My daughter is one of THOSE people who goes crazy over pumpkin-everything in the fall. When I saw this sample, I knew we had to taste it together, so I packed it up for the trip out of town to her place.
The dry leaf smells wonderful, with a creamy vanilla and spice scent that is very promising. The white tea leaves are large and there are chunks of all kinds of goodies in this blend. We followed the recommended steeping instructions to a T.
The steeped tea has a wonderfully comforting aroma, different from the leaves. The dry leaf smelled primarily of vanilla and caramel to me, but the clove is intensified by steeping and the aroma of clove tingles in your nose as you take your first sips. It isn’t strong enough to over-tingle the tongue or detract from the creamy caramel and vanilla flavors.
My daughter said she was pleased to find that she tasted PUMPKIN, and not just pumpkin spices as is so often the case. Maybe that is because of the sweet potato bits in the blend.
This was a limited edition blend that is presently sold out, so why review it? Because it may give readers a good idea of the skill of the tea blenders at A Quarter To Tea and some insight into the quality of their ingredients.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Ginger and pumpkin with a slight pastry and note cool into a dreamy caramel creme.
Abundant caramel when slightly cooled.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pina Colada Honeybush from 52Teas. . . .
When I was a kid I had an obsession with pina coladas. As an adult, I still do. I actually have a funny story about them. I was at a restaurant with my parents and I was probably 6 years old. I ordered a pina colada. My parents used to always try it first, just in case the bartender put alcohol in it by accident. Well, that one particular time they didn’t taste it because we actually knew the owner of the restaurant and I guess they trusted that his bartenders were competent. Well, I was drinking my pina colada and I told my parents that it tasted yucky. Low and behold, there was alcohol in it! Go figure. As a 6 year old I was very freaked out and upset. Anyways, I got a new pina colada and all was forgiven!
Back to tea- I have never had a pina colada tea blend and was excited to try this one. I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy honeybush much more than rooibos. It is definitely a tea I gravitate towards when I am looking for caffeine free. Upon smelling the steeped liquid I could detect the honeybush and pineapple. I couldn’t really smell the coconut. Upon tasting this cup I could sort of detect pina colada flavor, but it was really light. I’m not sure if I would have screamed “pina colada” if you didn’t tell me the name of this tea. But when I think about it and try to detect it, I can.
Unfortunately, I did not get something that screamed creamy pina coladas from this blend. It was very light and I could mostly taste the honeybush. That said, it was still enjoyable. I think if someone is new to flavored teas and wants something light but yummy, this would be the tea for them!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but below are the teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Badger Breakfast from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
I purchased this tea for a gentleman named Badger (okay, okay, technically his NICKNAME is Badger) who goes to college with my daughter and is serving as a bit of a guardian angel for her, for which her father and I are grateful.
Not only was the tea named BADGER, but it had hops in it, and Badger likes beer. It was fated that I would run across this tea while reviewing an entirely different one.
When I placed the order, I let the proprietors of A Quarter To Tea know of my heartbreak that I would not get to taste Badger Breakfast since we were giving it away, and they were gracious enough to immediately offer to send a sample so that we could try it. I don’t know tons about beer but I do know it has hops in it and I know that of the few I have tried, I preferred the somewhat bitter ones to the ones that had mainly high notes, if one speaks of beer that way.
The ratio of hops to tea was darn near equal. We put the whole sample in a Kamjove pot and steeped at 200F for three and a half minutes.
The bitter hops combined with the Indian black teas to produce a bitter cup…and the taste that lingered for quite a while with me was very like the effect I remember lingering from beer, a sort of dry scraping on the tongue that stays there and tingles a bit. It is different from astringency, very different.
We made a second steep, this time letting the leaves steep for four minutes. We tried some of it hot and it was now milder and less bitter, an easy feat to achieve on the first steep by using less leaf than we used if that is your aim, but I think this is SUPPOSED to be bitter like beer. And we let most of this steep sit out and get cold and I do mean cold. I think we liked it that way best of all!
I looked up some information about hops and found that they have a strong sedative affect, and straight hops tea has been used as a folk remedy to treat insomnia, tension, anxiety, and headaches for a long time. We definitely felt mellow after drinking this tea.
I think Mr. Badger is going to love this tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
A surprising new spin on breakfast tea, straight from Wisconsin! A muscatel and rounded blend of black teas, with subtle fruit notes, with the effervescent quality of hopps.
On Wisconsin!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Marshmallow Assam from 52Teas. . . .
Marshmallow. Assam. So simple but so good.
I had this when it was made by the original 52 Teas and voted constantly for it to be reblended as part of the new 52 Teas’ 12 Days of Christmas promotion. It’s that good.
The assam is bright and malty. Perfect to wake you up but it refrains from being astringent thanks to the soft fluffiness of the marshmallow.
Marshmallow flavor is what takes over here. It is sweet and gooey and great. Plus, the outer layer of real marshmallows are a little crisp as opposed to the gooey center and somehow this drink even captures that crispness of the outer shell. It is one of the most accurate depictions in tea that I have come across and I have tried A LOT of marshmallow teas.
Unfortunately this is out of stock right now but if this is reblended, it is one I certainly recommend picking up. Until then, I will be hoarding my stash.
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.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish from 52Teas. . . .
This blend was one of 52 Teas’ monthly blends for May. I was excited when I saw it because I find it really unique and intriguing. I unfortunately steeped this cup a little too long because I was steeping some other teas at the same time and forgot to un-steep this one first. So, I took a tentative sip because I was thinking that it would be pretty bitter. Thankfully it wasn’t! Phew.
Guys and gals…let me tell you what this tea tasted like. Are you ready? You sure? It tasted like….A blueberry cream cheese danish. Shocking! No, i’m just being silly.
But really it does taste exactly like a blueberry danish with cream cheese. Both the dry leaf and steeped liquid smells like blueberry, but once I taste it I swear I can taste the cream cheese and sweet pastry bread. How they liquidized a blueberry danish, I have no idea. All I can say is that it tasted like Willy Wonka transformed a blueberry cream cheese danish into a mug of tea (instead of a stick of gum!) It is so creamy and tangy from the blueberries and cream cheese, but sweet from that classic danish icing and the sweet pastry bread.
This is a winner, hands down, one of my favorites of all time. I highly recommend you try it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.