This is the tea of the week for October 14 & I’m sipping on it right now. I cold-brewed it overnight and it is SO GOOD cold brewed! It’s good – you know – brewed traditionally (hot) but the flavors really come to life when the tea cools a bit (whether hot brewed or cold brewed, I tend to prefer this one when it’s cold. Good hot – awesome cold.)
For those of you unfamiliar with Salt & Straw – it’s a really unique ice cream joint that makes handcrafted ice cream using not-so-ordinary flavors. Like Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper … or Pear & Bleu Cheese – which are two of my go-to flavors on the rare occasion that I do go there. But if you’re in the Portland area (I know there are some Southern California locations too!) be sure to check to see if they have any limited edition flavors (like chocolate caramel potato chip cupcake – yes. It’s a real thing.)
Anyway, my go to is usually a scoop each of the two aforementioned flavors – strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper and pear & bleu cheese. These two taste amazing together.
So I decided to go with that as an inspiration – using some of these flavors and reimagining the others. I started with Chinese Sencha for it’s creamy, buttery taste and texture and added some Green Rooibos for a little bit of lightness and to enhance the fruity flavors of the blend. Then I added strawberries & pears. Instead of honey balsamic, I added honey essence & brandy essence. Instead of bleu cheese I added cheesecake essence.
I love the result. It is sweet, fruity, creamy, and there’s just a hint of pepper and brandy. A bit of tang from the cream cheese. A really unique and interesting set of flavors that just – work. I love this.
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I love Salt & Straw, my friend and I make a trip there every time we take a vacation to Portland!
Me too – we just went up to Portland today and we stopped in and I had my go-to: a scoop of strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper and a scoop of pear & bleu cheese. I can never finish it all, though, but that’s ok too because we don’t live far – so I have more for later tonight! :)
I tried the Pear and Bleu Cheese last time I was there. Can’t say its my favorite (but blue cheese in general isn’t my favorite thing, I was more curious of the concept). Once I was there over my birthday and they had a monthly flavor at the time that had Lucky Charms cereal mixed with chocolate covered potato chips (as an Idahoan, that is one of my go-to favorite snacks) and that ice cream was SO good. Wish I could get that one every time!
Yes, always check their “daily special” board – because it’s usually a really unusual flavor. This time it was a green fennel & ginger flavor, I tried it but it was a little too fennel and not enough ginger for my liking. (I like fennel just fine, but I guess I was wanting a bit more ginger bite to it.) So I went with my usual go to. I love Bleu cheese though so this flavor is right up my alley.
They also had their october flavors – the one I wanted to try was sold out – and one that sort of piqued my interest had pork blood in it – I sorta wimped out on that though. I don’t know if I’m ready for blood in my ice cream.
I love Salt & Straw, my friend and I make a trip there every time we take a vacation to Portland!
Me too – we just went up to Portland today and we stopped in and I had my go-to: a scoop of strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper and a scoop of pear & bleu cheese. I can never finish it all, though, but that’s ok too because we don’t live far – so I have more for later tonight! :)
I tried the Pear and Bleu Cheese last time I was there. Can’t say its my favorite (but blue cheese in general isn’t my favorite thing, I was more curious of the concept). Once I was there over my birthday and they had a monthly flavor at the time that had Lucky Charms cereal mixed with chocolate covered potato chips (as an Idahoan, that is one of my go-to favorite snacks) and that ice cream was SO good. Wish I could get that one every time!
Yes, always check their “daily special” board – because it’s usually a really unusual flavor. This time it was a green fennel & ginger flavor, I tried it but it was a little too fennel and not enough ginger for my liking. (I like fennel just fine, but I guess I was wanting a bit more ginger bite to it.) So I went with my usual go to. I love Bleu cheese though so this flavor is right up my alley.
They also had their october flavors – the one I wanted to try was sold out – and one that sort of piqued my interest had pork blood in it – I sorta wimped out on that though. I don’t know if I’m ready for blood in my ice cream.