Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green & White Teas
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Tisane Description:
A refreshing blend of green and white tea bursting with juicy melon and fruit flavours. A truly spring time tea, fresh and fruity and totally mouth-watering over ice. Watermelon Splash is the perfect tea blend for sipping in the sunshine.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This Watermelon Splash Tea from Bluebird Tea Co. isn’t just a “spring time” tea but it’s a wonderful summer time tea too!
I admit that I was a little dismayed to see that hibiscus is one of the ingredients, and even more dismayed to see the hibiscus in the blend as I measured it into my tea maker, but, really, the hibiscus adds very little to this blend except for a slight pinkish hue that embraces the whole ‘watermelon-y’ sort of theme of the tea. The texture is light – not at all syrupy the way hibiscus can be in a blend – and the flavor is not overly tart.
There is some tartness to this though, and not just from the hibiscus, but also from the lemon peel. But I think I like these tart notes, because they contrast in a pleasant way with the sweetness and add an uplifting brightness to the cup.
To brew this blend, I used a lower temperature (it’s a blend of both white and green teas, and in blends like this, I generally yield to the lowest temperature, in this case, I’m yielding to the white tea brewing requirements) of 170°F. I know that a lot of people will tell you that 160°F is the way to go with white teas, but, I have found that adjusting that temperature by 10 degrees will provide a much more flavorful cup of white tea without any bitterness or sign of scorched tea leaves.
I steeped this for 3 minutes and the result is a flavorful cup that is lightly pink in color, looking a bit like the liquid at the bottom of a bowl of cut-up watermelon. In other words, it looks like watermelon juice.
The tea smells like a medley of fruits. I can smell watermelon, coconut, pineapple and citrus. The first few sips were more lemon-y than they were watermelon-ish. After about two sips, I could start to pick up on the coconut and pineapple flavors. It wasn’t until I reached mid-cup that I started to note the watermelon flavor.
The base of white and green teas is light and crisp and buttery smooth. I don’t get a strong “grassy” note, but I do taste the fresh “leafy” taste that is distinctly green tea.
The tea notes are best described as background notes. They aren’t very prominent flavors amid the fruit flavors. I can barely taste the white tea, but it lightens the cup in a way that benefits the overall beverage. It adds this refreshing, cool taste that is just as distinctly white as the aforementioned fresh leafy taste is distinctly green, even though the cup does not scream out “white tea” or even “green tea.” While these flavors are not abundantly ~clear~ in the cup, this blend would not be the same without either of these two teas in it. They add something flavorful to the cup, it is just not as distinguished as the fruit notes.
I found myself enjoying this cup. I do wish there was a stronger, more obvious watermelon note to it, but I really do like the combination of flavors. It’s a great way to quench the thirst. Good hot but much better iced!
Picnic in the Park Oolong from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This week has been crazy. I can’t believe it’s Friday night and I’m just posting the Tea of the Week. Well, better Nate than lever… Here’s a fun new blend inspired by a suggestion from my wife. It’s a nice Fujian oolong with freeze-dried strawberries and watermelon, strawberry and champagne flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Every year when my birthday comes around, I send a message out to Frank that I expect a really exciting tea for my birthday. Unfortunately, I don’t think ahead enough to give him enough time to really THINK about the exciting tea that he’s going to create for my birthday.
So the tea that ended up being released during the week of my birthday was the Strawberry Banana black tea … and while I ended up really enjoying that, I wasn’t all that excited about that tea, so when this tea was announced for the week following, I considered THIS to be my birthday tea.
Next year for my birthday, I hope that Frank will be releasing a new tomato tea. Right, Frank?
This tea is simply YUM! And … it really does taste like a picnic in the park! I taste the strawberry and the watermelon and the champagne notes, as well as the soft, creamy notes of the green Oolong tea. There is a really good balance of flavors – the Oolong isn’t overpowered, and I taste about equal parts of strawberry and watermelon while there is just a hint of champagne “bubbly” dancing around on my palate. Nice!
It tastes really good hot … but I like it even better as an iced tea. And because it’s an Oolong, a little bit of the tea goes a long way – a couple of teaspoons produced a half gallon pitcher of delicious, flavorful iced tea! Seriously yummy refreshment!
Before I forget … Frank (the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas and Southern Boy Teas!) is trying to raise funds to attend the ASD Trade Show in Las Vegas in a matter of weeks. This will boost his visibility and potentially put his product into the hands of those who can get his business off the ground! Please consider helping fund his Kickstarter campaign so that he can set up a display at the retail trade show!
Green Apple Watermelon Flavored Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
So, maybe I’m weird, but I like to eat the green apple and watermelon Jolly Ranchers together. I love the mixture of sweet and tart. So it seemed like a good idea to make a tea with buttery chinese sencha, some sweet young hyson, freeze-dried granny smith apple bits and some organic green apple and watermelon flavor. The green apple was pretty potent, so in the final blend, I added a bit of organic cantaloupe flavor to give it a bit more sweetness and melon-ness. Is that a word? It is now. (I wrote it on the Internet, so it has to be a word, right?)
I hope you enjoy this tea as much as I do. I’m looking forward to reading your reviews and tasting notes. =)
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf aroma of this Green Apple Watermelon Flavored Green Tea from 52Teas is sweet and fruity, smelling a bit more like candy than it does fruit, which after reading the above description, isn’t too surprising. The dry leaf doesn’t have any real noticeable “green tea” fragrance to it, but once brewed, I pick up on more of the green leafy notes. The brewed tea has less of that aforementioned sweet and fruity scent although I can still pick up on the watermelon and apple.
I’ve said this before about some of 52Teas’ blends, but I’m going to say it again … this cup benefits from a few minutes of cool time. When sipped “fresh from the teapot” hot, the flavors are kind of muddled. But, after allowing it to cool for about three minutes, the flavors start to come into focus.
The sip seems to mostly be about the green tea – and that’s quite alright with me. I can taste a sweet, vegetative taste that reminds me of lightly buttered veggies with a hint of grassy taste. I do taste notes of watermelon and sour apple weaving their way through the sip, tasting more watermelon than I do apple. The apple flavor really comes to life in the aftertaste, which tastes very much like the green apple Jolly Rancher candy that I used to enjoy as a kid. (Back then, you could by the Jolly Rancher stix, I don’t know if they still have those or not, it seems like all I can find now is the small, bite size hard candies.)
Both the fruit flavors are more true to the Jolly Rancher candy than they are the actual fruit. The description that Frank from 52Teas wrote (the one that I’ve pasted above) is pretty spot-on: this does taste a lot like I popped two Jolly Rancher candies (a green apple and watermelon) in my mouth and let them dissolve together … or perhaps, more accurately, like I dropped one of each Jolly Rancher candy into my cup of green tea and let them dissolve and add their sweet yumminess to the tea.
It’s a good tea. I can’t say it’s my favorite from 52Teas, but it’s one that I’ll enjoy having in my cupboard for as long as it lasts.
Cantaloupe Watermelon Flavored White Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Cantaloupe is one of my all-time favorite fruits and so is watermelon, so when I had the chance, I just couldn’t resist creating this blend of premium white teas, dried cantaloupe, and organic cantaloupe and watermelon flavors. This is a serious glass of refreshment as an iced tea and I’m sure it’s awesome as a hot tea too. I’m already getting a little anxious for spring. I’ve got this week’s tea and next week’s tea already blended up, and they are both on the fruity end of the spectrum. But that’s all I can tell you for now.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Cantaloupe Watermelon Flavored White Tea from 52Teas is YUMMY! It tastes like summer in tea form!
The overall flavor is sweet and fruity. I love that the watermelon and cantaloupe come through loud and clear. There’s no mistaking these two flavors – this definitely taste just as I wanted a tea that promises cantaloupe and watermelon flavors with its name the way this tea does. It tastes like sweet, luscious cantaloupe and juicy, sweet watermelon.
The white tea is just the right base for these two flavors too, because these are typically two more delicate tasting fruits and I think a stronger tea flavor would have obscured the nuances of the cantaloupe and watermelon flavors (although I think it would be interesting to try these flavors with a buttery Chinese Sencha too). The white tea has a light, airy kind of taste, and the fruit notes that I often associate with a white tea tend to be melons, so I think that pairing a Shou Mei white tea with watermelon and cantaloupe is ideal.
It tastes great served hot, but it’s even better iced, mostly because these flavors just seem to beg to be served over ice, don’t they? Cantaloupe and Watermelon sound better cold than hot. A thin slice of lemon might be nice to serve with this – just a hint of acid to perk up the sweetness a bit!
As I write this review, I see that there are six pouches of this tea left. This is going to be a tea you WANT to have on hand when summer arrives – it’s so deliciously refreshing and fruity! So, hurry on over to 52Teas and get yourself a pouch!
A really delightful tea.
Southern Boy Teas Watermelon Flavored Black Iced Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium Organic black tea with organic flavors. Each 14g teabag will make one 2-quart pitcher of DELICIOUS iced tea. Re-steep the teabag and you can get a full gallon out of each one.
Ingredients: Premium Organic Black Teas, Organic Flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This summer is the summer of watermelon – at least at my house, it is! We’ve been eating watermelon like crazy this summer. I’m not complaining … I LOVE watermelon! And I’m enjoying this Watermelon Flavored Black Iced Tea from the Southern Boy Teas collection from 52Teas.
I was hoping for a little more watermelon flavor from this, to be honest. I cold-brewed this and I’m not sure if that’s the reason for the more delicate watermelon flavor or not. And that’s not to say that I can’t taste the watermelon – I absolutely can taste it, it certainly IS NOT a delicate flavor here – and it’s very tasty! I guess I’ve just gotten spoiled with all the watermelon I’ve been eating all summer, and I want a big PUNCH of watermelon flavor. As it is, there is a good balance between black tea and watermelon tastes.
But, I am enjoying the way the flavors come together here – the black tea is brisk and refreshing, and the watermelon is sweet. Overall, this is so thirst-quenching … it’s the kind of beverage that I can keep drinking and drinking all day to keep me cool and invigorated.
Toward the finish, I am starting to notice a slight citrus-y note – which I attribute to the black tea (citrus notes in the black tea?) and I like how this contrasts with the sweet flavor of the melon. It is not overly astringent, and not bitter at all (and this cold-brewed in my fridge for well over 12 hours!)
My biggest complaint with these Southern Boy Teas? The pitcher full of iced tea disappears too fast!