Root Beer Float Black Tea from 52Teas. . .

by VariaTEA

I am lactose sensitive. I can have some dairy and be perfectly fine but too much and I am sick. This is especially true with ice cream. That is why I was particularly surprised when my mother took me to a restaurant called Jackson’s and happily let me order a Root Beer Float that came with a pitcher of root beer and a pint of vanilla ice cream. She’d been there before and knew what I was getting into…I did not. Needless to say I had to force my stepdad to help me out with the ice cream. Doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it though because root beer floats are awesome!

In light of my enjoyment of root beer floats, I was pretty pleased when this Root Beer Float Black Tea arrived as a sample in one of my orders from 52 Teas. Even more exciting are the delicious sounding ingredients of black teas, marshmallow root, sarsaparilla root, vanilla beans, calendula petals, and natural flavors. I made this as both a latte and a plain hot cup of tea.

My latte, though a bit watered down due to my inaccurate measuring, has a great sarsaparilla flavor. More than just the sarsaparilla which captures the root beer note, the vanilla beans and fluffy marshmallow combine with the milk to create a silky and creamy vanilla ice cream flavor. As a whole, the entire concept of root beer float is expertly captured in this tasty tea latte.

The plain tea is much more root beer than float. Granted there is a nice dose of vanilla and some softness from the marshmallow root, it is more heavily weighted towards the base black tea and the sarsaparilla root.

All in all, this tea (which is not currently available on the site but could be reblended) is a great take on the popular root beer float tea. Though it is good both ways I had it, I personally recommend the latte for a more accurate float. Just add a bit of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry and you got a treat worthy of any soda shoppe or 50s diner (but with much fewer calories :P).

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
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!

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 52Teas, Black Tea

Pancake Breakfast from 52Teas . . . .

by SuperStarling

Oh my god, you can taste the dough, and the maple sweetness, and like maybe a little hint of spice. It’s an all-encompassing deep sweetness, not saccharine or cloying. Your teeth don’t hurt. The taste has gravitas.

This tea is really well-named. It tastes precisely like sinking your teeth into a delicious breakfast at a diner.

Imagine the scene: it’s 10 a.m. on the weekend. Maybe you’re a little tired from whatever you did yesterday, even if it was just Netflix bingeing. You and your friends/family have been waiting in line at the mom and pop diner downtown, and you finally get in, and you see waffles are on special. OBVIOUSLY you are going in on that. The food is wicked fast coming out. You are gobbling that stuff down like it’s air. The waitress is calling you “hon” and asking if you want more coffee. You are in HEAVEN. You are a member of the Clean Plate Club.

If this sounds like a blast, good news! This is part of 52Teas’ permanent collection! Most of 52Teas’ offerings are “GOOD GOD GRAB IT NOW BEFORE IT IS GONE”, but this one is here to stay. Wake up and hop over!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

Because the love for this tea is so strong, we stuck closely to the original recipe.

One difference is that we’re utilizing different teas in our black tea base.  I think you’ll notice the difference and I’m confident you’ll feel this was a change for the better!  We’ve made a really yummy thing even better!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea

Blueberry Muffin Honeybush from 52Teas. . . .

by VariaTEA

I love 52 Teas. They have a great selection of unique and exciting flavored teas thanks to their business model of releasing a new small batch custom blended hand-crafted tea each week. The only downfall? The flavors go fast so if you fall in love, you have to act quickly to make sure you get your hands on that particular tea before it is sold out. That, or you hope and beg and pray for the 52 Teas gods to bless you with a reblend of your beloved flavor. I mention this because this particularly tea, Blueberry Muffin Honeybush, is not currently available on 52 Teas website but it may return in the future.

The blueberry flavor of this tea is perfect. It is juicy and just a little sweeter than the fruit itself but that is because it is more reminiscent of the blueberries found in muffins which are more syrupy sweet than fresh blueberries. The honeybush, though a little woody, also contributes a honeyed baked goods flavor that helps sell the idea of blueberry muffins. On top of all that, this tea is a touch buttery which is like the cherry on top.

This tea is a great evening treat. Being based on honeybush means it is naturally caffeine free and that means even the caffeine-sensitive won’t be kept up at night after enjoying a cup.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description

This blend is not currently available but click below for blends that are.

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 52Teas, Honeybush

Banana Pancakes from 52Teas. . . . .

by Sophia

Whenever I hear the phrase “banana pancakes” I always think of Jack Johnson’s song- “we’ll make banana pancakes pretend like its the weekend…” My parents used to like him when I was little and I remember sitting in the car listening to his music, I remember it as very relaxing! Now that I think of it, it would have accompanied this cuppa very well! Anyways, the fact that I just love banana is a new thing for me. Before this year I never would have really picked up anything banana, except maybe a chocolate banana smoothie. Lately I’ve been really loving banana teas, though.

So when I saw that 52 Teas’ new blend was Banana Pancakes, I was really excited.

Opening up my sample bag the smell of maple was very present as well a hint of banana. Naturally, this tea was already right up my ally- another flavor that I get excited over is maple. I steeped this properly, you have to follow the steeping instructions on 52 Teas’ packaging with their teas, I feel like the black tea is very bold and strong from 52 Teas and if you overstep it’s going to be bitter. Since I steeped this properly, it was dang good. Smooth, sweet, and very pancake-y. The maple and banana mingled really nicely and definitely reminded me of banana pancakes.

I have tried two teas that were dubbed the name “banana pancakes”. Both were delicious, but I really enjoyed this one just a tad more. I would love to continue trying banana teas! So, if you like banana stay tuned….and give this blend a try!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Teaa
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!

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