Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, so I have to admit that I’m less excited about a honeybush iced tea than I am a black iced tea. (Or should I say honeybush iced tisane?) Anyway, despite my less than enthusiastic attitude about this product, I am LOVING IT! It is really delicious and very refreshing.
The honeybush base is actually ideal for these flavors because the naturally sweet, nutty flavor of the honeybush creates a sort of bready/doughy flavor for the “roll” part of this taste experience. I can taste notes of butter that further accentuate the pastry flavor.
It’s sweet and gently spiced with cinnamon. I don’t get a heavy “icing” taste from this but I do get a light vanilla-y, creamy undertone to this that tastes a bit like the icing that would be smothered over a freshly baked cinnamon roll. I don’t think I’d want it to be a heavier icing taste, I like the way that the creamy notes here are softer in flavor than your typical mall-food-court cinnamon roll because while my sweet tooth gets happy at the thought of that sweet, decadent icing … it’s the part of the cinnamon roll that keeps me from indulging in cinnamon rolls very often – that sweetness becomes cloying too fast and I feel a little overwhelmed by the sweetness (and sometimes a little sick from it.)
This – on the other hand – is just right with the sweetness. This is the way I’d want my cinnamon roll to taste: lighter on the icing with a nice, well-pronounced cinnamon note and a satisfying, buttery pastry.
A really enjoyable iced tea. This is one that I could see myself ordering again.
Citrus Blast Flavored Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I was pretty sure that I’d enjoy this iced tea flavor from Southern Boy Teas … I mean, citrus and black tea? These are two flavors that just go together … much like iced tea and summertime go together.
And this is really refreshing. It definitely has a big BLAST of citrus flavor, but I appreciate that I’m tasting more iced tea than citrus fruit. And not surprisingly, the citrus notes are quite complementary to the flavors of black tea. Like I said before, these are two flavor profiles that just work.
This tea is not overly tart, the tea balances out the tart flavors and lets some of the sweet notes of the citrus flavors come through. For me, I think that the lime is the most prominent citrus note that I taste, but I also taste hints of lemon and orange. There is also a grapefruit-like note to this and I like how all these flavors meld together into a “blast” of citrus: all the citrus notes work together to create a very harmonious tasting, refreshing glass of iced tea that seems to disappear from my glass quickly.
And while citrus flavors and black tea DO work together well, I find that this is not just “lemon” or “lime” or “orange” flavored iced tea. It’s a medley of flavors so that makes it just a little different from an average pitcher of iced tea. I like that I can count on SBT to deliver not just tasty iced tea, but something that’s a little outside of the box. Something a little different, something a little unexpected … SBT not only keeps my palate cool and refreshed but happy too!
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
You can also learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I love a bowl of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream! So rich, creamy and the crisp, cool mint flavor really makes it a perfect summer time treat. And hey … let’s not forget the chocolate chips. Mmm! Chocolate!
So I was looking forward to trying this new flavor from Southern Boy Teas: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Iced Tea!
It is a tasty iced tea. There is a palate-pleasing balance of mint, chocolate and creamy flavors along with a backdrop of black tea notes.
That said, I do have a little issue with it. My one complaint is that the chocolate notes are just a bit on the “fake” tasting side, but this is something that I found an easy fix for: just add a little bit of sugar.
But because this tea is already on the sweeter side, if you sweeten your iced tea while it’s still hot (so that the sugar melts!), you might want to use a little less than you usually would, or you might want to hold off altogether and make a simple syrup to sweeten to your taste once it’s chilled.
I found it to be rather tasty without the sweetener but as I said, the chocolate tasted just a little off. I then made a simple syrup: I just add a teensy bit of boiling water to about a half teaspoon of water and stir in a coffee cup until the sugar is dissolved, and then add it to my tea. The simple syrup enhanced the flavors nicely and improved the flavor of the chocolate.
Even without the sweetener, this is still quite tasty. The chocolate notes don’t taste bad, but, there’s just a little something not quite 100% perfect about it either. The sweetener does improve this issue with the chocolate, but I am not thrilled with the fact that I need to sweeten my tea to make it taste right.
I liked it, but I’ve liked other teas from SBT more than this one.
First Flush Long Jing Green Tea from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
A first flush Longjing tea picked in early spring. An exceptional quality rarely seen outside of China.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! This is an exceptionally fresh-tasting Longjing! I’m not surprised, of course, because I can’t recall being disappointed by any of the teas that I’ve tried thus far from Teasenz! This company is one that is committed to offering the very finest (and freshest!) teas. I like that in a tea company.
And I’m finding myself really appreciating the freshness and flavor of this first flush Long Jing (aka Dragon Well). It’s sweet and smooth and delicious. Not a trace of bitterness and a very low astringency level.
This Dragon Well has a light vegetal tone and tastes more of sweet butter with nutty tones than it tastes grassy or vegetative. I also taste notes of fruit and flower in the distance.
The sip starts out sweet, reminiscent of the nutty flavor you might experience with a browned butter. The nutty flavor has a light, toasted taste to it. About mid-sip, I start to pick up on hints of fruit and very delicate whispers of flower in the distance. More sweetness! The sip ends smooth with a slight dry sensation – a very, very slight dry astringency here. If I wasn’t focused in on the sip and really concentrating on everything I’m picking up on … this astringency is so low that it would have escaped my notice.
I love how this tea washes the palate with sweetness with every sip. It’s so enjoyable. It is more sweet than it is savory or brothy, this isn’t one of those “nourishing” type of teas, this is one to drink for the sheer celebration of a superbly beautiful and satisfyingly sweet green tea.
Another AMAZING tea from Teasenz!
Mango Sherbet Flavored Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Check out Southern Boy Teas’ Kickstarter Campaign to raise funds to attend the ASD Trade Show in Las Vegas.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited when I saw this flavor added to the Southern Boy Teas line, because I remembered the yummy Mango Ice Cream flavor that 52Teas had as their tea of the week some time ago, and I was hoping that this would be similar to that. That tea was seriously yummy!
And so is this Iced Tea flavor from SBT! The mango is a strong flavor and it’s sweet and fruity. There is a creamy element to the flavor as well, and I like the way this melds with the black tea notes to create a malty, creamy, refreshing black tea flavor.
This iced tea is so delicious! It tastes like someone melted a scoop of mango sherbet in my glass of iced tea! It’s sweet and mango-ish, with just the right notes of creaminess, but these flavors don’t overpower the brisk flavor of the black tea. The creaminess does soften the “edge” of the tea just slightly without overwhelming the ‘black tea’ flavor that I’m looking for when I pour myself a glass of iced tea.
This iced tea flavor from SBT is a real winner!
Frank (the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas and Southern Boy Teas) is trying to raise enough money to set up a display at the ASD Trade Show in Las Vegas, which is to take place very soon. This kind of exposure will really help his company take off. Please consider helping this small business become a big success by donating to their Kickstarter campaign. Thank you!