White Christmas from 52Teas. . . .

by MrsPremise

Imagine a jar of rainbow gumdrops.  These sweets could go one of two ways: fruity, gumdrops, or seasonal spice drops.  Is the dark purple candy grape or anise?  Are the red ones cinnamon or cherry?  Peppermint or pineapple?  Orange or clove?  If you’re not into these herbal-flavored treats, spice drops must be the bane of your existence.  Sassafras instead of lemon?! Fooled again!

I like both kinds of candy drops, for different reasons.  But the one reason I love White Christmas Tea from 52Teas is that it smells and tastes just like a sweet spearmint spice drop.  The dry leaves are strongly fragrant with mint and vanilla, and the tea brews up with the same scents.  The blend smells so sweet and perfectly creamy and minty, you can almost feel the spice drop sugar crystals on your tongue already.

This blend doesn’t feature the icy harshness of pure peppermint, but the gentler more herbal tone of spearmint.  The natural creaminess of the spearmint is complimented by the vanilla notes from marshmallow root, bringing additional sweetness to the blend.  A touch of cocoa and the black tea leaves add robustness to these candy-cane flavors, making the blend strong enough for any cold winter night.

52Teas is known to change their inventory on a regular basis, so I am not sure if this blend is in stock at the moment, but keep an eye out if it pops up in the future.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:

Here’s our premium black teas blended with peppermint, marshmallow root and organic flavors. I know we’ve done a few marshmallow/mint blends this year, but this might just be the crowning jewel. As a few of our 12 Teas of Christmas sampler purchasers have already commented, the black tea lends a faint chocolate note to the mixture of mint and marshmallow.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

MrsPremise

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels. When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy. Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends. Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea

52 Teas- Cookies for Santa Black Tea. . Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

by Sophia

On the 12th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me…Cookies for Santa Black Tea!! Its Christmas morning and I couldn’t be more festive today. We are making French Toast in my house since it’s our favorite breakfast, the baby is unwrapping her presents (more like ripping the wrapping paper all over the place haha), and I am really enjoying this yummy tea! The dry leaf smells like ginger and spices. I can see pieces of candied ginger and nutmeg.

I brewed up my cup and took a seat, breathing in the spices. This one is like aromatherapy! So relaxing to just sit and breathe it in. It tastes lightly spiced and like those crunchy gingersnap cookies. I used to love those cookies when I was younger. I did not add any agave or sweetener to this, although I think it would taste nice with a dash of milk. However, it is just as good plain and I am enjoying tasting all the components without anything muddying it up. I think that Santa would very much enjoy this cup of tea!

I hope that you all have the best Christmas day while indulging in these lovely teas. To keep the festivities going, I’ll probably be brewing up the rest of some of my tasters (maple marshmallow Genmaicha, anyone??) for the rest of the day and enjoying the Christmas spirit that has filled our home. Merry Christmas, everybody and I wish you all the joys and happiness in the New Year!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas

Day 11: Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha . . .Counting Down to Christmas with 52Teas!

by Sophia

On the 11th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me…..Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha Green Tea!!! (cue my happy dance) Just like the original Marshmallow Treat Genmaich Green Tea, this version is very near and dear to my heart. I believe it was a part of my first order from 52 Teas along with the original Marshmallow Treat that I previously said was actually the tea that led me to discover 52 Teas altogether!

A few days ago when I reviewed the Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha that was a part of this box, I thought that it was absolutely fantastic….but I had forgotten about this maple version. After making a cup of the maple marshmallow one I am now super conflicted as to which I like better. First off, as soon as you open the pouch the smell is all maple. It literally smells like a plate of pancakes drizzled with fresh maple syrup. Once brewed, that delicious maple is still there but now there’s just a small underlying scent of vanilla marshmallow. And the taste? It’s so scrumptious!! It’s like Vermont maple syrup and fluff along with that classic toasted rice flavor of Genmaicha. It’s sweet and creamy and divine! It is a complete toss up as to which I like more- the banana marshmallow treat or the maple marshmallow treat. Oh my…a thought just came to me….what if we combined all three flavors and made a Banana Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha? Well, that would just be my version of Nirvana!

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope you all enjoyed this tea as much as I do. Tomorrow is Christmas and I have a feeling our last tea in this box is going to be an exciting one…a real treat for us all on Christmas morning! So be sure to check back amidst all the present-unwrapping and Christmas festivities to hear my thoughts on Day 12’s blend

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea

Day 10: Banana TieGuanYin Oolong Tea. . . .52Teas Holiday Countdown

by Sophia

On the 10th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me… Banana TieGuanYin Oolong Tea! We are nearing the end of our little tea-journey, folks, and I can’t help but feel sad. This box has truly consisted of an amazing bunch of teas and I just want to keep going! I have no regrets over purchasing this “advent calendar” and I had quite a few choices from other companies I shop with. This has been, by far, the most unique and satisfying.

However, we aren’t quite done yet so here goes with Day 10!!! I love banana, especially when it is flavoring my tea. However, I don’t usually gravitate towards oolong blends. They definitely bring a unique flavor to the tea. If I had a cup of green, black, and oolong and you blindfolded me- I could accurately tell you which are which on taste, maybe even smell, alone. But when given a choice, I will always choose green or black over oolong. I had never heard of TieGuanYin before so I googled it. According to google, this particular tea is “warm, soft, and soothingly mineral in texture.” When I smelled the dry leaf I could definitely smell banana, but once brewed I could detect that “mineral” quality that this leaf has been described like. Now, although I am not a huge fan of oolong blends, I feel like the tea actual does go nicely with the banana flavor. So if you do like oolong you will appreciate the ‘marriage’ of the leaf with the banana because they definitely complement each other. There is almost something floral about the TieGuan Yin as well that brings something different to the cup while mingling with the banana and mineral quality of the leaf. My final assessment: I love the banana component. I literally can’t NOT like it since I’m such a huge fan of banana tea. And although oolong is not my first choice, I find that it worked very well with the banana flavor and someone who enjoys oolong would definitely appreciate this flavor combo.

So those are my final thoughts on Day 10’s Banana TieGuan Yin and I am really excited to finish out the last two days of this box with you all so stay tuned….I have a feeling these last two blends you definitely won’t want to miss!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Oolong

Day 9: Caramel Cheesecake Black Tea. . . .The 52Teas Countdown to Christmas!

by Sophia

On the 9th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me… Caramel Cheesecake Black Tea! This lovely black tea blend smells exactly the way it sounds, like creamy cheesecake drizzled in caramel sauce. If I hadn’t read the name before smelling the leaf, I definitely would have been able to pick out the flavors just on smell alone. I love any tea that has cheesecake essence in it, as cheesecake is actually one of my favorite desserts. I used to live right across the street from a Cheesecake Factory restaurant…I’m sure you can imagine, that was pretty dang dangerous!

I may no longer live near a good place to get a slice of cheesecake, but if and when a craving strikes, this tea would surely suffice! It’s creamy and has an almost “fluffy” flavor that’s light and sweet. It also has a slight tang and underlying flavor of cheesecake that definitely comes through on the aftertaste. It’s interesting because when I first saw the name of this tea I kind of wished that there was another component like maybe “caramel apple cheesecake” or something a little more, but after trying this I really believe it is perfect just as it is and I think that something else would definitely have overpowered the awesome flavor combo of caramel and cheesecake. It’s so realistic and yummy, I definitely recommend trying it if you have the chance!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not currently available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea