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!
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
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tangerine Cupcake? With Marshmallow FROSTING? #52Teas
There’s just something about a well-named tea, you guys. I’ll be the first to admit that I TOTALLY judge literal books by their covers when I’m in a bookstore, or the library– and that same tendency seems to spill into the tea-loving parts of my life as well. So when I stumbled across this tea– TANGERINE cupcake? With MARSHMALLOW FROSTING? it immediately got bumped to the top of the list on name alone.
Like many other sisters reviewing here, I am a sucker for marshmallow in tea– particularly, the pillowy, creamy goodness that the marshmallow root herb adds to a tea. No disrespect to the (delicious) cute little mini marshmallows peppering so many of my favorite dessert teas, but I love how the root adds that flavor without the additives and sugary-sweetness. And this tea has it in spades! The dry leaf looks to be almost 60:40 black tea to marshmallow root, which is a fantastic ratio, if you’re asking my palate.
Brewed, however, this tea doesn’t quite hit the mark that I was hoping for. Is it a fantastic marshmallow black tea? YES. Did I maybe set my sights too high in hoping for something citrusy, sweet, cake-like AND marshmallow-y? Probably, yes. I’m not picking too much tangerine up in my cup, which is a little disappointing. But to be fair, if this tea hadn’t been named so spectacularly (thus, setting my expectations sky-high), I would’ve been super pleased by the pillow-y, vanilla goodness from this black tea blend.
Three takeaways from this experience: 1. 52 Teas can make a pretty spectacular marshmallow tea. 2. I should learn to temper my judge-a-book-by-its-cover tendencies. 3. I’ll take another cup, please and thanks.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Toasted Marshmallow from 52Teas. . . .
Flavored Houjicha? YES, please! Toasted Marshmallow that happens to be VEGAN, YES, indeed! A roasty and toasty green tea that shares its blended base with white tea, too? I’m TOTALLY interested! It’s Toasted Marshmallow from 52 Teas!
Anne at 52 Teas really has some amazing VEGAN marshmallow flavored teas! Usually made with Marshmallow Root – such is the case with this specific tea – that is.
Organic ingredients in this tea include roasted green tea, white tea, marshmallow root, vanilla beans, and natural flavors. It’s sweet, creamy, a tad toasted and roasted and woodsy. It’s NOT bitter. It’s VERY well rounded and everything comes full circle here!
The green tea used is Houjicha and the white tea used is Shou Mei. They pair PERFECTLY here. It spurs the question – why don’t other companies pair these two teas more often!? They should! I’m glad 52 Teas jumped on it before others discovered the amazing natural flavor of the two paired together!
YUM! I think I will have another cup…of 5!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for the blends that are.
