Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Premium organic caffeine-free honeybush with organic flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, I have to admit that I was just a little bit weirded out by this flavor before I tried it. It’s been a difficult road to get me to embrace the idea of peanut and peanut butter flavored teas. I don’t know why it sounds so weird to me given all the weird flavors that I’ve tried up to this point but something about tea and peanut butter just didn’t sound all that appealing to me. And while I have come around from that way of thinking and I have enjoyed quite a few peanut and peanut butter flavored teas, the idea of a caramel peanut flavored ICED tea sounded weird. The peanut … worked OK as a hot tea but I was less convinced of an iced tea actually tasting good.
But this is really good. The caramel and peanut flavors work very well together, both accentuating each other in a really pleasant way, and the honeybush seems to elevate these flavors in a very tasty way. The natural nutty tones of the honeybush lend some depth to the peanut flavor while the sweet honey notes highlight the caramel notes.
To brew this, I used the “hot brew” method, bringing 1 quart of freshly filtered water to 195°F and steeping the sachet for 9 minutes. Then I repeated the process for the second quart, resteeping the sachet for 12 minutes. Then I chilled it overnight and now I have a pitcher full of ice-cold, naturally caffeine-free honeybush tea!
I’ve tried a few of the honeybush iced teas from SBT at this point and I think that this one is my favorite so far, which really surprises me because as I said in the first paragraph, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this blend. But this one definitely gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me.
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Well, you asked for it. Here it is. Our Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha. It’s sweet and savory and delicious, and best of all, it’s a guilt-free treat. Get yours while you can. This one is likely to go fast.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I am a little bit … leery of peanut butter teas. I don’t know why it is. I’ve been pretty open to try just about any other flavor, but peanut butter is one of those flavors that just seems “wrong” to have in a tea. Then one day, I tried something (taffy … not tea!) and something about that taffy suggested to me that maybe, just maybe, I should give peanut butter flavored tea a try. I don’t know why this epiphany came to me after eating a piece of taffy. It doesn’t make sense to me, so if it doesn’t make sense to you … well, it shouldn’t. It doesn’t make sense to me, it shouldn’t make sense to you.
So, I tried a peanut butter tea. Well, ok, it was a tisane with a honeybush base. But, I enjoyed it. So, I decided that maybe peanut butter teas aren’t so strange after all. Yeah … they’re still … weird. Different. Unusual. But, it can be said that I’m a little different and unusual (but not weird!) and so, I guess it’s OK for me to be sipping on this Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha from 52Teas.
I brewed an extra large pot of this tea today, because my youngest daughter has been exploring teas lately (especially green teas) and she has a very keen interest in all things peanut butter. She’s a little different and unusual too. Her ideas about this tea: “It tastes interesting, I like it.”
And, I can say the same thing. It does taste interesting and I am enjoying it. I taste the genmaicha base, and it works really well with the “marshmallow treat” aspect of the concept of this tea (as has been noted with 52Teas’ other marshmallow treat teas). The sweet, toasty rice flavor melds really nicely with the marshmallow.
And the peanut butter comes through in a nice way. It’s not an overly aggressive, in your face flavor, and it strikes just the right balance for my palate. I get a little bit of peanut butter, a little bit of marshmallow, a little bit of sweet green tea and a little bit of toasted rice in every sip.
I can’t say that “peanut butter marshmallow treats” are my favorite type of marshmallow treats out there, I wouldn’t turn one down if it were offered. I mean, YUMMY, right? Personally, I think I’d rather have a Strawberry Marshmallow Treat, and as I type this, I think … what if you were to eat them both together. Would you then have a peanut butter and jelly marshmallow treat? Then again, I’m not a peanut butter and jelly fan. I might be the only person alive who doesn’t like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I like peanut butter and marshmallow cream. I like peanut butter and banana. I don’t like peanut butter and jelly.
My point is this: I like this tea. It isn’t my favorite from 52Teas, but, it’s not my least favorite either. It’s enjoyable, and I’m happy I tried it. I think I may be over my irrational fear of peanut butter flavored teas.
Peanut Cluster Honeybush Tisane from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
As for this week’s tea, I kind of have a soft spot for these peanut clusters–the ones with peanuts and caramel dipped in dark chocolate? It’s making me hungry just thinking about it which is probably a good sign since I haven’t eaten much of anything for almost a week. But I think this blend of caffeine-free honeybush, peanuts, cacao nibs and organic caramel, peanut and chocolate flavors is bound to be a crowd pleaser. It’s a honeybush blend, so it probably won’t last long. Get yours today!
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Peanut Cluster? Yummy! That’s a treat you don’t have to ask me twice if I’d like one … I mean, what’s not to love about a peanut cluster? Caramel peanut clusters that are drenched in dark chocolate? Yes please! And as Frank (the chief zoomdweebie at 52Teas) has a way with honeybush, I had absolutely no doubt that I’d be loving this Peanut Cluster Honeybush Tisane!
The aroma of the dry leaf was a little funky. It smelled a little bit chemical-y … but I can also smell notes of cacao and peanut as well as the nutty, woody fragrance of the honeybush, so I was hopeful that the weird smell wouldn’t upset the flavor.
Fortunately, it doesn’t taste off. Quite the contrary … it tastes quite scrumptious! I taste the notes of caramel, peanuts, and chocolate. It’s sweet and tastes like it should have more calories than it does. (I don’t know that it has any calories … but if it does have some, I’d guess that the calorie count is small.)
As I make my way to the end of the cup, I notice the flavors develop. I taste the sweet, creamy notes of the caramel and the warm, toasty flavor of the peanuts. The chocolate has a richness to it.
There is a really good balance of flavors here, including the honeybush, which hasn’t been overpowered by the other flavors of this tisane. The nutty, honey-sweet flavor of the honeybush melds very well with the other notes of this cup. I think that honeybush was the ideal base for these flavors because they seem to be made for one another. Everything marries beautifully.
This is really good. I don’t know that I’m tasting a liquefied peanut cluster here, because to be perfectly honest, I’d rather be munching on the confection than sipping the tisane. That said, this IS really tasty and makes a pleasant dessert substitute for those who would rather not indulge on a piece of candy but still want something sweet and satisfying.
Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Honeybush from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
There are some blends I create that actually make me feel like an evil genius. This is one of those blends.
I’m really tempted to just say: Muah – ha – ha! and leave it at that.
Here’s our caffeine-free African honeybush with organic cacao nibs, marigold petals and natural and organic flavors. If this doesn’t cure your sweet-tooth, I’m not sure I can help you.
Learn more about this flavored honeybush here.
Taster’s Review:
There was a time when I absolutely refused to try peanut butter flavored teas. I can’t explain exactly what it was about them that made me so squeamish, but, the thought of a peanut butter flavored tea just … well, it just didn’t do it for me. And, just as I can’t really explain why I didn’t want to try a peanut butter flavored tea back then, I can’t really explain why I got over it. And the only explanation I have is pretty … well, it’s weird.
See, I tried a Salted Peanut taffy. And this taffy was the best taffy I had ever tasted. And somehow, from that experience, I put together in my head that I would enjoy peanut butter teas too.
I know, I told you it was a weird explanation. Sometimes, I think that I share a brain with Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Anyway, one thing that my brain did get right is that I would enjoy a peanut butter tea … because I AM enjoying this Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake flavored Honeybush. It’s actually really yummy.
I can taste the peanut butter and the chocolate. It doesn’t taste weird or thick the way that real peanut butter tastes, and I think that is what may have turned me off on peanut butter flavored teas in the past. I think I must have thought that the texture would be weird … but it isn’t. It has an ordinary tisane-ish texture … it’s light and smooth.
The cheesecake flavor is well-defined. It tastes creamy and tangy tasting, and it is such a wonderful contrast to the sweet peanut butter cup notes. I even taste the honeybush here, and the natural nutty flavor of the honeybush goes together very well with these flavors. As the tisane cools, I notice a bit of the buttery crust come through … just a bit of it though.
I really like the way the flavors come together here. And now that I’ve actually TRIED a peanut butter tea, I feel just a wee bit sad for what I’ve been missing out on with Frank’s other Peanut Butter blends!
Peanut Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
When the distinctly nutty taste of peanuts is mellowed by the velvety touch of oriental Matcha, the resulting Peanut Matcha treat is truly satisfying for any palate. Peanut Matcha is a treat that is perfect for any age because it is tasty enough to quench the rising appetites of energetic youngsters and also mellow enough to fulfill the well developed palates of older adults and senior citizens. It makes an exceptionally delicious addition at any festive occasion where people want to experiment with different nutty favorites.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t too sure about trying Peanut flavored Matcha. Oh sure, I ordered it. And yes, I had every intention of trying it but I still doubted whether or not I’d really like it. I’ve been on the fence really about peanut flavored drinks. It just sounded too odd to me. I don’t know why. I mean, I’ve tried a lot of odd flavored teas … have I not? In fact, I actively look for unusual flavors!
So what is it about the humble peanut that freaks me out so much? I like peanuts. I even like peanut butter. But, peanut butter flavored tea? I’m not so sure about (Oh… and Red Leaf Tea does make a Peanut Butter flavored Matcha in addition to this Peanut Matcha. Sound interesting? Here’s the link to that one.) I even often crave foods that include peanuts in them, like Pad Thai and Kung Pao Chicken. I love peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwiches (I don’t like peanut butter and jelly though).
I don’t know what it is, exactly. But, recently, I had tasted something that kind of brought me around to wanting to actually try a peanut flavored tea or even a peanut butter flavored tea. This magical something? Taffy. Salted Peanut Taffy, to be exact. It was the best taffy I ever tasted. And I thought if I could enjoy that taffy so much, maybe, just maybe I might also enjoy other peanut flavored things. So, I summoned up my courage and I ordered some Peanut Matcha. This Peanut Matcha from Red Leaf Tea that is in my chawan. (I should add that I was still just a little timid when I ordered this, ordering the delicate level of flavoring rather than my distinctive level that I usually order)
And it is YUM! I really like this. It isn’t my favorite flavored Matcha, but I didn’t expect it to be … but I still really like it a lot. It is sweet, nutty and toasty, and the creamy smooth Matcha with vegetative notes seems to meld so nicely with the flavor of the peanut.
I prepared it traditionally, with water and vigorous whisking, and then after a quick sip, I decided I wanted to see what a pinch of salt might add to it. So, I added a tiny pinch of sea salt, and the first thing it did is make the froth disappear. Then I grabbed my whisk and whisked vigorously for about 20 seconds, just to make sure that the salt was thoroughly mixed in. (The froth came back with the additional whisking, by the way!)
The salt really made a big difference. It didn’t make it salty, really, but it enhanced the flavor of the peanut … making it taste more like peanut. The overall taste seemed a little sweeter, with just a hint of saltiness in there.
I really like this one – much more than I thought I would.