New Year’s is right around the corner. Do you still make resolutions for the new year? I pretty much stopped because I never kept the resolutions so I didn’t see the point in going through the motions. Good intentions, yeah … maybe.
Maple Bacon Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, I’ll be the first to admit it, as much as I do enjoy the bacon flavored teas from 52Teas, I wasn’t too sure about this one. I mean, it works on a certain level for the hot tea, but I’m not so sure how good this is going to be iced. It kind of sounds weird. When bacon gets cold, you get congealed fat. And even though this is vegan bacon flavor … the thought of cold bacon just sort of … evokes those thoughts for me.
And as I’m sipping this … yeah, it’s weird. It’s … alright. It’s not horrible, but it’s still really weird. And I can’t say that it’s my favorite iced tea flavor, because it isn’t.
That said, Frank (chief zoomdweebie at 52Teas and Southern Boy Teas) nailed the maple bacon flavor. This tastes like bacon. I taste notes of maple (although, I wouldn’t complain if there were a little more maple-y notes). I even taste the brisk black tea in the background.
To enhance the salty notes of the bacon, I added about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt to the hot-brewed tea (yes, I hot-brewed this pouch this time. I don’t know why, but something inside just told me that the bacon flavors needed to be extracted via hot-brewing). And I think that the 1/4 teaspoon adds just the right touch of saltiness to this iced tea that’s needed to bacon-ize this tea.
Yeah … it’s still weird. I can’t see myself actually wanting this tea again … you know, craving it? That said, I’m not hating this. I just don’t think it will be a tea that I’d order again, because I find myself more refreshed with Southern Boy Teas’ fruit-flavored iced teas.
I didn’t love this tea but I didn’t hate it. However, there are so many other successful flavors of iced tea out there and this one is just sort of misses the mark for me. I like the original maple bacon tea from 52Teas served hot much better, and I guess it goes back to what I was saying at the beginning of this review: I don’t think that maple bacon flavor works for an iced tea flavor. Not for me, at least. And it pains me to say that, because I love bacon.
Inscape: A NOS4A2 Inspired Yerba Mate Blend from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
But I suppose you want to know about the tea this week. Inscape is my attempt at an artistic interpretation of Joe Hill’s novel. It is dark and mysterious with a roasted South American yerba mate base blended with almond slivers, marshmallow root, licorice root and a touch of peppermint. It is largely flavored with organic marshmallow and maple flavors and the cup tastes mostly like a rich vanilla/maple mate with a whisper of licorice and peppermint–like the ghost of Christmas, unexpected and strangely haunting. This is MY inscape, my re-imagining of Joe Hill’s novel manifested in reality and poured out for you. I hope you like it.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been drinking this Inscape: A NOS4A2 Inspired Yerba Mate Blend from 52Teas for a couple of days now, but this is the first time that I’ve taken the time to sit down and actually write a review about it. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t even think about writing about the tisane until it was gone! Ha! And since I like to be sipping on the tea/tisane as I’m writing the review so that I can provide as accurate a review on what I’m tasting as possible, I found myself saying a few times … “well, I guess I’ll just have to wait until I brew it again.”
I have not read any of Joe Hill’s books (sorry, Mr. Hill, if you’re reading this), but, I am really enjoying this tisane so much that it is making me curious about reading NOS4A2 to see how the book stands up to the tisane that inspired it.
Generally speaking, Yerba Mate is not my favorite tisane base … but I don’t hate the stuff the way I once did. There was a time when I found it way too earthy for my liking … but, now, I don’t mind it so much. I also think that it may have had something to do with the actual Yerba Mate I was drinking, perhaps the brand was just not a very good one. But this … this is really nice. It tastes earthy and roasted … and this particular blend … almost tastes like a flavored coffee but with less bitterness than a typical cup of java.
The maple is what won me over with this particular blend – it is so yummy and maple-y and just … GOOD. It’s like that first taste of real maple syrup after drizzling the syrup over a stack of pancakes … you know that little drop that remains on the lip of the bottle? You’ve gotta wipe that off with your finger and taste it, right? That delicious, maple-y goodness is what I experience with every sip of this tisane.
Then I notice the creamy vanilla tones – it’s light and fluffy tasting, like marshmallow cream. In the background, I notice hints of licorice. And there is a nuttiness to this as well, and I don’t know if I’m getting that from the actual almond slivers or if it’s from the Yerba Mate. It’s not a distinct almond-esque flavor, it’s just a sweet, nutty taste that really elevates the soft, marshmallow-y vanilla notes.
Surprisingly, I don’t notice a whole lot of the peppermint. What I do notice a sort of clean … crispness right up front, but it isn’t a distinguished minty taste. Toward the finish, I start to pick up more of the peppermint tones, and the aftertaste as a faint, mysterious hint of peppermint. This surprises me because peppermint does tend to be a rather aggressive herb in blends, and often overpowers everything else. But that didn’t happen here – this is very skillfully blended with just the right amount of peppermint that leaves the taster thinking: “what was that?” Like the way a faint breeze feels when you’re walking through some spooky woods as night falls, and it tickles across your back and it’s just enough of something to make you wonder if the woods are haunted and you just had an encounter with a ghost. But … it’s a lot less freaky and a whole lot more tasty!
I like this a lot. I like it so much that I just visited the 52Teas website with the intention of re-ordering some … but it appears it’s sold out. Hopefully it will be re-blended!
French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Look ma: No mango this week! Instead, be prepared to be blown away by this new black tea blend. If you love our Pancake Breakfast blend, you’re going to LOVE this. It’s similar to Pancake breakfast, but a little sweeter with some cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup and yes, even a touch of butter flavors.
This is like French toast in a cup without the 600 calories you’d expect from some hot French toast drowning in maple syrup and butter. This is a brand new comfort tea and I imagine it’s going to go FAST.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum, yum, yum! I have been looking forward to trying this French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas! I adored the “Pancake Breakfast” blend 52Teas put out a while back, and I was certain I’d enjoy this one as well. And it certainly is living up to my high expectations.
It is totally YUM!
My one complaint, if one is to get picky … is that there is a tad too much cinnamon in this. I don’t mind cinnamon, not at all, and I personally am enjoying the level of cinnamon in this cup, however, to capture the true essence of French Toast in a teacup, I think that the cinnamon should be a bit more delicate. As it is, this is more like French Toast that has been made using cinnamon swirl bread … which is typically my favorite kind of bread to use for French Toast … although recently, I’ve discovered a Peach Cobbler bread and that stuff is AMAZING as French Toast … but I digress.
My point is this: when using non-cinnamon-y swirly bread, my French Toast doesn’t usually have this much of a cinnamon taste to it.
But the cinnamon rant aside, this is truly delicious. The black tea base is rich and robust. The cinnamon is the strongest note here, but, I also taste maple, butter, and a hint of brown sugar. There is also a sort of bread-y taste that brings all these flavors together and creates a taste that is very much like liquefied cinnamon French Toast breakfast in a teacup … made complete with a cup of tea to go with it.
What can I say? 52Teas does it again! This blend has already sold out, however, you can request a reblend of it by going here and clicking on the big, blue “Please Reblend” badge on the center of the page and fill out the form that follows.
Snow Maple Flavored White Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
A winter tradition for Ottawa residents, sugar bush season! The silver lining to the cold winter months and a great introduction to spring. It is a chance to see the production of pure Canadian maple syrup and enjoy the many delicious uses. Possibly the most memerable part of joining in is the taffy in the snow where children (and people of all ages) get some warm maple syrup to pour into the snow and make their own snow maple taffy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Snow Maple Flavored White Tea from Shanti Tea is AWESOME! I love maple … and it’s been my experience that far too often with maple flavored teas that the maple flavoring just isn’t strong enough to satisfy me. That is not the case with this maple tea! This tea brings the maple, and brings it on loud and proud!
Well, as loud and proud as is appropriate for a white tea, which is, in itself a fairly delicate tasting tea. And the maple flavoring does not overwhelm the tea … but it is strong. This tea is less about the tea and more about the maple, but, I’m not minding that because I’m loving the way the maple is represented here!
It is sweet and deliciously maple-y! The white tea gives notes of earthiness to the cup that I think really accentuate the maple notes deliciously. It tastes warm and delicious – very autumnal! It is a very crisp and delectable maple tea.
If you like maple teas … this is one you MUST try! It’s oh-so-good!
Maple Pecan Oolong from Butiki Teas
Tea Type:
Oolong Tea
Where To Buy:
Butiki Tea
Product Description:
Our Maple Pecan Oolong utilizes our Nilgiri Frost Oolong base. This smooth, silky tea has maple notes that develop into pecan notes then finish with maple notes that linger. Some citrus notes may also be detected. The flavors weave together brilliantly and are well balanced with the oolong base. With a little sugar the maple and pecan intensify for a wonderful desert treat that resembles a pecan pie. We recommend adding sugar slowly; too much sugar and the tea will taste like exactly like fresh maple syrup with a hint of pecan.
Ingredients: Nilgiri Frost Oolong, Pecans, Organic Natural Flavoring (vegan)
Recommended Brew Time: 4 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 170 F degreesFor more information, please visit http://www.butikiteas.com
Tasters Review:
Every time I see or hear about something Maple Pecan flavored I think of my Grandpa…RIP. You see – my Grandfather was a very interesting man…very fun and VERY memorable! He passed away in 1995 but I remember EVERYTHING about him! One of the many things I will always remember is his love for Maple Pecan ICE CREAM. He was addicted to it! It was that flavor and Almond Pistachio – those were his TWO Favorites! So, yeah, when I see or hear about Maple Pecan…I think of my Grandfather!
Anyhow…I am super excited to try this one! I’m also really happy Stacy used a Nilgiri Oolong here, too! I have large REAL Pecans in this and that I LOVE. I have to confess I gnawed on one of the Pecans after it was done infusing!
The Maple is nice and even aroma-wise and there is a sugary-sweet aroma to follow, too! The pecans are delightful and of course…NUTTY!
The flavor is VERY Pecan-esque with a bit of sugary-sweet Maple flavor. It is certainly comparable to Maple Pecan Ice Cream or Maple Walnut Ice Cream but in tea form.
This flavored Oolong is an amazingly flavored oolong! Excellent! And more importantly…TRUE to it’s name!
YUMMO!
