I have a lot of tea. A LOT. I also have a shopping problem. So, in order to not drown in tea, I tend to mostly buy sample sizes (as in 25 grams or less). That allows me to just get a taste of the tea without being stuck with large amounts that could potentially expire before I get a chance to finish them. 52 Teas is great for this shopping method because they offer taster sizes that are enough tea to experiment with but not too much that it is hard to use up. However, with all rules there are exceptions and this tea was the exception to my shopping rule; as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it and not just a taste, I needed a lot of it!
Why did I need so much? Why was I confident I would love it? Well, that’s simple. 52 Teas, an awesome company for flavored teas, has captured my heart for many reasons but two things stand out above all else. The first thing that really caught my eye and my tastebuds…marshmallow treat genmaichas. In my tea stash right now I have this tea, Strawberry Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha, and S’mores Genmaicha but those are just a few that I have tried and loved. Seriously, you have not tried a flavored genmaicha until you have tried a 52 Teas marshmallow treat genmaicha. The second thing that made me fall in love with 52 Teas is their banana flavor. From Bananas Foster to Banana Pudding to Hot Buttered Banana Bread and everything in between, you can’t go wrong with a 52 Teas banana blend. So, how could I possibly resist a tea that combines both my loves? The answer to that was I could not.
Of course the instant I got my large package of this tea I ripped it open and brewed up a cup. Now, I don’t know what a banana marshmallow treat would taste like since I never had one but I was a fan of banana slices in my rice krispy cereal and that is what I expected…plus marshmallow. Honestly, that is what this tea delivers. Banana flavor, true-to-the-fruit, soft and subtle but sweet. It blends seamlessly with the fluffy and creamy marshmallow notes. Contrasted to those is the roasted/puffed rice flavor and a hint of the vegetal/matcha-infused base. It is balanced and light but very flavorful. This is one large pouch I definitely am not concerned will expire before I get a chance to finish it because this is a tea I will be reaching for again and again!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available. But click below for ones that are!
I’ve never had a banana Marshmallow Treat – I don’t even know if such a thing exists. A quick google search yielded no results that appeared like banana marshmallow treat squares but I’ll admit that I really didn’t look very earnestly for it, mostly because I would think that the banana would be too slick and slippery and wouldn’t stick to the marshmallow which binds the crispy rice cereal together. I would think that banana would really mess up the chemistry that goes into the crafting of a marshmallow treat.
Then again, since I’ve never actually had one (and thus, I’ve never tried making one) I don’t know for certain. Perhaps it could be made with freeze-dried bananas (like the ones that I put in this tea blend) without much trouble.
Anyway, that lengthy introduction is my way of saying that this tea wasn’t inspired by something I’ve actually tried but something I’d love to try should I ever be so fortunate to find such a confection. What inspired me is my appreciation for fresh, sliced bananas atop my crispy rice cereal. One day while eating a bowl of cereal, I thought, wouldn’t a banana flavored crispy rice treat be awesome? At some point very soon after that, my thoughts turned to tea (as they often do) and I decided that I MUST create a Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha.
And so I did!
I started with my organic matcha infused genmaicha and added marshmallow root and freeze dried bananas. It’s a cuppa yum!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Glazed Donut from 52Teas
My fiancé (a donut aficionado) was ecstatic to see this tea in my review pile– so much so that we set out to brew this one together one Saturday morning while we lazed around the house.
As much as we’d like them to be, actual donuts aren’t as frequent in our breakfast rotation, but this tea seemed like the perfect weekend cup to fill that glazed, cake-y void.
First things first– the dry leaf smells INCREDIBLE. Like vanilla sugar icing, straight out of the tub. The cake-like notes are a bit more subtle here, but the creamy vanilla was strong in this one. Upon brewing, we got a beautifully smooth, golden-brown cup with some of those same wisps of flavor in each sip.
A splash of cream really brought out that donut-esque creaminess, and while we didn’t have any pastries on hand to dunk, I bet this tea would be the perfect vehicle to do so. Overall, a great Saturday morning treat.
Not overtly sweet, and not abundantly-donut-y, but creamy and smooth, the perfect companion cup to a relaxing, weekend morning!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description: No Longer Available
See what unique teas are available from 52Teas here!
Harry Potter Fans-Check this out! Pumpkin Juice Green Tea from 52Teas
The thing I was originally going to write about this was “this tastes like the Hogwarts library.” I was going to talk about the vegetal green taste with the rich old spices, like herbology books being read by Neville Longbottom after a long day of academia. I had a variety of very interesting, seemingly novel ideas.
(NOVEL IDEAS? GET IT?)
Then I went to 52Teas’ own description which — I do not jest — literally says: “I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and have been for a lot of years so this year as my Halloween offering, I decided I wanted to celebrate my favorite books with a tribute to one of the wizarding world’s favorite juices: Pumpkin Juice!”
I don’t remember the words “pumpkin juice” being used in the Potterverse, but apparently the association was subliminal, because there I was, browsing the Hogwarts library’s forbidden section and trying not to get bitten by books with the best of them.
The tea itself tastes like pumpkin, pineapple, and spices. It’s a cool mix!
I’ve tried a bunch of Pumpkin Spice beverages this autumn, and this one stands out as the most original. It’s the only one that features green tea (!) and pineapples (!).
I suppose if you are a pumpkin spice classicist, you can drink your black pumpkin tea in your mundane Muggle life.
I, on the other hand, will be sharing this cup with Hagrid and Fang
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and have been for a lot of years so this year as my Halloween offering, I decided I wanted to celebrate my favorite books with a tribute to one of the wizarding world’s favorite juices: Pumpkin Juice!
Having never actually tasted pumpkin juice, I googled “pumpkin juice” for some ideas on recipes for it. There are a few different recipes online for pumpkin juice and each of them were a little different. Some were a combination of orange juice and pumpkin juice – which sounded interesting! Another included dried apricots instead of the orange juice – also interesting! Others were made with peach or pear juice. But the recipe that appealed to me most was one that combined pumpkin, apple juice, pineapple juice and spices. I thought that the apple would add some pleasant sweetness to the savory quality of the pumpkin and the pineapple juice would add some brightness to the overall flavor.
I started with a base of fair-trade, rainforest alliance certified Satemwa estate green teas (OP1 & Zomba Steamed) and added chunks of dried pumpkin, freeze-dried apples and pineapple, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and touch of freshly shaved nutmeg. The fruits do soften the flavor of the pumpkin somewhat however, the overall flavor is quite autumn-y and delicious.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Marshmallow Spicier Chai from 52Teas #VeganMoFo2016
Chocolate Marshmallow Spicier Chai from 52 Teas is my tea choice of the day and also my choice for today’s Vegan MoFo! Today is Holiday Bake Day! What are you planning on baking over the winter holidays? Do you make cake or cookies? Something Savory? Well, I have a confession to make…I don’t bake! I’ve tried but I always fail! But when I first tasted Chocolate Marshmallow Spicier Chai from 52 Teas I knew I had to use it for today’s Vegan MoFo!
Chocolate Marshmallow Spicier Chai from 52 Teas is VEGAN as are all of their teas! It has a very strong chai base with all of the spices you would want in a chai. It features Marshmallow Root which you can smell upon opening the bag. It also has VEGAN White Chocolate Chips and VEGAN Chocolate Chips and they are WONDERFUL!
If I were to bake…I would bake something based on the aroma and taste of this tea…spices, chocolate, YUM! Chocolate Marshmallow Spicier Chai from 52 Teas is REALLY something to treasure but also share with others! It also seems perfect for fall and winter not to mention Vegan MoFo!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
organic ingredients: black teas, secret blend of spices, marshmallow root, cacao nibs, cacao shells, mini vegan chocolate chips, vegan white chocolate chips and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here! Act quick though, this tea is on sale!
Strawberry Coconut Honeybush-Rooibos Blends from 52Teas
When I first discovered 52Teas I got a sampler pack and among it was a Strawberry Pie Honeybush blend. I instantly fell in love. Something about the way 52Teas does strawberry honeybush is just so right. So, when I saw this blend in the teas CuppaGeek sent my way, I was really intrigued.
As per 52Teas recommendations, I brewed this low and slow and let it cool before giving it a taste. With the very first sip, I was taking a trip down memory lane. The familiar strawberry honeybush deliciousness was back. Sweet but sharp and true to the delightful berry. But what’s that? A creaminess? Must be the coconut. All of this floating on the rooibos-honeybush base that provides a solid foundation for the flavors to stand on.
This tea is sweet, but not too sweet and the perfect to end off the evening. Though if you are in the mood for something a little sweeter, this also makes for an awesome tea smoothie. I blended this up with some frozen strawberries and bananas, a little chocolate pudding, some milk, and two teaspoons of a banana, bourbon & vanilla bean jam from a local jam shop, Kitten and the Bear. It’s a mason jar full of liquid dessert. The coconut helps elevate the overall creaminess of the blend and mixes perfectly with the vanilla bean of the jam. The strawberry, just as it was in the hot cup of tea, is the true star here though. Juicy and ripe and dipped in milk chocolate is the berry flavor the smoothie is highlighting. Amazing!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
I had originally planned for this to be just a honeybush blend – but when I got to my tea studio, I realized that I didn’t have enough honeybush in stock so it became a honeybush-rooibos blend. I actually think I like it better as a blend because I really like how honeybush and rooibos complement each other. They seem to bring out the best in each other!
So here is a naturally caffeine free blend of organic honeybush and rooibos – together they create a sweet, nutty, slightly honeyed tasting base to support the flavors of a sweet-tart strawberry and creamy, delectable coconut. The brewed tea is sweet, smooth and delicious with a finish that’s offers a tingly berry tartness – evoking thoughts of fresh berries!
Taster size is approximately 1/2 ounce
organic ingredients: honeybush, rooibos, coconut, freeze-dried strawberries and natural flavors