On the second day of Christmas, 52 Teas gave to me…. Holiday Marmalade Green Tea! I have been really excited to dig into these teas. With Day 1, I actually had opened it on the 1st of December, not realizing that we were starting these on December 12th! So, I kind of got a little “teaser” at the beginning of the month and have been counting down the days till I could officially start. One thing I really enjoy about 52 Teas as a company is that their blends are always so unique. I feel like a lot of tea companies out there are kind of repetitive and I really love that I can count on 52 Teas giving me something different and fun each month. Day 1’s tea definitely hit the nail on the head with uniqueness, and I’m happy to report that Day 2 is just as lovely!
Holiday Marmalade has an orange aroma and you can definitely smell the spices as well. I can see the clove buds, nutmeg, and big slices of oranges! The smell of this actually reminds me of Hot Buttered Spiced Rum Green Tea that was blended last year at 52 Teas. On taste, the two of course are different as this tea has no buttered rum flavor. I’d say that this one is less “dessert” and more of a nice, clean taste that would go well with any meal at any time of day. I do love spiced orange and I think that the green tea base works great here by adding a vegetal flair to the cup. This tastes like a green chai that gets a citrus twist from the orange slices. It is very comforting from the spices and also refreshing from the green tea and orange. I do believe it would taste good iced. If you happen to be in a warm climate during this winter (lucky you!) that may be a nice benefit to this particular blend.
Both Days 1 and 2 have been a success for me with this 12 Teas of Christmas “calendar”. I hope they were for you, too. Check back tomorrow for my take on Day 3….I have a feeling it will be a good one! 😉
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is not available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea from 52Teas. . .
I was having a pleasant morning, sipping on this Lemon-Lime Meringue Kukicha Green Tea and eating my breakfast. Things were going well until my two dogs decided to fight over a cookie under my chair. When we pulled them apart, one had a bloody nose and we didn’t realize right away so blood got everywhere, especially when she started sneezing causing splatters on the walls, floor, and even my sister and her husband. She was totally fine but it looked like a tiny murder happened in our house so this tea got put aside for a bit while we attended to the literal dog fight and cleaning up the aftermath.
Getting back to the tea it was still a touch warm and luckily the flavors didn’t seem to change that much from the hotter cup I was drinking prior to the chaos, as some teas tend to do when they cool. I think this is my first Kukicha green tea and it looked like it may have been particularly herbal tasting (between the kukicha and lemongrass) but that wasn’t the case thankfully. This has a real sweet and fluffy quality to it that when combined with the vanilla bean definitely helps sell the meringue. Complimentary to that is the creamy citrus notes of the lemon-lime which makes for a nice dessert tea.
This is a great little bright tea. The flavors are sweet and yet bright and refreshing. It could be a good afternoon treat or like I said before, a nice choice for dessert after dinner. Another hit for 52 Teas!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is not available right now but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Watermelon Lemonade Organic Green Tea from Fraser Tea. . .
I am a green tea kinda gal. Always have been. I enjoy black teas but sometimes they just hit me as being heavy. I love the fresh crisp flavors that only green teas an sometimes white teas can provide.
Speaking of crisp flavors, the other day I tried a unique blend that I haven’t seen anywhere else yet. Watermelon Lemonade Organic Green Tea from Fraser Tea. This blend is a lovely combination of green tea, peppermint, organic flavors, pineapples, and a few other ingredients.
Never would I have ever thought that I would dig watermelon in tea blends but recently 52Teas brought out a few watermelon teas that I greedily gobbled up tea pot after tea pot. This tea blend had my name all over it. I was happy to see it in my green tea sampler that I picked up from Fraser Tea a week ago. My tea kettle couldn’t prep the water fast enough for me.
For brewing parameters for this tea sachet, I prepped the water at 190F, steeped the tea sachet for a little over 3 minutes, and then allowed the tea to cool for another couple minutes-letting the flavors settle. This tea blend brews up to this lovely green limeade like flavor. I took my first sip and I knew I was done for.
Bright pops of a green vegetal background swirled happily and danced lovingly alongside notes of lemon and a subtle melon like flavor. There is a tartness through out each sip that is really lovely and the peppermint adds in a needed contrasting freshness to end each sip. I wouldn’t exactly call this a lemonade but in the same token, I wouldn’t simply call this a Watermelon Lemon tea. Like I said there is that noticeable tartness and I think that is where the lemonade comes into play.
Regardless, this tea is refreshing and marvelous. I can only imagine how dynamite this tea would be iced. This tea may not be a solid everyday drinking tea for me, but this tea is one that I would gladly drink every now and again. A lovely little ditty to keep in my tea stash when I need a change of pace.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Fraser Tea
Description
Delicate watermelon and mint flavor with a gentle finish.
Green Tea*, Peppermint*, Eleuthero Root*, Organic Flavors, Pineapples*, Lemongrass*, Hibiscus*, Safflower*, Cornflower*, Calendula* (*) = Organic Certified.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Polka Dot Bikini Organic Puerh from Fraser Tea. . .
The name alone had me with this tea. . .I mean being a lover of all things polka dot and all. . .
Polka Dot Bikini Organic Puerh is a wonderful blend of puerh tea, cocoa nibs, orange peel, fennel seeds and a few other ingredients. A blend that I have had before but never with orange peels that large added in. I ordered a box of sachets of this tea and a green tea sampler. I needed to know what this tea was all about.
Since Fraser Tea is a new tea company to me, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I received, immediately impressed me. I have already placed and received a much larger order and have plans to place another order very soon.
Each box of sachets was lovely assembled and each sachet was individually wrapped. Making the tea easier to transport and keep for those times where you need a tea asap and don’t have time to steep loose leaf. This particular tea had a lovely earthy smell with a slight citrus aroma. Really wonderful.
Brewed up my water 212F and allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes. Allowed the tea to cool for another 2-3 minutes and took my firsts sip. I was instantly in love. This tea has this wonderful silky smooth texture with notes of sweetness, earthiness, and herbaceous all in one tea sachet.
The puerh tea is solid-smooth, luxurious, and makes a wonderful base for the rest of the ingredients to play on. I don’t drink a lot of puerh, but from what I’ve had of the flavored variety, this is one of the best ones out there. With the dark tea base, the cocoa nibs become even more decadent adding to that silky luxurious mouth feel. Add in the citrus twist and fennel finish (not a strong fennel flavor by any means) and you have a wonderfully well balanced sweet treat.
Rich, sweet, citrus, earthy with a hit of chocolate. . and a touch of an herbal finish. . .really couldn’t ask for a better way to get you going and ready to take the day on.
I actually loved this tea so much that I took down half a box in one day and ordered 4 oz in my last order. I did notice that I was only able to get two steepings out of each sachet so I’m hoping I will be able to squeeze hopefully one more infusion out of the loose leaf.
For my first experience with Fraser Tea, I’m quite loving it and am excited to prep my tea kettle up to enjoy more teas from order!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: Fraser Tea
Description
Sweet chocolate and licorice flavor with earthy citrus aroma
Puerh Tea*, Cocoa Nibs*, Orange Peel*, Fennel Seeds*, Eleuthero Root*, Organic Flavor (*) = Organic Certified.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Assam Black Tea by Mana Organics
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Mana Organics
Description
A brisk tea with a malty, honey-sweet aroma followed deep character of taste and a pleasant pungency that will please even the most discerning of palates.Only Tippy Golden Flower Orange Pekoe Premier Grade (TGFOP1) Assam tea direct from our family’s estate, Chota Tingrai. Healthier for you and the environment thanks to our USDA certified organic practices. Packed onsite in re-sealable bag so you get that garden-fresh taste again and again. Tastes, smells, and looks so delicious that we got an award in the Global Tea Championship 2017
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
