This blend was one of 52 Teas’ monthly blends for May. I was excited when I saw it because I find it really unique and intriguing. I unfortunately steeped this cup a little too long because I was steeping some other teas at the same time and forgot to un-steep this one first. So, I took a tentative sip because I was thinking that it would be pretty bitter. Thankfully it wasn’t! Phew.
Guys and gals…let me tell you what this tea tasted like. Are you ready? You sure? It tasted like….A blueberry cream cheese danish. Shocking! No, i’m just being silly.
But really it does taste exactly like a blueberry danish with cream cheese. Both the dry leaf and steeped liquid smells like blueberry, but once I taste it I swear I can taste the cream cheese and sweet pastry bread. How they liquidized a blueberry danish, I have no idea. All I can say is that it tasted like Willy Wonka transformed a blueberry cream cheese danish into a mug of tea (instead of a stick of gum!) It is so creamy and tangy from the blueberries and cream cheese, but sweet from that classic danish icing and the sweet pastry bread.
This is a winner, hands down, one of my favorites of all time. I highly recommend you try it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tropical Sunrise from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Of course since it is summertime anything that sounds summery I am willing to try! Tropical Sunrise is about as summery as it gets. It’s a green tea with goji berries, coconut, and mango! The dry leaf smells very citrusy and I think this would taste best iced, but instead of truly icing it I just let it cool at room temperature for a little while. Once it cooled I gave it a try and it is very refreshing!
Whenever I see mango or goji berries or citrus in a tea’s description I wonder if it is going to be too tart or citrusy. This tea may have smelled citrusy, but it actually was well balanced between all of the ingredients. The green tea adds a fresh, cool, and vegetal flair. The mango, citrus, and goji berries do stick out but not overly so.
The creamy coconut gives it even more of a sweet and summery feel and definitely creates a great blend that I approve of, even though it includes ingredients that I don’t normally gravitate towards. I enjoyed this and feel like it would be a delicious and refreshing iced tea this summer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A creamy coconut tea with hints of mango and citrus accented with goji berries.
Excellent iced or cold brewed
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tropical Nut Paradise from Teavana. . . . .
Why is it that I always try a tea, end up loving it, and then it’s nowhere to be found? Always discontinued. That is the worst thing ever. It makes me so sad. However, maybe this Tropical Nut Paradise rooibos blend by Teavana will make an appearance at some point in the future so that all you readers out there can try it. And I do suggest you try it…because it is dang good!
I always like a tea that involves nuts- whether coconut or almond or pistachio nut, i’m down for it. This one happens to involve coconut and hazelnut! As well as pineapple and papaya! I was a little concerned that the pineapple and papaya flavor may take over the cup and cause it to be too fruity or tart. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. This tea is so creamy I second guessed myself as to whether I had added milk or not! I would describe this tea as creamy coconut, with tropical fruit undertones, and a finish of hazelnut and rooibos. It is not overly anything, no ingredient overpowered the other. They all were balanced and in perfect harmony.
I think that this is my favorite rooibos tea I have ever tried! I highly recommend keeping an eye on Teavana’s website to see if/when this comes back in stock, I certainly will!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Teavana
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gathering Berries from 52Teas. . . .
52 Teas has done a few houjicha/white tea blends, all of which I have enjoyed. I was particularly interested in this one because of the mulberries. If you have never seen mulberries, google them. They are cool looking. I have never eaten them or elderberries before. So I was definitely interested in trying this.
I always enjoy houjicha. It adds a warmth and toasty-ness to the cup. The white tea that Anne (mad tea artist at 52 Teas) adds usually rounds out the toasty-ness and gives it a fuzzy sweetness and maybe even a tad bit of floral flavor. Once steeped, this blend smelled fruity but I could also smell the toasty houjicha. Just like all the other houjicha/white tea blends from 52 teas, I really enjoyed this one. I can not speak to the specifics of how realistic the flavors of the berries were because aside from drinking this tea, I have never had them! What I can say, though, is that this tea was so good. I really like the fact that these berries are actually really sweet, and not tart (like raspberries or blackberries can be). I am actually now wanting to try elderberries and golden mulberries on their own to see if I like eating them. These ingredients are so different, and they really blend well with the tea leaves. I like that the houjicha/white tea brings this toasty warmth and the berries bring a sweet warmth.
Together they make a very enjoyable cup of tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/White Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Tea Description: One of my fellow tea blenders gave me the idea of blending Shou Mei (white tea) with Houjicha (roasted green tea) to create a base that’s mildly toasty. And I gotta tell you, I really like the result! The Shou Mei softens the rich toasty flavor of the Houjicha a little bit and creates a flavor that evokes thoughts of walking through the forest when the autumn leaves have fallen. (You’ll just have to try this to understand what I mean!)
The idea of walking through a forest after the autumn leaves have fallen brought thoughts of gathering berries to mind so I decided to turn that imagery into a tea! To the base of Shou Mei and Houjicha, I added some dried ‘wild’ berries: black currants, elderberries, blueberries and golden mulberries.
This is the kind of tea you want to brew a great big mug of and curl up in a warm, cozy blanket with a good book and that great big mug of this tea. It’s delightfully sweet and tart with a really lovely toasty tone. Deliciously different!
organic ingredients: white tea, roasted green tea, black currants, elderberries, blueberries, golden mulberries and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
The Blues from 52Teas. . .
I received this blend complimentary from 52 Teas with my last order. It’s funny because I have had my eye on it for some time. The description of blueberry and vanilla made me think of blueberry crisp or blueberry pie, and as soon as I took a sip I knew that my intuition was correct. If you’ve ever seen the movie Willy Wonka, do you remember when Violet turns violet from the blueberry pie gum? That flavor is in my cup right now. That scene is exactly what came to mind when I tasted this blend!
The flavor of blueberry is so fresh and realistic. The vanilla adds a creamy twist. Both of them together along with the black tea create a cup that truly is reminding me of blueberry pie a la mode. It is perfect for the summer months because I have a feeling it would be ahhh-mazing iced with sugar!
This is the perfect tea to make the night before and cool in the fridge so that it is ready to pour over ice before your morning commute this summer. On your way to work you’ll be transported to the County Fair, eating a heaping slice of blueberry pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!
A must try from 52 Teas…hurry before it’s gone!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
The inspiration behind this flavor combination harkens back to the days when I would blog about food on occasion on my Hungry in Portland blog – back to Knoshy box days! What’s Knoshy, you ask? Well, Knoshy was a food subscription service – every month a box would arrive – kinda like the tea subscription boxes from me! – but instead of amazing teas, the Knoshy box was filled with specialty foods and in the case of Knoshy, those foods were from small American businesses like The Jam Stand. (You’ll see why I use this company as an example in a moment.)
Knoshy would curate a box of four or more food items – and the box would be curated to a particular theme. One month, the theme was Tea Time! (One of my very favorite month’s indeed if for no other reason than TEA! I mean, seriously – is there a better reason?) During the month of Tea Time, there was a jar of Blueberry Bourbon jam from The Jam Stand! The jam was delicious – brimming with blueberries, kissed with a wonderful vanilla note and hints of bourbon – and while I didn’t write an individual review about this jam, the flavor of the jam was delightful enough to leave an impression on me so when it came time to start coming up with different tea flavor ideas – this idea came to mind!
For the base, I decided to go with a rich, flavorful combination of Golden Yunnan & an Assamica tea grown in the Jingmai mountains. I figured this base would provide a nice backdrop for the bourbon notes but as I sip on this, I find that it also melds beautifully with the blueberry! I added a hint of vanilla since the aforementioned jam had vanilla in it and hey, do we ever really need a reason for vanilla?
A bit unusual, this flavor combination – but quite lovely too!
As for the name, I decided to call this blueberry, vanilla and bourbon flavored black tea “The Blues” because I wanted a catchier name for the tea than “Blueberry Vanilla Bourbon” so I went with The Blues. But don’t let the name fool you – this tea is not at all gloomy or depressing! It’s delightfully tasty and a wonderful way to kick off the new year!
Taster size is approximately 15g
ingredients: black teas, organic blueberries, organic calendula petals, organic vanilla beans and organic natural flavors