Southern Boy Iced Teas

Backlog:

OK, so I was kind of surprised to not find a listing for this one. Perhaps everyone has been reviewing it under the loose leaf interpretation of this tea?

Anyway … the dry sachet smells VERY MUCH like a marshmallow treat. I really like this iced tea version of the tea – perhaps better than the reblend of the original Marshmallow Treat. Having tried tea from the first batch which was made with the Matcha dusted Genmaicha, the reblend just couldn’t really compete with that experience. The reblend was good – just not as good.

But the ice tea rocks! Sweet, roasty-toasty rice flavors and delicious marshmallow flavor. A really good iced tea.

GCTTB
I always prefer iced tea cold steeped rather than hot and chilled but I wanted to follow the directions so I tried – but they were really vague. How much boiling water am I suppose to use before I add cold water and ice to make 2 quarts? Dunno… package doesn’t tell me.
I did 3 cups boiling water for 2.5 minutes (the instructions say no longer than 3?) then topped up with cold water to make 2 quarts….
I don’t like this – the black base is bitter and intrusive on the other flavorings. There is some strawberry and there is some custardy/cream cheesey something else but I can’t get past the black base. Maybe if I had used different water ratio? After a couple of days in the fridge – the nasty black does mellow a little bit – but I thought the other flavors had faded as well.
Sorry this one isn’t for me.

Backlog:

A tasty iced tea. I don’t know that I’m tasting the “a la mode” part of this, but I definitely taste the peach cobbler part. (The package says a la mode) I definitely taste the peach, buttery biscuit notes and a caramelized flavor along with the black tea notes. Yummy. But I don’t get a lot of creamy notes or vanilla notes that say to me “a la mode.”

Really good though.

I cold-brewed this tea overnight for tea today. This one cold-brews nicely.

Very flavorful, although a stronger flavor can be produced by hot-brewing. I think I actually prefer the cold-brew though. Still sweet, notes of cola and cherry, some ‘fizzy bubbly cola’ taste, and of course, black tea notes.

One of my favorites from the SBT line. Maybe not my top fave … but probably in the top 10.

Backlog:

52Teas does the cola flavors very well, at least, that’s been my experience in the past with the various cola flavored teas that Frank has created. So I figured I’d enjoy this one.

It’s tasty. I taste the cherry and I taste the cola. And I taste the black tea. In my full-length article about this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/09/10/cherry-cola-flavored-iced-black-tea-from-southern-boy-teas/ I mentioned that it tastes like someone poured a flat cherry cola into my black tea.

That is to say that I didn’t get as much of the effervescent experience as I would if I were drinking soda … but I do get a slight ‘bubbly’ taste from this. Not as much as I remember experiencing from the 52Teas version of the cola. I’m not sure why that is.

This is still really good, very refreshing … a really good iced tea.

Backlog:

I was really happy when I saw that SBT made this tea by mistake (instead of making Razzleberry), because this was one of the most memorable teas that 52Teas has ever made. I loved this tea. I loved it so much that it was one that I hoarded. Normally, I’m more than happy to share my teas that I have with others because I have a lot of tea.

Seriously, I have a lot of tea

Anyway … normally I’m happy to share my tea with others, but, this was one that I didn’t share. I kept it all to myself like a selfish Nelly because it was so good. So when SBT made a version of it I was so happy. And this is almost as good as I remember – if not just as good as I remember – the original being. That doesn’t usually happen. Usually the original 52Teas version is better than the SBT version but this … this is quite possibly equally as good as the original 52Teas version.

In other words, it’s seriously good. And I won’t share my used teabag with you. So don’t even ask.

Backlog:

YUM!

Very refreshing and an enjoyable balance between Orange, Vanilla and Black tea notes has been achieved. I hot brewed this, but I might get another pouch sometime soon so that I can try cold-brew.

I like this.

Had a pitcher of this cold brewed. Not all that impressed actually, but I’m not sure if this has more to do with the actual tea or my not following directions. The key lime one was so tasty cold brewed though.
I just didn’t get much blueberry flavor from this. It was just vaguely fruity. Mildly pastry buttery thing going on. If I ever get this again, I’ll have to see if hot brewing makes it better.

Soooo….I bought a bunch of these SBTs to try. What’s the weight per packet anyway? I’m wondering if it’s a better deal to buy regular looseleaf, but they wouldn’t come in all these amazing flavors.

So one of the first 52Teas I ever had was a Lemon Lime Cheesecake Honeybush. I still remember how amazingly delicious it was, but then again, it was when I was relatively new to the vast world of tea possibilities. Anyway, I figured that this would be a close approximation to that first tea I loved so I got a packet with my order.

I cold brewed this in a 2 quart pitcher so I followed directions halfway. :) This morning I had a glass and it was delicious. The tea is provides a solid background for the flavors to shine. The key lime is smooth and limey. There’s a light creamy tang that I believe is the cheesecake. It is missing that bit of sour from actual lime, but a drop of lime juice should fix that. Fortunately I happen to have some.
The tea is actually a bit strong for me, but Frank does claim that it has the resteeping power to make a whole gallon. I’ll be diluting the tea as I go until it tastes right.
I’m really enjoying this. I hope the other flavors I bought are as good. I’m especially looking forward to the almond milk one. I should stop by the liquor store for some dark rum. :D Too bad it’s closed on Sundays. :(

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Saturday, August 14th: National Creamsicle Day Tea #1

Hopefully the dashboard is actually working now… these notes will be brief anyway.  I love a creamsicle!  Wish I had a creamsicle today.  I have three actual Creamsicle teas in my stash, so I will drink two of them today.  A caffeine and a non.  This one is always very accurate, just as long as I go with a 45 second steep.    Yum

A creamsicle iced tea! If I ever get to an ice cream shop, I’d most likely order the orange vanilla swirl. I brewed a teaspoon of this one hot, not as an iced tea. Immediately on opening the bag, this is definitely creamsicle! It smells like a melted creamsicle was in the pouch. However, after a 45 second steep, the flavor isn’t quite as nice as the scent. A little orange and a little cream but it tastes a tad bit more artificial than some other 52Teas blends. Let’s be fair, a creamsicle is probably artificial too. I still enjoy it but the fragrance is so promising! Maybe I should have added a bit of sugar. The second steep surprisingly has almost just as much creamsicle… it doesn’t all go to the first steep! I like these 52Teas iced especially when I need a kick of caffeine from the CTC but my other infuser is full of bigger leaves so they fit right in the teaspoon sized infuser when I need to use it.
Steep #1 // few minutes after boiling // 45 second steep
Steep #2 // few min after boiling // 2 1/2 min steep

Pretty much every time I try an SBT, I think it can’t possibly get any better. Then I’ll try a new one, and somehow it will be. This one is definitely one of the best I’ve tried so far! Even when removing the bag from the pouch, I was hit with the wonderful biscuitty, zesty scent of lime cheesecake :) This one got the usual SBT treatment.

Brewed, it’s A-MA-ZING. The initial flavour is zesty lime, but it’s lime zest laced through cream cheese, and so is not too strong or sour. There’s also a slightly gingery, buttery biscuit flavour that’s absolutely dead-on cheesecake base. I’m not quite sure how a drink can taste so much like cheesecake, but this one manages it. It’s the most accurate rendition of cheesecake I’ve ever tasted in a tea (and that’s particularly true of 52 Teas blends…) It’s one I’d definitely pick up again once I use up my current SBT stash.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #4:- A tea flavored like a favorite baked good

Wow, the flavor is still so amazing on this one, I’m a bit sad to finish it.   Really any baked good gets my seal of approval, so this prompt was an easy one.  I could wish for more cream cheese flavor here, but whoever does cream cheese flavor right?  But it’s so danishy and blueberry!   I think I’m doing great with these sipdowns.
2022 sipdowns:  61

Thank you for the sale CHAroma! I immediately stopped following the sale thread as there have been too many awesome sales lately. :D I cut the teabag of this one open and hot steeped a teaspoon for 45 seconds: I’ve tried two other blends of this flavor and the flavor stays pretty consistent. Blueberry but not so much danish or cream cheese. I just realized I like the CTC black tea from the iced tea teabags way more than the black tea from the typical black blends. Though this cup kind of tasted a bit like iron.. maybe it was the cream cheese this time. The second cup was just as tasty, just as much flavor. I think I prefer my old pouch with the twisty leaves though. :D
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // few minutes after boiling // 45 second steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 2 min

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Wednesday, July 21st: National Junk Food Day Tea #1

Despite being a huge fan of most of the existing junk foods, this is a tough challenge today!  I don’t really associate tea with junk food… tough flavors to find… my “pizza tea” is gone… no tea tastes like french fries or Cheezits to me (sadly… omg someone make a Cheezits tea)… hmm…   So I’ll  just go with this one.  An actual junk food, cheesecake.  This was spot on in flavor back in the day, but even opening a new pouch of it today, the flavor is already losing its special.

Got this one as an extra from the 52Teas sale that Marzipan organized. SHHH I don’t actually brew these cold, as I wish I had some mason jars I could actually clean or a pitcher to put a whole ton of iced tea in. I couldn’t really drink that much iced tea that is in one teabag at once anyway. SO I open up the tea bag that has about five teaspoons and take out one teaspoon to brew up like your typical hot tea in my infuser. Even without the CTC black tea base, I usually steep the first cup of any 52Teas for 45 seconds to let the flavors shine without letting the black tea take over the cup. At 45 seconds, the CTC wasn’t astringent like a typical CTC. I think it sure is premium for a CTC! But these are iced teas that supposed to be in large amounts of water anyway, so I can see wanted as much black tea flavor as possible. The lime is delightful, especially in a summer tea. The lime is very flavorful, but I wouldn’t say I noticed cheesecake (the rating will be missing a few points for that.) The second steep still has some lime!

I also recently sipped down 52Teas – Almond Happiness and another one from 52Teas. It’s one of my most precious last teaspoons of tea, so once that one became a sipdown I think there will be an avalanche of sipdowns. Maybe I finished that one for that reason!
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // 5 min after boiling // 45 seconds
Steep #2 // just boiled // 1 min steep

Cold brewed, nice sweet blueberry flavor just a bit of tart blackberry
I would get it again if I had someone to share it with, maybe a family gathering.

Made this as per package directions. I did add some white sugar. I only intended to ad a tsp or two but I thought I could just sprinkle some in from the bag instead of trying to scoop it out. So Instead of a sprinkle, I got an avalanche. As a result it was quite a but more sweet than I would have liked. I am definitely getting key lime, but I don’t really get any cheesecake. I found this one to be quite astringent at the end of the sip. I think it would have been better to have been brewed for 2 minutes instead of 3.

This was my iced tea for work yesterday and today. It got the usual SBT treatment (3 mins in a quarter pint of boiling water, topped up to two litres with cold and into the fridge overnight). The dry bag smelt like a freshly opened bag of campino sweets, which was a real flashback from my childhood. I like strawberry things, so I was looking forward to bringing it out mid-morning.

It’s another awesome SBT, especially fridge cold. It has a wonderfully accurate strawberry flavour, and the custard/creme anglaise is also spot on. It’s somehow thick tasting, and very creamy, with a beautiful vanilla sweetness. The strawberry flavouring is also sweet, but the fruitiness it provides is enough to ensure this doesn’t become overwhelming.

I have a pouch of the normal 52 Teas version of this, which I picked up last time it was reblended. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m certainly looking forward to on the strength of the SBT version. This is an SBT I’d definitely repurchase. It’s like liquid dessert! Definitely enough to cheer up a dull day at work.

Sipdown! Not a big fan, sadly. I preferred the other two SBTs I’ve drank recently (Monkey Fart and Razzleberry). This one just tastes kind of like a sweetish, flavoured black. Nothing special. I prefer the honeybush version; the flavour nuances of vanilla/chocolate/strawberry worked better with that base.

Made this one as per package directions, added approx. 1 TBSP white sugar.

It was ok. I was hoping for sweet, candy orange with a creamy flavour, just like a creamsicle. But the orange was much more of a spicey or peppery type orange flavour. Not a whole lot of sweetness. There is a light milky type flavour to the tea. To me this type of orange flavour is just not mixing well with the cream flavour.