On the second day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me…. Holiday Marmalade Green Tea! I have been really excited to dig into these teas. With Day 1, I actually had opened it on the 1st of December, not realizing that we were starting these on December 12th! So, I kind of got a little “teaser” at the beginning of the month and have been counting down the days till I could officially start. One thing I really enjoy about 52 Teas as a company is that their blends are always so unique. I feel like a lot of tea companies out there are kind of repetitive and I really love that I can count on 52 Teas giving me something different and fun each month. Day 1’s tea definitely hit the nail on the head with uniqueness, and I’m happy to report that Day 2 is just as lovely!
Holiday Marmalade has an orange aroma and you can definitely smell the spices as well. I can see the clove buds, nutmeg, and big slices of oranges! The smell of this actually reminds me of Hot Buttered Spiced Rum Green Tea that was blended last year at 52 Teas. On taste, the two of course are different as this tea has no buttered rum flavor. I’d say that this one is less “dessert” and more of a nice, clean taste that would go well with any meal at any time of day. I do love spiced orange and I think that the green tea base works great here by adding a vegetal flair to the cup. This tastes like a green chai that gets a citrus twist from the orange slices. It is very comforting from the spices and also refreshing from the green tea and orange. I do believe it would taste good iced. If you happen to be in a warm climate during this winter (lucky you!) that may be a nice benefit to this particular blend.
Both Days 1 and 2 have been a success for me with this 12 Teas of Christmas “calendar”. I hope they were for you, too. Check back tomorrow for my take on Day 3….I have a feeling it will be a good one! 😉
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!
The Unicorn! from 52Teas. . . .
For my 25th birthday, my family surprised me with a sweet table. An entire sweet table! Not just any sweet table though. It was a unicorn themed sweet table and it was amazing. So, you can be sure that when 52 Teas came out with a unicorn tea, I would be all over it. Lucky for me, I didn’t even need to place an order because I won a contest and this arrived at my door. I would say it was meant to be.
This tea was inspired by the limited time frappucino from a certain coffee shop. It is a black tea blended with marshmallow root, vanilla bean, mangoes, blueberries, and strawberries. It also has adorable heart sprinkles that make for one lovely tea. I steeped it for 2.5 minutes in boiling water as per the recommended steeping parameters. I then let it cool for a bit before I started drinking.
The tea really is lovely. The yunnan and assamica is smooth and malty while the vanilla adds a creamy note. The marshmallow is fluffy and the whole tea has a nice fruity flavor to round everything out. Each fruit flavor pops from time to time but overall the marshmallow, vanilla, black tea, and fruit just come together so beautifully to make one awesomely flavored dessert tea. Also, having tried the drink that inspired this, I would say this definitely surpassed its inspiration given it doesn’t have a year’s worth of sugar and therefore is not overly sweet. Instead this has enough flavor to be interesting while not being over-the-top that one would easily bore of it.
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!
Sir Rhuberry Oolongbottom from BlendBee. . . .
Tea has often been a solitary experience for me. It’s an opportunity for me to get lost in a cuppa, explore the aroma of the blend, and let the heat of the fresh brew melt away my thoughts. There are opportunities that allow tea to be communal in my life and I had that opportunity recently with a friend. One of my husband’s childhood friends is Korean and grew up with tea as a strong part of his daily routine. I had the opportunity to share Sir Rhuberry Oolongbottom from Blend Bee with him. This tea had a sweet aroma that reminded me of a berry, but I couldn’t place which berry to save my life! I even had other people smell the tea and try to guess the berry – with no luck. Thankfully, Blend Bee’s website let me know that this blend features strawberry! I’m typically hesitant with berry or fruit based blends as there is a distinct possibility the fruit will overpower the tea, but with this blend, the mix of oolong to strawberry is blended perfectly.
Once brewed, this tea presented an aromatic profile like a black tea, and created a lovely rose color in the cup. We drank this tea without cream or sugar so that we could truly enjoy the flavor profile of this tea. Overall, I think that this is one of the better oolong blends that I’ve tried. My husband’s friend had multiple cups; since he grew up with oolong, I think it’s safe to say that he like it as well. Anytime tea can be a communal event, let it! This tea is perfect for a relaxed morning or an afternoon moment. For lovers of black tea, this is a great tea to try in order to expand your palate!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
Juicy and refreshing, this blend has just a hint of sweetness and is rounded out with bold red fruit flavors. You will long for Sir Rhuberry Oolongbottom.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea from 52Teas. . .
I was having a pleasant morning, sipping on this Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea and eating my breakfast. Things were going well until my two dogs decided to fight over a cookie under my chair. When we pulled them apart, one had a bloody nose and we didn’t realize right away so blood got everywhere, especially when she started sneezing causing splatters on the walls, floor, and even my sister and her husband. She was totally fine but it looked like a tiny murder happened in our house so this tea got put aside for a bit while we attended to the literal dog fight and cleaning up the aftermath.
Getting back to the tea it was still a touch warm and luckily the flavors didn’t seem to change that much from the hotter cup I was drinking prior to the chaos, as some teas tend to do when they cool. I think this is my first Kukicha green tea and it looked like it may have been particularly herbal tasting (between the kukicha and lemongrass) but that wasn’t the case thankfully. This has a real sweet and fluffy quality to it that when combined with the vanilla bean definitely helps sell the meringue. Complimentary to that is the creamy citrus notes of the lemon-lime which makes for a nice dessert tea.
This is a great little bright tea. The flavors are sweet and yet bright and refreshing. It could be a good afternoon treat or like I said before, a nice choice for dessert after dinner. Another hit for 52 Teas!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is not available right now but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
My Morning Blend from The NecessiTeas. . . .
This robust tea is made from two simple, quality ingredients: black tea leaves and roasted cocoa beans. This tea has everything that is good about hot bold black tea, hot chocolate, and coffee. The black tea gives enough fresh tartness to keep the chocolate from being too sweet, and the roasted cocoa beans add a decadent smoothness that hints at the rich and nutty tones of coffee. No matter how long I steeped the leaves, the blend stays strong and smooth, with no bitter astringency.
Many black teas in people’s cupboards are English breakfast blends. I feel like My Morning Blend could easily be called American Breakfast, with all that Hershey chocolate flavor over the top of a welcoming tea brew (if we Americans weren’t already drinking coffee as the breakfast beverage of choice, that is).
I recently tried some cocoa shell tea for the first time, and found it to be a tasty, unique experience, a mix of sweet and salty, almost like chocolate-drizzled popcorn balls. Cocoa shells are well and good, but as a tea-lover, sometimes I just need that black tea undertone. My Morning Blend from The NecessiTeas was the perfect fix.
This blend takes milk like a champ, only growing more delicious and creamy with rich chocolate and toasty tea notes. This blend should be an essential on everyone’s tea shelf for those mornings when you want a cup that feels like putting on your favorite sweater and smells like your favorite cookies baking in the oven.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description:
If you are looking for a wake-me-up, perk-me-up cup in the morning, that’s off the beaten path of coffee, look no further. This strong black tea has the smoothness of chocolate, and the boldness of roasted cocoa beans. Doctor it as you would a cup of coffee, with milk and sugar to start off your day!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
