Day 10: Banana TieGuanYin Oolong Tea. . . .52Teas Holiday Countdown

by Sophia

On the 10th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me… Banana TieGuanYin Oolong Tea! We are nearing the end of our little tea-journey, folks, and I can’t help but feel sad. This box has truly consisted of an amazing bunch of teas and I just want to keep going! I have no regrets over purchasing this “advent calendar” and I had quite a few choices from other companies I shop with. This has been, by far, the most unique and satisfying.

However, we aren’t quite done yet so here goes with Day 10!!! I love banana, especially when it is flavoring my tea. However, I don’t usually gravitate towards oolong blends. They definitely bring a unique flavor to the tea. If I had a cup of green, black, and oolong and you blindfolded me- I could accurately tell you which are which on taste, maybe even smell, alone. But when given a choice, I will always choose green or black over oolong. I had never heard of TieGuanYin before so I googled it. According to google, this particular tea is “warm, soft, and soothingly mineral in texture.” When I smelled the dry leaf I could definitely smell banana, but once brewed I could detect that “mineral” quality that this leaf has been described like. Now, although I am not a huge fan of oolong blends, I feel like the tea actual does go nicely with the banana flavor. So if you do like oolong you will appreciate the ‘marriage’ of the leaf with the banana because they definitely complement each other. There is almost something floral about the TieGuan Yin as well that brings something different to the cup while mingling with the banana and mineral quality of the leaf. My final assessment: I love the banana component. I literally can’t NOT like it since I’m such a huge fan of banana tea. And although oolong is not my first choice, I find that it worked very well with the banana flavor and someone who enjoys oolong would definitely appreciate this flavor combo.

So those are my final thoughts on Day 10’s Banana TieGuan Yin and I am really excited to finish out the last two days of this box with you all so stay tuned….I have a feeling these last two blends you definitely won’t want to miss!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
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, Oolong

Day 9: Caramel Cheesecake Black Tea. . . .The 52Teas Countdown to Christmas!

by Sophia

On the 9th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me… Caramel Cheesecake Black Tea! This lovely black tea blend smells exactly the way it sounds, like creamy cheesecake drizzled in caramel sauce. If I hadn’t read the name before smelling the leaf, I definitely would have been able to pick out the flavors just on smell alone. I love any tea that has cheesecake essence in it, as cheesecake is actually one of my favorite desserts. I used to live right across the street from a Cheesecake Factory restaurant…I’m sure you can imagine, that was pretty dang dangerous!

I may no longer live near a good place to get a slice of cheesecake, but if and when a craving strikes, this tea would surely suffice! It’s creamy and has an almost “fluffy” flavor that’s light and sweet. It also has a slight tang and underlying flavor of cheesecake that definitely comes through on the aftertaste. It’s interesting because when I first saw the name of this tea I kind of wished that there was another component like maybe “caramel apple cheesecake” or something a little more, but after trying this I really believe it is perfect just as it is and I think that something else would definitely have overpowered the awesome flavor combo of caramel and cheesecake. It’s so realistic and yummy, I definitely recommend trying it if you have the chance!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not currently 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

On the 7th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….Crisp Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos Tea!

by Sophia

On the 7th Day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me….Crisp Cranberry Soda Green Rooibos Tea! So for this one, the smell of the dry leaf brought back memories! When I was younger my mom was really into sparkling water mixed with a splash of cranberry juice and a lime. As a little girl, I of course always wanted to copy her. This blend smells exactly like that “soda” drink tasted…down to the carbonation. Although, I’m not sure how you can “smell carbonation”, but I swear I can!

                This blend is a total thirst quencher. I’m drinking it hot because I’m not very into icing my teas, but I can imagine this would be so amazing iced. I love the green rooibos base. It is lighter and not as “woody” as red rooibos. The cranberry is not super tart, but it’s still present and I feel like I can taste a little bit of lime or citrus. Then,  of course, there is the “soda” aspect. If you did not tell me that this blend was meant to taste like a “soda” drink, I would still have thought it did- that is how accurate this tea portrays crisp cranberry soda. It is so crisp and it tastes so hydrating I am literally gulping it down. I really did enjoy this one and I feel like it totally represented its name 100%. It would be amazing in the summertime as an iced beverage or even as a tea-popsicle! This one is a winner for sure!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Rooibos
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 Rooibos

On the 6th Day of Christmas, 52Teas sent to me. . .

by Sophia

On the 6th Day of Christmas 52 Teas gave to me…. Brownie Batter with Nut Butter Swirl Black Tea! I have a feeling this one will get a lot of swoons from you readers! The name is pretty irresistible, and so is the smell of the dry leaf. Even I did a little happy dance when I smelled it. In fact, I’m pretty sure over the next week I’ll be googling a recipe for brownies with a nut butter swirl because it sounds pretty amazing.

                I had my baby shower a few weeks ago and my mom made my cake. It is this secret recipe for a from-scratch chocolate cake that actually has a brownie-batter frosting in between the layers. It is divine…seriously. I don’t know how she did it, she won’t even give me the recipe! I could eat that cake every single day, but that would be really bad for my health. Thankfully, we have companies like 52 Teas that can take our favorite desserts and put them into the form of tea….and, it is virtually calorie-free! Yay!

                This one smells like brownies and almonds to me. Two of my favorite things! On taste, the chocolate is light and not syrupy or artificial. Ie: it doesn’t taste like watery hot cocoa, which is how some chocolate teas end up tasting. No, this one is really well done! It has an underlying flavor of buttery almond and maybe a little pecan…definitely a “nut” flavor. The combo of brownie batter and nut butter really is so, so good! I now must find a recipe to combine the two into an actual dessert. Great idea for a hostess gift at your Christmas party. :)Enjoy!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
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, Black Tea

On the Fourth Day of Christmas 52Teas sent to me. . . .

by Sophia

On the 4th Day of Christmas, my true love (I mean…52 Teas!) gave to me Peach Blackberry Crumble Black Tea! There are two ingredients in this blend that are my favorite when combined: peach and cinnamon pieces! Of course, there are also whole blackberries in here which definitely adds a unique twist, but the cinnamon and peach together are one of my favorite combos. This is obviously the fourth tea in this box and right now they are 4/4…I’ve loved them all! Every morning I scratch off the stickers and I’ve been so excited to try each tea and I truly haven’t been disappointed yet.

 Once this blend is steeped, you can definitely smell the sweet warmth of the cinnamon and just a hint of peach. It is one of the most perfect smells! On taste, the black tea is actually very bold and it’s slightly overpowering the other flavors. I do wish the peach and blackberry were more present. I feel like a different base may have allowed the flavors of the fruit to shine through a bit more. However, it is still a great tea. Very energizing, I’m getting a little energy boost so I must be right in saying that the black tea used here is pretty bold. I think that if iced tea is your thing, this would be a really great iced blend!  Either way, I would summarize this as a bold black tea with hints of peach and blackberry and a yummy cinnamon aroma. My anticipation for tomorrow’s tea is eating at me and I can’t wait to open them all but I’m controlling myself because I love the surprise! It is like a Christmas present every morning. We shall see what tomorrow’s brings

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black
Where to Buy:  52Teas
Description

This tea is not available on the website 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