I have a confession to make… today was the one day that I had to “spoil the surprise” because I won’t be home most of the day tomorrow… and I probably won’t have time to post a review on the morning of the 20th, so I had to open this package late on the 19th.
But, since it is about 11:30 pm Pacific time as I write this, I guess I could argue that it IS the 20th somewhere. Right?
Ah… the sacrifices one must make when they review teas!
The tea of the day for December 20th is …
BANANA PEACH
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
…like a banana peach flavored green tea with real no-sugar-added dried banana and peach pieces. Think of it like tea with a hint of cool refreshing fruit smoothie added in. Enjoy!
Taster’s Review:
I can’t believe that I haven’t yet written a review for this tea! I’ve had this tea for quite a while now, and it just may be my favorite from 52Teas. Before I tasted this tea, my favorite was Chelsea’s Chocolate Banana Rooibos, but, I do believe that this one has taken the number 1 spot.
In fact, shortly after I tried this tea (and instantly fell in love with it), I bought the rest of what 52Teas showed as in stock so that I wouldn’t run out of it. I thought that like so many of their blends, this one would be a limited edition. I still have plenty of this tea on hand, and now that it is part of 52Teas permanent collection, I guess I needn’t hoard it. Life is short – we should enjoy the teas we love most more often!
The flavor of this tea is just perfect. The Chinese Sencha green tea is lush and sweet. It has a buttery essence to it that can be experienced both in the taste and the mouthfeel, and since there is very little astringency to this tea, I can enjoy that buttery essence well into the aftertaste.
The union of flavors works so well in this cup. The fruit flavors are sweet and remind me a bit of fruit nectar sans the pulpy texture! I can taste the banana flavor just a little stronger than the peach, but I think that both compliment each other very well. When combined with the fresh green tea base, it becomes a delicious, fruity treat; it is very much like tea with a hint of smoothie!
This is absolutely delightful!
On the 6th Day of Christmas … from 52Teas
I can’t believe that there is less than a week until Christmas! Are you ready for it? I’m not!
I still have TONS of shopping left to do.
But… ready or not, the holiday is coming.
One thing I am ready for is to find out what tea is waiting for me inside this pouch!
The sixth tea of Christmas is…
BLACK CURRANT BAI MU DAN
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
Sometimes I think white tea is not as much fun as the others. It’s such a delicate and subtle flavor to begin with that it doesn’t lend itself to things like chocolate peanut butter cup. What DOES pair well with it are nice sweet fruits, like black currant.
Chelsea, my faithful sidekick insists that our black currant papaya green tea is great for taking baths in. She says it makes her smell good and it leaves her skin feeling softer. Clearly, I’m not one to take a bath in our teas, but I have to admit that it’s pretty sexy to think of Chelsea taking a bath in them. (Sorry Sheri).
Anyway, (and before I get myself in too much trouble) whether you drink it or bathe in it, I think you are going to find this tea amazing. We actually doubled up on the amount of real black currants in this blend and it is delicious.
Taster’s Review:
This tea was released on “White Tea Week” (and maybe Frank should make White Tea Week an annual tradition!) during the week of February 22, 2010. The reason it was White Tea Week is that three different white teas were released in the same week. I ended up ordering all three teas, and this one ended up being one of my favorites, even though it was the one of which I was probably the most skeptical.
You can read my first review of this tea here, and even though I have tasted this one before, I am really glad to receive more in this 12 Days of Christmas package, because it really is an excellent tea.
The white tea tastes fresh and smooth. The black currant has a sweet, wine-like flavor that melds perfectly with the Bai Mu Dan base.
Fruity and delicious! I love this one! Of all the teas that I’ve purchased from 52Teas, this is the one that I can remember disappearing the fastest. That is… I couldn’t STOP drinking it until it was gone! That’s how much I love this tea!
I only made a small amount to sip as a hot tea for this review, because I want to save the rest for iced tea… as good as this is hot, it’s even better iced! This is definitely my favorite iced tea!
On the 5th Day of Christmas … from 52Teas
Good things come to those who wait?
I’ve heard this before, but, is it really true?
Well, in the case of these 12 Teas of Christmas, I have had many (well, five so far!) good things come to me as I’ve been waiting patiently for each day to arrive. However, I suspect that I would have still had these teas even if I hadn’t waited.
But don’t tell the kids that. It is important for them to know that good things come to those who wait. I don’t know why it is important for them to know this. For some reason, my parents thought it was important that I know this, and now, 52Teas feels the need to echo that sentiment.
But… we needn’t wait any longer! Today’s tea of the day is…
CHOCOLATE MINT BLACK TEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
We had a special request to create a stunning chocolate mint tea to serve at a wedding reception and to offer as wedding favors for guests at the wedding. The result was so awesome, I think we should share it with our other customers. So, without further ado, here is our featured tea of the week for the week of July 13th, the ultimate dessert tea, our chocolate mint flavored black tea, with real organic cacao nibs, fresh cut peppermint and all natural flavors.
Taster’s Review:
This tea came as a very welcome surprise this morning! I have tasted this tea (you can read my review of it here), but it is such a delicious tea, I don’t mind that at all.
This one tastes just as good as I remember it: a bright, crisp minty taste and a smooth, rich chocolate flavor. The black tea is robust and strong but rather than interrupting the flavors of the chocolate and mint, it somehow manages to enhance them.
The best part of this tea: the chocolate and mint flavors intensify as I continue to make my way down the cup.
The worst part of this tea: when it’s gone.
This was a delicious treat. I can’t wait to see what tea I’ll be enjoying tomorrow!
On the 4th Day of Christmas … from 52Teas
Ah… Patience. As a child, I was often told “patience is a virtue” in response to whatever it was that I wanted and wanted that instant. I like to think of myself as a patient individual, but I am finding it quite difficult to maintain my composure with these tea samplers from 52Teas.
But, so far, I’ve managed to deal. I try to keep myself occupied and not to think about that cute little red box. (The presentation on these sampler packages is fantastic, by the way!)
But, since today has finally arrived… I need wait no longer! Today’s tea of the day is…
SHERI’S BLEND
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
Back when I first started blending teas, before I went into business, I created this amazing, caffeine free blend of red rooibos, apricot pieces, cinnamon and marigold flowers. It was and it remains my wife Sheri’s all time favorite out of everything I’ve created. It also happens to be consistently our number one bestseller at Zoomdweebies.
I also think I got the best comment I’ve ever heard on a tea blend before with regard to this tea. A customer took a sip and exclaimed, “This tastes like Christmas!” I’m not sure where that came from, but I was happy to hear it.
Taster’s Review:
I was so happy when I opened this package this morning and saw that it was rooibos! I was hoping that it would be a caffeine free blend, because I am a little sleepy and I would very much like to head back to bed for a nap after I get my youngest daughter on the bus this morning, and I didn’t want caffeine to stimulate me.
But I doubt you tuned in here for that information … Let’s move on to the tea!
This is a tea that I’ve tasted and reviewed previously, but it is one that I’ve been out of for a few months now, and quite frankly, I miss it a lot more than I thought I would! This is one that has really grown on me. I liked it just fine from the first time I tried it, but since that time, I have grown rather fond of it. Is it my favorite from 52Teas? No. But, it is an excellent rooibos blend!
The cinnamon and apricot work very well together – so well, in fact, that they pretty much mask the flavor of the rooibos which is just fine with me. I do get an occasional “rooibos” flavor that crosses my palate, but, the flavor of the rooibos is not the primary focus of this blend.
The apricot is sweet and has a very authentic flavor, and it is well seasoned with the cinnamon. The cinnamon really livens up the flavor of this cup. The apricot is really delicious, but it is the cinnamon that gives this tea its pizzazz! Without the cinnamon, I think this blend would be rather ordinary.
Not that ordinary is bad, mind you, but, when it comes to 52Teas, I’ve come to expect something out of the ordinary! And, it would seem that they deliver on that expectation – time and time again!
Now … my thoughts begin to wander to what tea is next in my box of Christmas wonders from 52Teas …
On the 3rd Day of Christmas … from 52Teas
This sampler package has been so much fun, and I have only just begun!
As you can see by the photo to the left, Santa is being a bit of a meanie and won’t stand for even THINKING about opening the pouches early. Does that mean that because I did, I’ll be cast upon the naughty list?
But while I did certainly think of opening the package early, I didn’t. I am finding it to be too much fun to wait until morning and open the package! I can’t remember the last time I was so excited to open a package of tea in the morning – much less brew it!
Not that I don’t enjoy brewing tea – I LOVE IT. But, to say I’m not much of a morning person is an understatement!
Anyway, let’s get on with today’s tea, shall we? Today’s mystery tea is…
COCONUT CREAM PIE
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
Our Coconut Cream Pie flavored black tea has been one of our bestsellers here at Zoomdweebie’s since we opened. In addition to the pouches of this tea that we’ve sold, we sell a LOT of beverages made from this tea, in particular, this is probably our all time bestselling iced tea latte, one sip of which has led people to exclaim, “That’s like coconut cream pie in a glass!” I’ve also been frequently challenged on our assertion that our tea lattes are all fat-free, particularly with this tea.
It is simply so decadent, so wonderfully sweet and satisfying, that people cannot believe that we didn’t just liquefy a slice of coconut cream pie and serve it to them in a glass.
For the 52teas version of this tea, we are adding some honking-big flakes of unsweetened coconut to our premium black tea blend along with coconut and vanilla flavors. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do, and I promise that next week, we’ll get back to more creative pursuits.
Taster’s Review:
Yay! This is certainly one of my favorites from 52Teas, and for good reason. It is very true to its name – it really tastes like coconut cream pie! – and I love coconut cream pie.
As you can probably safely guess by now, I have previously reviewed this tea. But while it is nice to come across a tea that I’ve not tried yet (like yesterday’s Chocolate Chai), I am loving this opportunity to revisit some of my favorites.
My opinion of this tea hasn’t really changed; I therefore see no need to reconstruct my review of it. I will simply say that this is delicious! Sweet, creamy, and smooth. It makes an incredible latte, although I find it just as nice without the “latte” and served with a shortbread cookie. The one thing this tea lacks is the pastry crust of the pie, so a shortbread cookie completes the dessert! It would also be quite nice with a piece of biscotti, if you have it!
However you choose to serve it, this is one tea that I highly recommend. It is absolutely yum!