Hello to my wonderful tea friends! It is finally March and we are starting to see a bit of a reprieve from the crazy cold winter we had. This month is actually pretty special to me because, well, I turn 40 in just a few weeks. I’m really not all that wrapped up in age, it just seems like this year is going to be a pretty big year for my family. I’m turning 40 and my kiddo is becoming a freshman at high school. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked him to stop growing (he is taller than me). Sigh. . . .But at least I have a fun tea to chat about from my monthly subscription plan with Farmhouse Teas (aka St. Fiacres Farm).
This month it was like my friends at FarmHouse Teas just knew what I would like because it is like they flavored up a genmaicha just for me. . . .Tropical Genmaicha Green Tea is this month’s blend. I’m a sucker for a solid genmaicha and couldn’t wait to see what FarmHouse Teas had come up with.
This genmaicha flavored blend is a bit different than other flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past. Most of the flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past were dessert like or sweet sugary. I was excited to check out a tropical genmaicha.
Brewed up with freshly prepped water at 180F and allowed to steep for well, a bit- I sort of got distracted with a work project and forgot I had tea brewing. I am happy to report though that this blend tastes fabulous, even though the steep was a bit longer than it really should have been, especially since there is hibiscus in the blend.
This blend is delicious and a perfect tea to drink today to enjoy this warm spell hitting our Midwestern area. The tea is a bit tart but that is more than likely my fault due to the oversteep. Beyond that, the tea is fresh with all of the beloved roasted toasted flavors that only a genmaicha can deliver with fresh pops of berries and a sweetness that I’m not entirely sure where it is coming from. There is stevia in this blend but the sweetness doesn’t taste like stevia. I’m wondering if the sweetness isn’t coming from the large peach pieces in the blend.
All in all, a pretty unique take on a flavored genmaicha. As I look at the ingredients, I’m thinking this blend would be an amazing cold brew- hibiscus, lemongrass, coconut flakes, goji berries, peach pieces, and stevia. I’m a bit worried how the stevia will be in a cold brew but hopefully there is just a smidge added so it won’t be identifiable. (Not in the stevia fan club)
Each and every month I so look forward to my FarmHouse Teas package. Last month I wasn’t crazy about the blend, but the blend was completely out of the box and I appreciate the effort (plus the tea was coated in cocoa powder and I’m not a huge chocolate fan). Highly recommend their monthly tea service if you are in the market for a hand blended unique blended tea each and every month. I know I’ve been a subscriber for a while now and I don’t see myself cancelling anytime soon. Especially if they keep making blends like this one.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: FarmhouseTeas
Description
This blend is part of the month subscription plan. Click below to hear more about FarmHouse Teas plan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
On the Fifth Day of Christmas, 52Teas sent to me. . .
On the 5th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me….my actual true love: Banana Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha Green Tea. I am a huge fan of banana and marshmallow. It’s funny because the way I heard about 52 Teas was by doing a search of “marshmallow tea” on Steepster. I ended up coming across 52 Teas’ Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha! For that reason, that blend is actually pretty special to me, and I’m very happy its part of the permanent collection. Any twist on it, be it banana or pumpkin spice latte or chai spice or anything in between, I am always extremely eager to try.
Suffice to say, when I scratched off Day 5’s label I was really excited and brewed up a cup right away! Yum, yum, yum. If you like banana and you like marshmallow, you’re going to like this. It is really smooth with that toasted rice and green tea flavor and aroma that is genmaicha, but it also has a really yummy twist: fluffy marshmallow and creamy banana! Dare I say that I enjoy this more than the original marshmallow treat? I know that some people have reservations with banana flavored teas, but this is really well done and not artificial tasting. It is smooth, creamy, delicate, and sweet. I would drink this again and again, and I definitely recommend that if you are given the chance you give it a try!
I know I have said this already but I really am happy with this 12 Days of Tea package. I love that it has given me a chance to try teas that I otherwise would have missed my chance to taste. Some companies just put all the teas that had been available over the past year in their Christmas/Advent boxes and I feel like it is so repetitive. I’m really enjoying the uniqueness of this box and these blends and I truly have not had one that I dislike.
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!
On the 4th Day of Christmas 52Teas Sent to Me (Spoilers)
Today is the 4th day of our countdown for the 52Teas 12 Teas of Christmas promotion. With the winter weather we are currently experiencing, I was excited to brew up a pot of this tea to share. But first we have to find out what tea we have today.
So scratch off today’s sticker and see what today’s tea is!
Coconut Flan Genmaicha
This is reblend from earlier in the year. I have to say that this wasn’t a favorite tea of mine when this first came out so I”m curious to see what the reblend is going to bring. So far each of the re blends have been spot on spectacular.
Brewed this tea up with the parameters provided and in no time I was greeted with a yellow-green brew to enjoy. Poured myself a cuppa and sat down to write this review. Took my first sip and. . .
Notes of creamy lush coconut roll over my palate with a roasted toasted finish and a buttery rich feel. Each sip definitely provides a very decadent coconut flavor, so if you are a coconut fan, this tea has your name all over it!
I find that I’m liking this tea better than the original blend, but its not one of my favorites but that being said. . . 52Teas doesn’t create a bad tea. Just off of the heels of a few of the other blends, like Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos ( I completely devoured this one), this one just isn’t hit the mark for me.
I’m going to try this as a cold brew to see if the flavors pop more for me. I have a feeling this method will really make the this blend pop!
Here is the official description of this tea and the Mad Musings behind it. I write my reviews before reading the official tea description.
Coconut Flan Genmaicha!
Tea Description: As I mentioned above, I was happy to see this tea win a spot into our Christmas box this year. It’s always a joyful experience to see that one of my tea creations is so well received. It’s even more exciting when the tea that’s been so well received is one of my favorite teas because that means I get to drink more of it too!
My original description of this tea went like this:
For this Cinco de Mayo, I went with a favorite dessert inspiration: Flan! I love the stuff. But I wanted something MORE than just a caramelized custard – I wanted to go coconuts! Coconut Flan! (Seriously, how yum does that sound?)
For the base, I tossed around several ideas before I settled on my organic Matcha infused Genmaicha. I thought that the Matcha together with the toasted rice would lend a really nice nutty flavor to the cup – which I felt would complement the coconut as well as that hint of caramel that Flan is famous for and the Matcha would lend a creaminess to the cup to accentuate the custard.
This is totally yum! Matcha Infused Matcha blended with huge coconut flakes and the flavors of Flan. A perfect way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
And really, I didn’t stray from the original recipe, except that I added some vanilla bean because you can never go wrong with a little more vanilla in a flan, am I right? So other than the vanilla bean, I kept true to the recipe because this is one that I was happy with when I first crafted it, so I stuck with my recipe. I hope you all enjoy it as much as you did the first time it was offered!
organic ingredients: green teas, toasted and popped rice, unsweetened coconut flakes, vanilla bean and natural flavors.
I don’t know that I really need to add additional tasting notes this time around since I did already write out a whole blog post about this tea once already. However, I do taste test each and every tea that I blend – each and every time I blend it. I put a great deal of time and energy into every tea blend I craft (including reblends and in many cases, especially reblends!) and it’s important to me that each tea tastes great when it’s sent out to my customers. I want to feel confident when I package up your orders, I want the confidence that each tea I send you is the best possible product. I don’t just blend teas and put them into pouches and slap a label on the pouch. I care too much about tea – I love tea too much to do that. I spend a lot of time taste testing the samples sent to me by vendors to ensure that the teas I use as bases are of exceptional quality. I hunt down organic ingredients to use whenever I can find them. I blend the teas and then allow ample time to cure before I taste test the tea and then if it’s not right – if I’m not satisfied – then I tweak the blend a little bit until I am happy with the product. I do all of these things before I package up the teas into pouches and put the label on it. A lot goes into each and every pouch of tea that I produce.
I’m not saying all of this to boast. I’m stating it to explain why it is that I take the time to write out these blog posts for every tea. I put forth this effort to give each tea the time it deserves in a taste test so that when I go to package it up, I’m confident of the product.
So here it is – this tea before me is one of my favorite creations from earlier this year – Coconut Flan Genmaicha. I created it for the week of Cinco De Mayo. Oh, who am I kidding. Cinco De Mayo was just a great excuse for me to create a coconut flan blend! Ha! I love flan and I love coconut and what better way to celebrate both these flavors than with a Genmaicha tea? My organic Matcha infused Genmaicha base was a perfect choice for the flavors of coconut and flan because the genmaicha offers a naturally sweet, toasty flavor that enhanced the notes of caramel to the custard. The creaminess of the Matcha brought out the creamy custard notes and the silky flavor of the coconut.
And that’s exactly what I’m tasting right now as I sip on this. Sweet, warm caramel and smooth, vanilla-y custard beneath a forward note of silken coconut. Delicious!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Green Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but these teas are!