Bananas & Custard

So a Covid update: the sister was very lucky with mild symptoms BUT ALSO we were very lucky that she had symptoms enough to know that it might be Covid and to know to get tested to not pass it on to anyone else.  If she hardly had symptoms, things could have been very different for everyone.  Otherwise, it looks like we were extremely lucky and none of us got it (it has been over three weeks.) But one odd thing was that the health department was telling her it was fine to stop her quarantine very shortly after she was tested, when I thought the general rule was to quarantine for two weeks?  Maybe the health dept should be telling people to quarantine longer because this dang virus is just getting worse?  (She was quarantining well after the health dept told her to anyway.) Just a bit of family luck that I will be grateful for in this dreadful year. 

I bought this a while ago.  In theory, the name of this tea means I should love it.  I’ve tried it a few times but this dang licorice just ruins the entire blend.  why oh why would there be licorice in banana custard?  Honestly, it makes it taste like a tire.  With hints of banana, but only occasionally. Also, there are cocoa shells but I can’t really tell they’re present either.  I can hardly even taste that this is green tea.  It really just seems like a cup of nasty licorice.  Even the scent of the dry blend is just bad.  It’s definitely not creamy or custard.  I would really love an actual banana custard tea.  Also, this is sadly SOMEHOW the ONLY “banana custard” tea that pops up in a Steepster search.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 40 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 30 minutes after boiling //  2 1/2 minute steep

Definitely just slightly over did the steeping here because the sip started off with a bitter steamed kale type of note that I found a little off putting, but after the initial taste the flavour was very creamy banana in a way that was a bit like banana pudding with a super rich and sweet custardy finish/aftertaste. I definitely distinctly taste the licorice, but it worked for me when paired with the vanilla/cream flavours to convey this type of really rich sweetness.

From the TTB
It smells like banana, both the dry leaf and in the cup. The first few sips were like banana cream pie. As it cooled I got more of the dark chocolate bittersweet taste lingering. Not tasting the licorice, which is probably a good thing because I’m not sure it would go well with the banana and chocolate flavors. I do like this blend the banana stay at the tip of my tongue and the chocolate lingers in the back.

TTB #17

I’m not really getting custard from this, but it does have a nice sweet, smooth banana flavor that I enjoy.

Excellent mixed with Butterbrew

This one has that same chalky banana flavor that banofee rumba has. I drank it plain, and at first it tastes like almost nothing, but at the end of the sip, the chalky banana hits. The second steep tastes the same as the first. I prefer this over banofee rumba because it’s missing the slightly rotten taste the other has. At first, I was missing any flavor from the green base, so the next time I brewed it longer, and an almost smoky green flavor appeared, and the banana didn’t seem as chalky. I could also taste the cocoa shells, which were okay, but maybe didn’t fit super well. I don’t love this. It’s all right. I fell out of love with banofee rumba by the end of my 2 oz of it. Maybe I’m tired of banana teas. But I also think this ingredient combination just isn’t right.

I’m going to have to attempt a second cup of this, because something tastes wrong. Yes, I taste banana, and cacao shells, and (bleh) licorice, but there’s also this pervasive smell/taste of rot. Like, rotting banana. I can’t tell if there’s actually something wrong, or if it’s a weird combination of ingredients… either way, this is not an overly pleasant cup, although it has some tasty elements. Every now and then, I’m getting a sip that tastes like chocolate banana, but then the next sip tastes like rotten banana. I know Banoffee Rum-ba had a similar banana issue, but I don’t felt like it tasted quite like this.

Anyhow, sad. Also – no custard here, which is unfortunate (but who knows if things are working together to cover that up).

365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 17

This is one of the teas from Bird & Blend’s January subscription box. Being a great lover of banana, I was very excited to see this pouch!

So full disclosure, I actually had to brew this one twice… I chose a little 16-ounce teapot for the Instagram photo, and accidentally only used the amount of tea I would normally use for a 12-ounce mug. I guess I’ve been drinking out of mugs so much lately that my brain just went into “auto” mode. Doh! So, of course, it came out somewhat weak. I didn’t want to give an unfair rating, so I dumped it and made another 12-ounce mug. Tsk tsk, so wasteful!

I will say, this one is not at all what I expected given the name and description. The banana flavor is light, and there is no custard at all. To me, it almost tastes more like granola with bananas in it? I’m assuming the green tea here is at least partially roasted, as I’m getting an almost genmaicha-like grain flavor and I don’t see what else could be contributing that. The product photo does make it look like the green tea leaves are somewhat brown, which would support my theory. I’ll have to inspect the leaf when I get home later…

Anyway, it does have a nice natural banana flavor. I’m not sure I really taste the cocoa shells, maybe a little bit, but I certainly wouldn’t notice the flavor if I didn’t already know it was there. Happily, the licorice root is not at all noticeable either.

So this is an odd one for me. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t order it. I’m okay with that though, as I already have a banana tea from B&B (Monkey Chops) that I really love!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsvY-rFFYDk/

156/365

The fourth of Bluebird’s Tea Election candidates. This is one I haven’t tried before, and I don’t even remember when in was released. I must have been absolutely and completely off the radar at that point…

I’ll admit, I was worried when I saw liquorice root on the ingredients list, and large chunks of it in the actual blend. Initially, it’s not a problem – I get delicious banana flavour (ever so slightly underripe…) and for once it’s not super artificial. I don’t get much in the way of custard, but there is a light creaminess. It tastes to me like banana yoghurt; custard is pushing it a bit. The green tea base works well here, though. I think it helps with the slightly “green” banana flavour.

The end of the sip is where it all goes wrong, because liquorice. It’s all very nice and banana-y, and then there’s this smack of excessively sweet, cloying awfulness. The thing I hate most about liquorice root is how it seems to linger at the back of my throat, so I can taste it for ages afterwards. It seems to build with successive sips, which makes it more of a problem mid-cup than it was to begin with…

As it cools, I can taste a hint of chocolate from the cocoa shells. It’s quite pleasant, but not enough to override the liquorice. At this point, every other flavour is having to compete hard for prominence.

There are a lot of good things about this blend…if only it wasn’t for the liquorice.

Aroma: Foam banana sweeties!

Flavour: It’s hard to know what to expect from a blend like this, but having NEVER encountered a banana tea before there was an equal mix of excitement and trepidation. Banana + Custard is definitely different. The flavour is a predominant coating of strong artificial banana. Think thick banana milkshake kind of flavour. Yum! This is combined with a light vegetal note that’s developed from the green tea and a finish of liquorice felt in the back of the throat.

Final thoughts: Bananas + Custard is obviously a kooky blend, but it’s well worth trying with it’s delightfully sweet, creamy notes.

For more: https://www.tastethetea.co.uk/2016/10/19/bananacustard/