Graveyard Mist from 52Teas

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tea Description:

Part Chinese sencha, part Yun Wu (Cloud Mist), with marshmallow root, spearmint and natural marshmallow, spearmint and a hint of malt flavors, this is a smooth, silky experience with the sweet pique of spearmint subdued and made ghost-like–subtle, but haunting.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I love marshmallows.  I especially love homemade marshmallows, they’re one of my favorite treats.  (By the way, if you’re looking for an exceptional marshmallow experience, you’ve got to try 240Sweet’s marshmallows!)  So, I was really excited to try this Graveyard Mist from 52Teas which is a blend of green teas, marshmallow root and spearmint!

And what it tastes like, is a minty marshmallow in a cup of green tea!  YUM!  I can almost taste and feel the fluffiness of the marshmallow puff.  I definitely get the whole “Graveyard Mist” thing here – the flavor from the marshmallow root and the hint of malt really give this tea a sort of haunting kind of flavor.  It’s amazing, and demonstrates, once again, that Frank from 52Teas is a tea genius!

The combination of the Chinese Sencha and Yun Wu green teas provides a delightful base for this blend.  It is vegetative, with a taste that is somewhere between sweet grass and mild spinach.  It lends a very fresh taste to the overall cup, a freshness that is further emphasized with the crisp, clean taste of spearmint.  I like that the minty tones are not overwhelming the cup – as mint has been known to sometimes do.  Instead, it sort of lingers in the background.

I love the way the mint and the marshmallow root work together here.  It is almost like a veiled, wispy essence of mint … like a ghostly mint because of the marshmallow and I think this plays to the whole Graveyard Mist concept.

Really unique … and so good, it’s scary!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea, Tea Company, Type Of Tea

Sun and Cloud Mist Tea from 52Teas

by liberteas

 

suncloudmistTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  52Teas (better hurry on this one … at the time of this writing there were only 3 pouches left in stock!)

Tea Description:

Don’t let the silliness of this week’s label fool you. This is a serious tea: Seriously delicious. We’ve combined a premium Yun Wu (Cloud Mist) green tea with marshmallow root and all things lemon for a smooth, refreshing lemony green tea with some extra marshmallowy sweetness added in. Plus, you get a package with this cute kitten on the label!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Aww… just look at this label.  Isn’t it cute?  A lemony sun, marshmallow-y clouds, and an adorable kitten.  How could anyone NOT buy this tea based on the label alone?

But if the label isn’t enough to draw you in – heck, maybe you’re a dog person – then the flavor of this tea should.  It is one seriously tasty tea!

The base of the tea is a Yun Wu (aka Cloud Mist) which is a temporary departure from the usual Chinese Sencha tea that 52Teas usually uses in their green tea blends.  While I do enjoy the Chinese Sencha that is the go-to green tea base for 52Teas, I must say that the use of the Yun Wu is very refreshing.  It is a little lighter overall, and offers a slightly sweeter, nuttier flavor than the usual buttery Sencha tea, and I think that the Yun Wu melds very harmoniously with the lemon and marshmallow flavors of this blend.

And while I probably wouldn’t have thought of combining the flavors of lemon and marshmallow, I really like the way these two come together.  The marshmallow flavor is a bit soft, but I find that it emerges more after allowing the tea to cool for a minute or two.

The lemon is strong, however, it is not overwhelming the other flavors of the tea.  Instead, it saves much of its strength for the aftertaste, which ends up tasting a bit to me like Lemon Meringue Jelly Bellys (one of my favorite flavors), and it’s making me want to reach over for the jar that is just slightly out of my reach at the moment and start munching on Jelly Bellys!

But I won’t.  I will instead enjoy this tea … and it is really so good.  And as good as it is hot, it is even better iced!  YUMmmm!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea, Tea Company, Type Of Tea

Southern Boy Teas Series, Part 5: Lime Jello from 52Teas

by liberteas

limejello2Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tea Description:

Premium Indian CTC black teas blended with organic flavoring. Amazing tea with a great lime Jello finish.

Learn more about Southern Boy Teas.

Taster’s Review:

I’ve got to tell you, I am absolutely loving the iced tea series from 52Teas this year.  Last year, there were some pretty unique flavors and I loved that, but, what I think I really like about this year (and this may come as a surprise to some!) is the fact that they’re bagged!  Yes, you read that correctly.

At first, I disliked that these were bagged because I had planned to hot-brew the lot, but, after getting my new glass iced tea pitcher and started cold-brewing these teas, I am loving the how easy it is to cold-brew, especially since these teas are bagged, I wouldn’t enjoy having to strain the teas the next morning.  But even more than the simplicity, I really enjoy the flavor that comes from the cold-brew process.  The flavors seem smoother and sweeter with the cold-brew process.

When I drink a tea hot, I enjoy having all the “precise” flavors of the cup, but, when it’s iced, I prefer the tea to be smooth and easy-drinking.  And the cold-brewing process really encourages a softer, smoother tea.

This Lime Jello flavor of the Southern Boy Teas series is quite nice:  lots of sweet-tart lime flavor, a hint of marshmallow, and there also seems to be another fruit in there … pineapple?  The overall taste is very refreshing.  The black tea is not overwhelmed by the flavors, everything is really balanced well.

I must admit to preferring the Lime Jello Salad Green Tea from 52Teas that was released around Thanksgiving of last year.  I think that the green tea melded beautifully with these particular flavors, and produced a very memorable tea indeed.  But, I am enjoying this one as well, and glad that 52Teas re-fashioned the flavor for their iced tea series this year.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Black Tea, Tea Company, Type Of Tea

On The Sixth Day of Christmas, 52Teas sent to me …

by liberteas

Wow, already halfway through this sampler box!  It seems weird to me that Christmas is less than a week away.  Time flies.  This is going to be a very strange holiday for me.  Without going into details and making this a sappy, sordid story, I will just say that it is going to be different, and I’m glad that I have tea and the fun of this sampler box to make things a little easier.

So… for the sixth day of Christmas, 52Teas sent me this tea:

MARSHMALLOW TREAT FLAVORED GENMAICHA

I was one of the “lucky” customers that managed to get a pouch of the very first batch of this that Frank blended.  His later batches were not mixed with mini-marshmallows and instead have marshmallow root.  In addition, his later batches (including this one) did not include Uji-Genmaicha (Genmaicha with Matcha).

And that certainly does make a difference from the Marshmallow Treat tea that I reviewed back in June.  The green tea flavor is softer, as is the marshmallow flavor.  I find that as the tea cools slightly (still hot, just not fresh from the teapot hot), the marshmallow flavor develops a bit, and as I continue to sip, it develops even more.  But, it doesn’t ever really become quite as memorable as that first batch was for me.  The overall cup is lighter in flavor, and I think that this has just as much to do with the lack of Matcha as it does the lack of real marshmallows, if not more.

That being said, this is still really good.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea, Tea Company, Type Of Tea

Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha from 52Teas

by liberteas

marshmallowtreatgenmaichaTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Product Description:

Had some extra genmaicha (and a little bit of uji (matcha mixed with-) genmaicha that we blended together to create this awesome blend. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough of anything to make it a tea of the week, so here’s a bonus blend (VERY LIMITED EDITION) for this week.

We’ve blended genmaicha (Japanese sencha (I got it before the earthquake, so no worries) blended with toasted rice) with mini marshmallows and natural flavors. This blend is going to go FAST, and we won’t be able to blend any more for a while, if we ever do, so DO NOT drag your feet about this one.

Taster’s Review:

I want to preface this review by saying that the package of Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha that I ordered was from the original batch, not the re-blend.  The re-blended Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha is slightly different in that it was made vegan, using marshmallow root rather than mini marshmallows.  In addition, the re-blended batch did not contain the Uji Genmaicha (Genmaicha + Matcha).  It is the original batch that I will be reviewing here, and I don’t know how different the flavor will be from the re-blended batch.

Now, with that said, let’s get to the review!

This is AWESOME!  I think I have only tried one other flavored Genmaicha from 52Teas (the Malted Genmaicha) and while I did really enjoy that one, this particular blend takes Genmaicha to a whole other level.  It is amazing.

The Sencha is light-bodied with faint vegetative notes.  It tastes fresh without tasting too grassy.  And I really am enjoying the hint of Matcha in there – it lends a creamy, smooth flavor to the cup that melds perfectly with the other flavors.  The Matcha contribution is not a strong one, but, it is enough to keep the palate intrigued.  And, of course, the toasty, sweet flavor of the popped rice is right on target with the Marshmallow Treat concept.

The mini-marshmallows melt in the hot water, and give just a little bit of creamy texture to the cup, as well as the expected sweetness.  (No additional sweetener is needed here!)  I really love the addition of the mini-marshmallows, they do really enhance the flavor of the cup.  It makes me wonder how the marshmallow root compares.

Yet another example of why 52Teas is my favorite tea company!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Green Tea, Matcha, Tea Company, Type Of Tea