I STILL haven’t gotten into Doctor Who…I know…I know…shame on me! But one day – not too long ago – I was feeling adventurous and decided to jump into TARDIS Ten – Allonsy! from Tea & Absinthe. Why was I being adventurous just by drinking this tea? Because of the banana, of course! Some of you already know my hate-hate relationship with bananas. I want to like them – I do – but thus far it just hasn’t happened!
I will say for an ingredient I dread so much this was a mighty fine flavored tea! Ingredients include: black tea, flavor, coconut rasps, coconut chips (coconut, coconut fat, sugar), banana bits, cornflower blossoms.
They didn’t skimp on the chunky ingredients! That scored points with me! I think with the deeper, darker black tea taste with the addition of coconut is what counteracted the banana for me – and nicely! Everything meshed well flavor-wise. I wouldn’t change the ratios at all! There was a good amount of sweetness, nuttiness, and black tea taste and I have to say I’m a fan!
This tea PROVES that just because you aren’t fond of ONE ingredient – doesn’t mean you should avoid the tea. If I did avoid it – I would be missing out on a gem of a flavored black tea and fan/themed tea! CHEERS to a tasty cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea & Absinthe
Description
One should always take a banana to a party. Especially if you’re going to invent the banana daiquiri two centuries too early. Bananas are good. Tea is good. Banana and coconut flavored black tea? Brilliant!
Ingredients: black tea, flavor, coconut rasps, coconut chips (coconut, coconut fat, sugar), banana bits, cornflower blossoms
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
On the 5th Day of Christmas 52Teas Sent To Me. . . (Spoilers)
Today is the 5th Day of the 12 Teas of Christmas promotion. 52Teas has done an amazing job so far and I can’t wait to see what the 5th day has in store for us. So scratch off those labels and lets see what today’s tea is. . . .
The 5th Day of Christmas is. . . . . .Banana Pudding Black Tea.
Now this makes me happy. I am one of those that adores banana in my tea. It sounds odd and some people give me a funny look when I saw I love banana teas, but try one and you’ll see what I mean. Especially 52Teas banana flavored tea. I’ve been hoarding their Banana Peach green tea since their Kickstarter Campaign. It’s that good!
If memory serves me right, this is a reblend. But from the dry leaf aroma, I feel like this tea is a bit more pudding like the the original. You can smell the creamy pudding notes . My tea kettle can’t prep my water fast enough.
Finally the tea is ready to go and I take my first sip. Lovely silky pudding notes mingle brilliantly with a banana lush flavor. The black tea is graciously adding in a bready note so this is really translating into more of a Bready Banana Pudding. I see flakes of coconut in the dry leaf and I can taste a slight coconut sweetness.
All in all, this tea is amazing. I can’t figure out how 52Teas created a pudding tea but all I have to say is Please Make More! We need more creations like this one.
Edit: This is another tea that I found myself devouring all day and ending up finishing the pouch off. Each serving yielded several huge cuppas of this marvelous brew. Infusion after infusion, delivered on taste. That is one reason I love supporting and enjoying 52Teas. You know that you are getting both an amazing blend and a quality cuppa.
If you are curious. . .here is the official tea description. Please note-I wrote my review before looking at the description.
Banana Pudding Black Tea!
Tea Description: I was happy to have the opportunity to reblend this – mostly because I love banana teas and I’ll take up just about any excuse to make a banana tea. I find it a little funny, I’m not a big fan of bananas – I mean – I like them alright but if I’m in a produce market shopping for fruit, bananas are not usually the first fruit in my cart. But I love banana flavored stuff – banana ice cream and ice pops, banana bread, banana desserts, banana pancakes … you get the idea. And that adoration for banana flavored stuff extends into banana teas – and perhaps especially banana teas! Banana and tea just really does it for me.
So, here it is, the reblend of Banana Pudding Black Tea. The original description says:
You want to hear about pudding. Did you know that pudding was created using techniques for making Haggis and blood sausage? Eww. That’s not very appetizing… Changing gears… Bananas are very yummy, what’s more, they are yellow and shaped funny. Our Banana pudding flavored tea also has coconut, which some people dislike in pudding because pudding is supposed to be smooth and creamy and who wants shavings of coconut in there? But hey, it’s better in the tea. And I’m feeling a little loopy tonight and rushing to get this posted since it’s already late, but I think you’re all really going to enjoy this blend–mentions of Haggis and coconut aside.
I stuck pretty close to the recipe on this one because as I mentioned in my review of the original blend, I was pretty satisfied with it. One obvious difference is that the black tea base will be somewhat different because I’m using different teas. And I’m really happy with the result of this blend – after a short cool time, I find the flavor to be very banana-y with nice coconut notes. As the tea cools a little more, the creamy pudding-like notes emerge – so definitely give this tea time to cool a little and your patience will be rewarded!
organic ingredients: black teas, freeze-dried bananas, coconut and natural flavors.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea will be made available on the 52Teas website on December 28th!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Banana Marshmallow Genmaicha Treat from 52Teas
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!
Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
From the 52Teas site: 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!
Taster size is approximately 15g.
organic ingredients: green teas, toasted rice, freeze-dried bananas, marshmallow root and natural flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
52Teas has done it again! I mean where else can you find a banana marshmallow treat genmaicha based tea? This blend is exactly why I love 52Teas so much. Fresh fun flavors that you honestly can not get anywhere else.
Unique blended with green tea, toasted rice, banana bits, marshmallow root and other flavors, this tea smells like banana pudding right out of the pouch. I instantly started drooling. I couldn’t wait to brew this tea up and enjoy this treat!
Brewed up by the recommendations on the pouch, I found myself staring at the infuser, willing the tea to steep faster. Finally, the brew was ready and I allowed the tea to sit for a few moments to cool.
A lovely pale yellow liquor sat in front of me, smelling of toasted goodness and bananas. My first sip was this gorgeous toasted genmaicha flavor. The banana flavor was subtle and not as smack in your face as I thought it would be.
Second infusion and still the toasted genmaicha seemed to be the dominating flavor. The banana notes were there and seemed to be a bit stronger, just not as dominating as I would have hoped. So I went for a third infusion. VIOLA! There it was. A brilliant banana flavor that tasted fresh with hints of a toasted marshmallow. Exactly what I was looking for. The perfect combo of a fruity toasted flavor.
After taking a look at my infuser, I realized I probably hadn’t shaken up the bag properly when scooping out the tea. Totally my bad. Regardless, I’ve been incredibly happy since the first sip of this tea. I mean c’mon. . .Banana Marshmallow Treat? So uniquely original! Gotta love that!
Kudos 52Teas for another amazingly unique blend. I would tell everyone to rush out and get this blend before it is sold out, but I’m emailing 52Teas now to see if my wallet can handle gobbling up the remaining inventory!
Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I was inspired to do this blend because one of my all-time favorite 52Teas blends from way, way back was Chelsea’s Chocolate Banana Rooibos. And as much as I loved that blend, there was always a part of me that lamented the fact that it was a red rooibos base and not long after Amethyst acquired 52Teas, I decided that I needed to “reinvent” that blend into either a Honeybush blend or a green rooibos blend. Ultimately, I decided I needed to first try Honeybush – but I do plan on trying a green rooibos blend eventually too.
Mmm! The naturally nutty-sweet flavor of the honeybush works nicely with the flavors of chocolate and banana. The overall flavor reminds me a bit of the frozen chocolate covered bananas that you might get at an amusement park – the kind that are sprinkled with chopped nuts before the chocolate has a chance to set. I get sweet, fruity notes of banana, the creamy, rich flavor of chocolate and a hint of nutty flavor from the honeybush.
Tasty!
organic ingredients: honeybush, freeze-dried bananas, cacao nibs, cacao shells, mini vegan chocolate chips and natural flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush. . . As much as I love my banana flavored teas, chocolate banana teas I seem to be more hesitant with. I am just not a huge chocolate fan, but I do find that I love the honeybush that 52Teas using as their base, so I had to try it. My first impression of the dry leaf was rich dark chocolate notes with a bright and vibrant banana flavor. Still hesitant, I prepped the tea up and took my first sip.
A rich decadent baked good flavor greeted me. A nutty almost cookie note with a lush dark chocolate hint here and there. Add in the fresh banana flavor, you have a tea that really pops. This is one of those decadent teas that are rich, simple, yet full in flavor. And I’m greedily gulping mine down. I can’t get enough. Since I only have a taster size of this tea, I think I’ll save the rest to try a cold brew. I can see how this could be an amazing treat on as an iced tea on a warm summer day.
This is one of those decadent banana teas that screams dessert tea. One that I hope to be enjoying for some time now. This tea is still available from 52Teas so I highly recommend checking it out! Chocolate Covered Banana Honeybush will be a tea I will be dreaming out!