52 Teas- Cookies for Santa Black Tea. . Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

by Sophia

On the 12th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me…Cookies for Santa Black Tea!! Its Christmas morning and I couldn’t be more festive today. We are making French Toast in my house since it’s our favorite breakfast, the baby is unwrapping her presents (more like ripping the wrapping paper all over the place haha), and I am really enjoying this yummy tea! The dry leaf smells like ginger and spices. I can see pieces of candied ginger and nutmeg.

I brewed up my cup and took a seat, breathing in the spices. This one is like aromatherapy! So relaxing to just sit and breathe it in. It tastes lightly spiced and like those crunchy gingersnap cookies. I used to love those cookies when I was younger. I did not add any agave or sweetener to this, although I think it would taste nice with a dash of milk. However, it is just as good plain and I am enjoying tasting all the components without anything muddying it up. I think that Santa would very much enjoy this cup of tea!

I hope that you all have the best Christmas day while indulging in these lovely teas. To keep the festivities going, I’ll probably be brewing up the rest of some of my tasters (maple marshmallow Genmaicha, anyone??) for the rest of the day and enjoying the Christmas spirit that has filled our home. Merry Christmas, everybody and I wish you all the joys and happiness in the New Year!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
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!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas

Day 11: Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha . . .Counting Down to Christmas with 52Teas!

by Sophia

On the 11th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me…..Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha Green Tea!!! (cue my happy dance) Just like the original Marshmallow Treat Genmaich Green Tea, this version is very near and dear to my heart. I believe it was a part of my first order from 52 Teas along with the original Marshmallow Treat that I previously said was actually the tea that led me to discover 52 Teas altogether!

A few days ago when I reviewed the Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha that was a part of this box, I thought that it was absolutely fantastic….but I had forgotten about this maple version. After making a cup of the maple marshmallow one I am now super conflicted as to which I like better. First off, as soon as you open the pouch the smell is all maple. It literally smells like a plate of pancakes drizzled with fresh maple syrup. Once brewed, that delicious maple is still there but now there’s just a small underlying scent of vanilla marshmallow. And the taste? It’s so scrumptious!! It’s like Vermont maple syrup and fluff along with that classic toasted rice flavor of Genmaicha. It’s sweet and creamy and divine! It is a complete toss up as to which I like more- the banana marshmallow treat or the maple marshmallow treat. Oh my…a thought just came to me….what if we combined all three flavors and made a Banana Maple Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha? Well, that would just be my version of Nirvana!

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope you all enjoyed this tea as much as I do. Tomorrow is Christmas and I have a feeling our last tea in this box is going to be an exciting one…a real treat for us all on Christmas morning! So be sure to check back amidst all the present-unwrapping and Christmas festivities to hear my thoughts on Day 12’s blend

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
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!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea

Day 10: Banana TieGuanYin Oolong Tea. . . .52Teas Holiday Countdown

by Sophia

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!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Oolong

On the Second Day of Christmas, 52Teas gave to me. . .

by Sophia

On the second day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me…. Holiday Marmalade Green Tea! I have been really excited to dig into these teas. With Day 1, I actually had opened it on the 1st of December, not realizing that we were starting these on December 12th! So, I kind of got a little “teaser” at the beginning of the month and have been counting down the days till I could officially start. One thing I really enjoy about 52 Teas as a company is that their blends are always so unique. I feel like a lot of tea companies out there are kind of repetitive and I really love that I can count on 52 Teas giving me something different and fun each month. Day 1’s tea definitely hit the nail on the head with uniqueness, and I’m happy to report that Day 2 is just as lovely!

Holiday Marmalade has an orange aroma and you can definitely smell the spices as well. I can see the clove buds, nutmeg, and big slices of oranges! The smell of this actually reminds me of Hot Buttered Spiced Rum Green Tea that was blended last year at 52 Teas. On taste, the two of course are different as this tea has no buttered rum flavor. I’d say that this one is less “dessert” and more of a nice, clean taste that would go well with any meal at any time of day. I do love spiced orange and I think that the green tea base works great here by adding a vegetal flair to the cup. This tastes like a green chai that gets a citrus twist from the orange slices. It is very comforting from the spices and also refreshing  from the green tea and orange.  I do believe it would taste good iced. If you happen to be in a warm climate during this winter (lucky you!) that may be a nice benefit to this particular blend.

Both Days 1 and 2 have been a success for me with this 12 Teas of Christmas “calendar”. I hope they were for you, too. Check back tomorrow for my take on Day 3….I have a feeling it will be a good one! 😉

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
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!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea

On the First Day of Christmas, 52Teas sent to me. . . . .

by Sophia

Every December we happily look forward to the Christmas teas that 52Teas puts together for their Christmas box. Our Sister will be giving us the daily low down on which teas made their way into the box this year .  . . . .

The First Day of Christmas

Coconut French Toast with Cardamom Maple Syrup Black Tea

For the First Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….coconut crusted French toast with cardamom syrup! This was the tea of the week for June 15, 2015 and at that time I had not yet heard of 52 Teas, so I am really excited to have the chance to try this. It sounds like pure Heaven!

The dry leaf smell is creamy, maple-y, and coconut-y! There are big chunks of coconut and cardamom pods. Maple and cardamom tend to go well together and, in my humble opinion, coconut just goes well with almost anything!

I steeped this tea for about 3 minutes with very hot water and I also added just a tad bit of agave. This is so, so good! The cardamom shines through so well, its not overpowering though. Sometimes I feel that cardamom can add such an intense flavor and end up outshining the other ingredients, but here it just accents everything. The combination of coconut and maple add this nutty sweet and creaminess. I am very much enjoying this one, so this holiday TEAson (see what I did there?) is off to a fantastic start! I am going to enjoy the rest of this cup now and also finish the entire sample bag- and can I be honest with you guys? I feel like I haven’t done that in a really long time. I mean yeah I’ve found the teas I’ve been ordering to be very enjoyable, but to finish off the cup and the rest of the tea leaves? That’s rare for me these days so i’m really happy to be loving this tea so much.

So cheers to you and yours, enjoy this lovely symphony of flavor, and come on back tomorrow to see what I have to say about Day #2!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

I think we should kick off this holiday countdown with some BREAKFAST – don’t you? How about some delicious coconut crusted French Toast with a touch of butter and some sweet maple syrup that’s been infused with the warmth of cardamom? Sound good? Yeah, it sounds good to me too!

Here’s our original description for this tea:

This tea was inspired by a very memorable breakfast. Coconut crusted French toast that was topped with melted butter and a cardamom syrup. I went a step further and added maple flavoring because it sounded like a good idea. It tastes even better than it sounds!

I stuck close to the recipe here although there’s a bit more cardamom here than in my past versions. I wanted to highlight the cardamom!

organic ingredients: black teas, toasted coconut flakes, cardamom pods & natural flavors

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sophia

Hi, my name is Sophia. I am a first time mother to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in July 2017. I spend my days at home with her and when I get a minute to myself, I usually spend that time making, drinking, or researching tea! My love for loose leaf tea is relatively new. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother (a tea addict herself) brought me to DAVIDsTEA. I enjoyed a cup of their Coconut Cream Pie Oolong and was instantly hooked! Since then, my addiction has grown to fill entire cabinets, and shows no sign of stopping. I am the creator of the Facebook group CommuniTEA where we have one big tea discussion. It is a great group for those new to the tea-world. I feel strongly about spreading the joy of loose leaf tea. I like making instructional videos and helping those that are new to the art of tea-making so that they, too, can share in the happiness that tea brings. I am excited to see where this hobby takes me and I will continue to spread the joy!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea