I have heard such amazing things about this tea. It seems to be loved by so many people on Instagram and it has taken years for me to get my hands on some since it always seems to be sold out. However, our sister, CuppaGeek came through for me with a sample of this tea.
I brewed the sample per the NecessiTeas recommended steeping parameters. I steeped the tea in boiling water for 5 minutes. The smell of cotton candy filled the air.
I think it is safe to say that given the hype and the smell, I had pretty high expectations going in. Unfortunately, it did fall a bit short for me. It’s top note is definitely a sugary candy. It could be cotton candy but it could also be pixie sticks. It’s a nostalgic flavor. However, it is not the only flavor. There is a lot more fruitiness here that I did not expect. Under the sugary top note, I am getting a lot of the apple flavor. That apple flavor is a touch waxy and thus distracting.
At the end of the day, this has a bunch of potential and I can definitely see why people enjoy it. However, I would want to explore some other steeping parameters and brewing techniques to coax out more of the cotton candy while toning down the fruitier notes.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal/Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Ohh Sugar Sugar
Cotton Candy reminds me of the county fair. The long strands of pink and blue spun sugar are a special treat. My kids and I have always been fans of the sugary novelty which inspired me to create a tea blend that would be just as delicious and sweet.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Carnival Candy Crackle from Tickled Tea. . . .
I discovered Tickled Tea in the summertime which meant I got to take advantage of their limited edition summertime blends. Among those was Carnival Candy Crackle, a rooibos with candy pearls AND crackling candy that had my inner child adding it to the cart before I could stop it (her? me?).
I discovered Tickled Tea in the summertime which meant I got to take advantage of their limited edition summertime blends. Among those was Carnival Candy Crackle, a rooibos with candy pearls AND crackling candy that had my inner child adding it to the cart before I could stop it (her? me?).
Due to the initial let down, I let this sample float around my tea stash as I reached for other teas to drink. It was not until a friend mentioned that she enjoyed this as a cold brew that I decided to use up the last of my sample and give this tea another taste.
After cold steeping overnight, this tea is finally ready to drink. As I sip on this cold tea, I can confidently say this is an improvement from the hot tea. The rooibos is much more subdued which allows for the sugary sweet flavor you’d expect from carnival candy crackle to take over. There is still a bit of a fruity/berry note but candy is definitely better captured in the cold brew than the hot tea.
With that said, though this is an improvement, this tea is still just a sugary water drink and thus, as an adult, not something I need to revisit. It was fun to try and the crackle candy in the leaf makes for a bit of a fun auditory experience when you brew this but that is where the fun ends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Tickled Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cotton Candy Genmaicha from 52Teas. . . .
I am a sucker for 52 Teas flavored genmaichas. Their Marshmallow Treat stole my heart long ago and I have yet to turn back. Not to mention, some flavors just call to me when I am ordering teas. Things that scream “sweet” and “dessert” almost always catch my attention and Cotton Candy is at the top of that list. That is why the minute I opened the email advertising this Cotton Candy Genmaicha tea, I started building a cart. I was quick but not quick enough because the large packs of this tea were gone before I even opened the site.
Looking at the tea, I can see the immediate appeal. Besides the mouthwatering name, this tea is lovely, with its amaranth petals and adorable purple heart-shaped sprinkles atop the typical genmaicha base loaded with popped rice. Before even trying the tea, I am won over. Thank goodness too because I might have stocked up without even giving this a taste.
Alright…the moment of truth…how does this lovely tea taste? Well, like genmaicha. A little vegetal from the green tea base and the matcha and a lot roasty from the popped rice. How does the cotton candy play into this than? This is sweeter than the typical genmaicha, and I suppose that makes sense because at the end of the day cotton candy is just sugar. It is not overly sweet though which is both good and bad. Good because it means one can drink this more often without feeling like they are developing cavities. And bad because when you think cotton candy you think over-the-top sugar and I am just not getting that here.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Festive Garden from Palais des thes
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Palais des thes
Tea Description:
A delicious herbal tea of fruits and plants, Festive garden blends cocoa, orange, and grapes and tastes like a candy store at Christmas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have to say, steeping- this tea has a unique aroma coming from it. The description fits it perfectly. It smells like a candy store where there are a bunch of sweet treats all mixed together. Just from the dry leaf alone I can pick up what smells like bubble gum, cotton candy, and suckers with a grape and orange twist. Very unique indeed!
This is my first experience with Palais des thes. I’ve always wanted to try tea from them in the past but have never really come across it or think about the company when I’m looking for my next tea fix. I was excited to see this offering in my last set of teas to review.
This unique blend consists of 7 different fruits and plants and is just so much fun to look at. This is one of those teas that just put you in a happy mood while you are steeping it. I brewed this up with water prepped at boiling and allowed the herbal tea to brew for about 5 minutes. The tea was a lovely light pink or rose color. This tea just screamed for an afternoon tea time with proper biscuits and cookies. Or even to be served at a little girl’s tea party.
I allowed the tea to cool for a few moments and took a sip. What I am greeted with is a flavor that really reminded me of the aroma I was getting from the dry leaf. I swear this tea tastes like a bubblegum cotton candy mix with a slight hint of a chocolate undertone. A very unique herbal tea. That taste tho doesn’t seem like one that fits a hot tea very well so I tossed in a few iced cubes to see how this tea would play out as iced and also a lemon wedge.
The iced cubes seemed to really intensify the chocolate flavors. Those seem to be the first ones I’m now greeted with instead of the bubblegum cotton candy mix. That being said, the iced tea with lemon didn’t work out so well so I took the lemon wedge out and just enjoyed the unique cuppa I had. I wish this would be a great iced bubble gum cotton candy flavor like I was getting from the hot tea but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Regardless, this is one unique cuppa tea that takes you on a tasting adventure for sure!
Lilith’s Fabulous Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Since it’s the week of my youngest daughter’s birthday, I decided I should create a tea inspired by her. Two of her favorite fruit flavors (especially fruit tea flavors) are Lemon and Blueberry. And she has felt a special love for cotton candy ever since she portrayed “cotton candy” in her ballet company’s rendition of Hansel & Gretel. So I put those three flavors together with her favorite tea base – white tea – and came up with this “fabulous” blend.
Now, lemon, blueberry and cotton candy may seem a little weird, but, it actually tastes quite FABULOUS!
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about subscribing to 52Teas Tea of the Week program here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea from the start was absolutely gorgeous! I adored the huge chunks of fruit and the gorgeous presentation of the tea overall. The pops of color really gave this tea a vibrant overall take. Just lovely!
Brewed this up at work and was excited to treat myself to a tea that had any kind of connection to cotton candy. I mean c’mon. Cotton Candy is amazing! With that in mind, I couldn’t wait for this tea to finish steeping so I could take my first taste.
Took my first sip and I was sad to say that I didn’t get bulled over and wowed with lemon or blueberry flavors. They were present and delicious but it was like something was missing. So I cold brewed this tea.
Cold brewing sometimes can really pull out flavors that you would never expect from a tea. I cold brewed this tea overnight and my goodness, this tea was simply one of the best cold brewed teas I have ever have. Delicious all the way around. Beautiful lemon notes with a vibrant blueberry undertone. The white tea base laid a nice groundwork of subtly sweet and lightly floral like notes. Heaven in a glass. I added in some fresh lemon slices and a few blueberries . . . can’t get much better than that. It looks like there is still some of this sweet lovin’ tea on the site . . . If you want some of this amazing lemon blueberry white tea. . .you should probably check it out soon before I do!