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!
On the Fifth Day of Christmas, 52Teas sent to me. . .
On the 5th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me….my actual true love: Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha Green Tea. I am a huge fan of banana and marshmallow. It’s funny because the way I heard about 52 Teas was by doing a search of “marshmallow tea” on Steepster. I ended up coming across 52 Teas’ Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha! For that reason, that blend is actually pretty special to me, and I’m very happy its part of the permanent collection. Any twist on it, be it banana or pumpkin spice latte or chai spice or anything in between, I am always extremely eager to try.
Suffice to say, when I scratched off Day 5’s label I was really excited and brewed up a cup right away! Yum, yum, yum. If you like banana and you like marshmallow, you’re going to like this. It is really smooth with that toasted rice and green tea flavor and aroma that is genmaicha, but it also has a really yummy twist: fluffy marshmallow and creamy banana! Dare I say that I enjoy this more than the original marshmallow treat? I know that some people have reservations with banana flavored teas, but this is really well done and not artificial tasting. It is smooth, creamy, delicate, and sweet. I would drink this again and again, and I definitely recommend that if you are given the chance you give it a try!
I know I have said this already but I really am happy with this 12 Days of Tea package. I love that it has given me a chance to try teas that I otherwise would have missed my chance to taste. Some companies just put all the teas that had been available over the past year in their Christmas/Advent boxes and I feel like it is so repetitive. I’m really enjoying the uniqueness of this box and these blends and I truly have not had one that I dislike.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hummingbird from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Sometimes when you try a tea for the first time you love it but part of the love comes from excitement over a tea being new and when you try it again, its just not as good. That is not the case with this tea. This tea is my latest obsession. Seriously, I think I am in love. I own over 350 teas and I keep reaching for this one, Hummingbird by A Quarter to Tea. I just can’t get enough of the banana, vanilla, and pecan praline awesomeness.
I have had this a few times hot and I swear each cup is better than the last. However today I decided to mix things up and see how this works as an iced tea. I steeped this per the recommended steeping parameters for 3 minutes in 200F water.
The iced cup still has that awesome banana smell but the banana falls to the background when prepared this way. Instead the smooth yunnan base combined with the nutty praline and vanilla is highlighted. It’s the slightest bit dry and yet it has notes of chocolate and honey that compliment the other flavors. Do I want more banana? Yes, but this tea prepared as an iced tea sort of reminds me of a chunky monkey ice cream/milkshake and that’s still pretty great
Iced or hot, this tea is just so good. Though my preference is the hot tea because it reminds me of a delicious bananas foster-like dessert, the iced tea still delivers on the mmmmmmmm factor. I honestly cannot recommend this one enough!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A malty Yunnan black tea with banana, vanilla, and pecan praline. Add a splash of pineapple juice for a more traditional twist.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Banana Maple Oatmeal from The NecessiTeas. . . .
I have a coworker that’s always wandering around the office with a bowl of oatmeal. It’s like his familiar — except it’s not a black cat. It’s food.
I’m always jealous of this oatmeal. You might be asking yourself “why don’t you get yourself a bowl of oatmeal?” I’VE HAD THAT IDEA, OKAY? Whenever I try to make my own, it never, ever smells as good as his.
Forget food preparation. I’m over it. I’m just going to make this tea instead.
This tea comes in a packet with real oatmeal and cinnamon and brown sugar in it. My desire is literally to just eat the contents of the bag. However, as someone over the age of 5, I knew I could not make this choice. I had to make the responsible decision. I had to steep it.
And aha! It really does taste like maple syrup, brown sugar, and oats!
There’s also, after you swallow, a little bit of a banana aftertaste. I’m not usually hype about banana flavors, but these are real bananas, not those yucky yellow banana-shaped candies that taste like a dumpster.
Mixed with the oats, the banana is transformed into a banana-bread flavor. And I’ll love the bread form of almost anything. I even like zucchini bread. And this is from a gal who probably couldn’t pick a zucchini out of a lineup. (Isn’t it kind of cucumber-like?)
Mmmm. This is a really nice blend. It’s totally worth a try, especially if you like the ingredients. You’ll be impressing your coworkers in no time.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Oh, the aroma of banana and maple floating through the house… This oatmeal smelled so good simmering on the stove, I could hardly wait to eat it! And then I had that “Aha!” moment. Why not turn my breakfast into a big cup of morning deliciousness? This breakfast tea has all the yummy flavors of maple donuts mixed with banana bread and oatmeal cookies. Now, THAT is quite the combination!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
George Daddy from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
If you know that there’s always money in the banana stand, you’ll likely understand this tea.
If you don’t? I mean, it’s still a delicious chocolate-banana-graham tea, but you’re probably gonna be a little weirded out by the name.
I’ll be honest: though so many of my fellow Sororitea Sister have proclaimed their love for banana teas, I’ve been skeptical. I like bananas. I don’t OMG LOVE them. I really like frozen, chocolate dipped bananas– does that count? But I am decidedly NOT a fan of fake banana flavor– banana runts? No thanks. Banana gum? Gag.
So you can bet I was a skoosh skeptical when I sniffed this tea right in the bag– it is pretty powerfully banana-flavor-scented. But the lingering background chocolate notes intrigued me, and the large chunks of chocolate graham cracker was enough to set me over the edge. Brewed, this one is a bit murky-golden, with a little visible oily-film on the top. The scent is still pretty strongly faux-banana, but I was pleased to find the taste to be more authentic. This needed no sweetness added, it was the perfect balance of flavors without any bitterness. I wish I had enough of this one to try it iced just to see how Bluth-family-banana-stand authentic the flavors actually were, but I still slurped up the whole hot cup, regardless. Would I repurchase? Maybe not– as human who’s fairly meh about bananas, I don’t know that I need it in my cabinet. But for a banana lover– or a Bluth? This one needs to live in your banana stand (er… tea cabinet).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for the limited teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
