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!
1st Place Tea: Snowflake from Aromatica Fine Teas
Depending on where you live, you may have seen some snowflakes flying on the air this time of year, which would be the perfect time to brew up a cup of Snowflake tea from Aromatica Fine Teas.
This is an award-winning blend, taking 1st place in the North American Tea Championships in 2011. Thinking about tea championships puts some silly images in my head, like some kind of tea Olympics, with little packs of tea on a snowy downhill ski slope. Anyway, the story is getting away from me.
Like beautiful, white, creamy snowdrifts, this black tea is blanketed with extra vanilla and creamy flavors. This tea is somewhere between a breakfast blend and a dessert blend, so that means it can be brewed up just about any time of day. In addition to the vanilla, there are coconut flakes, which add their usual creamy, buttery taste. Luckily there’s not too much coconut, and this moderation keeps the brew from getting too oily.
What really sets this blend apart are the real slivers of almond. These stylish blonde slivers go beyond the typical marzipan flavoring, and add real, sweet, nuttiness from actual nuts as ingredients. With smooth almond and lush coconut shavings, this tea taste a bit more like a coconut cookie than a simple coconut cream tea.
Overall, Snowflake is a really solid vanilla tea blend, super drinkable and smooth. I drank it black, but it would amazing as a latte or made hot-cocoa-style, topped with marshmallows. The blend isn’t too sweet, nor too plain.
I know coconut is traditionally a tropical flavor, but with a name like Snowflake, this can be your next favorite winter brew.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Aromatica Fine Teas
Description:
A fabulous almond coconut tea. Brew it in steamed milk for a Tropical Fog. Ceylon and China black tea, coconut rasps, flavour, almond flakes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Aloha from The NecessiTeas. . . .
If you were to judge me by my kitchen alone (which, wait– don’t look under the fridge. I’ve literally never cleaned down there. WHOOPS.), you’d probably call me a bit of a coconut fanatic. I never liked coconut flavors as a kiddo, but as I grew (and my food allergy list grew along with me), coconut began finding its way into my kitchen via any manner of ingredients– shredded, as flour, as milk, as a replacement for soy sauce (yup, that’s a thing that exists), as treats– and definitely in tea!
This blend from the Necessiteas claims to be a creamy, tropical treat, and it certainly lives up to the hype. A green rooibos base sets the stage for flavors of coconut, pineapple and vanilla to blend together seamlessly, and blend they do. I’ve so far been enjoying this one iced, where I end up getting more of the creamy + rooibos notes than I am the tropical one-two-punch of coconut and pineapple, but they are there– I think personally, I just wished that I could taste the tangy fruitiness more predominantly in balance with the creaminess of the base. That said, this tea is still delightful for a coconut-lover like myself, and makes a perfect warm-weather treat!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Pop open this tea canister and let the wonderful aroma awaken your senses and refresh your spirit. You may not have a lei or hula skirt handy, but as this remarkable green rooibos tea blend steeps, you might want to put on your bathing suit and grab your sunglasses! From your first sip of this delightful blend, your senses will transport you to the Hawaiian islands. Close your eyes and taste the bright citrus, creamy coconut and sultry sweet pineapple blended with a perfect amount of rich vanilla. As you sip your freshly steeped elixir, you’ll have all the tastes and delights of a perfect, healthy, re-energizing tropical treat. A perfect Hawaiian retreat, without the sand! When you need a quick “getaway,” just say, “Aloha!”
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut Oolong from Zen Tea. . . .
This is my second time swapping with the same person. Its funny because we have very similar tastes and I’ve quite enjoyed almost every tea I have been sent. This time around I admittedly asked for a few that I had previously tried because they were just so good. But, this Coconut Oolong is a new one. I have loved coconut my whole life. I actually have pretty cool memories of drilling into whole coconuts in the garage with my stepdad so I could drink the water and eat the flesh. I also had an obsession with pina coladas (virgin) as a kid…and you know what, even as an adult i’ll enjoy one poolside on vacation. Anyways, I have tried my fair share of coconut teas. I’ve now tried two coconut teas that contained oolong as a base and I definitely liked both of them.
As for Coconut Oolong by Zen, it smelled like suntan lotion. That may sound bad but its not! I just mean that the coconut smell was very strong and pleasant and summery. The taste of coconut was not as strong as the smell. It was rather light but still with a creamy undertone. Oolong is a cross between black tea and green tea. Depending on how it is made, sometimes it can taste more like black and other times it can taste closer to green…of course there are also times were it tastes like something all its own. In this instance it tastes closer to green tea in my opinion, with a slight floral undertone. I often prefer green to black especially when coconut is involved, so I like it a lot. My only negative opinion on this blend would be that I would have liked some coconut shreds or white chocolate or something else in the mix. There was only tea leaves and,I’m assuming, coconut flavoring. It would have been nice to see some thick shreds of coconut- even if just for aesthetics.
All and all I enjoyed this blend and it is my first try of the company Zen. I am curious to see what else they have and would suggest that you check them out!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Zen Tea
Description
A lightly floral and smooth Baozhong Oolong from Taiwan is perfectly blended with creamy coconut to make our Coconut Oolong. The cakery coconut flavour is amazing, and tea is a very smooth, rich, almost milky tea with a natural sweetness and subtle floral notes. If you love coconut milk sweets and sophisticated oolongs, this is tea for you.
Ingredients : Oolong tea, coconut flavor
Preparation(1 cup): 1 teaspoon, 90C(194F) water, 3 minutes
Tea origin : Taiwan, Baozhong(Pouchong. Lightly oxidized, green oolong. Rich, naturally sweet fragrance of honey, flowers, and coconut)
For the best infusions, we recommend you try brewing this tea in a Porcelain teapot or Guywan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut French Toast with Cardamom Maple Syrup from 52Teas. . . .
French Toast Tea. I’ve had a few. The ones I have tried I have adored. More than one of the French Toast flavored teas have been from 52 Teas whom I also adore. Today I want to tell you about Coconut French Toast with Cardamom Maple Syrup from 52 Teas.
The name in itself is a thinker. Coconut French Toast with Cardamom Maple Syrup. My dyslexic brain converted the name to Coconut French Toast Cardamom with Maple Syrup. Either would have worked, I suppose. But I guess the Maple Syrup was Cardamom Flavored and not necessarily the French Toast.
Regardless – this was wonderful. And it didn’t stay in my stash for long. Just a few short days, actually.
The black tea base was on the stronger side. There was a pretty spot-on liking to a French Toast flavor that is for sure. The Cardamom was present and pleasing. The Maple Syrup sweetness was subtle but true. The coconut added to the overall sweetness but also provided a separate and stand alone sweetness standing beside the sweetness of the Maple Syrup flavor. There is even a speck of cinnamon to top things off!
52 Teas has SURELY done it again with this wonderfully flavored black tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
