Day 1! The 12 Teas of Christmas set from 52Teas really lets you surprise yourself, with the name of the tea hidden under a silvery scratch-off label on the pouch. It is one of the most fun and most unique daily tea surprise sets I’ve tried.
Today I tried Foggy Coconut Black Tea. In the past I tried Smoky Coconut from 52Tea and enjoyed it, but Foggy Coconut is a new one to me! As soon as I opened the pouch I was wrapped in the distinct citrus scent of earl grey. The fog in the name clearly refers to the London Fog drink, made with earl grey tea. Among the black tea leaves were big curls of white coconut.
Historically, earl grey teas are always walking that balance between crisp bergamot and creamy vanilla, so pairing an earl grey tea with smooth coconut was a winning idea. Even without milk, this tea is full bodied and has plenty of cream taste. The coconut adds a rich buttery feel and taste without causing too much of that oil slick on the top of your tea. All the vanilla creaminess is balanced with just enough of earl grey’s tried and true orange zest to make for a delicious and complex flavor experience.
This tea is also appropriately Christmassy: brew up a cup of Foggy Coconut in honor of the foggy night that Rudolph earned his place among Santa’s reindeer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
My inspiration behind this blend is one of my favorite coffee shop drinks: a London Fog Latte! I order mine with coconut milk and half the usual amount of vanilla syrup (otherwise, it’s just too sweet!) One day as I was sipping on this drink, I found myself contemplating the beverage. I love the way the hints of coconut play with the bergamot but I found myself wishing that the coconut notes were stronger. (I do love me some coconut!) I also found myself wishing that the tea notes were stronger – which I felt would be accomplished if it didn’t have so much milk product in it – but then, the coconut notes would not be present. Then the idea hits me: why not make my own version of this drink with these improvements in mind!
And here we have it: I started with a base of Assam and Yunnan for a rich, bold, malty flavor. Something that could hold it’s own even with the strong note of creamy coconut. Then I added bergamot – I didn’t want to go too heavy on the bergamot because I didn’t want the coconut and bergamot competing with each other. I wanted enough bergamot to be tasted but not so much that it would interfere with the coconut flavor. Then I added some vanilla bean. Again, not a heavy vanilla taste – just enough to lend creaminess to the coconut and soften the edge of the bergamot and strong teas.
Then I went coconuts! This is a strongly coconut flavored tea but there’s enough bergamot there to give the cup the flavor that I was going for – this cuppa is my ideal London Fog! It’s got lots of coconut flavor without the milk drowning out the flavor of the tea. No “latte” required here, there’s enough creaminess to the flavor. Of course, if you want to go latte, that’s OK – but I’d recommend trying it without first!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
On the 11th Day of Christmas 52Teas Sent to Me (Spoilers)
Today and tomorrow. That is all we have left in our 12 Teas of Christmas. What a wonderful way to count down the holidays. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this promotion and hope that I can partake next year as well. Each tea has been amazing and delivered on quality and taste. Can’t beat that!
Let’s scratch of the sticker and found out what today’s tea is. . . . . . .
Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha
Wooohoo!!! This is one of my favorite creations 52Teas has ever created. I’ve loved this tea from the first time I had it years ago as a cold brew, iced tea, and hot brew. For the longest time, I had a stockpile of this tea so I’m so glad I’m able to yet again enjoy this delicious treat!
Brewed up per the recommendations on the pouch, I allowed this tea to cool for the full five minutes for all the teas to really come together. Took my first sip and I instantly picked up on that familiar sweet roasted flavors with a green tea background. Just lovely.
Yes, this is another re-blend but this time around I feel like the marshmallow flavors have been heightened and are much bolder. Which is awesome! I mean who doesn’t love marshmallow? That flavor combined with the rice notes, roasted hints, and like I said earlier, green tea base, really deliver a unique flavor that keeps you wanting more.
I’ve reviewed this tea a few times and just love it. I would have to say that if 52Teas ever stocked a few of their blends all of the time, this would be one that I would hope would be considered. You just can’t go wrong with it!
So there is the 11th Tea of Christmas. I’m quite sad that we are about done with these blends, but am quite excited to see what 52Teas comes out with in 2017!
Below is the official description of the tea. I write my review before seeing the official description.
Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha!
Tea Description: Another overwhelming fan favorite! I’m also a big fan of this tea. I was one of the lucky ones to get one of the pouches from the first batch which was a blend of Genmaicha plus Genmaicha Uji which is Genmaicha that’s been infused with Matcha. So, in an effort to recreate that stunning first batch, I blended an Organic Japanese Genmaicha and an organic Japanese Genmaicha with Matcha (Or Genmaicha Uji). I really prefer it with the Uji, the little bit of Matcha adds a really nice creaminess to the overall cup. To this, I added marshmallow root and all-natural, organic flavors.
It’s a cuppa yum!
Ingredients: Organic Japanese Teas, organic toasted rice, marshmallow root and all-natural, organic flavors.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green 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!
On the 5th Day of Christmas 52Teas Sent To Me. . . (Spoilers)
Today is the 5th Day of the 12 Teas of Christmas promotion. 52Teas has done an amazing job so far and I can’t wait to see what the 5th day has in store for us. So scratch off those labels and lets see what today’s tea is. . . .
The 5th Day of Christmas is. . . . . .Banana Pudding Black Tea.
Now this makes me happy. I am one of those that adores banana in my tea. It sounds odd and some people give me a funny look when I saw I love banana teas, but try one and you’ll see what I mean. Especially 52Teas banana flavored tea. I’ve been hoarding their Banana Peach green tea since their Kickstarter Campaign. It’s that good!
If memory serves me right, this is a reblend. But from the dry leaf aroma, I feel like this tea is a bit more pudding like the the original. You can smell the creamy pudding notes . My tea kettle can’t prep my water fast enough.
Finally the tea is ready to go and I take my first sip. Lovely silky pudding notes mingle brilliantly with a banana lush flavor. The black tea is graciously adding in a bready note so this is really translating into more of a Bready Banana Pudding. I see flakes of coconut in the dry leaf and I can taste a slight coconut sweetness.
All in all, this tea is amazing. I can’t figure out how 52Teas created a pudding tea but all I have to say is Please Make More! We need more creations like this one.
Edit: This is another tea that I found myself devouring all day and ending up finishing the pouch off. Each serving yielded several huge cuppas of this marvelous brew. Infusion after infusion, delivered on taste. That is one reason I love supporting and enjoying 52Teas. You know that you are getting both an amazing blend and a quality cuppa.
If you are curious. . .here is the official tea description. Please note-I wrote my review before looking at the description.
Banana Pudding Black Tea!
Tea Description: I was happy to have the opportunity to reblend this – mostly because I love banana teas and I’ll take up just about any excuse to make a banana tea. I find it a little funny, I’m not a big fan of bananas – I mean – I like them alright but if I’m in a produce market shopping for fruit, bananas are not usually the first fruit in my cart. But I love banana flavored stuff – banana ice cream and ice pops, banana bread, banana desserts, banana pancakes … you get the idea. And that adoration for banana flavored stuff extends into banana teas – and perhaps especially banana teas! Banana and tea just really does it for me.
So, here it is, the reblend of Banana Pudding Black Tea. The original description says:
You want to hear about pudding. Did you know that pudding was created using techniques for making Haggis and blood sausage? Eww. That’s not very appetizing… Changing gears… Bananas are very yummy, what’s more, they are yellow and shaped funny. Our Banana pudding flavored tea also has coconut, which some people dislike in pudding because pudding is supposed to be smooth and creamy and who wants shavings of coconut in there? But hey, it’s better in the tea. And I’m feeling a little loopy tonight and rushing to get this posted since it’s already late, but I think you’re all really going to enjoy this blend–mentions of Haggis and coconut aside.
I stuck pretty close to the recipe on this one because as I mentioned in my review of the original blend, I was pretty satisfied with it. One obvious difference is that the black tea base will be somewhat different because I’m using different teas. And I’m really happy with the result of this blend – after a short cool time, I find the flavor to be very banana-y with nice coconut notes. As the tea cools a little more, the creamy pudding-like notes emerge – so definitely give this tea time to cool a little and your patience will be rewarded!
organic ingredients: black teas, freeze-dried bananas, coconut and natural flavors.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Flavored Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea will be made available on the 52Teas website on December 28th!