OK, so like I promised you on the first day of Christmas with my previous countdown, I was planning on doing two countdowns per day, unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, I decided to do 1 of the countdowns starting on the 14th of December and counting down to Christmas, and then I’ll do the second version which will actually BE on the 12 days of Christmas, starting on the “actual” first day of Christmas, December 25th. Not that it really matters to me. All that really matters to me … is the tea.
So, my second Christmas countdown this year is with Southern Boy Teas (aka 52Teas) and their Iced Teas! Let’s get this thing started!
Monkey Fart Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, Frank at 52Teas ran a fundraising campaign to get some new equipment that he needed to operate more efficiently, specifically for his iced tea line which he calls Southern Boy Teas. That campaign was very successful, and out of that success, Frank decided to not only do his 52Teas version of the 12 Days of Christmas, but also a SBT’s version of the 12 Days of Christmas.
For today’s iced tea, Frank chose Monkey Fart. Now, I have already brewed and reviewed the Monkey Fart iced tea, and I imagine that quite a few of this selection of 12 iced teas I’ve already tried, however, Frank has added quite a few new flavors to his SBT line, so I think I’ll be in for a surprise along the way too.
But, let me just say that I’m glad that Monkey Fart was part of this collection. No, I’m still not crazy about the name. It still weirds me out a little bit to think that I’m drinking something called Monkey Fart.
Nonetheless, this tea is tasty. I cold-brewed it, and it’s as tasty as I remember it. Sweet and loaded with banana flavor that is more like candy than true-to-the-fruit banana flavor, but, I don’t mind it, because like I said in my previous review, it tastes a bit like banana cotton candy that’s been liquefied and then added to a glass of black iced tea. YUM!
I hope that the rest of the Southern Boy Teas countdown is as tasty as the first day has been.
Napalm Ferret Green Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I apologize if this disappoints anyone, but this week’s tea tastes like neither napalm nor ferrets. And no animals were harmed in the manufacture of the tea.
Instead, what we have here is a tea blend from the warped imagination of one of our former tea bar customers. I’m honestly not sure exactly what it means or why it was so important to him, but then, that’s kind of the way a lot of the conversations at Zoomdweebie’s went for me–a bit over my head: like, outer space over my head. But that’s okay.
After explaining to me that he really wanted me to make a Napalm Ferret tea, Joe and I sat down to determine what exactly would constitute a Napalm Ferret tea. He decided right away that it needed to be a gunpowder base, with bananas because ferrets like bananas, I guess. It also needed cinnamon chips and just a touch of cayenne pepper. And that is how Napalm Ferret tea was born.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
I found this Napalm Ferret Green Tea Blend from 52Teas to be … entertaining … before I even opened the pouch. I started laughing out loud when I read the label, which reads:
*NOT flavored like ferret or napalm.
No animals were harmed making this tea.
This is one of the reasons why I love getting tea from 52Teas – Frank is a real person and he has a great sense of humor. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he makes tea … FUN! And since I spend a great deal of time drinking tea … I want it to be fun.
And this is a fun blend. The aroma of the dry leaf is primarily cinnamon, but I smell notes of banana, as well as the cayenne and the green tea … and these components alter the cinnamon-y notes just enough to offer what I’ll call a skewed cinnamon scent. Skewed … but I like it!
And I really like how it tastes! The cinnamon and cayenne work together to offer a burn in the back of the throat that starts off soft and builds gradually. By mid-cup, the sensation in the back of my throat is a very warm burn … but it burns so good!
And the banana … I like that it’s there. It offers a soft, sweet fruity note that offers a pleasing distinction between the heat from the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. The green tea is light and delicately sweet, with hints of a background “smoke” that enhances the overall “napalmishness” of this cup. (Yes, napalmishness is a word, I just made it up for the purposes of this review as I could think of no other word that worked quite as effectively as napalmishness. Hey, I’m a tea reviewer, trust me, I know what I’m doing!)
If I could offer any constructive criticism of this tea, it would be that I think I’d like just a little bit more banana to this. Just a little bit more. I can taste the banana and I like the way it comes through here, but, I think … just a little bit more would be nice. However, I found myself quite satisfied with how this tea turned out … I really like it.
At the end of my reviews of teas from 52Teas lately, I’ve been including a bit about the fundraising campaign to reopen Zoomdweebies. But, this time, I think I’m going to include a bit written by Frank himself, found on the notes about this tea:
If you would like to support our effort to reopen Zoomdweebie’s Tea Bar, so that creative minds like Joseph’s can continue to thrive in a groovy environment like our tea bar, PLEASE visit our crowd-funding campaign page via the link above. Alternatively, if you think folks like Joseph should not be left freely wandering the streets, PLEASE support our crowd-funding effort so we can corral him with the rest of the freaks and geeks that make up Zoomdweebie’s. We promise, they’ll likely spend a lot of time at the tea bar and less time wandering the streets thinking about napalm ferrets and quoting Charlie the Unicorn.
I hope you’ll help them keep this dude off the streets of Wichita. I’m sure that the citizens of Wichita will thank you too!
Jungle Monkey Chai Rooibos Blend from Tea Xotics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
What happens when you add a banana to your chai? You get this! Kind of. A spicy cup with a cocoa, banana, and cinnamon edge and a creamy coconut feel. Sweeten it up to take the edge off the spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Yes, August has come and gone, and I’m now reviewing my first of the August teas from my Amoda Box. That’s because Amoda updated their website (and it looks fabulous, might I add!) and I wanted to wait until the new website was up and running before I started reviewing the teas from August.
It’s a rare thing when the first tea that I try from my monthly Amoda Tea Tasting Box is a tisane! But, this Jungle Monkey Chai Rooibos blend from Tea Xotics just sounded too yummy to not try immediately: a rooibos based masala spice blend, combined with chocolate, banana and coconut? Oh YUM!
And it is indeed yum!
The aroma of the blend is spicy … the cinnamon really pops out and grabs me. The chai is definitely a cinnamon-y chai, with the cinnamon serving as the strongest flavor in the masala blend. I also taste peppery notes, and hints of clove.
The coconut is the next flavor I notice … it adds a creamy texture and taste to the cup. The banana comes through next, and it’s a subtle banana note. The chocolate is there too, and I taste it … I just wish … I was tasting MORE chocolate. (Remember this chocoholic’s chocolate rule of thumb: some chocolate = good, more chocolate = better.)
The flavor of the rooibos comes through here too, which I found kind of surprising given all that’s going on in this chai blend. I expected the flavor of the rooibos to be buried beneath all the other flavor components. But, I taste the woody notes of the rooibos, and even that funky note of rooibos that I usually don’t really care for … but somehow … it works in this blend. I guess with the tropical notes of banana and coconut … that funkiness just sort of works.
Overall: this is a really tasty blend. I like the chocolate but I wish there was more of it. I like the banana and the coconut … and the spices. It just really … works together really very well.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Tea Xotics … and I’m really glad that Amoda Tea decided to make them their feature blender for the month of August, because I am really looking forward to what the other blends have in store for me!
Foxy Roxy’s Banana Walnut Treat Black Tea Blend from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Foxy Roxy’s Banana Walnut Treat utilizes our Congou Keemun as the base which provides an interesting contrast with the sweet banana flavor. We also added a touch of walnut which melds nicely with base without overpowering the banana flavor. One of our customers, Foxy Roxy, contacted us to suggest a banana Keemun blend. Since we were already working on a banana tea, we decided to test it out and we were quite surprised by the deliciousness of this combination. For a short interview with Foxy Roxy on how this tea came about, please click HERE.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
WOW! This Foxy Roxy’s Banana Walnut Treat Black Tea Blend from Butiki Teas is fantastic! It exceeds any expectations I had of the tea … and since it’s a blend from Butiki Teas, my expectations were very high. This tea is really delicious.
The banana flavor here is probably the best tasting banana flavor in a tea that I’ve yet to try. It doesn’t taste candy-like … it tastes true to the fruit. The walnut is also an authentic tasting walnut taste, and it complements the flavors in this cup perfectly.
But my favorite part of this tea is the Keemun itself. It is rich and smooth and slightly astringent, and provides a very satisfying ‘canvas’ for the flavors of banana and walnut. There is a certain bake-y kind of flavor to the tea that accentuates these flavors and elevates them. It tastes like someone liquefied a slice of fresh banana walnut bread and added it to a rich, delicious Keemun tea.
If you are a fan of banana nut bread … this is a tea you really MUST try. Butiki Teas did this one just right! It is so yummy!
Banana Grape Flavored Shou Mei White Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
What’s the matter? You never heard of Granana?
Well, okay, me either. But it sounded like fun and so here it is. Premium shou mei white tea blended with freeze-dried grapes and bananas, and organic flavors. A little sweet, a little tart; a little smooth, a little piquant… One thing I can almost guarantee is that you won’t find this blend any where else. It’s up for you to tell me whether that’s a good thing or not. =)
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first opened the package of this Banana Grape Flavored Shou Mei White Tea from 52Teas, my first thought was this smells like candy. It was the scent I might experience if I were to open a package of chewy Runts or a package of Nerds. It smells sweet – sugary sweet – and fruity.
And my first thought after my first sip was very much the same experience. It tastes a lot like fruit flavored candy. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with my two least favorite candy flavors. Sure … I like bananas and some of the banana flavored teas that I’ve tasted are some of my favorite teas of all time! I even like grape, although here I’m a lot more particular. I like grapes – as in the fruit. I’m not always so wild over grape flavored beverages, although I have tried a few grape flavored teas and really enjoyed them. But … I don’t like banana or grape flavored candies. Especially grape flavored candies. They taste too much like sweet candy and not enough like the fruit.
But here we are, dealing with one of my least anticipated tea flavors that 52Teas has ever produced. (Sorry, Frank!)
All that said … this isn’t too bad. It certainly isn’t my favorite tea that 52Teas has ever created, so I’m not about to tell you that it is. However, I don’t hate it either. The Shou Mei lends a certain earthy quality to the cup that helps “ground” the sweet, fruity flavor of the banana and grape. As I continue to sip, I start to notice the sweeter tones begin to subside and I notice more of the true fruit notes. Surprisingly, what I’m liking best about this is the way the grape notes and the natural flavors of the Shou Mei meld together.
Overall, this is a fair representation of both banana and grape flavors, and the white tea is not overpowered by the sweetness of the fruit notes. It’s a decent tasting tea that is better served iced than hot. Not bad, but not great either. It’s alright, but I don’t think I’ll be chomping at the bit to order more.