52 Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 1-6 (SPOILERS) While I’m a huge fan of 52 Teas and their creative blends, I’ve never before ordered their ever-so-popular 12 Teas of Christmas countdown sampler. This year, I decided to treat myself! After a shipping snafu (anyone else find themselves ordering online goodies six months after moving and not until you’ve hit purchase do you go– “DANGIT, that’s being sent to my old address!” Just me? Cool.) that Anne and her team went above and beyond to fix for me, I was EXTRA pumped for these goodies to come my way. I’m going to break these mini-reviews into two, so you’ll get a 1-6 and then a 7-12 installment as I drink these tasty treats in real time! Now: let’s get sipping!
Day One: Foggy Coconut Black – Let’s just say I am… a less-than-enthusiastic earl grey drinker. I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of “blergamot” (i.e. bergamot in tea makes you go “blerg!”), which hit the nail on the head for me. But while I was skeptical when I opened this package, its delightful creaminess was intriguing. I’m so pleased to say that this is one Earl Grey I’ll be enthusiastically sipping! Like my favorite London Fog lattes, the creamy coconut and vanilla balance out the floral and blerg-y undertones of traditional earl greys, making this one a winner– especially as a latte!
Day Two: Candy Cane Marshmallow Green – Ever since becoming pregnant (baby tea lover, due June 2019!), I’ve been… off my tea drinking game. Most teas just haven’t been sounding good to me! But peppermint has totally been the one element that ALWAYS sounds good to me in this pregnancy, so I was thrilled to see this one in the mix. It’s a delightful, creamy Genmaicha, with light minty notes in the background. This preggy peppermint-lover would have adored the peppermint flavor to be more of a POW, but if you’re looking for a gentle, creamy mint holiday tea, this one is a winner.
Day Three: Raspberry Almond Cookie Honeybush – I opened this package, and was immediately sold by those tart, mouthwatering raspberry notes. Brewed, the raspberry loses some tartness, but is balanced really wonderfully by some beautiful, creamy marizipan-esque undertones. Delightful with cream!
Day Four: Ginger Cola Black – I was Skeptical-with-a-capital-S of this one (cola?! In my TEA?) but friends, it is KILLER on ice. I’ll admit I haven’t tried it hot yet (warm cola is not sounding great to this mama-to-be), but it’s spicy and cola-esque without all that syrupy sweetness. I can see why this one is a popular blend!
Day Five: BlackBerry Custard Tart Green – While some teas haven’t sounded great to me this pregnancy, berry teas have sounded delightful across the board. This one hit all its promised notes– fresh and fruity berries, creamy custard and flaky pastry. I (gasp!) served it with some milk and found it brought out ALL the flavors even further, while muting some of the green grassiness. Yum!
Day Six: Banana Pancake Black – I have shocked myself in recent months with a love for banana flavored teas. I’m pretty neutral on bananas themselves, and even more negatively-skewed on banana flavoring, but for whatever reason, I cannot get ENOUGH of them in tea lately. This blend delivers on the banana and bready, malty, maple-y pancake goodness of a breakfast treat, all whilst not being overtly banana-in-your-face (think banana bread, rather than banana candy). I served this one with a touch of maple syrup and cream, and had to stop myself from chugging the whole cup. Delightful!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
The majority of these 12 Teas of Christmas are sold out but some of them are still available below.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holiday Tea Alert! Candy Cane Crush from David’s Tea
So it’s December and that means holiday drinks….and holiday drinks are sort of, kind of, really, really awesome. I mean, people line up out the door for Starbucks holiday blends (even tea people…don’t lie…you know you like them!). Well, one of my all-time favorite holiday drinks is a DAVIDsTEA eggnog latte. I love them. I really do. So much so that after first trying them a couple years ago, I would pretend I was getting one for a friend and then walk around with two of them for myself. Yeah, I am a little obsessed. It got to the point that I decided it would be more cost effective to make them at home (also I could drink as many as I liked and not have to pretend they were for my friends in order to hide the shame :P). So, I watched closely as the tea guides brewed me up an eggnog latte and have been recreating the recipe at home ever since. Thank goodness too since my beloved eggnog lattes have yet to make an appearance in stores and my holidays would be severely lacking if I didn’t know how to make them at home.
One thing that is back in DAVIDsTEA stores is their special holiday blend, Santa’s Secret. If you have not had it yet, you should check it out because it is a great peppermint vanilla tea and makes an amazing eggnog latte. However, this is not a review about that tea, this is a review about the new tea of the month, Candy Cane Crush, a blend very similar to Santa’s Secret except with snowflake sprinkles and actual candy cane pieces instead of just candy cane sprinkles PLUS white chocolate. And since Santa’s Secret made for one of the better eggnog lattes I have tried, I just had to test out this new blend to see how it compares.
Given the bits of actual candy cane, in addition to the peppermint leaf, the first thing I noticed was this was a much stronger mint flavor than Santa’s Secret. I personally am enjoying that because it provides an excellent contrast to the sweeter/creamier elements in the mix. The white chocolate is also very present and blends seamlessly with the eggnog, making for an almost silk-like smoothness. It’s like sipping on a rich peppermint white hot chocolate. Decadent and desserty and oh-so-delicious. I think this might be edging out Santa’s Secret for favorite eggnog latte blend and that is certainly saying something
So all in all, I am certainly a fan and since DAVIDs does not usually have a December tea of the month, this one might not be around forever. I will definitely be stocking up and recommend that you guys try it before it is gone. In fact, I have already blown through 50 grams in just a few days, something I almost ever do but after trying this in a smoothie and now in an eggnog latte, I can honestly say this is an easy blend to drink and a fun tea to have around for the holidays!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
This creamy, mint black tea is strewn with candy cane bits and snowflake sprinkles.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Candy Cane Organic Rooibos Herbal Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Type:
Rooibos
Where To Buy:Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
I’ve often thought it was a shame that candy canes are only commercially popular in the winter season. Our local candy shop makes them in about 4 flavors, but only during the winter months. I know that’s when they sell the most, of course, but I want them more often. I love the refreshing, sweet taste of these holiday treats. So naturally I was determined to make a tea blend that would allow me to enjoy this taste all year long. Through much testing, we decided we liked the taste best on our organic green rooibos. And since the candy cane flavor is natural we were happy to be able to offer this organic herbal blend that will delight young and old alike.
It’s fabulous hot or iced (so yes you can enjoy it in the summer too!) and with no added sugar, this calorie free blend is sure to please. The aroma of the dry leaf is amazing – a definite mood booster – with its euphoric aroma of minty sweetness. When brewed, this herbal blend has a taste that is tingly, refreshing, and harkens me back to my childhood – or rather just last December….. The taste lingers delicately and deliciously on the tongue. A cup of this tea brings joy to our day and we hope it does the same for you!
Ingredients: Organic green Rooibos, natural candy cane flavor, organic stevia, and red and white organic cornflower petals.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 5 minutes.
Caffeine free
Tasters Review:
Who made the rule we are only to enjoy Candy Canes during the Holidays? Certainly NOT I!
This smells and tastes like Candy Cane! I’m super excited S&V made this with a GREEN Rooibos Base…I don’t think I have had a Candy Cane Flavored GREEN Rooibos before so that’s cool!
There is that lovely candy cane flavor with a sweet green rooibos but there is also a hint of stevia in there and S&V did the Stevia RIGHT 🙂 Not by over doing it! YAY! The Red and White Cornflower petals are more for show, I think…but I am cool with that.
This is tasty! I’m partial because I am a MINT freak but I love this!
