52teas

Yay I get to have the first tasting note on this one!

I will start out with a story: I have been a bad spender these last few months since we came to Ontario. With a Davidstea so close, and being on steepster all the time, I’ve been buying a lot of tea. My hubby finally has a job, but we are still trying to catch up from the last few months and my tea addiction wasn’t helping. So after putting in an order with Red Leaf, and two orders with Della Terra, and an order with 52 teas in January, I put myself and my best tea buddy here on a no tea buying month until Davids Spring collection comes out March 6th!

BUT THEN THIS TEA HAPPENED! I love flavoured oolongs. Well I love all oolongs but I am always looking for amazing flavored ones. And so I knew I couldn’t buy it because 1) Shipping to Canada is now crazy 2) I was on the no tea buying restraint and I had already broken it for the iHeartteas sale. Which as a side note, my friend who was also no allowed to by tea responded as such: “WHAT YOU BOUGHT TEA! BAD!” Me: “It was such a good sale! I got 2 bags of 52teas discontinued blends for $12!” Her: “Why didn’t you tell me….” Me: “I didn’t want us both to fall of the bandwagon” Her: “But why didn’t you tell me so I could get some too…” We are bad enablers.

ANYWAYS so my husband and I have been doing gifts to each other every month for our anniversary, leading up to our one year of being married. We think its a nice way to let the other one know we still care, and we alternate so it’s like every other month one of us is being spoiled. So far my hubby is winning, he got me: A steeper, dinner at my favorite restaurant, candy, and now this tea because I basically begged him to get it. Yesterday was our “mockaversary” because February doesn’t have a 30 in it. So much to my “surprise” I got a bag of this!

And that is how I almost avoided buying tea for a whole month, while still getting one of the most exciting blends I’ve seen in a while.

On to the tea: I brewed this one up for 2.5 minutes. The dry leaf smells sweet and tangy. I literally couldn’t stop smelling the bag last night. It is a lot stronger than I expected based on Frank’s description, but I am totally ok with that. Brewed up it is a nice light gold colour. On tasting I am first hit with the sweet/tart cranberry, and then as it mellows on my tongue the smoothness of the oolong comes through. Definitely happy to have gotten to try this one, it is a keeper! I think cranberry anything is fantastic and I am happy to have the cranberry hugging my friend oolong here.

EDIT: I lied, and I cannot lie to your Steepsterites, I also went to Davids once and bought 3 15 gram samplers of some Mates. I was there with a friend…it was a semi successful no tea buying month. Luckily the Spring collection comes out Wednesday and I will be all over that. I may even get a new mug/pot :D

EDIT 2: I remember now why also we evoked No Tea Buying month, it’s because my friend and I had also placed an online DavidsTea order because they were discontinuing so many things. And then the next day we took advantage of Red Leaf’s new customer 50% deal. So within 2 days we had both spent $70 on tea, in addition to all the other tea I had already bought in January. I need to give myself an allowance.

This is one of those 52teas blends that I really wanted to get when it first came out, but my tea budget said “no way!” Thankfully (for my wallet) I got to swap with Starfevre for a whole pouch! For a girl with insomnia, 2 ounces of sleepy tea is an absolute dream. Because, much like how medicine becomes less effective the more you use it, I’ve found my usual go-to night tea (Marketspice’s Knockout) to be losing some potency.

This is a pretty simple mix of flavors: lemon, chamomile, honeybush. But together they really are dreamy! Floral, woodsy, and wonderfully lemony. It’s a soft citrus, rather creamy. And the honeybush and chamomile blend perfectly together: the chamomile’s floral is toned down and the honeybush isn’t so sweet. It’s such a drowsy blend, a few sips (with honey!) have me almost nodding off. I’m kind of sad this one isn’t a permanent blend, it’s so useful (not to mention delicious).

I’m not sure why I didn’t buy this blend when it first popped up. I had immediate regret after reading all of the yummy reviews. I realized that I HAD to try some and see what the talk is all about. Yssah generously shared a sample with me and this is my cup of choice this afternoon! Thank you!

Sipping… I detect a rather smooth and subtle tea. It’s primarily a black tea base followed by a whisper of blueberry. Darn. I was really looking forward to some of that cream cheese/pastry flavor as well! It seems like my tastebuds either hit the mark with 52 Teas blends or they completely miss. Now, this isn’t a bad tea… but it seems to be just a subtle blueberry black tea. I still have about a cup’s worth left to try and coax out more of the creamy danish flavor.

Received this from kittylovestea, she was very generous with the tea.

Dry this smells very banana like & creamy. Can you even smell creamy? Like banana & yogurt.
Steeped it smells banana like, but more like banana runts than real bananas. The taste is that of a handfull of runts, minus the sweetness. But also hints of bubble gum.
Ok so I totally don’t get breakfast smoothie, but this is good. It paired greatly with my hockey in game in which we won…. woooo!

0.5 tbsp for 190 ml

Very little astringency. Black tea notes balanced well with a very authentic cotton candy flavour. Lemon-y hints.

I used 1 tablespoon of dry leaf for 375 ml of water.

There is still too much astringency even with the reduced dry leaf and reduced infusion time. The astringency did back off a bit as the cup cooled but not as much as in my previous attempt. I didn’t get enough of the cotton candy flavour in this cup.

I used 1.25 tablespoons of dry leaf for 375 ml of water.

The dry leaf smells overwhelmingly like freshly spun cotton candy.

The brewed tea has a definite cotton candy aroma which is overpowered by the scent of black tea.

Too much astringency from the black tea base. I might have to experiment with the infusion parameters. A delightful cotton candy flavour is present in the background- it seems quite authentic as well.

As the tea cools I am getting a lemony taste from the black tea base. The bitterness backs off a little bit but the cup is slightly too bitter to enjoy.

As the tea cools further, the bitterness backs off even more. I’m starting to detect a creamy taste. There is still a bit of a bitter edge but it is quite enjoyable.

Second infusion at 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Lighter tasting but there is still enough cotton candy sugary taste to make it an enjoyable experience. There is only a slight bitterness that I experienced in the first cup.

This tea would not likely do well past the second infusion.

I might try only 1 tablespoon for 375 ml of water in the future.

This is another 52teas blend that took me by surprise. When I first received this blend I was hesitant as I was expecting the typical artificial raspberry flavoring you often get with tea blends – but I should have known Frank has higher standards than most. The dry leaves have a delicate creamy scent which simply brings out the nice fresh raspberry in this blend. The raspberry is a nice tart natural flavor which is supported nicely by both the black tea base and cream-like notes in the background. I am a straight tea drinker and was surprised how lovely this tea was hot but even more impressed with the flavor profile when it was at room temperature/cold. I am not typically one to try black teas cold or cool but due to a combined hectic day at the office and a desperate end of day caffeine fix I decided to down the half cup of cold tea on my desk – and I have to admit this is one tea best enjoyed cold.

I made a few cups of this the other day, so I could grab a baseline for comparison with the S’mores and Marshmallow version. It does not fare well iced. But… It has mellowed out considerably since I first tried it, making it drinkable, or atleast something I wouldn’t be ashamed of serving to guests! Thus, I’ve bumped the rating a tad.

(backlog)
Eeeek, I really don’t know what I’ll do with my packet of this. The chocolate is not exactly my idea of authentic. Quite fake. I don’t think I’d even want it as a base in my food. Some sips are ok as a plain genmaicha, but then others? yikes. It reminds me of the sugar free chocolate my grandfather used to eat, since he was a diabetic. The one candy I would dread getting offered but always accepted out of guilt!
This is my third try and still, no go.

Ok, this tea for sure deserves high praise, it’s sweet yet not too sweet. I mean it’s the perfect flavoured black tea.

Another weird one! Good, it was good, and better than I would have thought, since I’m not a huge fan of things flavored like strawberry. Strawberries themselves I love, but most things that are flavored like “strawberry” are just not that great. This was a pleasant surprise, and didn’t have the fake-out flavor I was expecting. It’s not a staple for me, since I like deeper and stronger flavors, but this was a fun treat, and something I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy a nice, smooth, fruity tea. Thanks to T.C. for this! I’m having a ball getting to check out all these great teas.

Oh, and I have to add, I did indeed know who Walter Bishop was/is, my husband’s a fan of Fringe.

Surprised this one doesn’t have any notes yet! I mean raspberry & cream, what is not to love. Dry the leaves remind me a lot of another tea, the smell is so familiar but I can’t place it. How bothersome! I think it might actually be Adagio’s Ripe for Romance, which is strange because that is raspberry and chocolate.

Anyway, this tea is scrumptious. I made it iced with some cream just to bump up the creamy notes, though I tried it first sans-cream and, yes, it’s very creamy! Not like vanilla, but a smoother and less sweet cream element. The raspberry is bright and fruity, one of the best raspberry flavored blends I’ve tried. That seems to be a finnicky flavor, but it’s perfect here!

On a side note, I totally spazzed and missed my 400th tasting note (which funnily enough was another 52teas blend, Genmaichai). The same thing happened to me with #300, I am terrible at keeping track of this stuff.. So I dub this my honorary 400th!

Super old sample….going to give the rest to my friend to try.

I made this to bring to the movie theatre, added milk.

I think my “stained” stainless steel travel mug (the one that kind of has taste remnants of all the flavoured teas it has ever contained) may have ruined the taste of this one for me a bit.
It wasn’t very potent or delicious.

I might actually have to try again one time before I give it away!

I don’t consider this a 92 based on my tastes today, so I’m lowering my rating accordingly.

Thanks to Lala for a sample of this! Once I realized this existed I knew I’d love to try it at some point, being the huge Harry Potter fan that I am.

I have to say, in 2011 we went to Universal Studios and spent a good amount of time in Harry Potter’s Wizarding World which was like a dream come true for the young person inside me. When there, I had two or three Butterbeers, which were truly delicious, possibly the greatest drink ever. Totally what I imagined it should taste like. It was offered in a slushie or liquid form, both were yummy!

This tea is an awesome tea version of Butterbeer! I hope it becomes available again because I think I’d like to order some!

Similar to Davidstea’s Root Beer Float (which was sadly discontinued in favor of the Cherry Cola, wth?!)… But that one I felt I could really only justify drinking cold and I’m enjoying this Butterbeer hot.

Here’s hoping I can procure some!

Backlog from yesterday. This was such a strange tea! It smelled a bit unnatural when I put it in my cup, but the true sweet, caramel nature of this tea truly bloomed when I added boiling water. Smelled apple-like, which is good, and rather fake, which usually isn’t so good. But, this tea tasted pretty awesome…Just a little bit of sugar and this becomes an awesome dessert tea! I was having a niggling desire for candy when I brewed this, and by the time I started drinking my 12 oz. cup with just a teaspoon of sugar, I didn’t even think about sweets again, the tea was enough. So, this is an amazing alternative to have in the cupboard to tame any sweets cravings one may come across.

Not a fan of the fakeness in the scent and flavor, but the overall tea is good enough to make up for it.

Thanks to T.C. for this sample, the tea was definitely fun to play with.

Backlog:

I really like this blend. I’ve found all of 52Teas Marshmallow blends to be very enjoyable, and I love the combination of marshmallow, peppermint, and black tea … the black tea has just a barely-there chocolate note that keeps me sipping. I found that my palate would be like “did I just taste chocolate” and I’d need to taste it again to make sure I got it right.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/24/white-christmas-black-tea-blend-from-52teas/

Yes, I’m just getting around to trying this tonight. I’m behind on my 52Teas stash!

This is SO good. I love the combination of the marshmallow and peppermint with the black tea. The black tea is bold, moderately astringent, and deliciously rich, and I do taste the hint of chocolate to the black tea here. This is really delicious with the flavors of marshmallow and peppermint … and I think that Frank should make a blend now with marshmallow, peppermint and chocolate … just sayin’.

Totally yum!

Backlogging. 10 days ago. Wednesday afternoon.

The February Backlog: From the 1st to today.

My second time having this, my first time logging this. First time I had it I liked it so much. I got root beer, cream soda, and buttery. This time I got more black tea taste with those flavors. This tea is sooo good.

Backlog:

This was really quite yummy. I loved the way the bittersweet chocolate notes complemented the roasty-toasty notes of the genmaicha. Definitely a winner!

Here is my full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/01/26/browncoat-genmaicha-from-52teas/

For a black tea blend this is very tasty. Black tea is not my tea of choice mostly due to the caffeine content but this is worth the indulgence. In line with the name, the predominate flavor is a nice roasted almond flavor with the chocolate and coconut in the background. I did find lowering the steep time for a typical black tea did allow for a greater balance of flavors even when enjoyed straight. Overall, this makes a nice dessert tea without being overly artificial or sweet.

I steeped this without reading the description and tried to figure ut what it tasted like that way. What I decided? Grape. Lots of grape.

Turns out it has black currant in it. :P Oh well – from the comments I’m not the only one who thought so. For a tea named after The Earl, I’m not detecting any bergamot, which is actually a blessing as I’m sorta picky about how much of that I can stand.

There’s a bit of tartness and more sweetness but it’s very pleasant. I haven’t had many white teas but I could see getting more of this in the future!

Another sip down! I woke up this morning very excited for tea, any tea, and this was the first one that I came across. Our indoor cat got outside late on Monday night, so we spent all day yesterday in the cold rain searching for her and putting fliers on every door/business in our area. Luckily our Greyhound found her last night just up the road from our house. Yesterday was a day with no tea and it was a sad day indeed. So this morning we decided to celebrate the return of our prodigal cat with some Lime Jello Salad.

The dry tea smells really sweet, just like a packet of dry jello mix. I didn’t see any dried pineapples in my pack, but there was a lot of white, fluffy marshmallow root. The flavor is exactly like lime jello, and adding a little sweetener brings out a small hint of the marshmallow. To me, the lime flavor is a little artificial, but lime jello tastes artificial also, so it really does live up to its name. My mom would always make me jello when I was sick as a child and she would let me drink a little of the warm jello before putting it in the fridge to set. This tea reminds me of that warm jello flavor!

-Dry blend has green tea leaves and fluffy marshmallow root.
-Dry leaves smell sugary sweet of lime jello. Tea liquor aroma is strongly of lemon-lime.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium green color.
-Citrusy lime flavor with a marshmallow lime jello finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Flavor is exactly like lime jello.