Pancake Breakfast Black Tea

This one is easily my fave of 52Teas. I love the combo of maple syrup and butter – pancakes without the calories! Since I let this steep for the length of the cup, second infusions don’t go too well. But if you steeped for just a few minutes you could probably reuse the leaves.

I never got to try the Strawberry Pancake one…waiting patiently for a blueberry or chocolate chip version… (hint hint, wink wink)

It’s that kind of morning! I need a bold, hearty and expressive tea – but one I don’t have to taste a risk in enjoying. This fits the bill and is waking me up. YAY!

A side note, this tastes great with beef jerky. (Sorry to all you vegans/vegetarians out there…but it’s true.)

It’s rare I drink the same tea twice in a row (other than when I am resteeping leaves) but I required a second cup of this tea. Such a gem!

Pancake Breakfast, how I love thee.

This is seriously working well to clear out that awful Double Spice Chai from Stash I had minutes ago. I added a sweetener to it, which really brings out the maple syrup yumminess.

Please see other notes – this is my favorite tea by 52Teas, and I seriously hope and pray it will be added to the permanent collection. (HINT HINT, Frank! lol)

By the way, if anyone wants to try it, I will be selling three sample sets of Frank’s 52Teas, including some of the selections from the 12 Days of Christmas that I did not consume. The collections will include at least two servings of the following:
-Pancake Breakfast (gotta get more hooked on it so my campaign for permanency is successful)
-Rainbow Sherbet
-Marshmallow Treat (the non-vegan kind)
-Smores Chai
-Peach Blackberry Crumble
-Vanilla Mint Mate
-Cinnamon Roll Honeybush
-Strawberry Lemonade
-Ginger Ale
-Buttered Popcorn
-Milk & Cookies

All include free samples (at least two servings) of my new Let it Snow blend and TWO of my Adagio signature blends, of your choice including:
-Toasted Marshmallow
-Vampire Lemonade
-Merry Cinna-Berry
-Wonderland

I will be selling them for about $14.99 each, with free shipping to the USA. PM me if interested, or stay tuned to my blog & site:
http://keenteathyme.teatra.de/store/products/
http://keenteathyme.blogspot.com

I’m running low! Oh no! This is one of my favorite AM wakeup cuppas. I love the maple-y, buttery goodness. I saw that a competitor for 52teas has maple tea…I’ll try that as I cope with the loss of Pancake Breakfast. (Please see other tasting notes.)

Nobody does tea like Frank from 52teas. Right now I’m attempting to order this week’s Marshmallow Treat tea. I thought having a cup of the Pancake Breakfast while ordering would be lucky, kinda like Sam Axe using the name Chuck Finley for luck. (If you watch Burn Notice and saw last night’s movie you’ll know what I mean.)

What do I love as much as tea? Chocolate! This morning I put an extra twist on Frank’s already delish pancake breakfast tea-Chocolate chips for chocolate chip pancakes!!!!

I love this tea! I enjoyed this yesterday morning while spending the weekend in Ocean City Maryland with my girls. I nice weekend get a way with a great morning cup of tea!

Second review. I needed a tea that wasn’t going to bomb on me. You know when you’ve been trying new tea and it’s been eh…well…you know what I mean,“iffy”. You need an old tea friend to perk you up. What better friend than Pancake Breakfast! It has Syrup, Butter, Batter cakey doughy stuff! This is what I was in the mood for and it delivered. I can’t say I’d give it 100% rating because that is reserved for rare transendental tea experiences that are few and far between. This is a nice and comforting tea which is like a warm hug… and who doesn’t want that.

52teas 12 Days of Christmas Sampler 2011 – Day 5

Woot! I love this tea! I actually have 1.5 pouches of it in my cupboard, so I’m just going to add this sample to that stock. Since it’s a black tea, I often make it first thing in the morning. It’s a little late to drink it right now.

But all you other Steepsterites with this sampler are lucky ducks! This is one of the most fantastic teas Frank has ever blended! Enjoy it while it lasts, which definitely won’t be long!

My tip to get the most pancake out of this blend is steeping it for a short period of time and adding sweetener (and a little skim milk if you like it).

When I first got this tea I tried it right away because I was so excited, but then ended up a bit disappointed because I didn’t get as much flavor as I would have liked. After that it sat in the back of my cupboard while all manner of new teas piled up around it, but then I read LiberTEAS’ note on one of the other 52teas about how she always waits a while before trying the new blends because it takes a while for all the flavors to meld together and develop. I ordered both the Pumpkin Cheesecake and the Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast recently and have been waiting to try them, so I thought I’d revisit this one since it’s been so long.

To be honest the aroma of the brewed tea still smells like what I remember: black tea. It’s a bit bright, almost like a darjeeling, oddly. I do get a hint of underlying sweetness to the aroma, but it overall reminds me more of Harney’s Indian Nimbu than pancakes! The taste is very interesting, and definitely different from how I remember. I get a bright, clean black tea, not heavy or malty, followed by a slight aftertaste of maple, perhaps. I don’t really know what’s going on… I read all the other reviews and people rave and rave about how pancakey this is, but I’m just not getting it. Maybe I need to try it sweetened, but I’m not big on sweetening my teas. The overall flavor of the cup is interesting enough that I have no problem drinking it down, but I’m a bit underwhelmed. C’est la vie! Sometimes a tea is not for everyone.

Had this one this morning with milk and maple syrup to sweeten. Almost all my maple syrup collected at the bottom of the pot so the last cup was really sweet! I’m afraid I didn’t get a ton of pancake flavor from this even sweetened, but it was at least a tasty pot of tea.

wellll, I oversteeped this because I was too busy doing dishes and listening to podcasts to bother messing with my phone for a timer… whoops. Oh well. I’m gonna hit lvl 18 at getyedone.com today >:D

Didn’t ruin the tea though! It’s not one of my faves from 52 but it’s great in the morning. mmmm, mapley.

Goodbye pancake breakfast! You were lovely with cookies! (I made sneaky cookies yesterday, full of proteinful seeds and whatnot, muahahaha <- sneaky mom laugh!)

I’ve found this is my perfect ugh-I-have-to-work-early-Saturday breakfast tea. I make a cup to have at home plus enough to fill my travel mug. It helps me get myself together enough to get dressed and out the door and then once I’m here its sweet-bakey-buttery goodness consoles me while I mourn that I have to wake up on a Saturday to come sit in an office no one will call for the first three hours, anyway.

Last Saturday I left my travel mug full at home and it well ruined my morning. But the Bodum stainless steel travel press kept it hot enough on the counter for hours until the boyfriend woke up and enjoyed it on my behalf. He liked it. Review: “So pancakey.” Yep.

Anyway, I think my point in this note is that this should be permanent. it’s my favourite 52Teas tea.

This was more pancakey this morning, and quite delicious. I’m not sure what I did differently, though I’m not sure if I used boiling water previously but did this time.

Today was an unusually rainy day. It hasn’t been pouring, but the skies have been grey & it’s been so dreary. This kind of weather also has me craving tea… truly CRAVING. It couldn’t be just any tea either… but a black tea. I knew that I couldn’t concentrate on multiple infusions, but needed a single reliable and tasty cup instead.

This blend has always been yummy. It’s sweet and a little astringent as usual. I’m actually getting a little bit of salty pretzel as well… weird! There isn’t as much maple as I remember, but it’s still pretty good.

SO GLAD I restocked this with my last 52teas order. I was nearly out and that would not have been a good thing!

This really is such a consistently good cup of tea. Today it was mapley buttered pancakes in that order. Perfect way for me to start the morning before I go play around on my piano! I love days off!

Backlog from Thursday morning.

I was in a rush to get out the door so I didn’t get to really focus on it as much as I would have liked. It’s a shame, too – every sip was absolutely fabulous. Buttery, syrupy pancakes in my mouth! This always gives me a good cup but yesterday’s was better than usual. And I’m almost out…and seriously banana pudding tea sounds yummy…so I’ll probably be placing an order soonish.

This is one I plan on always having around!

Woo hoo! This morning I woke up and the sun was out, and the sky was blue! It feels like so long since that’s happened, since it’s been raining for most of the week.

To celebrate the beautiful day and the fact that I’ve got an open schedule, I went for pancakes in a cup. I went gluten free as an experiment a few months ago, and recently tested the necessity of it by reintroducing wheat back in my system. Turns out – yeah, I have a definite sensitivity to gluten and need to keep it out of my diet. :(

So this will probably be the closest I get to actual, buttery mapley pancakes for the time being. That’s not really a bad thing though because this is really does mimic pancakes pretty darn good! I had two cups of it with some milk and sugar and I think I’m finally ready to get some things done today.

Happy weekend everyone!

Backlog from this morning…added a splash of milk

This one keeps getting better and better.

I don’t understand how, but I sure do love it!

Attempt #2:
I am picking up more on the syrup scent in the brewed tea. There is much more of a potent buttery taste, but it is still more towards the end of the sip and it’s still quite hot. Unfortunately as it cools I think I’m losing the flavor a little more. Even when adding sugar, I just get a sweetened black tea. Maybe the black tea is too strong and overpowering the pancakes? I think the next step is to reduce steeping time to 2 minutes and see if that helps.
I can definitely see the potential in the tea, even moreso now with those first sips…I know I will figure this out yet!

AHH- I probably only have enough for one more cup! How did that even happen???

Sigh – got to get some more. I’m trying to wait patiently though because I really want to just do a bulk order with this (and the eventual pound of french vanilla assam, and other goodies). But I got two good steeps out of my 1.5 tsp. of leaf tonight, so I’m not complaining. It was the buttery goodness that it always is – just like eating a huge stack of pancakes and maple syrup.

Perfect for a cold bleary day!

Prepped my usual way, with milk and sugar added.

I’ve started running again so I think my metabolism has amped up. Tonight I wanted something sweet but we didn’t have anything in the house – except for all my lovely dessert teas.

The syrup and butter are really popping out of both the smell and taste, and it is totally hitting the spot. And as an added bonus, it’s doing so for a lot less calories than a big stack of pancakes would!

3 tsp. tea to 500 ml water, prepped with half and half and sugar.

The smell of the steeped tea as I poured it was AMAZING this morning. Maybe because it’s been a while since I’ve had it? But it was mouthwateringly good-buttery and syrupy. I know that as good as it smells that it needs additives, though, so I made it my usual way before sipping.

Butter and syrup are the strongest tastes as well, finishing up with a bready note. This is really hitting the spot today. I was kind of up on the fence about reordering this, but after this cup, I will most definitely be. Yay for a great addition to Frank’s permanent collection!

This is awesome with bacon on the side- even though I only added some milk to the cup to have with my breakfast, you would think I added maple syrup. I love how salty flavors bring out sweet!

The buttery pancake flavor in this really shines when there’s milk involved, too. No dice for the boyfriend – after how much he was liking that flavored matcha I got ambitious and made him try a sip of this, too, but his tastebuds must be back to normal because he’s on his unflavored only kick again.

Ah well – it was nice while it lasted. And on the plus side, at least this tea is all mine!

I was nervous about trying this tea again. When it’s good, it’s really, really good – problem was, it seemed to require milk and sugar to get there.

Prepped 1.5 tsp. tea at below parameters, added 1 tbsp. coconut milk. Can I just say that I love being able to eat pancakes without actually eating them? I love getting a mouthful of creamy maple syrup followed by the cakey note. The coconut milk is usually not my preferred additive, but it pairs really nicely here – I think because it adds a thicker, chewy mouthfeel. Whatever it is, I love it!

(Although I do still have some scratchy throat stuff going on once I get about halfway into the cup. What IS that???)

500 ml. water, 3 tsp. leaf, at below parameters.

I’ve learned my lesson with this tea, and only drink it with sugar and milk. And it’s perfect that way – buttery pancakes with maple syrup, no astringency whatsoever. I love that I have conquered this tea – it was worth the many attempts at perfection to have finally gotten there!

Whew! I just checked and this is still available in the permanent collection!

Black tea in the morning has started to become a habit of late. This one has actually grown on me since cutting out sweetener – for some reason it tastes more like itself that way. Whatever the reason I’ll take it. And I’ll probably end up getting some more once I get that first paycheck of mine. :)

3 tsp. tea leaves, 500 ml. water, at below parameters.

This tea is probably one of the most challenging I’ve ever drank. I’ve been having a hard time nailing the parameters, it seems to aggravate my throat if I drink it too quickly (this time, at least), and my tongue plays tricks on me – it’s like it gets used to the flavor so that I stop being able to pick up on anything but black tea after the first few sips. I have to take ‘breaks’ from this to resensitize my palate, if that makes sense. Low maintenance it is not, but dangit, I keep getting these tantalizing hints of what this tastes like in it’s fully glory, so I AM NOT GIVING UP.

So, for this round: I tried steeping it slightly longer and letting it cool before trying it without additives, in order to accurately assess the flavor. Strangely having a slightly longer steep time didn’t really make it bitter, like I thought it would. I got more of a pancakes and maple scent in the steeped tea this time, and hints of butter in the tea itself. First cup of tea with no additives really irritated my throat though (strange, and I wanted to make note of it for future reference), so on the second I added some half and half.

I really like the thickness of this tea even when it’s plain, but the second cup has pretty much changed my life for the better. The half and half really brought things together – fleshed out the butter taste and soothed that itch in my throat from the first cup. I think it will need sugar to go the rest of the way towards awesome, but that is OK – I have figured out this tea and it’s Friday and therefore all is right with the world.

[notes for next time: creamer, sugar, below parameters, allow to cool. Done and done!]

Backlogging 3 cups of this from this morning. I’m seriously on a tea drinking kick lately – must be the cold snap. But that’s good! I have a ton of tea to drink (and more on the way once the mailman gets here, which will hopefully be tonight!)

I’m starting to run low on this one – going to have to place a 52Teas order soon, I think. It just manages to taste so mapley and buttery – and then there’s just enough of a hint of pancake to make me feel like I’ve eaten, rather than drank, my breakfast. So glad this is a permanent tea!

With some added maple syrup these flavors really do pop, although before I added any I took a sip and was pleased to taste the pancakes right before the black tea took over. I ordered an extra pouch of this since it was being reblended and I’m super glad I’ve nailed the parameters for myself – I’m going to enjoy many breakfasts with this one!

I had this for breakfast with pancakes this morning. :)
I tried steeping this for longer and I got a much stronger pancake smell in the brewed tea, and then I realized that probably if I added some maple syrup to sweeten the tea (DUH- right?) that would add the extra oomph I’ve been searching for.
Yeah, the solution was that simple. But at least I know how I’m going to enjoy the rest of the pouch. Upping this rating – it is a fabulous tea and I’m glad to have finally figured it out!

3 tsp. tea to 500 ml. water in my Breville.

This always manages to tease me so – the steeped tea smells divine and strongly of maple – but always in the taste I get a tannic black tea if I leave it unsweetened. Once I add some sugar the breaded pancakey flavor comes out a lot more, but the maple remains in smell only. :(

Still very drying on the tongue, but it’s a nice morning tea to take your time and savor, as long as you sweeten it first!

3 heaping tsp. tea to 16 oz. water, prepared per below parameters in my Breville.

It has definitely been a while since I’ve had some of this. The smell is mapley heaven! Plain there is a nice maple syrup flavor at the end of the sip, and at the forefront is the black tea – I get a hint of butter if I think about it. I never seem to get the bready pancake taste unless I sweeten it, but I’m pairing this with cinnamon rolls, so maybe it just got lost because I’m eating real carbs along with it?

Regardless, it’s still a great wakeup tea today.

Made as a latte using 2 heaping tsp. leaves to 16 oz. liquid.

I feel like I finally understand what it means when people say that a black tea “stands up” to the addition of milk and sugar. The flavor of the pancakes have been brought out more, but the flavor of the black tea is still at the forefront so I just have a stronger brew. I am totally fine with this – strong flavors are what I like!

Definitely a good choice for breakfast this Sunday morning!

Mmmm pancake tea!

I’ve noticed I’ve been having this tea every time I make pancakes. This morning I did a full review with pics.. with pancakes! Whoo! pancakes!

Blog Entry: http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/pancake-breakfast-from-52-teas-tea-review/

My husband has been requesting french toast now instead of pancakes. I bet there’s a french toast tea out there somewhere, at least there better be!