It’s actually pretty good, but it’s not quite what I was hoping for. There’s ginger, there’s rich black tea, but there’s hardly any smoke and there’s no molasses. I guess the “smoke” would be the slight campfire aftertaste. And by campfire aftertaste, I mean a flavour like when you’re slowly roasting marshmallows but then you accidentally set it on fire, so it’s delightful and melty and roasted, but there’s a bit of char as well, that usually tastes mildly yet distinctly of pine or cedar. THAT kind of campfire aftertaste.

So. I think I will be drying some ginger to add to the tea, I’ll also be mixing in some marshmallow root (IDK, I just feel it’s necessary), a few cracked peppercorns, and some Russian Caravan. I’ll probably end up having it with molasses as well, unless I decide to really go too far and dry some molasses and grind it up to add to the tea.

I’ll probably decide to go too far. :)

(1.5 tsp for ~11 oz)

Wow, haven’t had this one in a while. It seems to be among the last of the 52teas flavored blacks I have. Not counting chais, I think I have three left. This, the butter pecan and the Irish cream.

The aroma of the steeped tea today was…. Cracker Jacks! Definitely a caramelly nuttiness, like what I get from caramel corn in movie theatres. The flavor has some light cashew and some undefined sweetness to it. I appear to have got much more complexity from the flavor the last time I tried this. Perhaps part of my problem today is I’m rushing—need to leave the house in about two seconds to get my hair taken care of (grey grey go away)—or it may be general flavor decline as this one I’d opened a while ago. But I don’t think so. I think it’s more likely just a reflection of what showed up in today’s mix. Must remember to shake the packet next time.

Not ready to mark it down yet. I’ll see how it does next time.

Youngest daughter: “Mom, what tea is that in the refrigerator? Is it Earl Grey?”

Me: “Yes, it is. The one that had Captain Picard on the front.”

Youngest: “Then why do I like it? My friend and I both like it….a LOT. And we both dislike Earl Grey.”

Me: “Well, Frank adds magic to his.”

So, if you love candy corn, this is probably a tea you want to try. Me? This is my first experience with it, and I must admit it’s just too sweet for me. My son has picked out all of the (huge) chunks of candy corn in the brew and is currently sucking on one like a lollipop as I sip this and enjoy it as much as I can. It’s zero fault of Frank – this really is very accurate – it’s just too sweet for my tastes. It does have a thick, honey-like feel to the tea, which surprised me, with a touch of bitterness at the end as it cools. Higher rating because it’s definitely accurate and well-done, it’s just something I’ll pass on to others.

N, my six-year-old: “Mommy, what is your destiny?”
Me: “I’m not sure yet honey”.
N: “MY destiny is candy corn!”

Thanks to Frank at 52Teas for this freebie package with my last order!

Bought this one in QueenofTarts’s tea sale, and passed some along to VariaTEA who liked it enough to pick up a pouch of it – but this is the first time I’m personally trying it!

It’s the pineapple that drew me in; I’ll try any pineapple tea at least one, and a white pineapple sounded extra amazing. I also love angel food cake; my Grandma used to make it for my brother, cousin, and me when we stayed over for a few weeks in the summer and I’d always get in trouble for picking off the spongey brown layer on the outside of the cake, which is the best part of it. Dry, this smells just like that rich spongey brown layer if it had a light pineapple glaze or drizzle on top; yum!

I think I may have let my water cool down a bit too much though, because this is pretty weak in flavour but I definitely get the impression that the leaf had more to give and I just goofed in the preperation. Still, the flavour I do get is very nice; a sweet pineapple that softens into a light and airy sponge cake kind of taste. I think this does a good job of living up to its name. Also, as VariaTEA noted it is getting a bit better as it cools.

This will be fun to play around with! I can’t wait to see if I can push a little bit more out of the leaf!

So I like spicy, but holy crap is this tea ever spicy!! Like so spicy that I ended up giving it to my boyfriend (who really likes it, so maybe that justifies the mantea label). Now and then though, I crave this blend. You can taste both the chocolate and the spice equally. It is definitely a milk and sugar kind of tea though. Particularly the latter.

hey hey this is one of those teas that i’d see posted and was continuously curious about.
also the Browncoat Genmaicha was on my curious list too (because of reasons), and they are basically the same tea it seems.

i mean, genmaicha is such a distinct flavor. (once at a local bar that has good tea, the server gal said genmaicha was “really gross” and then i said “i’ll have a cup of that!”. we laughed.)

this tea was really mild though. kinda too mild.
a lumpy pillow. not even the genmaicha part was especially toasty.
BUT yes i have bad sinuses. delicate flavors don’t do great with me.
perhaps my sister will do better. she usually likes genmaicha even more than me.

thanks thank thanks to moraiwe for this sample.
i say thanks all the time in all my notes. to the people who swap with me.
but usually the thanks doesn’t feel like enough.
i’ve been having some really great experiences with tea swaps lately. just, ya know, when the swappers sync up in this great balance and understanding.
and each person gets to feel equal parts enthusiastically generous and deeply grateful. perfect tea living!

I wanted so much to like this one, but I just don’t. If I’m being completely honest, it’s because I don’t care for rooibos unless the taste of rooibos is almost 100% masked. Otherwise it just tastes like sticks at the end of the my cuppa which is extremely unpleasant. The best part about this tea, in my opinion, was the strong apple flavour. That I could get behind – it was delicious. However, the cardamom and the rooibos… I don’t know how to explain, but it just didn’t work for me. Next time, gadget!

I’ve tried the Dreamsicle Puerh in the past, so I’m curious to see how the Darjeeling stacks up. In the bag the smells are very similar – I’d say the darjeeling is a bit more in your face about the orange flavouring, but not in a bad way.

Once steeped – with a tsp of sugar and wee spot of milk – I’m a little surprised by how bossy the darjeeling is…it stomps right up to the front of the cup and demands to be acknowledged, leaving the orange and cream notes to trail meekly behind.

It’s not bad – although nothing like the puerh, where the flavouring sits at the forefront – and strikes me more as a nicely flavoured breakfast tea than as a dreamsicle cup of deliciousness.

And as it cools the orange and cream notes come more to the forefront. It’s still a more full-bodied cup than the puerh, but that seems to be working in its favour.

A tasty cup and one I would have again, but not my favourite of the two.

Eih, this cup was pretty forgettable overall. Also very near a sipdown. I don’t think it’ll be too missed – if anything, just as a caffeine free choice. It’s the strawberry/cinnamon – I don’t love it all that much. Oh well…

Cold Brew: Thirteen hour total.

This one does not brew up well cold (despite tasting better once it’s cooled down from a hot brew) at all. Seriously, don’t do it. The 52Teas black base was so dominant that I struggled all morning to finish off the 25 oz. of it (I didn’t want to toss it because I was sick, and getting up seemed like a worse idea). It was also very weirdly starchy tasting.

So yeah, I’m sticking to hot brews for this one.

Bleh. Just not enjoying this at all. It tastes like… old cheesecake. I dunno what I did wrong, so back in the cupboard it goes to marinate some more.

I’m really enjoying this SBT. The flavors aren’t as ‘in-your-face’ as some of the other SBT blends I’ve enjoyed, but they’re very good.

The ginger is quite subtle, so if you’re expecting something peppery or strong this isn’t the one for you, but the honey is a little bit stronger and adds almost a sweet thickness to the mouthfeel. I can almost imagine a little bit of syrupyness from it. Both flavors work together very well, and I’ll enjoy my pitcher of this.

I’ve been drinking this one quite a lot over the last couple of days, and I’m getting a little more from it than I did previously. It certainly smells delicious while brewing, although the flavour doesn’t quite live up to the expectation that produces.

The first thing to say is that it’s deliciously creamy. More so with milk. The ice cream aspect of this is close to perfect in my estimation. It’s the rest of it that falls a little flat. I’m getting slightly more in the way of rum than I did the first couple of times I brewed this one, but not loads. There’s no raisin to be had. A colleague actually suggested that I try and improve it myself by adding some actual rum. Not a bad idea, although maybe not at work!

I’ll enjoy the rest of my pouch, even if just for that delicious creaminess, but it’s not quite what I was hoping it would be.

Sipdown no. 116 of the year 2014. Just enough left for me and the BF this morning.

An enjoyable sipdown. I hope for more like this, where I’m not dreading having to make the tea go away (and arranging it so the BF’s cup is much bigger than mine each time I steep it).

I should find/drink more orange flavored tea that I like. I’m sure I have some in the stash somewhere. I really do like orange flavor. I have an orange from our tree in my refrigerator at the moment. I didn’t even know we had an orange tree until the BF and kids came in with three huge oranges. I think what happened was: we had a crazy neighbor who we couldn’t work with on a fence repair so the deer had been eating the little trees and the fruit. The crazy neighbor died, and a couple with kids bought her house and completely gutted it and made it look very nice. They also, of course, worked with us to put in a new fence. I think the tree has recovered! I’m pretty sure we have a tiny lemon tree out there somewhere too.

Lest you think it is weird that I don’t even know what sort of trees I have in the backyard, our house is on a hill, and it’s a pretty steep slope. The backyard is terraced but not very easy to get to and not overly usable, so we don’t go down there a lot. I’d like to change that—would really like to completely redo it and make it kid play friendly but landscaping is so incredibly expensive.

Time to buy a megabucks ticket.

Okay Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake, up until now we’ve had a rocky relationship. I am determined to like you and you just wanna be a spicy, clove-y tea for me. And clearly I’m the problem since all of the other reviews mention all of the pumpkin/caramel/cheesecake flavours they get. So it appears that my taste buds need to get it together.

This time I’m trying it with some lactose-free dairy thing that my Mum’s been telling me to try and a buttload of vanilla agave. This time the tea’s much sweeter and creamier and I’m getting a small hint of pumpkin spice. But I still feel like I could get it to be better. Sigh.

I feel like everyone’s reviews of this are so eloquent and nice and I just pop in like a mad scientist who’s trying to get the “perfect brew”. So in other words, I feel like Belle’s father in Beauty and the Beast.

Everyone: oh I loved the caramel/pumpkin/cheesecake flavours!
Me: http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/pattygopez/default/21-best-tv-movie-dads—large-msg-130808168094.jpg BUT HOW?

Somehow I brewed this so that it actually does taste like a slightly tangy, gingery, pumpkin cheesecake. What I did differently tonight than most nights? Zero clue. Maybe it’s that I used my (new) Timolino? That’s the only variation from my norm… oh, and I used slightly heaping teaspoonfulls of tea.

Bleechhhhhhhh gross. This one smelled awful while being brewed up, and I only managed a single teensy sip (was gross), before it ended up down the drain. I don’t know… I’m thinking bacon in teas may not be for me, and pineapple can be pretty hit or miss. Combine with rooibos, and…. yeah no.

Thanks for passing some on, Roswell Strange!

Backlog:

Loved this one! I was really happy with how this one turned out. I love the sweet, creamy ice-creamy taste of it, the notes of sweet raisin and the notes of rum and how everything comes together. It’s really sweet and decadent, but not so sweet that I would feel guilty drinking it at breakfast (nor does it taste so boozy that I’d feel guilty starting my day like this.)

The robust, malty notes of the black tea work perfectly for this particular blend, and the black tea nicely accentuates the sweetness of the raisin and marries well with the rum notes. The sweet, vanilla-y notes weave their way in and out.

Nice!