Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium Organic black tea with organic flavors. Each 14g teabag will make one 2-quart pitcher of DELICIOUS iced tea. Re-steep the teabag and you can get a full gallon out of each one.
Ingredients: Premium Organic Black Teas, Organic Flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, this Southern Boy Teas Lime Cola Flavored Black Iced Tea from 52Teas is a wonderful, refreshing drink that has captured the essence of lime and cola very well, while still not detracting from the delicious natural flavors of the black tea.
Of the six new flavors for Southern Boys Teas that 52Teas has introduced for this summer (five black teas, one herbal tisane), I think that this is my favorite of those that I’ve tried thus far! The flavors are so spot on.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried a “lime cola.” I’ve had lemon-lime soda, and I know that there is a lime diet cola out there, but, since I can’t consume aspartame, I haven’t tried this soft drink. And really, I don’t drink a whole lot of colas and/or sodas … I’ll stick to my tea, thanks! However, this Lime Cola flavored tea from Southern Boy Teas is what I would expect a lime cola to taste like.
From the moment I tore into the package, I could smell the cola and the lime. I could smell that sweet, caramel-y cola note essence, and the lovely citrus tone from the lime. I cold-brewed the tea (And again, let me say that I’m loving these extra large tea bags that 52Teas uses to make the iced tea pouches … there is more than enough room for the leaves to expand – with room to spare even! I like that … and while I usually prefer loose leaf when I’m brewing hot tea, when I’m cold-brewing iced tea, I really appreciate the convenience of a sachet/pouch/teabag. It makes the whole thing so much easier.
The flavors of cola and lime are so distinct in this glass of frosty iced tea. I can almost “feel” the bubbles from the soda! The black tea is not overpowered, either, it comes through in the background: smooth, rich and robust. It’s a very refreshing beverage. It is a little on the sweet side, then again, isn’t cola supposed to be sweet? I like the way the tart, zesty flavor of the lime cuts through some of the sweeter notes, providing some balance for the palate.
A really delicious iced tea!
Southern Boy Teas Mango Peach Flavored Black Iced Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium Organic black tea with organic flavors. Each 14g teabag will make one 2-quart pitcher of DELICIOUS iced tea. Re-steep the teabag and you can get a full gallon out of each one.
Ingredients: Premium Black Teas, Natural Flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When 52Teas announced the new Southern Boy Teas for this summer, you know I was all over it! I love cold-brewing tea, and as much as I prefer loose leaf tea when it comes to a hot cuppa, when it comes to cold-brewing some iced tea, I want the convenience of a bagged tea. And I loved the Southern Boy Teas from last summer … so I couldn’t wait to try the new flavors for this summer.
This Mango Peach Flavored Black Iced Tea from 52Teas is the first of this summer’s Southern Boy Teas that I’ve tried. And while I can’t say that it’s my favorite “SBT” that I’ve had … I’m enjoying it. It’s cold refreshment, and on these hot summer days that’s certainly a welcome thing.
The black tea is a brisk, strong backdrop for the flavors of the peach and the mango. The fruit flavors are sweet and juicy tasting, I guess I’m just wishing that the flavors were more distinct. I taste notes of mango and I taste notes of peach … but, they aren’t really clear and focused flavors. I want to be able to take a sip and say “oh yes, that’s mango!” or “oh yes, that’s peach!” … but instead, it’s more like “that’s a fruity taste.”
I’m still really enjoying it … I’m just wishing for MORE peach and MORE mango. But, I do like that the black tea flavor is good and strong. It’s a smooth, rich flavored tea – not like those icky grocery-store teabags (you know the ones I’m talking about, right? They come in a yellow, white and red box.) I like that there’s plenty of room in these tea bags for the tea to expand. And I like that I don’t have to clean up the loose leaf tea when I cold-brew this!
Overall, this one is good. Not great … but it’s really good, and one I’d drink again!
PRODUCT REVIEW: French Plum Indian Black Tea Cold-Brewed Concentrate from Kickstand
Product Information:
Where to Buy: Kickstand
Product Description:
The Organic French Plum Indian Black Tea is a scented-blended tea. This type of black tea is scented with the essence of French plums plucked at their peak.
About Kickstand Tea Concentrate:
You can serve it Hot or Cold, mixed with milk, sugar, alcohol or even adding it to a ice cream or cake mix. Prepare it to your taste, the possibilities are endless.
Taster’s Review:
Before I get started on the product review for this French Plum Indian Black Tea Cold-Brewed Concentrate from Kickstand, I have about how I had heard about this product. I occasionally buy from Fab and as a result I get their emails all the time, and Kickstand cold-brew tea and coffee concentrates were being offered on Fab this week, and I was thinking about ordering some of this tea concentrate to give it a try. That SAME day, I go to the post office, and in my PO Box, waiting for me, is a sample bottle of this tea concentrate, their new “for summer” scented tea to review. Wow! Talk about being in-sync with a tea company!
The bottles of this tea concentrate are very attractive – they’re packaged in dark amber bottles that are reminiscent of “medicine man” type of bottles. They hold 32 ounces of cold-brewed tea concentrate which is to be diluted with a ratio of one part water to one part tea concentrate, and then poured over ice. So, you can make one glass of iced tea, or a whole pitcher if you want.
Since I had a pitcher handy, I decided to just go ahead and prepare the whole bottle of concentrate (that way, I don’t have everyone asking me, “hey, mom, what’s in that bottle in the fridge?”) And the 32 ounce bottle dilutes into a half-gallon pitcher just perfectly (duh, right?). However, this produces a rather strong glass of iced tea if you don’t pour it over ice … so I recommend doing so. And if you prefer not to add ice (or if your iced tea is cold from being in the fridge) you might want to add a little more water to dilute it further, because it’s rather strong.
Since I had just diluted the tea, I went ahead and poured the iced tea over ice, and while my first couple of sips (before the ice started to melt) was strong, now that the ice has melted, I find this to be just right. Strong … but not unappealingly so. The tea is robust. It’s very refreshing and brisk! It has a sweetness to it and a hint of malty undertones. Very flavorful! The concentrate has a citric acid added to it … which I am guessing is meant to help preserve the tea, and this adds a pleasing citrus tone to the tea (like someone squeezed a lemon wedge in my iced tea).
And then there is the very appealing plum note. It is tangy and sweet. It isn’t quite like the flavor of plum that I’m used to (like the plums that I usually purchase in the produce section of my grocery store), instead, it’s more of a savory plum note with a certain sweet-tart taste that I find very enjoyable.
On a side note, I noticed that after pouring the whole bottle of tea concentrate into my pitcher, there were “floaters” that looked a lot like citrus pulp. I don’t know if that’s what it is. I strained the tea into my glass so that I would avoid getting the floaters in my tea, but I didn’t examine these floaters further.
I really like this product! I especially like that the concentrate is NOT sweetened … so often concentrates like this are so overly sweet that you just can’t taste the tea. I like that this product allows me to decide whether or not I want sweetener. I also like that it’s organic! I’m really glad I got a chance to try it.
Organic After Dinner Mint from The Rabbit Hole
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tisane Description:
The perfect after dinner treat to help with digestion and give you the illusion of munching on an after dinner mint (or ten!). Great for those of us watching the waistline.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
My favorite cookies as a girl scout (yes, I was a girl scout!) were always the thin mints. Crunchy chocolate-y cookie coated with a chocolate-y coating … and somewhere in there was also the crisp flavor of mint. Even now, whenever the girl scouts come ’round to my door selling cookies, I can’t resist ordering at least one box of thin mints!
Well, this tea is very thin mint-ish. It’s pure, organic cacao nibs and dried peppermint leaves. That’s it. No rooibos or honeybush or anything else. Just cacao and mint.
The result is a creamy, chocolate-y, cool minty tasting tisane that makes a great after dinner tea that could also substitute for dessert! The peppermint helps soothe and calm the tummy while the cacao satisfies the sweet tooth! Does it get any better than that? And this has a delicious sweetness to it, so you don’t need to add any sugar to it – making this a low calorie, low caffeine way to curb those late night cravings!
Southern Boys Teas Series, Part 4: RadioactiviTEA from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Premium blend of assam CTC black teas. An extra bold blend of hearty teas for those who prefer an iced tea with substance.
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the eight different varieties of iced tea offered under the Southern Boy Teas label, this was the one I was contemplating not ordering. Why? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Assam tea, however, I usually consider Assam to be a tea that is better served hot rather than iced. I thought I’d be happier drinking the flavored teas rather than this pure blend of Assam CTC teas.
But, I am so glad that I decided at the last minute to add this to my order at the last minute. This is so good! As I eluded to in the last paragraph, I usually prefer to drink my Assam tea hot, but, this is so deliciously flavorful iced. Rich and remarkably smooth.
Like the other teas from Southern Boy Teas, I steeped this using the cold-brew method: 2 quarts of cool, freshly drawn and filtered water in my glass pitcher, toss in the extra-large teabag, seal the pitcher and stash it in the fridge overnight. The next morning the tea is brewed – just remove the teabag. I’ve been stashing the used teabag in a covered container and putting it in the fridge to resteep using the hot-brew method when I need to refill the iced tea pitcher.
And the cold-brew method did not let me down. This is, as I said, very smooth. No bitterness at all. No astringency either! Just really delicious, rich tasting tea with notes of fruit and a delectable malty character. Interestingly enough, as much as I’ve been enjoying the flavored teas from Southern Boy Teas, I am enjoying this tea just as much – if not more so!
And for those who might be a bit shy of the name – no worries! I drank this later in the evening last night and it did not keep me stirring. It is strong, but not overstimulating! At least … not in it’s cold-brewed, iced tea form!