Note: This is an edited version of a review I made to one of my Tumblr blogs. (It will appear on Steepster before it is posted to my blog, since I’m using a queue.)
Note 2: This is the reblend version with the marshmallow root.
I added: Sugar.
Smell (dry): Slightly sweet marshmallow treats (left out awhile, maybe). (Sometimes you catch an edge of bitterness to the smell, but otherwise it smells nice. I left the packet open on the table as I wrote the review and the area smells nommy.)
Smell (brewed): Matcha with a dash of rice tea scent.
Color (brewed): Greenish-gold
Taste (plain): Green tea. I’m not sure how else to put it. It doesn’t taste at all like it smells (either dry or brewed). It’s a fairly mellow green tea (not too bitter). I don’t taste the toasted rice, marshmallow root, or anything else.
Taste (sugared): With the sugar, the green tea seems to oddly taste more bitter. (I wonder if that’s the matcha I taste? I could smell it for sure, but didn’t know it was in the mix until I went back to the 52 Teas website) I can taste a bit of the toasted rice and a faint marshmallow flavor now. I can better taste the sweet/marshmallow flavor if I “gulp” and let it roll over my tongue rather than letting it linger.
Actually – I got to the end of the cup where I suppose most of the sugar settled and suddenly it tastes quite like a marshmallow treat… and then is quickly overpowered by the bitterness of the green tea. It may be a flavoring issue on my end, rather than the tea itself.
Other comments: This was the tea that started it all, really. Or, at least, my tendency to order from 52 Teas specifically. I was reading reviews of a different tea (the one I’ll review next) on Steepster and looked at their Top Something list of teas where I saw “Marshmallow Treat” listed. I was fascinated – and then immediately disappointed when I realized it was a limited edition flavor. But it made me browse the site and sign up for their newsletter.
And then, one day near December, it happened: They re-released the flavor! Iee! I ordered three packets of tea (Pancake Breakfast, Cinnamon Roll Honeybush, and this) and prepared myself for the taste explosion to come!
Unfortunately, even fresh it never lived up to the hype – for me.
Would I buy it again?: Sadly, no. Maybe if it were paired with another base? I love the concept and it’s easy to tell from the smell that they came close. But I’m not sure I like green tea anymore. I know it’s meant to be very good for you and I certainly want to like it, but the bitterness I generally taste turns me off. It also smells like what I want it to taste like, but doesn’t taste like it.
Noting: It’s pretty good for a green tea. It’s one of the least bitter green teas I’ve had, actually.
Would I recommend it?: If you like green tea and you like marshmallow treats, why not? It’s a limited edition flavor, but I know for sure they’ve re-released it at least once. So you always have a shot if you keep your eyes open for it. Just be prepared to work with it until you get the right flavor balance. It may be something like, “Add cream!” or “Add half a tablespoon of sugar.” – I don’t know.
PS: I did try it with creamer for my third cup on a whim and it was… interesting. It may be just my imagination that it tasted more like marshmallow, though. But it certainly utterly negated the bitterness. I may try it like this again.
