Continuing on the theme of Spooky Season. . . Pumpkin Gingerbread seemed to be a good fit. Of course pumpkins are a huge part of spooky season but there is also a horror franchise about a Gingerbread that comes to life so when I saw this tea in my stash, it was just meant to be.
If you aren’t familiar with 52Teas, I highly recommend you check them out. Readers of this blog know that the current owner of 52Teas is one of the co-founders of the SororiTea Sisters and to be honest- a personal friend of mine. But, even if that wasn’t the case, I would still highly recommend 52Teas.
52Teas blends up new teas each and every week- providing an amazing array of new high quality tea blends to check out. The only issue is that if you fall in love with one of these blends, you need to get yourself to the site and quickly pick up a few more because once these teas sell out, they typically are not reblended.
Pumpkin Gingerbread Black Tea is a black and honeybush tea blend with pumpkin, ginger root, cinnamon and a variety of other spices and natural flavors. The aroma of the blend reminds me very much of a chai tea. Since the weather is becoming very fall like, I thought this tea would be best enjoyed hot so I brewed up water at 212F, allowed the tea to brew for right around 3 minutes and allowed the cuppa to cool for about 5 minutes.
First sip in and you are greeted with all of the fall flavors- pumpkin, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, clove. . .simply delicious. The ginger is the flavor I am picking up the most but the flavoring doesn’t come off as overpowering. I’m not the biggest fan of ginger but I easily drank down a few cuppas of this blend and finished off the package with ease. I do wish that the pumpkin shone through a bit more but I did love the gingerbread with a dash of pumpkin vibes I was getting and the black tea finish to end each sip was lovely. This is one of those teas that would be amazing as a latte enjoyed during my morning commutes.
This tea was the perfect companion to my spooky viewing of As Above So Below- one of my favorite spooky movies to enjoy to get the Spooky Season officially underway.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Our handcrafted teas are vegan, Gluten-free & Allergen-friendly because you deserve tea you can sip with confidence.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
52Teas Sipdown -cuppageek
As some of you may know, I’ve taken a step back from my tea shop to get myself back on track health wise. What some of you might not know- I literally stopped drinking tea all together. I think between being such a huge tea fan and blending my own blends- my taste buds just weren’t feeling tea anymore. So I sadly packed up what tea I had (which was a lot), knowing that one day I would be back at it. . . and I’m happy to say after taking a couple months off- my taste buds are back where they should be.
I wanted to greet my tastebuds with something amazing right from the start and knowing that I had a lot of 52Teas in my stash, I knew Anne’s blends would be exactly where I needed to start my journey back into tea with.
If you aren’t familiar with Anne/52Teas, I implore to check her site out. She literally makes some of the most amazing blends that I’ve ever had and beyond that, she is just an amazing person. I’m quite honored to call her a personal friend as well, tho I never let that cloud my reviews of her blends and she knows that as well :).
Anyway, back to the tea goodness. . .
So over the last few days, I have enjoyed a TON of 52 Teas blends and was able to sipdown a few. Below are my thoughts on these blends that are sipdowns. . .
Blood Orange Butterscotch Black Tea– A blend with Black Tea, Blood Oranges, Calendula Petals & Natural Flavors- This blend, I have to say, was amazing however, I didn’t really pick up on the blood orange or the butterscotch. What I loved was the black tea that Anne used in this blend. The flavor was rich and smooth and even tho I didn’t really pick up any of the flavors, the black tea notes were more than enough for me to call this blend a winner.
Boy! Oh! Boy! Black Tea– A blend with Black Teas, Watermelon and Natural Flavors- To me, watermelon is a flavor best enjoyed cold so I cold brewed this one. That may have been a mistake. I didn’t love the blend and now I’m wondering if I would have enjoyed this one hot- would some of the flavors popped a bit more. . All I really could pick up was watermelon and being not one of my favorite flavors. . this one wasn’t my favorite. Still good.
Michola Chai Black Tea w/Honeybush– I would list the ingredients for this one but there is a laundry list of delights used to make this blend so I will some this one up with saying the normal chai ingredients with marshmallow root, vanilla bean, and honeybush. Let’s just start this note by saying sorry, not sorry. I literally gobbled up all the remaining inventory for this blend earlier this week (I believe and if there is more- I call dibs). This blend is one if not the BEST chai blend I have ever had, and I am not a fan of chais. Brewed up with hot- this blend had notes of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg. . but want I literally searched for in each and every sip was the awesome ginger notes that stole the show. Not being a huge ginger fan- the amount of love I have for this blend is really interesting. So many flavors that normally I am not all about. I greedily drank/gulped this tea down in no time flat and have to say it is simply amazing. All the ingredients mingle so well. If you have this one in your stash, check it out. You won’t be sorry.
Gooey Butter Cake Black Tea– Black teas, lemon myrtle, calendula petals & natural flavors- Brewed up hot, this tea is literally like sipping on a cake. The cake notes are perfect in the spotlight with the tail end of the sip reminding you this is a black tea. Really delightful and one that I was happy to enjoy. Where I went wrong with this blend was brewing this one cold. Sadly the lemon myrtle took over and I didn’t enjoy the cold brew as much as the hot. Was still good, just not as good as the hot brew.
Walking on Sunshine White Tea– White Tea, lemons, marshmallow root & natural flavor- This white tea blend calls my name over and over. Marshmallow Root, white tea, and lemon are one of my favorite combinations and this tea was no exception. I truly enjoyed this blend hot as well as cold. This blend is currently available on the site and if I was enjoying white teas more, I would have gobbled up all of this blend too.
Ginger Lime Butterfly Tea– Butterfly Pea Flower, Lemongrass, ginger root, limes & natural flavors- Oh this blend. I truly truly love this blend. This blend has been my companion for a while since I cold brewed this delight and just keep adding water. The blend reminds me of a slightly floral, slightly spiced, limeade with chunks of lemon. I don’t really know how else to describe this one. I still have to hot brew the remaining bit I have left over, but cold brewed, this one is a winner.
Grapefruit Creme Brulee Green Tea– Green tea grapefruit, calendula petals, vanilla bean & natural flavors- This one is another sorry not sorry. I also nabbed the remaining inventory of this blend earlier this week because this is the blend that truly sang my name and prompted me to even buy a new tea kettle. This blend has it all- the lovely sweet notes of the vanilla bean, the semi tartness of the grapefruit with the vegetal background of the green tea. I can’t express how much I love this one and I have a feeling this one might be one I beg Anne to reblend for me as a custom order. It truly is that good.
Sipdowns are amazing but can also be sad. It is always nice to make room for new blends but sometimes it is sad to say goodbye. . .especially to blends from 52Teas because once some of these teas are gone. . .they are gone for good. Lucky for me, I have myself a pretty good sized 52Teas order on its way to me.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal/Chai/Black/Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
(Sad) Sipdown #4- Mom’s Birthday Cake Black Tea/52 Teas -CuppaGeek-
Sipdown #4 on my sipdown/tea time journey for 2021 and what a sad sipdown it is.
52Teas is a beloved tea company to many tea enthusiasts. However, the both awesome and sad part about 52Teas is each of the teas are a limited edition in their own way and typically if you fall in love with a blend- you have to ration yourself or your tea loving heart might be broken. Reason is- 52Teas literally blends up a tea a week throughout the year so there is always new and fun teas to try but on the flip side- restocking on a blend that you adore doesn’t always happen.
That is why this is a sad sipdown. This blend may actually be my favorite 52Teas blend ever edging out Graveyard Mist ever so slightly, more than likely due to my new love of black teas. This blend literally has it all- a little sweet, a little spice, and a little sass. And no matter how you brew this gem, the flavors are always spot on.
Today for my “me tea time”, I prepped up water at 212F and allowed the tea to steep between 3-4 minutes and cool for a moment or two. This tea is just such oh sooo good.. The black tea notes hang in the background while the orange, dates and ginger mingle together in perfect harmony. There is a sweetness that I think is supposed to be the cake part but I’m getting more vanillaish notes than anything else. I paired this tea with a stroopwaffle and was truly enjoying my me moment today.
I’ve enjoyed several tea pots of this lovely and sadly, this is the last of this blend in my stash. I do spy with my little eye another cake blend currently available on 52Teas so I might just try that one out but if you ever hear of a reblend for this one, I encourage you to check it out. . .or maybe I don’t. . .more for me (haha).
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black Tea
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!
French Vanilla Marshmallow Assam Black Tea/52Teas – Ashmanra –
A good vanilla black tea is a shelf staple in my opinion. Sometimes you need black tea but you want something to soften it, or make it a little bit pampering or luxurious.
French Vanilla Marshmallow Assam is a blend of first and second flush Assam leaves. They are strong, malty, and brisk. While the tea is piping hot you don’t notice the briskness as much, but as it cools it becomes increasingly more drying.
I am loving it as a morning cup, but I could definitely see it as an afternoon pick-me-up as well. The vanilla softens the Assam a little and blooms roundly after the swallow. That’s when the briskness kicks in and makes you pick up your cup for another sip.
I take my tea plain, but this could definitely handle both milk and sugar if you like your tea that way. In fact, I can see this being turned into a decadent dessert drink as a sweet latte or with the addition of vanilla creamer.
As for me, I will continue to enjoy it just as it is! And since it is so good with snacks, I think it is time to grab a cookie or two!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gourmet Root Beer/52 Teas. . . .#sipdown
What a weird time we are in right now. . .The majority of us are in lockdown and are experiencing feelings and situations that are new to us. Trying to keep sane with working remotely and e learning for our kiddos is starting to become our new normal. I typically work remotely anyway but not with my stepsons and kiddos e learning and my husband working right beside me as well. On top of all those new experiences, I have been sick for literally over a month now with a respitory infection that seems to be lingering so there is currently a me sized imprint in my couch. I finally have enough energy ( or should say I just made myself get back to) to start getting my routine back which included pulling out my tea stash and making an effort to drink down some delights that I still have.
One of the first delights that caught my eye was Gourmet Root Beer from 52Teas. This is an older tea but one that I remember enjoying the first go around. Instead of brewing this tea hot, I decided this would be a perfect tea to cold brew while I work on hot brewing other teas. And what a great choice I made!
To start, I used a tea straw, my handy tervis, some ice, and cold water. I emptied the contents of the loose leaf tea into the cup, added the ice and cold water and let the cup sit for a bit. There was quite a bit of leaf left probably too much for one serving but I wasn’t paying attention and just dumped the contents into my cup. I’ll blame that oops on my current mediciation that is making me a bit loopy.
First sip in and I was reminded of how much I adore 52Teas. Not just because of the incredible flavors they are able to create but just the love and passion that goes into each blend. The rootbeer flavor is the front runner for sure witha touch of the anise falling behind. Fresh and delightful! I can’t say that I taste a whole lot of black tea notes but since I cold brewed the tea and the brewing hasn’t been going long, I think I’m mainly picking up on the extracts and I’m not mad at that.
Fast forward ten minutes and I’ve added a bit more cold water and took another sip. Again, the root beer and sarsaparilla flavors are the front runners with notes of the black tea starting to lightly drift in. Again, still not mad at the flavors coming across especially with all of the medicines. This bright pop of rootbeer flavor is exactly what I have been craving.
Not sure how this tea would be hot brewed but that is the beauty of tea. . .so many different ways to brew and enjoy. And now after this afternoon ditty, I’m craving 52Teas. . .looks like I know how I am going to be spending my birthday money!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.