Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Just in time for Halloween! We’ve blended Young Hyson and Gunpowder green teas, freeze-dried blueberries and organic flavors to create the most amazing blueberry cotton candy flavored green tea EVER. I will NOT be able to reblend this one right now, as this used up the last of my green teas for the moment, so don’t miss out!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It may seem a little weird to be reviewing a tea called “Boo-Berry” in December, especially for those of you who – like me – are fans of the General Mills Monster cereals that are re-released every year around Halloween. Yeah, I’m a bit behind on reviewing my 52Teas … but I am trying to get to them in order of their release, and I do like to wait a little while for the teas to have time to cure. Something that I learned from my days as a tea artist is that when you flavor and/or blend a tea, the flavors need time to develop. I found that three weeks is usually sufficient, but as I said before, I am a wee bit behind.
So that is why I am reviewing this tea now and scheduling it for December 9, two months after it’s release for the week of October 8.
But I am glad I did wait a while, because based on the review I read from my SororiTea Sister Azzrian, this tea seems a bit different from what she tasted back when she did her review of it. I can taste the flavors and they’re strong! The cotton candy shines through, as does the blueberry.
The combination of Hyson and Gunpowder give this tea a pleasing dimension of flavor that is sweet, slightly vegetative and what I want to call “perky.” Yes, I said Perky! By that I mean – it has a vibrant, invigorating and even uplifting kind of taste. I feel it perk me up as I sip it.
Of the two flavors, I taste the sweet, sugary notes of the cotton candy just ahead of the blueberry, and only the sweetest notes of the blueberry. I find that this does lack some of the tart, tingly notes that I’d expect from a blueberry, this tends to taste more like the candy-ish blueberry taste of Boo-Berry cereal, which seems appropriate since that’s what inspired this tea. I notice a tart note in the aftertaste only … and only after waiting about a minute into the aftertaste do I notice it. In other words, if you want that tart blueberry taste, finish the sip, and then wait about a minute, and you’ll feel the tingly berry note develop on your tongue.
But, don’t take that as a criticism or complaint, because it isn’t intended to be. I don’t want my cotton candy to taste sour or even very tart. And I’m glad this doesn’t. Overall, I’m really pleased with this cup, it’s certainly a very good representation of what I would think a Boo-Berry Cotton Candy would taste like.
Now, if you’re getting ready to rush over to the 52Teas website to purchase some of this tea for yourself, you’re going to be a bit disappointed to learn that this tea is now sold out. That happens a lot with 52Teas blends. He only blends a limited quantity of each blend, and since he does a new blend each week (hence the name 52Teas) … he couldn’t possibly keep all the teas in stock all the time. So, if you are fed up with wanting to order a tea from 52Teas that ends up sold out before you can get to it, here’s what I recommend doing: Subscribe to their tea of the week or monthly tea package program. That’s what I do. That’s how I’m able to try each and every tea that they offer. Now, I’m not going to lie and say that I fall head over heels in love with every single tea that they create. I don’t. But, I do at least enjoy most of the teas that they create, and there’s never been one that I just do not like. And occasionally, there is one that I’m crazy about. And best of all: I never have to worry about the teas selling out before I have a chance to snag a pouch for myself.
PS: The subscriptions also make killer gifts!
