Bangkok Blend

This came as a free sample from Harney & Sons and it’s a pyramid teabag…

Lately I’ve been feeling so “meh” about flavored green teas so I wasn’t looking forward to this one so much.

This is sweet and lovely and I am very fond of this combination! Firstly you get a nice coconut and vanilla flavor followed up with the lemongrass and ginger. I’m not getting a lot of green tea flavor here but I do like the flavor. I was pretty fond of the Thai rooibos from Upton as well so I guess it’s no surprise I am digging it.

I only wish this came in decaf form, then it would make a great dessert tea (no they don’t have it, I checked the website).I think it would be great with some soymilk or coconut milk. I might need to order some of this when I get more things from Harney – and you know it is only a matter of time…. hee!

Quite a few years ago I remember not liking coconut very much, because my mom used to make coconut cake that was too sweet. Then I had macaroons at a Chinese buffet and loved them. Then I tried Thai food and loved the way coconut was a part of their delicious food. So now I, “Really digg coconut man!” Harney’s crafted this blend a few years ago, and I always wanted to try it…….so last year I bought a tin.

Surprisingly, I reecently found this and tried it today. I immediately smelled the coconut…it just hit me in the face! I inhaled the blend deeply and smelled lemongrass, and there was something else. What was it? The aroma was secondary to the other two but…SSNNIIFFFF….AHHHH, there it is—vanilla! Those were the three scents I detected, and I couldn’t detect any ginger. Amazing aroma, and I couldn’t wait to drink a cup. My mouth was watering!

In the wet leaf aroma I could actually smell the green tea now. This looked like a Bancha green and not a Sencha. Bancha is more mild than a Sencha, and it works really well in this blend. A yellow colored liqour greeted my eyes as I waited for the cup to cool.

At 3.5 minutes, the coconut, came through very well, and the lemongrass was quite noticeable and refreshing. What I really like is that the vanilla was well represented, but more of a background flavor. Sometimes vanilla can be overdone, but not here. I really like it when you can taste the TEA and the added flavors. The tea is really good bancha with no bitterness, but there is good flavor. A really good balance of the green tea, coconut, lemongrass & vanilla.

My second cup was steeped at 4.5 and around 200 degrees. Here the flavors come through well enough, and the longer steep made thee green tea pop, and made my mouth pucker. This was not bitterness at all. I enjoyed this cup too, but the green tea was more prominent than the flavors here. I think to achieve a good balance I would steep this blend at 3.5 minutes, but no more than four. I aso used more quantity “leaf” per cup, probably closer to 1 1/2 tsp.

This is one of my favorite blends and Bankok Blend would go perfect with Thai food. It is also a delicious dessert tea. I probably could drink this every day! It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. :)) I could see myself drinking this in the warmer months—this would make a great iced tea. Right now it is too cold here to drink anything iced though. In the Summer, when I ice this tea, I need to remember to buy some tiny umbrellas! :))

Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, January 13, 2012.

Another sample from Alphakitty!

This is definitely an interesting blend! I’m drinking it cool because I got distracted by a few things after it was brewed, so I will still need to try it hot (or at least warm). I can taste the lemongrass but it’s not overpowering, and there’s a coconutty sort of creaminess that lingers in the aftertaste along with the lemongrass. The base tea is quite present and tasty, which is great. I’m not sure what else is in here, but everything is really working quite well together. Although I like it (proof: cup finished while writing this review), I’m not sure it’s a tea I’d drink too frequently, so the very generous sample I received will probably do me for a while. That is, unless this is one of the ones that is fantastic iced (gah!! This is why I need Steepster! To check on such things!) Thanks again, Alphakitty!

ETA: Second infusion, 175F for 3 min, is pretty good too. Lemony and a bit less creamy. Lovely aftertaste. I should really get on that cold-brewing. I love that you sent me enough to experiment with, Alphakitty!!

Disclaimer: Bangkok is my favorite tea. I’m honestly not even sure why! Objectively it’s not the best tea: the flavors are fantastic but it’s a little lacking on the ginger, and I think the green base could be a little stronger/butterier. But hey, it’s my favorite anyway. Coconut + lemongrass = love to me. It was also one of the first teas I fell for. I saw the pretty pink tin at Starbucks years ago and couldn’t resist! This tea can also take a beating: I used to brew this with boiling and leave the bag in for 10+ minutes (which makes me cringe thinking about!) but it never got bitter. Magic?

Anyway, I have been meaning to experiment with cold brewing for a while. This seemed like the perfect tea to start with, since 1) I know I love it and 2) it’s cheap (1.50/oz plus a 10% discount in store) so I wouldn’t have to worry about messing it up. I honestly had no idea how much leaf to use and dumped like… 1/2 an ounce into cold filtered water along with some simple syrup (hey, I like my iced tea sweet!). Let it sit for 13 hours and then filtered it, and bam—iced tea! It is DIVINE. The coconut and lemongrass are as prominent as always, but the cold brewing brings out a lot more of the tangy ginger. The base is stronger too, with that nice “tea” taste. This is heaven in a cup, and I will be making this often. Summer gets HOT in ny, and this is just what I need to cool down.

Lemongrass and coconut: two very awesomesauce fragrances and flavours. This actually smells and tastes like Thai coconut curry to me. See, I love that stuff, but not sure if I like the idea of it being translated into a tea. I tie that curry flavour to rice and vegetables, seafood, etc, so it’s weird taking a sip and thinking you’re eating a plate of that.

The tea base is quite mild. I can taste a bit of sharpness from the leaf but the curry is distracting me. It reminds me of the time I made stir-fry vegetables with lemon ginger rooibos. That was… interesting.

Backlog:

A really tasty blend that took me a bit by surprise. I expected the ginger to be rather strong and overpowering, but it’s rather mild and gentle here. Just a subtle hint of its fire. Not enough to kick the palate … but more like a gentle nudge.

The green tea is silky, buttery, sweet, and creamy. Lightly vegetative. The lemongrass adds a nice citrus-y note that brightens the cup a little bit, and the creaminess is accentuated by the vanilla and the coconut. Really tasty!

Another sample from the lovely lala :) not sure what drove me to ask for a coconut sample but I did! And it’s not too shabby. I couldn’t a lot of this but a cup or two every other month would be acceptable lol

Thanks again lala

So today is the Duke/UNC game, which means it’s practically a holiday in our state. We have plans to watch the game at a local sports bar, and my fiancee has us on a strict schedule of what time we need to leave in order to get a good table. I kind of wish it was one of those lazy Saturdays where we had no plans. I’m right in the middle of rearranging the tea cupboard and found the perfect cute little tins at Michaels for $0.50, so I’m dying to get everything neatly organized. But I’m definitely not missing the biggest game of the year, so the tea organization will have to wait until tomorrow.

I generally love anything from Harney’s, so I was excited to try this sample from Alphakitty. I like most of the ingredients in this blend – lemongrass, coconut and vanilla, but ginger is so hit or miss for me. Ach, sadly this one seems very gingery. It’s definitely the strongest flavor, and I am only sensing a little of the coconut and vanilla. Those two seem to be contributing more to the creaminess of the tea, rather than the flavor. I can only detect a little of the lemongrass, and there is a strong, lingering ginger aftertaste. I don’t hate this tea, but it’s not exactly what I was expecting. I will have to try it cold brewed, like Alphakitty suggests. And hey, if Duke beats the tarholes tonight I will gladly drink this tea every game day! :)

-Dry blend has long flat green tea leaves and lemongrass.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of green tea and ginger. Tea liquor aroma is of coconut and ginger.
-Tea liquor is a clear pale greenish yellow color.
-Strong ginger flavor with a soft coconut vanilla finish. Lingering spicy ginger aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. Very strong ginger taste that overwhelms all other flavors.

ARG, my tea stash went out of control recently and I’m out of nice tins again. I got 3 big ugly cookie tins that I need to modpodge pretty with crazy pink christmas paper, which I’m going to do once I’m done this tea! I believe I got this tea in a trade with Rachel Sincere, ty! This tea is in a bag.

STEEPED: Very pale yellow tea – sweetless coconutty mellow smell.

TASTE: Okay, this is interesting in flavor. First off, very light in flavor. What I do get is creamy mouth coconut and buttery coconut fleshy taste up front. The flavor is close to real coconut. Light green flavor, barely there. Aftertaste of a little lemongrass. Not really getting the ginger. Overall I find this tea kinda savory as it is not sweet at all.

COMMENTS: I’d love to have this tea with some curry or thai food – that would be yummy! I think this tea could chill out a mouth burning with spicy food! However, it seems too light of a tea for me to enjoy whenever I want. Next time I’ll try a longer steeping and hopefully the ginger and green comes out more. In the end, I do enjoy the fun pairing with coconut and lemongrass.

Thank you for sending me this sachet, Ian!

I’m having it hot first, and the sachet is now cold steeping in the fridge. I am trying that whole cool off with hot tea thing since I’ve not felt comfortable since running around playing with a neighbor’s dog. My dog did NOT like that but he doesn’t play at all anymore, unlike this puppy!

The smell reminds me of coconut lemongrass soup, sort of like Exotica did, but a bit creamier.

First I was kind of iffy about it, but as it’s cooled, I’m liking it a lot more. Lemongrass and ginger can be pretty overpowering, but the vanilla and coconut aren’t lost. It’s very refreshing, and I think it’ll be even better tomorrow iced!

Tea from Tea Bird!!

This one is in the pyramid bag. As fussy as I am, I really enjoy just popping in one of these things at work :) I really like the lemongrass flavor, followed by a hint of coconuty gingery yum on the tail end. The green tea is there as more of a support rather than a super green tea flavor.

I’m going to have to make this again in order to give it a numerical rating because when I went to make this tea, I found much of my water leaking out of the bottom of my hot pot! I mean, a river! I had to drink this poor tea in a state of anger and frustration! When I googled this problem, it seems that many people experience this issue after a few months with the Rival Hot Pot. Leaking water and electricity are clearly not an option so it looks like I’m in the market for a work friendly electric tea kettle. I’m going to start the research, but if you have one you love, let me know!!!!

Why do they make things so poorly these days!?!? I just had to re-sew the pocket on my coat today and now this.

Appearance: large cut green, bi colored
Aroma when Dry: coconut, slight sweetness, vanilla creamy
After water is first poured: sweet coconut grassiness
At end of first steep: lemony, nutty creamy coconut
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: very light yellow– green
Staple? Would be if the brand was not so liberal about artificial ingredients.
Time of day preferred: afternoon, evening
Taste:
At first: grassy coconut, chased by creaminess, hints of lemongrass
As it cools? Coconut changes texture slightly, grassy notes heighten, texture gets silky, creamy, still no ginger notes
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? Tried part of the cup also with milk

Without milk:
Lingers? Yes, smooth grassiness, hints of the lemongrass stay longest

With milk: gets velvety, almost fluffy, lemongrass fades, coconut and vanilla most noticeable
Lingers? Yes, creaminess hints of sweetness stay

Second steep(8 min): lighter creamy, grassy, lemongrass notes heighten
Still lingers,lemongrass mostly, coconut notes closing

Third steep 3-5min: still creamy, lemongrass gets a bit bolder

Thanks again to Alphakitty for parting with some of this – I know how much you like it! :)

Trying to make some progress on all traded tea samples that I’ve accumulated. Three is a good start for today and all of them have been green-type teas. Tomorrow: black teas!

Used a heaping 1.5 tsp of leaf for 8 ounces of water. The brewed liquor smells good – slight lemony coconut over a nice green base. The taste is even more nice. I was tempted to add a little rock sugar, but refrained this time.

I liked this better than H&S’s Tokyo blend. Next time I might use a little more leaf, but it was pretty tasty the way it was.

Tea of the afternoon…..

…..After shoveling the driveway. I was looking for something to make me forget the snow for a little while. This definitely works. I like that the green is mild, the coconut flavor is most prominent, but I have to say the ginger might be a deal breaker for me. I guess the jury is still out.

Alphakitty included some of this in Momo’s traveling teabox. thank you! Now this could easily be one of my favorite green teas! I love this blend. The ingredients really work nice together. Coconut, ginger, lemongrass. I don’t find too much of the lemongrass, but the coconut is sweet and smooth. Before I took a sip I could tell the flavor would be mostly coconut. I usually don’t like ginger but this works perfectly here. It gives the flavor a nice kick, otherwise the coconut might be too sweet. This one is a dreamy, creamy green… and like I said, one of my favorite greens.

Another sample from a swap, this time from kasumi

When I opened the baggie I couldn’t figure out why I would request this, it wasn’t until after I drank it & read the description that I realized why I would ask for this.

This was very different in taste from something I would normally choose, but I’m glad I did. It’s earthy & slightly spicy from the Ginger. and then you get the creamy coconut deliciousness at the end of the sip. I really enjoyed this one.
Definitely want more.

oooooo i did this crazy thing where i basically used warm water and half as much water and then let it steep a real long time. and i like it. the scent it very rich and alluring. vanilla and lemongrass first, coconut second. and really, not much ginger at all.

i wanna take a bath in it.

Got a couple of sample bags of this yesterday and tried one today for my second breakfast cup. I tarted it up with a little amber agave and some half-and-half. Quite good! I mostly tasted coconut maybe a hint of ginger. Next time I’ll try it without extra sweetener to see whether I can find the vanilla and lemongrass.

I’m really not sure how to feel about this tea. I got a sample on a whim, because I was curious to find out if I like coconut. I hate the texture of actual coconut, and I’ve never really had coconut-flavored anything. But I do like tea, ginger and lemongrass, so I figured there was a decent chance I would like Bangkok.

Scent-wise, I don’t care for the dry leaves. There’s just enough vanilla to be able to smell it, and I loathe the smell of vanilla. Once the water hits the leaves, though, the scent of everything mellows and I mostly smell the lemongrass, coconut and the tea, so it’s not bad.

I can taste lemongrass, grassy green tea notes, and a sort of rich, almost heavy sweetness I am assuming is the coconut. The vanilla is not very strong; it mostly seems to mellow the other flavors. I’m not tasting any ginger, but I have yet to drink a tea from Harney and Sons where you can actually detect the ginger, so that’s not surprising.

It’s a pretty interesting tea. I’m not really sure that I personally like the flavors. The vanilla is sort of ruining it for me, but again, I hate vanilla. However, it’s a complex tea and it would definitely go really well with some pad thai, so I’m going to rate it well anyway. And as much as I’m unsure about the flavor, I have to admit I’m more than willing to give it another go.

This is very similar to my favorite green tea, Rogue Wave from White August. Bangkok has very large, bright green leaves and huge pieces of dried coconut. However, it lacks the intensity of spice of Rogue Wave.

The leaves smell fresh and the coconut is readily apparent and somewhat creamy. The lemongrass is very subtle which I appreciate. I’m not a huge lemongrass fan. I can take it as an accent but not a main component.

The tea brews to a grassy, spicy, coconut blend. Just like Rogue Wave, the fragrance and taste are very similar to those found in many Thai dishes. This is another tea that is great iced.