52Teas’ the 12 Teas of Christmas – Day 10-Spoilers!

by MrsPremise

Day 10!

Day 10 and we are really getting festive now with Yunnan Eggnog.

I feel like eggnog gets a lot of love and hate over the holidays.  I get it, it’s not for everyone. But I like a cup of lactose-free nog now and then over the holidays.  It’s like a cross between milk and vanilla pudding. It’s weird, I know.

This Yunnan Eggnog tea has a very appealing scent in the dry leaf.  There’s spice, but it is not the usual chai tea trio of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; instead there’s something a little more unusual like nutmeg or allspice.  There is a sweet peppery flavor that might be from the spice or the tea itself.

Brewed, the tea is both bold and mellow, with lots of raisin and fig flavors and an undertone of crushed leaves earthiness.  Without milk, this blend focuses on yunnan and all of its golden caramelly goodness. Just a touch of spice reminds you this is a holiday blend, suitable for sipping while you deck the halls.

A splash of milk does wonders to bring out the eggnog part of this blend. The milk adds a thicker mouthfeel that is more similar to eggnog, and lets a little more of the spice peek through.  Not to mention, you can enhance the whole experience by grating some fresh nutmeg into your mug and filling your kitchen with the scent of the holidays.

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:

Organic Royal Golden Yunnan infused with organic eggnog flavors, cinnamon chips, marigold petals and a touch of nutmeg. This long, tippy-leafed Yunan steeps a smooth cup with rich aroma and superb taste. The hints of creamy eggnog and spices just makes it an extra special treat.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

MrsPremise

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels. When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy. Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends. Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea

EggNaughTea from The NecessiTeas. . . .

by VariaTEA

The holidays are fast approaching and that means eggnog. Lots of eggnog. And eggnog means eggnog lattes!!! They don’t say “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” for nothing.

I figured what better tea to make as an eggnog latte than EggNaughTea, a caffeine-free blend of honeybush, nutmeg, marigold petals, marshmallows, and flavoring? However, to be able to discern the tea from the latte, I also decided to make it as a plain tea. Both were brewed in 200F water for a little over 5 minutes.

Sipping on the hot tea, I can tell this is a high quality honeybush base, especially since it is one of the only things I am tasting. Sweet honey flavor. I wish I could say I was tasting the nutmeg, vanilla, or rum that is supposed to be here but alas they are lost on me.

Nevertheless, while I may find it a little lackluster tea plain, this is making for an ah-mazing latte! It boosts the nutmeg and vanilla in the regular eggnog, while the honey of the base makes this scream “decadent dessert”. Think sweet creamy custard deliciousness.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush
Where to Buy:  The NecessiTeas
Description

This tea is a holiday blend so check out The NecessiTeas site for all of their great holiday blends!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Honeybush, The NecessiTeas

Day 8 of the 52Teas Countdown to Christmas!

by Sophia

On the 8th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me…Creamy Eggnog Dusted with Nutmeg Green Tea! (Every time I write that line, I totally sing it in my head) So, I feel like eggnog is one of those things that you either love or hate. However- I am one of those people who actually is a little in between. I don’t really drink a glass of eggnog, I feel like I’m drinking cream.  I do, however, enjoy the actual taste of eggnog and eggnog-flavored desserts. For example- I’m pretty sure McDonalds comes out with an Eggnog Milkshake in the winter and I do like that. Another example is I just saw a recipe for Eggnog French Toast that looks really good and I’m actually planning on making it for my family on Christmas morning!

Now, back to tea! I love, love, love the green tea base here. It’s light and not overly-grassy or bitter. It has almost a buttery quality. This is the perfect green tea base. I steeped this for exactly 2 minutes to make sure it was not oversteeped. The eggnog flavor is delicate but present and it’s not overly sweet or in-your-face, which I really enjoy. The nutmeg gives a little twist, and I feel like it was also very necessary to this tea! I always sprinkle some extra nutmeg on whatever eggnog-flavored item I’m making! It’s not a holiday box without something eggnog, is it? I feel like people who are on the other side of the fence with the flavor of eggnog would probably enjoy this anyway, as it’s a festive and yummy 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

Eggnog Poundcake from A Quarter to Tea. . . . .

by Sophia

This was the third tea I tried from A Quarter to Tea. I got a small sample because I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I do like a glass of eggnog during the holidays, but when it comes to the tea I was concerned it may be over spiced. I have had really good experiences with other flavored blends from A Quarter to Tea, though. However, I don’t usually go for white tea so this is different for me. I am more so into green, black, and occasionally oolong. I was really excited to try this one.

It was a little hard for me to smell this dry blend because I stored it with a bunch of other samples and to be honest, it smelled like a medley of spices and teas. I can comment on how it smelled once steeped though. The steeped liquid is light, and gives off a custard/cinnamon/nutmeg smell- which is clearly eggnog! It smelled light and tasted light. The floral white tea was a perfect backdrop for eggnog and custard flavors. This tea was smooth and custardy with a perfect balance of floral and cinnamon. The custard taste came out more when the tea cooled significantly. The spices were very light and airy and just really accented the floral white tea. I’d say this was an accurate eggnog representation and very well put together. I think samples of this are still available on their website!

Overall I have been really impressed with A Quarter to Tea, and I just placed another order with them so more review to come. Stay tuned!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

White peony with a delicious eggy vanilla custard flavor and pastry notes and classical eggnog spices.

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 A Quarter To Tea, White Tea