Today is the 5th Day of the 12 Teas of Christmas promotion. 52Teas has done an amazing job so far and I can’t wait to see what the 5th day has in store for us. So scratch off those labels and lets see what today’s tea is. . . .
The 5th Day of Christmas is. . . . . .Banana Pudding Black Tea.
Now this makes me happy. I am one of those that adores banana in my tea. It sounds odd and some people give me a funny look when I saw I love banana teas, but try one and you’ll see what I mean. Especially 52Teas banana flavored tea. I’ve been hoarding their Banana Peach green tea since their Kickstarter Campaign. It’s that good!
If memory serves me right, this is a reblend. But from the dry leaf aroma, I feel like this tea is a bit more pudding like the the original. You can smell the creamy pudding notes . My tea kettle can’t prep my water fast enough.
Finally the tea is ready to go and I take my first sip. Lovely silky pudding notes mingle brilliantly with a banana lush flavor. The black tea is graciously adding in a bready note so this is really translating into more of a Bready Banana Pudding. I see flakes of coconut in the dry leaf and I can taste a slight coconut sweetness.
All in all, this tea is amazing. I can’t figure out how 52Teas created a pudding tea but all I have to say is Please Make More! We need more creations like this one.
Edit: This is another tea that I found myself devouring all day and ending up finishing the pouch off. Each serving yielded several huge cuppas of this marvelous brew. Infusion after infusion, delivered on taste. That is one reason I love supporting and enjoying 52Teas. You know that you are getting both an amazing blend and a quality cuppa.
If you are curious. . .here is the official tea description. Please note-I wrote my review before looking at the description.
Banana Pudding Black Tea!
Tea Description: I was happy to have the opportunity to reblend this – mostly because I love banana teas and I’ll take up just about any excuse to make a banana tea. I find it a little funny, I’m not a big fan of bananas – I mean – I like them alright but if I’m in a produce market shopping for fruit, bananas are not usually the first fruit in my cart. But I love banana flavored stuff – banana ice cream and ice pops, banana bread, banana desserts, banana pancakes … you get the idea. And that adoration for banana flavored stuff extends into banana teas – and perhaps especially banana teas! Banana and tea just really does it for me.
So, here it is, the reblend of Banana Pudding Black Tea. The original description says:
You want to hear about pudding. Did you know that pudding was created using techniques for making Haggis and blood sausage? Eww. That’s not very appetizing… Changing gears… Bananas are very yummy, what’s more, they are yellow and shaped funny. Our Banana pudding flavored tea also has coconut, which some people dislike in pudding because pudding is supposed to be smooth and creamy and who wants shavings of coconut in there? But hey, it’s better in the tea. And I’m feeling a little loopy tonight and rushing to get this posted since it’s already late, but I think you’re all really going to enjoy this blend–mentions of Haggis and coconut aside.
I stuck pretty close to the recipe on this one because as I mentioned in my review of the original blend, I was pretty satisfied with it. One obvious difference is that the black tea base will be somewhat different because I’m using different teas. And I’m really happy with the result of this blend – after a short cool time, I find the flavor to be very banana-y with nice coconut notes. As the tea cools a little more, the creamy pudding-like notes emerge – so definitely give this tea time to cool a little and your patience will be rewarded!
organic ingredients: black teas, freeze-dried bananas, coconut and natural flavors.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea will be made available on the 52Teas website on December 28th!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
On The Eleventh Day of Christmas, Southern Boy Teas Edition!
My Christmas Tea countdowns are about to come to an end! Tomorrow is the last day. I’ve enjoyed trying all these new iced teas from Southern Boy Teas. Some teas I enjoyed more than others, of course, but, I had fun with this countdown!
Strawberry Zabaglione Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! At the start of this countdown, I was hoping that one of the teas featured would be this new iced tea flavor. The original Strawberry Zabaglione black tea from 52Teas is one of the very best that I’ve tried from 52Teas, so, just like with the Coconut Cream Pie Iced Tea, I had high hopes!
And this is good … although I don’t know if I can say that I like it as well as I liked the aforementioned coconut cream pie iced tea. I think that the original 52Teas version of this tea was better. Then again, it’s been a while since I’ve had that tea so I’m basing that opinion solely on my memory. It was a very memorable tea, though!
This does have a nice strawberry taste that is particularly noteworthy in the aftertaste. In the aftertaste, there is a flavor that is very much like the taste I’d experience after I’ve eaten a fresh, ripe strawberry. And this tea does have a nice creamy, custard-like flavor, although I think that this is where this iced tea pales in comparison to the original, because it had a very decadent, sweet, custard-y flavor that was so delightful. And while this tea does have a certain creaminess to it, it isn’t quite as memorable as the original version.
That said, this is still quite tasty. The black tea is brisk and invigorating. The strawberry flavor tastes delicious and true to the fruit. The custard-like notes are creamy and sweet. And it’s a very refreshing iced tea … one that I wouldn’t mind having chilling in my refrigerator on a regular basis.
On the Ninth Day of Christmas, Southern Boy Teas Edition!
Day 9, and the second day of the New Year. I can’t believe that the Christmas vacation is nearly over. I have enjoyed having my young one around these past couple of weeks … I will miss her when school starts back up.
Vanilla Cola Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one I was excited to try. I have been a big fan of Frank’s cola teas, and some of you may remember that the Southern Boy Teas Lime Cola is one of my FAVORITES from the SBT lineup.
And this one is another winner! This tastes like a splash of vanilla soda mixed with a glass of black iced tea! It’s cool and refreshing and very flavorful. The black tea is brisk and melds well with the flavorings of vanilla and cola.
And as I mentioned before, Frank manages to nail the cola flavored teas. I’m not sure how he does it, but I can actually taste the “bubbly” carbonation aspect in the tea. It isn’t actually carbonated (although, I suppose you could brew this strong to make it concentrated and then mix it with club soda or something), but I can taste that uplifting, bubbly taste that you get when you take a sip of cola.
But, what I don’t get here is that overly sweet, sticky coating of the teeth sensation – and that’s a good thing. That sticky feeling is the reason why I don’t drink soda very often, I just don’t like that icky sweetness that coats the teeth. So this tea offers all the good taste of a vanilla cola but none of the stuff I don’t care for when it comes to drinking soda. Plus … it’s got tea! That’s a win-win in my opinion.
A really good iced tea from Southern Boy Teas. This is one I’ll probably buy again.
On The Eighth Day of Christmas, Southern Boy Teas Edition!
Day eight. Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that last year was a good one for you, and that this one is even better. May you have delicious tea to drink all year long!
Coconut Cream Pie Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Another tea that I am very excited to try! I have, of course, tried the 52Teas version of the Coconut Cream Pie Black Tea and it’s a delicious tea – one of their best! So my expectations are high with this one!
And SBT did not disappoint! Oh goodness! This iced tea flavor is – thus far – my favorite of the newest releases from Southern Boy Teas. This tastes just as good as the 52Teas version. Sweet, creamy, and luscious. Just like a slice of coconut cream pie!
The black tea is not just a background flavor with this tea. It’s pretty well balanced with the flavoring, so this tastes to me like black tea and coconut cream pie, which is what was intended (at least, I’m assuming that was the intention!) The black tea is a robust, rich tasting tea. It’s invigorating, not overly astringent, and not bitter. Delicious and full-flavored.
The flavoring is sweet and creamy with notes of coconut and vanilla. I taste notes of buttery sweetness as well, which represents the pie crust. It’s very smooth and creamy tasting, and it adds just the right amount of sweetness. Even though this is a rather “dessert-y” flavor, it doesn’t taste cloyingly sweet.
This is a big WIN from Southern Boy Teas!
On The Seventh Day of Christmas, Southern Boy Teas Edition!
We’re already past the halfway mark on this countdown! Time FLIES!
Cotton Candy Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tea that I’ve previously reviewed, because this is one of the “original” Southern Boy Teas that were made available to the public a couple of years ago. (I think that Southern Boy Teas started out as a company to provide restaurants with iced tea options for their customers.)
But I’m happy to see this tea in these 12 iced teas of Christmas, because it’s one of my favorites. It is so delicious. It is a sweeter tasting tea – so if you’re one that tends to prefer your teas on the plain side, this is definitely not the iced tea to put in your fridge! But, for the rest of us that love a flavored iced tea – this is one of the best that SBT has to offer!
I’ve been really happy with this countdown thus far. If for no other reason, it’s encouraging me to keep iced tea in the fridge all the time, and that isn’t something I used to do year ’round. I’d usually cut off the iced tea brewing around the end of September, when the weather starts to turn cooler.
So yeah … it’s a little weird for me to be drinking iced tea at Christmastime. This is new to me. I’ve always been more of the “tea is a hot beverage” sort of girl, but I like having that pitcher of cold refreshment in the chill box waiting for me when I want something to drink with my meals. I still drink cold drinks in the winter, just not as often. So, why shouldn’t those cold drinks be iced tea?
Usually, my only cold drink during the winter is water, because I don’t drink soda or juice very often. Even less than not very often. Like it’s a rare occurrence for me to drink a soda or juice. So, I like having the iced tea readily available to enjoy when I want a cold drink.
And this Cotton Candy iced tea is one of the tastiest teas from Southern Boy Teas!