As some of you may know, I’ve taken a step back from my tea shop to get myself back on track health wise. What some of you might not know- I literally stopped drinking tea all together. I think between being such a huge tea fan and blending my own blends- my taste buds just weren’t feeling tea anymore. So I sadly packed up what tea I had (which was a lot), knowing that one day I would be back at it. . . and I’m happy to say after taking a couple months off- my taste buds are back where they should be.
I wanted to greet my tastebuds with something amazing right from the start and knowing that I had a lot of 52Teas in my stash, I knew Anne’s blends would be exactly where I needed to start my journey back into tea with.
If you aren’t familiar with Anne/52Teas, I implore to check her site out. She literally makes some of the most amazing blends that I’ve ever had and beyond that, she is just an amazing person. I’m quite honored to call her a personal friend as well, tho I never let that cloud my reviews of her blends and she knows that as well :).
Anyway, back to the tea goodness. . .
So over the last few days, I have enjoyed a TON of 52 Teas blends and was able to sipdown a few. Below are my thoughts on these blends that are sipdowns. . .
Blood Orange Butterscotch Black Tea– A blend with Black Tea, Blood Oranges, Calendula Petals & Natural Flavors- This blend, I have to say, was amazing however, I didn’t really pick up on the blood orange or the butterscotch. What I loved was the black tea that Anne used in this blend. The flavor was rich and smooth and even tho I didn’t really pick up any of the flavors, the black tea notes were more than enough for me to call this blend a winner.
Boy! Oh! Boy! Black Tea– A blend with Black Teas, Watermelon and Natural Flavors- To me, watermelon is a flavor best enjoyed cold so I cold brewed this one. That may have been a mistake. I didn’t love the blend and now I’m wondering if I would have enjoyed this one hot- would some of the flavors popped a bit more. . All I really could pick up was watermelon and being not one of my favorite flavors. . this one wasn’t my favorite. Still good.
Michola Chai Black Tea w/Honeybush– I would list the ingredients for this one but there is a laundry list of delights used to make this blend so I will some this one up with saying the normal chai ingredients with marshmallow root, vanilla bean, and honeybush. Let’s just start this note by saying sorry, not sorry. I literally gobbled up all the remaining inventory for this blend earlier this week (I believe and if there is more- I call dibs). This blend is one if not the BEST chai blend I have ever had, and I am not a fan of chais. Brewed up with hot- this blend had notes of chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg. . but want I literally searched for in each and every sip was the awesome ginger notes that stole the show. Not being a huge ginger fan- the amount of love I have for this blend is really interesting. So many flavors that normally I am not all about. I greedily drank/gulped this tea down in no time flat and have to say it is simply amazing. All the ingredients mingle so well. If you have this one in your stash, check it out. You won’t be sorry.
Gooey Butter Cake Black Tea– Black teas, lemon myrtle, calendula petals & natural flavors- Brewed up hot, this tea is literally like sipping on a cake. The cake notes are perfect in the spotlight with the tail end of the sip reminding you this is a black tea. Really delightful and one that I was happy to enjoy. Where I went wrong with this blend was brewing this one cold. Sadly the lemon myrtle took over and I didn’t enjoy the cold brew as much as the hot. Was still good, just not as good as the hot brew.
Walking on Sunshine White Tea– White Tea, lemons, marshmallow root & natural flavor- This white tea blend calls my name over and over. Marshmallow Root, white tea, and lemon are one of my favorite combinations and this tea was no exception. I truly enjoyed this blend hot as well as cold. This blend is currently available on the site and if I was enjoying white teas more, I would have gobbled up all of this blend too.
Ginger Lime Butterfly Tea– Butterfly Pea Flower, Lemongrass, ginger root, limes & natural flavors- Oh this blend. I truly truly love this blend. This blend has been my companion for a while since I cold brewed this delight and just keep adding water. The blend reminds me of a slightly floral, slightly spiced, limeade with chunks of lemon. I don’t really know how else to describe this one. I still have to hot brew the remaining bit I have left over, but cold brewed, this one is a winner.
Grapefruit Creme Brulee Green Tea– Green tea grapefruit, calendula petals, vanilla bean & natural flavors- This one is another sorry not sorry. I also nabbed the remaining inventory of this blend earlier this week because this is the blend that truly sang my name and prompted me to even buy a new tea kettle. This blend has it all- the lovely sweet notes of the vanilla bean, the semi tartness of the grapefruit with the vegetal background of the green tea. I can’t express how much I love this one and I have a feeling this one might be one I beg Anne to reblend for me as a custom order. It truly is that good.
Sipdowns are amazing but can also be sad. It is always nice to make room for new blends but sometimes it is sad to say goodbye. . .especially to blends from 52Teas because once some of these teas are gone. . .they are gone for good. Lucky for me, I have myself a pretty good sized 52Teas order on its way to me.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal/Chai/Black/Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rose Moscato Green/Tielka Tea -CuppaGeek-
Sometimes when you receive tea mail, a tea instantly catches your eye. That is exactly what happened when we recently received a lovely box of tea to review from Tielka Tea, an Australian tea company with one of the prettiest websites I’ve seen in a while. Their tea blends are gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to steep this delight up.
First off, this tea is a green tea and with a name like Rose Moscato, I knew I was in for a treat!
Brewed up with water at 190F and allowed to steep for right around 3 minutes, this tea delivered on aroma and taste. Beautiful rose notes fill the air long with that floral sweetness I’ve grown to really love and enjoy. After having a long day, this blend exactly what I need to unwind and start to decompress.
First sip in, I have to say this tea is very simple but all of the flavors work- and work lovely. The green tea that is used in this blend is heavenly and I am a sucker for all things rose. The tea itself has this romantic air about it and I’m thoroughly feeling indulged. I do have to note that there is a touch of tartness in the blend from the hibiscus and schisandra berries that adds this pop of tartness to counter act the sweetness from the rose petals and buttery richness of the green tea.
All in all, this tea captured this green tea lovin’ gal’s heart and I’m excited to dive into other teas from Tielka Tea and hope to make a purchase with them soon.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tielka Tea
Description
Wulu green tea, schisandra berries, hibiscus, and rose petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Masala Chai Organic Black Tea/Rishi -TeaEqualsBliss
I’m doing my own personal sipdown during COVID that’s for sure! I’m flying thru a lot of the teas I have had on hand for a good-long-while including Masala Chai Organic Black Tea from Rishi Tea.
To be honest, I thought I already reviewed this one, but apparently I did NOT.
I drink chai like I drink tea…plain…straight-up…with nothing else in them. The spices are BOLD in this chai. The ingredients consist of Organic Black Tea, Organic Cardamom, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Black Pepper, and Organic Cloves. I almost typed GLOVES. Now…THAT would have been a tea I have never tried – hahaha!
As you can see – the ORGANIC theme runs thru this offering. It is certified USDA Organic and also Certified Kosher and both labels are clearly shown.
This is a bold chai and it reaches high standards. It’s a GOODIE!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gourmet Root Beer/52 Teas. . . .#sipdown
What a weird time we are in right now. . .The majority of us are in lockdown and are experiencing feelings and situations that are new to us. Trying to keep sane with working remotely and e learning for our kiddos is starting to become our new normal. I typically work remotely anyway but not with my stepsons and kiddos e learning and my husband working right beside me as well. On top of all those new experiences, I have been sick for literally over a month now with a respitory infection that seems to be lingering so there is currently a me sized imprint in my couch. I finally have enough energy ( or should say I just made myself get back to) to start getting my routine back which included pulling out my tea stash and making an effort to drink down some delights that I still have.
One of the first delights that caught my eye was Gourmet Root Beer from 52Teas. This is an older tea but one that I remember enjoying the first go around. Instead of brewing this tea hot, I decided this would be a perfect tea to cold brew while I work on hot brewing other teas. And what a great choice I made!
To start, I used a tea straw, my handy tervis, some ice, and cold water. I emptied the contents of the loose leaf tea into the cup, added the ice and cold water and let the cup sit for a bit. There was quite a bit of leaf left probably too much for one serving but I wasn’t paying attention and just dumped the contents into my cup. I’ll blame that oops on my current mediciation that is making me a bit loopy.
First sip in and I was reminded of how much I adore 52Teas. Not just because of the incredible flavors they are able to create but just the love and passion that goes into each blend. The rootbeer flavor is the front runner for sure witha touch of the anise falling behind. Fresh and delightful! I can’t say that I taste a whole lot of black tea notes but since I cold brewed the tea and the brewing hasn’t been going long, I think I’m mainly picking up on the extracts and I’m not mad at that.
Fast forward ten minutes and I’ve added a bit more cold water and took another sip. Again, the root beer and sarsaparilla flavors are the front runners with notes of the black tea starting to lightly drift in. Again, still not mad at the flavors coming across especially with all of the medicines. This bright pop of rootbeer flavor is exactly what I have been craving.
Not sure how this tea would be hot brewed but that is the beauty of tea. . .so many different ways to brew and enjoy. And now after this afternoon ditty, I’m craving 52Teas. . .looks like I know how I am going to be spending my birthday money!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gourmet Root Beer/52Teas. . ..
When I cut open my package of Gourmet Root Beer tea, the first thing I saw was a beautiful, WHOLE star anise. The first thing I smelled was ROOT BEER. That really needed to be in all caps because that is how it smelled. This wasn’t the scent of cheap, off label root beer. This was the rich, full scent of a craft root beer that would be poured from a frosty brown bottle, foaming into a thick and frothy head in your glass, filling the air with the scent of pure vanilla and anise. Perfection.
The blend contains black tea, sarsaparilla root, cloves, star anise, licorice root, vanilla bean, and natural flavors. Licorice root has not only a distinctive aroma but leaves a distinctive flavor and texture in the throat after you swallow. I really didn’t know that there was licorice root in this until I looked at the ingredients, because it was such pure root beer taste that the licorice root individuality didn’t stand out from it. It simply sweetened the tea to the point that a guest, who takes no sugar in any tea or coffee, remarked that this was a very sweet black tea.
I wasn’t satisfied with just trying it hot. The heat index today is 102F. That’s 39C. That’s inhumanly, ridiculously hot. I wanted to see if I could make an ice cold bubbly root beer with this. I put four teaspoons of leaf in seven ounces of water that was 200F then steeped for two and a half minutes and strained it. I poured this over 3/4 cup sugar to make a root beer simple syrup.
Even though it was still hot, I just couldn’t wait to try my experiment. I filled a twelve ounce glass about a third of the way up with ice and poured three tablespoons of the root beer syrup over the ice. Then I filled the glass the rest of the way with pre-chilled Perrier for the bubbles. I pronounce it DELICIOUS.
It was a fun experiment and I can’t wait for hubby to get home and try it. My daughter sniffed it and said she expected it to smell like cream soda but it really did smell like root beer to her. It is really good, and doesn’t have sodium benzoate like most soda. I added the sugar without thinking because that is how you make simple syrup, but if you wanted to cut your sugar intake, I bet this would be still be good with just the sweetness of the licorice root that is already in the blend. Or you could easily make the simple syrup and just add cold water if the carbonation isn’t important to you, but I was trying to replicate actual root beer.
If you love root beer, give this a try. It is not in stock at the time this review was written, but 52teas is all about keeping an ever changing offering of new blends and they do rotate the favorites back around now and then.
Now have fun with your tea and experiment!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available
