52teas

I mixed a 1/2tsp w/ 1/2tsp mandarin matcha and whisked it (w/ my bent chasen…) w/ 6oz hot water. It’s funny, I have barely any strawberry left and I have more mandarin left.

Added 1/2tsp to a 4oz container of lime Fiber One yogurt. The strawberry is there, but very subtle. And the best part- it’s already green so it doesn’t look absolutely putrid when you add the matcha lol.:)

Decided to make real strawberry matcha limeade putting all the sugar (I used stevia) it calls for. Yes… 3 packets- which would be equal to 6 teaspoons or 2 TABLESPOONS! of sugar in a small 6oz serving (w/ 1tsp matcha)!!! Aside from the overwhelming sweetness, this is actually a pretty good matcha lemonade… but… it’s not really a strawberry matcha limeade… the sweetness is so obnoxious that the matcha is like “Oh… yeah… um… this was supposed to be a strawberry matcha limeade, wasn’t it? Oops, I forgot… sorry…” Next time I want a fruit matcha lime/lemonade I think I’ll make a blended version and use unsweetened frozen fruit instead of ice and CUT DOWN ON THE SUGAR! lol or just wait for a strawberry/lemon, strawberry/lime, raspberry/lemon, or raspberry/lime (<- that would be my fave option Frank) matcha. :)

Decided to change up chrine’s suggestion a bit and go w/ strawberry matcha limeade since I generally prefer limeade over lemonade. Another difference is this is homemade- not Crystal Light. 2tsp matcha, 12oz water, 4TB lime juice, and 1 packet stevia… HOLY CRAP! I just noticed that I’m supposed to use the equivelent of 4TB of sugar for this amound of limeade! That would be 6 packets of stevia!!! OUCH! My teeth hurt just thinking about it. How can anyone that drinks lemon or limeade made w/ real sugar still have any teeth? lol ok, sorry… back to my drink. The strawberry isn’t quite as strong as it was in the overly sugary Crystal Light Lemonade version, but it definitely works. I… gulp… may try it w/ limeade made as directed tomorrow…

Well Chrine swears the strawberry stands up to lemonade, so I’ll try it. 1tsp matcha in 1 cup lemonade (unfortunately crystal light, not real stuff made w/ stevia). Paired w/ pizza for dinner WOW. Pretty suprised, but it does. And would even more so if the sugar wasn’t so obnoxious. I still prefer matcha limeade though… I have enough to try that yet. I may have to! And inspite of the pizza not being all that great, they make a pretty darn good combo:)

Um… yeah… let’s just say that there are certain times that my mineral levels get lower due to me being a woman lol. So… I needed my mineral fix. I threw a tsp of this in 8oz of OJ (served James Bond style) expecting to be mad at myself for wasting such delicious matcha since I assumed the orange would completely mask the strawberry. BOY WAS I WRONG! Granted I may have been imagining a lil extra strawberry flavor since I knew it was in there, but the strawberry almost kept up with the orange! This leads me to believe Lupicia’s Strawberry Matcha au Lait mix would be delicious in OJ. Now if I could only find decaf matcha since my body really doesn’t need caffeine today.

Ok, it’s hotter than blazes, but I need my matcha. I don’t really like cold matcha except for when it’s made w/ OJ (which I normally don’t even like)… but I’m having an OJ smoothie later so I don’t want that. So I decided to mix 6oz of Adagio’s white cucumber (cold, 2nd infusion), w/ 2 scoops matcha. It takes quite a bit more whisking than when hot and it looks really gross. But it’s actually VERY good. It’s still thick, but more tea like than matcha like. Yes, I know matcha is tea- I mean steeped and decanted tea. The perfect combo.

Given the awesome giveaway by DoMatcha, I couldn’t resist having another serving before bed. 1 scoop/3oz water. Thick, creamy, smooth, sweet, bitter, vegetal, fruity, and GREEN! And not enough liquid to fill my bladder before morning lol;)

Again, blended w/ their Mandarin Matcha. This time 1 scoop of each in 6oz water. Thicker, more fruity (both components), more vegetal… more of everything that makes these 2 teas AMAZING!

Backlogging from yesterday- blended 1 scoop w/ 1 scoop of Mandarin Matcha and 16oz water. The 2 flavors mingle very well together… in some sips I got both flavors, but in others it was either more strawberry or more orange. YUM!

MATCHA MATCHA MATCHA MATCHA MATCHA!!!

Ok… back to acting like a 24 year old…

My matcha finally came today. Now this is not the matcha I ordered the day it came out- this is my replacement. I still have no clue what happened to that 1st package… and it’s not so much my not getting it that bothers me… it’s the thought that no one will ever enjoy it and that makes me want to cry.

I didn’t try this the moment I got it in the house because just as I came in my boyfriend called. I hadn’t talked to him all day and some things (people) come before matcha.

The matcha looks like the Mandarin- a fine olive colored powder. When I finally opened the package I could smell the strawberry instantly. It smelled like strawberry bubble gum.

As soon as I get matcha, especially a flavored one, I always think more, not thicker, is better so I made this just the way I did the 1st time I tried Mandarin Matcha- 2 scoops of matcha w/ 16oz of water (the full capacity of my chawan).

Like the Mandarin, it instantly mixes with the water and froths even before I whisk it. Under the light colored foam is a dark, but not electric, green liquor.

Oh WOW! The strawberry is definitely there… and it tastes like I used strawberry jello water (jello before it solidifies) to make it. Now yes, I know I’ve always said “liquid jello” like it’s a bad thing when it comes to tea, but this ABSOLUTELY works. I think it’s because of the texture- like the Mandarin, it’s thick, and smooth, and creamy. But I also think it’s because there’s much more to the flavor profile. Unlike some fruit tisanes and even some decanted fruit flavored true tea (fruit flavored whites are especially notorious for this), there is ABSOLUTELY the rich, vegetal, sweet, slightly astringent flavor that matcha is famous for. Truly amazing.

And what’s even MORE amazing is… my mom actually tried it! While I was making it, I asked her to “just smell it” and I wouldn’t make her have any. Well she thought it smelt VERY GOOD… so i asked if she wanted some and she was like, “eh… I dunno… it’s green…” So I asked if she just wanted a spoonful… she was still unsure. Once I had it whisked I told her to “come humor me” and told her this was pay back for making me try really gross foods as a child (lol!) and I gave her a soup spoon full. I could tell by her facial expression that she was absolutely shocked that it wasn’t completely vile. Infact her exact words were “Wow, that’s actually pretty good”. I’ll never make her a bowla and I don’t think she’ll regularly try mine, but now I do have hope of her trying my Mandarin and even plain matcha. And an extra bonus- all that yummy matcha in my stomach was enough to cut my hunger so I only had 2 very small pieces of flat bread pizza for dinner.

Just a packaging suggestion Frank: Since this was only an ounce it looked like I was cheated based on the packaging used (I, of course, know I wasn’t) so you might want to have your packaging in direct proportion to the amount of tea to prevent doubt and skepticism from your customers.

After reading tasting notes on this one I decided I have to place an order for it. Then I thought hmmm maybe just maybe AmazonV sent this to me in her (very generous selections) that she sent to me.

I opened up the box and squealed “Thank you, Thank youuuu AmazonV!!” Grateful I didn’t have to place a order and wait for it to find out if I like it. I steeped it up according to the directions and had a bit of a tea failure in that I spilt some of the leaves into my actual cup by over pouring water into the strainer. So I am having my tea leaves and all!

Okay so dry leaf smells the same as steeped tea (keep in mind there is actual leaf in my tea cup) the smell reminds me of Bath and Body Works. I love the smell in Bath and Body works so this is a good thing and it’s not a strong smell a very faint scent of B&B.

The tea tastes very good! It is white tea mixed with berry flavored I can only think berry as I ‘ve not knowingly ever eaten a black currant and therefore am unsure what they taste like. I enjoyed this cup I think I will make a cup iced today since I read in Jacqueline’s review that it is yummy iced I will try it and revisit my notes then.

Thanks AmazonV you rock!

P.S. Anybody looking to trade some Black Currant Bai Mu Dan for a almost whole bag of Buttered Raisin Cinnamon Toast let me know. :)

It’s been while since I’ve brewed this one, so I thought it would be a good idea to find out if I still like it as much as I did the first time I brewed it. I decided to brew some for iced tea – and I’ve gotta say that I think I like it better hot than iced. The pear flavor seems to become a bit muted when it cools.

That’s not to say it isn’t tasty iced – because it is – but I’m getting a lot more of the spices and a lot less of the pear than I remember from my first cup of this.

Still enjoying it though…

I ordered this one a while back, but I hadn’t tried it yet… so I thought it was about time!

I have a tremendous fondness for white tea. And this one is very good. I have read of many a displeasure on Steepster when it comes to white pear teas, but this one has a very pleasing pear flavor, and it is nicely accented with cinnamon and cloves.

Very good tea. I don’t know how this would fair as an iced tea – the flavors might be a bit too delicate for iced tea. But it does make a pleasing hot tea for later in the evening.

Tried a sample of this tea today. I liked it. It sort of reminded me of coffee. I did not really taste the tropical notes, but overall a good tea.

Mmmmm. Nutty, creamy (especially with the splash of half and half I put in) and a lovely, almost maple flavor. Medium bodied tea, I would say in the Indian family. My husband said “This one is GOOOOOOD!” Sadly I forgot the pinch of salt this time!

We had it with toast with butter and jam as a snack last night, and it is worth noting that it didn’t keep us up! Definately a good afternoon/evening treat vs. a morning waker-upper.

My taste buds are still a bit off, but I taste creamy, nutty. Medium bodied tea. Milk and sugar make it dessert! So nice in the afternoon and when you are in the mood for a little something sweet. I especially chose this one because I think my husband feels worse than me today, and this is one of his favorite teas.

Great afternoon treat – made like LiberTEAS suggests with a little pinch of salt! One of our favorites – so much so that I had to bust open a new packet! Buttery nut brittle and tea. Delicious!

I have been craving this one for the past couple of days. I finally indulged! I find this one such a treat – cashew brittle, tea. The white chocolate is on the end of the sip. The tea is mellow and smooth. With milk and sugar, a true dessert in a cup! My husband and I liked the sample Doulton sent so much that I had to get a full size :)

This one courtesy of Doulton!

YUM!

I fixed this one with a little half and half and sugar, and a mere pinch of salt like LiberTEAS! Delicious, buttery, nutty treat! I’m a cashew fanatic, and my husband is a cashew AND white chocolate fanatic, and we are both really enjoying this. The tea flavor is a little weak, but I think it is actually working in the blend’s favor, as this could get sickening if too strong. Good job! I need to pick some of this up because my husband is drinking this down like there is no tomorrow!

EDIT: Woe! It looks like it is sold out! I better jump on the other 52 teas I’ve been coveting!

Wow! This is awesome iced! It doesn’t happen often where a tea tastes better iced than hot (at least, not in my opinion!) … but that is definitely the case with this one. Very refreshing and delish!

I made a big pitcher of this last night for the refrigerator, and I have just enough for one more hot cuppa.

The flavors come together well in this tisane. The coconut and pineapple are sweet and don’t taste artificial. There is a low woodsy note from the honeybush, as well as a honey-esque finish.

YUM! I really look forward to this as an iced tea later today!

Around this time of night, I’m always looking for an interesting tea that is not a tea – that is – a tisane. This one kept calling to me tonight. The last time I tried this one, my taste buds were just starting to get out of whack, so I consider this my first “true taste” of this tea.

I love the look of this tea (as well as all the teas from 52Teas!) Big (huge!) coconut shavings, and chunks of pineapple… and it smells as good as it looks. I can smell the rum in this one.

Yum! it is so deliciously tropical. The pineapple, the coconut… the rum flavor is so nice too. The flavors are very well balanced.

As yummy as this is hot, I do think I’m going to reserve my remainder of this tea for iced tea brewing… it is just so much better when it’s cold!

I’m increasing my rating of this one a bit, because it deserves it! It really is good.

I purchased this tea at the same time I purchased the strawberry matcha, but I haven’t tried it until today – so many teas, not enough time (nor does my bladder possess the wherewithal to drink as much tea as I’d like to!)

So I made some of this to enjoy with lunch.

It’s got a really nice, strong flavor. The honeybush seems well suited for flavoring, and I prefer it over rooibos, I’m glad that 52 Teas seems to have embraced honeybush as well. I like how the natural sweetness of the honeybush works so cohesively with the pineapple and coconut flavor. And as much as I enjoyed it as it was hot, I am finding it even more enjoyable now that it has cooled significantly… this will be a great tea for the summer – iced!

YUM!