52teas

Oh, this is such a ridiculous confection that it’s wonderful. The black tea smells like a very serious old-school tea but the raisin and chocolate aroma emerge after a few seconds. Steeped, the tea is naturally very sweet and the chocolate taste is pervasive.

FLASHBACK TO CHILDHOOD MEMORY: I remember, I remember—being 5 or 6 years old and somebody gave me some Raisinettes. I remember pain-stakingly licking the chocolate off the raisins and then discarding the raisins. Those were the days when I didn’t believe anyone should put “food” in the sweets.

52teas are, typically, bursting with flavor and this one is no exception. It’s excellent but does not match the Buttered Raisin Toast—perhaps because that “toasty” flavor seems more difficult to find in a tea than a chocolate or raisin taste. You’ve got to try this if you are a Raisinette fan. And 52teas might want to try more “Cinema” flavors—that would be nifty. Junior Mints. Twizzlers. Lemonheads. Charleston Chews. Hot buttered popcorn. Nibs. Jujubes. Just stay away from Dots—a confection I always found perfectly pointless.

This is the first cup of honeybush I’ve ever tasted, actually, and I was able to try this interesting flavor thanks to Kristin’s generosity. It’s not as strong as I had expected, and I’m not sure I can taste the cream cheese part, to be honest… just a really delectable raspberry tea. And I usually hate berry teas, so I’m really impressed. I’m learning not to say ‘never’ about any variety of tea. I’m really trying to use my imagination to get this stuff to match the photo of the gooey danish, but I think I’ll just settle for liking it as something simpler than what I expected.

Second nite in a row I am having this tea- I am taking a page from Cofftea’s book…anyway w/this chocolate creamer, this is a nice dessert (but way spicy from the cayenne)…

Added this brewed tea w/one of those low -fat coffee creamers flavored w/chocolate. So this was extra creamy, and was perfect w/the almond and cayenne flavors of this tea,,,,Better than any dessert

This tea is simply excellent. Prior to tasting, I expected a slightly sweetened traditional chai with a lil’ extra cayenne pepper kick (kind of a cajun-style chai)… How wrong was I! Instead, the tea flavors are a symphony blooming in the following order : an overture of chai w/chocolate, then the crescendo of almond sweetness (yes almonds), then the cayenne pepper kick like a cymbal.

Thanks to Doulton for the sample and Cofftea for raving about this one! After I finish the 52 teas samples Doulton sent me, I plan to place an order for this tea!

I really want to like this one. But… so far it’s not doing it for me. I’m so sad about it. It’s ok, but I am not getting much flavor from it. It’s a nice black tea with something. I don’t taste butter, I don’t taste toast, I might taste something slightly raisiny, and maybe there is a touch of cinnamon. Is it possible that the re-blend is not as good??

Maybe my mistake is that I actually had buttered cinnamon raisin toast last week from freshly homemade cinnamon swirl raisin bread? The flavors are fresh in my head.

The dried leaves smell like pez (in case you don’t know what I am talking about – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pez). And I am getting the pez flavor in the finish when I am drinking it.

Update – it’s definitely better with some soy creamer, but the flavor profile didn’t really change much.

Update 2 – .. and down the drain. Bleah. Can’t finish it.

Matcha!

Been a while since I had any in my collection. The only matcha I have ever bought and personally owned was from Teavana, though I’ve sipped it in restaurants and other places. This, then, I will only really be able to compare to Teavana’s matcha in terms of the quality of the powder.

Not an easy prospect, because of the way in which this is blended with the freeze-dried strawberry powder. The resulting color of the matcha is pretty dark…more like a drab, olive green khaki color than that electrified, super-saturated emerald-green that I’ve come to equate with good, un-diluted matcha powder. I will have to give them the benefit of the doubt as far as that goes, and assume it’s because of the muddying of the strawberry.

There’s really no mistaking the scent, either. Anybody to have bought cereal with freeze-dried strawberry in it, or tins of unsulfered, completely dried fruit will immediately recognize the smell, sweet and, to me, slightly starchy or bready in some way.

I decided, since I haven’t had matcha in a while, to have it this morning in my very favorite way to have it: as a latte. Taken this way, it’s quite a treat!

For reference: 2 1/2 cups water heated over medium heat on the stove in a pot, until steaming but not simmering or boiling. Add 2 rounded teaspoons of matcha, sifted (I use a wire teapot infuser basket and grate it through with the end of the teaspoon). Whisk! Added 1 cup whole milk, whisked until foamy and fluffy and steaming again, then poured into a cup.

Usually my proportions here are different, and usually when it’s regular matcha I add a blob of honey, but I didn’t want to tamper with the flavor of the strawberries. I’m glad that I didn’t — that starchy, powdery aftertaste of the dried strawberry goes really well with the creaminess of the milk.

Taken this way, the matcha tastes essentially the way that it smells, but less sharp, which may very well owe itself to the milk. I like that the matcha isn’t crushed out by either the milk or the strawberry, too…it’s a really decadent trifecta of flavors. It has me thinking that it would make a really delicious ice cream.

Hrm.

I gave this a while between samplings, because I wasn’t sure I really had my mind made up. But I do. I’m just not that fond of this. It’s a really interesting experiment, of the sort that makes 52teas such a fascinating company, but it’s just not my cuppa. I think it’s got too much malt in it for my tastes. I do like genmaicha, but apparently I prefer mine straight up.

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp if I had followed directions it would have been 3
Additives: none
Water:22 ounces filtered boiling, but then sat for a little as we sniffed quizzically
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: It smells, just like a pbj sandwich
Steeped Tea Smell: Strawberry rooibos
Flavor: Rooibos, hint of strawberry, Militiajim found the hint of PB but it’s hiding from me still
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: Sweet
Liquor: Dark reddish-brown translucent

Perhaps I need to steep it longer?

Last night I drank a coconut custard pie, and tonight I drank a PBJ. I think I have a drinking problem (j/k) ;-)

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/52teas-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea-pbj.html

Expended all of my extracurricular babbling on yesterday’s tasting note, alas, but I don’t need to write much to say what I want to say about this one (especially since I’ve already written one for this tea):

Yummy. Apples are sweet, and it’s good with black tea, and I like it.

I’m still not really sure that I get more than the very barest impression of honey here, but it doesn’t matter, because the apples are sweet, and it’s good with black tea, and I like it.

Cheers.

I cannot (in this instance) tell a lie: I have been sort of afraid to place an order with 52teas.

I’d have to say that flavored teas aren’t really my go-to cup. I really marvel over the wide variety of flavors that Camellia Sinensis is capable of producing all on its lonesome, or at least with a little bit of environmental coaxing.

More, I’m wary of flavored teas because often, the flavors are…not believable.

Today I’ve had two offerings from 52teas, and I’ve liked them both. This is my second, and to be honest it was sort of an unusual flavor for me to choose, as apples are not really my go-to flavor for much of anything. Something about the combination of apple and honey was appealing enough for me to want to give it a try, though, so…here we are.

It’s a subtle tea, to be certain, but quite good. There were chunks of dried apple in the tea leaves. Despite the warning that ‘this tea may be sticky’, there was no rampant clumping of honey-saturated leaves going on, which is good. ;) The smell of the dried leaves doesn’t quite reflect the taste of the tea.

And that taste is…again, very subtle. There’s mild black tea as a base. You sip, and if you hold the tea in your mouth, you get the taste of dried apple…and then on the swallow you get a little bit of its sweet tartness unfolding in your mouth, especially along the sides of the tongue. Definitely apple. Honey may have a presence here, but if so, it’s very mild.

I seem to remember someone always searching for well-done apple teas. I am sort of hoping it’s Jillian so that I can send her some in recompense for my perpetually delayed shipment of sample tea!

I was a bit nervous about this tea. I usually have to be in the mood for mint, and I wasn’t sure that today was the day. Steeping this tea smells exactly like the Moroccan Mint that I have which I do like, but that is a green tea base…and this is a black tea. I’m a little worried about the black tea/minty combo. Thankfully, I was worrying for nothing. The tea is light and minty with the black tea base dominating. Overall it tastes like a great black tea with a minty finish. I like this a lot more than I expected. Thanks Doulton!

After much deliberation, I decided to go with another tea courtesy of Doulton. For some reason the dry tea smells minty to me…that can’t be right. But it didn’t smell like I expected. The dry mix looks pretty with the bits of gingersnaps and pieces of ginger. The tea is pretty good, after steeping the cinnamon and ginger stand out. I like this because it doesn’t have that wood taste that rooibos can have at times. I don’t know if I would have pegged this tea as gingerbread, but it is a nice, slightly spicy tea. I will certainly enjoy the rest of my sample.

Finishing up the last of my pouch! I added milk and it’s smooth and creamy. What a tasty afternoon treat.

Goodbye White Chocolate Cashew Black Tea! You were a delight!

I drank this all day yesterday (one teaspoon in 12 oz. lasted me up to three infusions each). Its sweetness really help curb my trips to the office candy jar at work. But, in a moment of weakness, I actually fished out all the white chocolate chips out of the packet and ate them! :P

I’m happy to say that the the lack of chips does not affect the flavor at all. They’re there just for looks, really.

I’m now having a craving for a seriously decadent dessert so—

White Chocolate Cashew to the rescue! :P

The dry leaf scent is intensely syrupy sweet! The leaves have a slight sheen from the flavoring oils. There are whole pieces of white chocolate chips and chunks of cashew mingled in. Once brewed and stirred, the chocolate chips melt in seamlessly and turn the liquid opaque.

The scent and the taste are pretty faithful to its name—like white chocolate covered cashews! But it’s not too sweet at all—I think the black tea base evens everything out with some slight bitterness.

Overall, this tea is fun to drink! I know I’ll be brewing it often for dessert!

I am finishing up the last of my Strawberry Matcha now. Somehow… this is THE BEST chawan-full of strawberry matcha to date! As I sip this, I am sad that my pouch is empty! The strawberry is much more pronounced here, the matcha is delightful.

And now… I am even more sad that my chawan is no longer full…

I’m having a smoothie with my lunch today – Strawberry Matcha, frozen peaches, a banana and some vanilla kefir. I’m eating some spicy Mexican food so it’s a nice way to cool down after the heat of the spices!

Even with the other fruits and vanilla flavor, the strawberry flavor of the matcha is evident, as is the fresh, sweet taste of the Matcha. Yum!

For this morning’s breakfast: Plain yogurt, bananas, a cup of frozen peaches, a splash of milk, and a scoop of Strawberry Matcha, whirled in the blender. YUMMY! I’m thinking I should start every day like this…

Guess what arrived today! I was very surprised (happily so!) to receive my package from 52Teas!

The strawberry flavor is a bit tart. Or it could be that the slight bitterness from Matcha brings out the tart of the strawberry. The sweeter strawberry flavor arrives on the palate in the finish as sort of a low note. The strawberry flavor is a really nice addition to the flavor of the Matcha. I think I like the mandarin matcha a little better though. Overall a very pleasant Matcha.

I was just begging Erin for a taste of this when I got a package from Doulton today that included this very tea. I’ve been going crazy to try this one and I’m so happy now! Thanks Doulton!

I was worried that the raspberry flavor would be overwhelming but happily it’s not. The raspberry flavor is mellow and goes great with the honeybush. I’m detecting a bit of the creaminess but I’m not sure I’d call it cream cheese danish. It’s a nice tea in any case. I think I will brew the next cup longer and see if the flavors intensify.

Enjoying a quick cup of grown-up hot chocolate before work this morning and taking the rest in my Thermos for a mid-day fix. I love the kick that mate gives and I hope that it is enough to keep me going on my first day back after Spring Break!