Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where To Buy: Souvia
Product Description:
You’ll take a mini vacation as this refreshing blend sweeps you off to a tropical isle. Smooth green tea with coconut and pineapple in the the classic concoction.
Ingredients: Green Tea, pineapple pieces, coconut shreds, flavoring
Taster’s Review:
Even though I’m not much of a drinker of alcohol, I’ve quite enjoyed many of the classic cocktail flavored teas – like this one.
The Sencha base tastes refreshingly light and crisp. This is a very smooth tasting Sencha. There is not a strong grassy or vegetal taste to this one. It is not bitter, but there is a little bit of astringency toward the tail end of the sip. The astringency is dry and clears the palate nicely so that I can enjoy the sweet aftertaste of pineapple and coconut.
Even though the tea base is remarkably light, the flavors are still well-defined. The pineapple is sweet and tangy and the coconut is creamy. There is even a hint of rum to this cup. The flavors are very unified… I not tasting one particular note trying to overwhelm the others. In each sip, I can taste the pineapple, the coconut and the rum, as well as the bright flavor of the Sencha tea. The taste is delicate and very refreshing.
I like this one hot, but, I think its even better iced!
Buttered Rum from David’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Product Description:
Hot buttered rum is so delicious we want it all day long. Unfortunately, most employers frown on workplace drunkenness, so we came up with this rich and creamy alternative. Toasted coconut and vanilla beans mingle with black tea in a caramelized caress of flavours. Decadent hot or iced, it also blends perfectly with dark rum, brown sugar and a dash of milk – so go ahead and indulge your inner pirate, off the clock.
Taster’s Review:
This tea has been at the top of the Steepster ratings for some time now, so I figured it was high time that I try it! And I’m really glad I did.
This is really good. The rum comes through nicely, especially at the start. As I continue to sip on this cup, I find that some of the other flavors make their way through, although I can still taste the rum notes… they are just not quite as dominate as they were at the beginning. The coconut is one of the nicest additions to this – it gives the cup a delicious sweetness and creaminess, and I like the way it melds with the rum flavor.
The “buttered” aspect is very slight in the beginning, but by about mid-cup, the flavor has developed nicely. In fact, I am finding it to be the dominating presence now, perhaps because it has united with the vanilla and coconut. By the time I’ve finished with the cup, I find that the cup is actually quite heavy in texture, coating the palate with a creamy- buttered presence.
If I were to offer any complaint about this tea at all, it would be that the black tea isn’t a strong presence in this cup. I think that if it were a slightly stronger tea (an Assam, perhaps?) it might have a bit of cleansing astringency which would make the finish a bit cleaner. But, then again, I actually quite enjoy the heavy creaminess of this tea. It is such an indulgent pleasure, but a guiltless one! The best kind!
Iced Tea Series from 52Teas, Part 3: Piña Colada Flavored Black Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
About This Iced Tea Series:
Here are FIVE unique iced tea blends we’ve created from high quality Nilgiri CTC teas. These are uber fine teas, so they are not as pretty as our whole leaf teas, but they steep up a bold, rich, flavorful iced tea. We’ve packaged them in one ounce pouches, which is just enough for one gallon of iced tea (more if you re-steep) so you can just rip them open, dump them out and steep. No measuring required!
Taster’s Review:
I don’t know if I’m just getting better at brewing iced tea (it does take me a couple of times to really get into the swing of it), or what, but, it seems like these blends from 52Teas keep getting tastier. This one is amazingly good.
The flavor is INTENSE! I am not one to judge alcoholic drinks since I don’t drink them often (read: almost never), but, based on my memory of the few piña coladas I’ve had in my life, this tastes remarkably like them. Basically, if you were to take a piña colada and mix it with some Nilgiri black tea – that’s what this tastes like.
The black tea is much less pronounced here than it is in the previous tastings in this iced tea series. That is not to say it’s too weak, because I can taste the Nilgiri black tea here, but, the piña colada flavor is the dominating taste.
The pineapple and coconut are quite harmonious, and there is just a hint of rum. This is just the way I would want a piña colada to taste if I were to order it in a bar. But then, why pay $9 bucks for a fancy, bar-made piña colada when I can have this at home for a fraction of that? That’s an awful lot to pay for the paper umbrella and a hangover.
I am just loving this iced tea series!
Special Piña Colada Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
If you thought our award-winning Pina Colada Honeybush was good, wait till you get to try THIS!
We blended some of the finest green teas we had–some chun mee, young hyson supreme and a smaller portion of Japanese sencha for balance with real dried pineapple, our honking big coconut flakes and all natural flavors. This is going to blow you away. I was thinking really hard about not offering two green teas in a row, but this is so amazing I couldn’t resist.
Taster’s Review:
I must agree: this tea IS amazing!
Having tasted their Piña Colada Honeybush and loving it, I knew I was in for a treat with this blend. And even though I really do love the Piña Colada Honeybush, I think that this is even better. The sweet, tropical flavors meld so seamlessly with the sweetness of the green tea blend.
The dry leaf is really beautiful with its green tea leaves, large chunks of dried pineapple and HUGE flakes of coconut. And it smells as good as it looks!
But the taste is what really wins you over with this tea. Sweet, juicy fruit flavor with a touch of rum. The green tea is light and refreshing with a soft mouthfeel. There is next to NO grassy taste with this green tea, I don’t know if that is because of the strong piña colada flavoring offsetting the grassy notes, but for those who often find the vegetative taste of green tea to be off-putting, I think that this green tea would work for you!
Unfortunately, as I write this the tea has sold out. I do hope that this is one that 52Teas considers reblending because I think that there are a lot of people out there who are sad about missing this one – or at least, they should be! It’s SO GOOD!
Since this one IS sold out, though, I intend on reserving the rest of this package away for iced tea brewing! As awesome as it is hot, it’s even better iced!
Rum Raisin from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Product Description:
Black tea with rum-soaked raisins. Sweet rum flavor perfectly goes well with milk.
Taster’s Review:
OK, so you’re probably wondering about the featured photo, right? Well, Lupicia only had a tiny thumbnail of this photo available on their website, so I chose to improvise a little bit … and since the name of this tea made me think of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow (“Why is the rum gone?”) I decided that I should post a photo of him in character. I suppose I could have taken a photo of the tea itself, but, personally, I’d rather look at Captain Jack Sparrow (I mean, really, is there a better pirate?)
This is a remarkably smooth and well-balanced black tea. The base is robust and bright flavored without being overly assertive. The flavors of rum and raisin lend a pleasing sweet flavor to the cup without being overwhelming.
I like how this tea plays upon the palate. It is full-bodied and has a delightful flavor. It reminds me a lot of bread pudding – sans the custard and cake-y bread flavor. To heighten the flavors, I suggest adding a small amount of sweetener. It brings out some of the sweeter qualities of both the rum and the raisin, as well as highlight some of the caramel-y undertones of the black tea.
A splash of milk or cream will give this tea a creaminess that is similar to the custard-creamy taste of bread pudding. Pair the tea latte with a shortbread cookie, and you’ll have a yummy, deconstructed bread pudding!