I was looking for something strong today so I settled on this wonderful chocolatey blend from 52 Teas! I steeped 1 heaping teaspoon in about 12 ounces of hot water for 2.5 minutes, as recommended (although I admit I totally failed to do the recommended “wait 10 minutes after steeping for best flavor” thing. I get a little impatient for my tea, lol).
Once it’s steeped, the tea is a medium darkness, not really red or orange but more amber-ish or cedar-colored. It has a few teeny oil droplets on top, which tends to happen when you put chocolate chips in your tea, lol. I can definitely smell both the black tea and the chocolate flavors as well as the rose.
One thing that puzzles me about this tea is that I was sure I saw a white chocolate chip among the tea leaves, but I can’t taste it at all. Where did the flavor go? I know white chocolate isn’t really a dominant sort of flavor though, so maybe it was intended to just add to the general creaminess without actually showing up distinctly in the flavor profile. If that’s the case, then it was a success. The flavor is quite rich and truffle-ish. Since the tea has plenty of sweetness already, I didn’t put sugar in, but I did experiment with adding milk. I then became unable to taste the rose flavor, which is unexpected. It still tastes nicely of chocolate and tea, though.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
Blend is no longer available but check out the black teas that are here!
Caramel Apple Oolong from 52 Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s a premium oolong tea from the Fujian province in China blended with large pieces of freeze-dried Fuji apples and natural and organic flavors. And no, I didn’t mistype: Fujian Oolong and Fuji apples. Serendipitous. I didn’t even realize I had done that until I typed it.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Caramel Apple Oolong from 52 Teas is one of those teas that I begged and prayed for a re-blend of, and it was indeed re-blended! I love how on 52 Teas website you can sign up to be notified of a re-blend, and it is also 52 Tea’s method to determine which teas are most requested for a re-blend!
So this tea has an excellent oolong base, and the perfect flavors to make you feel like your sipping on sweet succulent caramel apple juices! The caramel flavor is well balanced so that you also get a wonderful fresh fujian apple taste as well, and I do know my apples, I love Fuji apples, and this tea tastes exactly like them! The apple tastes so fresh I swear I can taste the skin!
Some sips provide a slight bit more caramel flavor and some a slight bit more apple flavor but overall most sips are well balanced. I find I enjoy that sip now and then with one flavor more than the other because I do love both apple and caramel so now and again I get a boost of one flavor or another to give me my fix.
Oh and let’s not forget the oolong, its a nice quality oolong that does provide a very good base for this flavor combination, as Frank says, serendipitous, but it works perfectly!
I will savor each sip of this tea, then put in my bid for a re-blend and once again, cross my fingers. A stash must have!
Jalapeno Tea from Man Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Man Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s our premium Indian black teas blended with real freeze-dried jalapenos and natural jalapeno flavor! Man up and get some while you can. This is a limited edition blend!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Jalapeno tea from Man Teas really is a tea I could drink all the time. Unfortunately this was a limited edition tea and is no longer available. Man Teas, which is a subdivision of 52 Teas also known as Zoomdweebies, releases some of the yummiest and most creative teas out there but the downside is someitmes you find a tea you absolutely love but before you know it they are out of stock and it is “no more”. The reason for this is because the man behind the mask, Frank, is a one man operation, accountant by day, tea master at night. The fact is he does come up with some really amazing teas! So if you find one you love, be warned, get as much of it as you can before it goes POOF!
Now this tea, Jalapeno, is not as scary as you may fear! It is not going to burn your tongue or the roof of your mouth off. It has a really nice crisp like bite to it. I actually get more of a green pepper and black pepper blend from the flavor notes. The smell has more of a bite to it than the flavor.
I love a great savory tea, and in my opinion there are far too few of them. Man Teas comes through, with this blend. If you are looking for some wacky out of the park creations check out their sister company 52 teas here and see what they have in stock. Right now they have a really different blend called Pineapple Bacon Rooibos.
I wish that everyone had a chance to try this Jalapeno blend but one cool feature of Frank’s site is that if you really love a tea and want to see a re-blend you can request a notification to be sent to you if he does ever decide to re-blend it! From this Frank can keep track of notification requests and can tell just how in demand a blend is! This could prompt him to do that re-blend!
Concord Grape Bai Mu Dan from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White Bai Mu Dan
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
So, I’m a little extra excited about our new freeze-dried grapes. I can’t help it, they are just too much fun to blend with. I’m hoping our customers will forgive me and enjoy this deliciousness.
Here’s a blend of our naturally sweet bai mu dan white tea with freeze-dried grapes and natural flavors.
Our Tea of the Week for the week of May 7, 2012
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My husband hates anything grape. He says unless it IS a grape it ends up just tasting fake. Not anymore! This Concord Grape tea from 52Teas is as close to eating the real thing as you can get! This is not an in your face kiddie soda pop or lollipop flavored tea. This is a pure and natural, delicious, gimme more of that tea!
There is a sweetness to it that is so fresh, so natural, yet with a light white tea base provides somewhat of a heavier mouthfeel somehow.
There is a slightly numbing sensation in the mouth but only slight.
Now keep in mind this tea is very light in flavor, its not going to rock your socks off with a kool-aid like grape flavor or aroma but if you like grape and you love tea (you do don’t you!) then this is a really nice, not too often found flavor combination you must try!
Boo-Berry Cotton Candy from 52 Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Gunpowder and Hyson Green Teas
Where to Buy: 52 Teas
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:
Anyone who knows me knows that I love 52 Teas cotton candy blend, I also love blueberry tea, so this was a no brainer when it came out! I snatched up my bag in a heart beat and I am so glad that I did. As I write this review I see that there is one more bag to be claimed and I’m strongly considering grabbing it!
When I first scooped out my tea to put in my strainer I noticed the HUGE plump numerous blueberries in the blend! I literally said out loud “Holy Blueberries!” I shook up the bag a little to make sure that the blueberries had not all somehow miraculously risen to the top of my bag defeating gravity, but alas, that was not the case. This bag is stuffed fully of luscious blueberries through and through!
So I steep…. the cup is a deep chocolate color, very unexpected with two kinds of green tea however the sweet blueberries have done their job painting the brew.
I do feel that this tea needs a little more time for the flavors to develop and mingle with each other. I do detect the cotton candy flavor I am familiar with in the 52 Teas Cotton Candy blend and of course the blueberries which I am familiar with from 52 Teas Blueberry Zabaglione blend. Yet as Frank, master blender of 52 Teas does create a new tea each and every week, sometimes some of the blends do need a little maturing time. This is one of those yet I can absolutely taste the prospect in this one and I know it is going to be a good one! So the question remains, do I grab up that last bag or do I let someone else grab it, showing my generous side? I know once these flavors have fully developed I am going to be kicking myself, but I think I am going to let someone else get in on the fun here and restrain myself from another order. It is getting close to the holidays after all … but just wait for it … I am sure in a couple of weeks I when this tea is all gone I will be saying BOO-HISS!