Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Buttery yellow cake, sweet brandied apricots in caramelized brown sugar, all in a caffeine-free calorie-free African honeybush. Is this a dessert or a tea? Maybe it’s both. Only 52teas could bring you such a delicious and decadent treat.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to try this honeybush blend from 52Teas. As I’ve mentioned once or twice before, Frank (the chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas) has a way with honeybush that’s quite unlike any other tea artisan that I’ve come across, and I’m always pretty impressed with his honeybush blends.
And let’s face it, the idea of a Brandied Apricot Upside Down Cake sounds pretty incredible, does it not?
This is really very good. The apricot flavor tastes does not taste fake to me, it has a very authentic flavor, and what I’m tasting is what I’d imagine fresh apricots, simmered in brandy, and then caramelized in butter and brown sugar might taste like. Now, I imagine that decadent flavor spread into a cake pan and topped with cake batter and baked until golden brown and delicious. Yeah… that’s what’s in my cup right now!
I taste all those notes that are suggested in the name of this tea: I taste the brandy … but it doesn’t taste too strongly of brandy. I taste the apricots, this flavor lends a bright, fresh taste to the cup. I taste brown sugar that’s been caramelized in butter, and a sweet, bake-y, cake-y taste. I even taste just a hint of nutty flavor from the honeybush. These flavors all come together in a very delicious way, tasting very dessert-y without tasting too sweet or cloying.
As I write this, I see that there eleven more pouches of this tea available. That may seem like a plentiful amount, but given how quickly 52Teas can sell out of delicious blends like this one, I wouldn’t put off ordering one for too long if I were you. And this one is worth splurging on … it’s a delicious, decadent, naturally caffeine free treat!
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Company Description:
Our caffeine-free African Honeybush (I know this is two Honeybush blends in a row, but I couldn’t resist), blended with dried pineapple and just a touch of freeze dried cherries and natural flavors. We’ve included the natural essences of cake, pineapple, brown sugar and even a hint of maraschino cherry to top it all off.
This was the tea of the week for the week of April 19, and as I am writing this, there are 15 pouches left of this fabulous flavor. As someone who has tried many of their flavors, I can attest that this is a company that does honeybush blends right! This tea is absolutely decadent and delicious – a perfect substitution for dessert!
Taster’s Review:
Pineapple upside-down cake is more than just a dessert; for me it’s like comfort food. That yummy, caramelized crust of brown sugar, pineapple slices and cherries. The rich, buttery cake. A slice of pineapple upside-down cake is a little bit like a slice of paradise!
Yes, I love pineapple upside-down cake, but, it is something that I don’t prepare very often (read this as saying: I never prepare it) because I cook for a rather finicky group (aka my family) and I can just imagine their reaction if I did make it: “Pineapple upside-down cake? Why did you make that? Why couldn’t you just make a *normal* cake?” This reaction would be complete with a whine in their voice. Then, I would be left with the cake to eat all by myself (now that I’ve typed that out and read it to myself … I’m thinking maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to actually make an upside- down cake sometime soon.)
In the meantime, I can indulge my taste buds in this dessert in a teacup from 52Teas. And they nailed it with this blend! The dry tea smells quite delicious – I can smell the pineapple and I can even smell the buttery cake. My mouth started watering when I first opened the pouch! I could hardly wait for the eight minutes to pass while it steeped! I wanted my pineapple upside-down cake!
YUM! This tea is so good! The buttery cake-like flavor is very dominant, it really tastes like liquefied cake – so rich and decadent! The pineapple is sweet, and there is just a hint of cherry. But what really brings this tea all together for me is the caramel-y taste of the brown sugar. This tastes just the way I remember pineapple upside-down cake tasting! (Yes, it has been that long since I’ve had pineapple upside-down cake that I have to qualify the last remark as “the way I remember”)
The honeybush base is perfect for these flavors. It is sweet and honey-like, with a pleasant nutty taste, but it is not overly assertive in the blend and does not interfere with the buttery cake-y, pineapple-y, caramel-y, kiss-of-cherry flavors.
After my initial sip, I chose to add just a sprinkling of raw sugar to bring out some of the finer details of this tea. It does have it’s own sweetness so just a little bit goes a long way here. Next time, I might add a little bit of muscovado sugar to bring out some of the more molasses-y caramel notes. That being said, if you are one who prefers not to add any sweetener of any kind to your tea, this tea is still quite delicious without the addition. This is truly a lovely way to indulge in the comfort of pineapple upside-down cake!