Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Sweet, caffeine-free African honeybush combined with our signature honking-big coconut flakes and organic flavors. Our Coconut Cream Pie black tea is one of our all-time bestsellers. I can’t fathom why we haven’t made a honeybush version of it yet, but I’m here to fix that now.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
As mentioned in the above description, the Coconut Cream Pie black tea from 52Teas is one of their best sellers. There’s a reason for that! That tea is seriously, awesomely good. Their iced tea version from Southern Boy Teas is also quite yummy. So I was very interested to see how these flavors went with a honeybush base.
The answer: it’s really tasty!
Now, I have to admit that I prefer the black tea version, but then again, I’m more of a camellia sinensis type of girl than I am a Cyclopia (aka honeybush) kind of girl. However, I must say that I like the nutty, honeyed sweetness that the honeybush brings to the coconut cream pie flavors! The coconut and the honeybush meld together nicely, and the honeybush also accents the buttery pie crust notes deliciously.
I taste strong notes of coconut mingling with sweet notes of creamy vanilla and touches of buttery pastry. The nutty, sweet notes of the honeybush marry together with these flavors in a very pleasing way. It’s sweet, creamy and yummy!
It’s dessert in a teacup! It is sweet without coming across as cloying. This is the kind of dessert that you can “indulge” in without feeling guilty afterward.
And even though I do prefer the black tea version of this tea, I like that this is naturally caffeine-free, making it a nice choice for later in the evening. You know those late night sweet tooth cravings? This tea is just what you need to help you satisfy those cravings without eating something that you’ll regret in the morning.
Pumpkin Brownie Honeybush Blend from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
I think this one might just speak for itself. Caffeine-free honeybush, cacao nibs and marigold petals with organic pumpkin and fudge brownie flavors. This is a big cup of delicious!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t remember ever tasting a pumpkin brownie before, and I’m pretty sure that if I had tasted a pumpkin brownie before, I would remember it! So, for the purposes of this review, I’m going to just have to imagine what a pumpkin brownie would taste like.
And while I’ve never tried pumpkin brownies, something I have tried (and I LOVE!) are pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. When autumn arrives, something I’m always keeping a look out for at my grocery store bakery are those cookies … and I’m happy to say that this reminds me a lot of those yummy treats!
But getting back to the subject of pumpkin brownies, I think I’m going to have to find a recipe for pumpkin brownies too. This might just have to be the Thanksgiving dessert for this year’s Thanksgiving. Because … yeah. Pumpkin … Brownie. Do I need to say any more?
And if my pumpkin brownies wind up tasting anything like this yummy tisane, I think it might even be something that is requested more often than on Thanksgiving. This is YUM!
The honeybush base is a nice choice for these flavors, because it has a naturally sweet, nutty taste that goes really well with a fudge brownie flavor. It adds some depth to the brownie notes. And I like the way the honeyed flavor works with the pumpkin too.
This is a sweet dessert-like tea, but I like that even though it’s inspired by something that is really rich and sweet, it isn’t an overly sweet cup of tea. It satisfies the sweet tooth without overwhelming it. There is a balance, ad the pumpkin, while it is a sweeter vegetable, it adds an element of savory to the cup so that it’s not cloying.
The pumpkin is sweet but not too sweet, and adds a compelling contrast to the cacao flavor, and I really love the way pumpkin and chocolate taste together. There’s a good amount of chocolate flavor, a good amount of pumpkin, and I can still taste the nutty flavors of the honeybush too.
YUM!
Cinnamon Peach & Apricot Honeybush from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Here’s a blend of caffeine-free honeybush with freeze-dried peaches and apricots and cinnamon chips. This is one of those blends that is bound to make you happy inside whether you prepare it hot or iced.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I usually approach the tisanes from 52Teas with a certain amount of tired disinterest. Not because I haven’t enjoyed the tisanes from 52Teas, but because that’s my general attitude when it comes to tisanes (and not just those from this company!) I – quite simply – prefer blends with camellia sinensis in them. That’s just me.
And even though I tend to find myself sort of bored with tisanes, I usually enjoy them once I get around to actually brewing them.
And that’s true of this Cinnamon Peach & Apricot Honeybush from 52Teas. This is actually quite good, much better than I expected it to be. The peach and apricot are a naturally delicious combination. For example, I love peach cobbler, and I love apricot cobbler … but even better is a peach-apricot cobbler! The two fruits just taste better together.
And this tisane – when served warm – tastes a little bit like a peach and apricot cobbler. The naturally nutty, sweet notes of the honeybush offer a “crust” sort of flavor to the cup, while the cinnamon offers just the right touch of spice.
But where this tisane really shines is as an iced drink. It is fruity and sweet, with just enough zesty cinnamon to offset that sweetness and give the cup some balance. The nutty flavors of the honeybush seem to subdue as the tisane cools, and I taste mostly fruit and spice. It’s a refreshing, tasty beverage that both my daughter and I enjoy.
This tisane doesn’t really need any sweetener to enhance it, but if you do decide you want a little extra sweetness to it, try adding a little brown sugar to it. This really amplifies that peach-apricot cobbler taste I mentioned earlier. And a splash of milk or cream will give it a really decadent, creamy flavor that is absolutely YUM!
So even though I started out kind of feeling lackadaisical about this tisane, it proved to be a really tasty treat.
Orange Pineapple Honeybush Tisane from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Oh, and this week’s amazing tea? How about a honeybush with freeze-dried orange and pineapple bits and organic pineapple and orange flavors? I think it’s a nice refreshing tea for the start of spring.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Orange Pineapple Honeybush: it almost sounds like a breakfast juice or a smoothie rather than a tisane, doesn’t it? And when it’s served cold, it almost tastes like a smoothie or a fruit juice.
The orange and pineapple are sweet and tangy, and after I take a sip, my taste buds seem to perk up and take notice of the bright fruit flavors. I find that the orange and pineapple seem pretty even, with more orange notes coming forward during the beginning of the sip and more pineapple emerging toward the finish and into the aftertaste.
I don’t taste a lot of honeybush and I don’t really mind that because I’d rather taste the orange and pineapple versus the honeybush anyway. But, I do taste some of the nutty, honey-sweet notes of honeybush. These notes are really quite subtle compared to the fruit flavors though.
An enjoyable cuppa. I like this one better iced, though, because it’s a really refreshing flavor combination. When served hot, I found that this does have a soothing quality to it, like something I’d like to drink if I were feeling a little under the weather.
Peanut Cluster Honeybush Tisane from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
As for this week’s tea, I kind of have a soft spot for these peanut clusters–the ones with peanuts and caramel dipped in dark chocolate? It’s making me hungry just thinking about it which is probably a good sign since I haven’t eaten much of anything for almost a week. But I think this blend of caffeine-free honeybush, peanuts, cacao nibs and organic caramel, peanut and chocolate flavors is bound to be a crowd pleaser. It’s a honeybush blend, so it probably won’t last long. Get yours today!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Peanut Cluster? Yummy! That’s a treat you don’t have to ask me twice if I’d like one … I mean, what’s not to love about a peanut cluster? Caramel peanut clusters that are drenched in dark chocolate? Yes please! And as Frank (the chief zoomdweebie at 52Teas) has a way with honeybush, I had absolutely no doubt that I’d be loving this Peanut Cluster Honeybush Tisane!
The aroma of the dry leaf was a little funky. It smelled a little bit chemical-y … but I can also smell notes of cacao and peanut as well as the nutty, woody fragrance of the honeybush, so I was hopeful that the weird smell wouldn’t upset the flavor.
Fortunately, it doesn’t taste off. Quite the contrary … it tastes quite scrumptious! I taste the notes of caramel, peanuts, and chocolate. It’s sweet and tastes like it should have more calories than it does. (I don’t know that it has any calories … but if it does have some, I’d guess that the calorie count is small.)
As I make my way to the end of the cup, I notice the flavors develop. I taste the sweet, creamy notes of the caramel and the warm, toasty flavor of the peanuts. The chocolate has a richness to it.
There is a really good balance of flavors here, including the honeybush, which hasn’t been overpowered by the other flavors of this tisane. The nutty, honey-sweet flavor of the honeybush melds very well with the other notes of this cup. I think that honeybush was the ideal base for these flavors because they seem to be made for one another. Everything marries beautifully.
This is really good. I don’t know that I’m tasting a liquefied peanut cluster here, because to be perfectly honest, I’d rather be munching on the confection than sipping the tisane. That said, this IS really tasty and makes a pleasant dessert substitute for those who would rather not indulge on a piece of candy but still want something sweet and satisfying.