294 Tasting Notes
I made this up chai latte style (1/2 cup milk 1/2 water boiled with the chai for a bit).
This was the exact warm creamy spicy decadence I needed for after dinner (Parmesan lemon tilapia, and herb and butter rice with peas and carrots, and salad).
I don’t get much cocoa from the base, but what I do get is perfectly balanced spices that are perfectly supported by the tea base and that stands up beautifully with the milk. This is one of the best chais I’ve ever had.
Preparation
I must admit, the real reason I added this to my order is because bears are my favorite land animals. Not only are they strong, powerful, and fierce, but they’re also protecting and loving and so darn cute! Watching a little Florida black bear cub run by, it’s little booty bouncin’ in the air, is just about the only good thing about my mom living down a dirt road.
I came home with a severe migraine, probably one of the worst I ever had. Deafing ringing in my ears, lights blinding, explosive pounding at the base of my skull, the whole shebang. My boy friend wanted to take me to the hospital and I told him it wasn’t necessary and popped 5 ibuprofen, wrapped a flimsy pillow around my head from the nose up, and feel into a coma like sleep.
4 hours later, I’m feeling better, minus I slight earache, and I really want to dig in on my first Whispering Pines order, and this sounded like it was too fitting. I don’t think I ever had pins in a tea before, buts it’s very pretty and I must say it definitely works.
This is very smooth and sort of buttery. I also get jasmine, with a almost sharpness from the pine. I also agree with the notes spring rain and soft breeze, there’s something just so pure and refreshing about this tea.
Preparation
Glad you’re feeling better now…this tea really helps calming me when I feel nervous or agitated.
Glad you are feeling better! I am partial to bears as well…in particular bruins;)
Thank goodness that you are feeling much better! :] And I definitely laughed at the baby bear booty bounce:P (wow, what a lot of b’s:P)
I was feeling lazy and wanted something super quick and warm to curl up under the blankets with while it rains and I read, and seeing this on the counter, it fit the bill. I received this and a few other dessert teas samples from Stash, because stash used to be one of my favorites before I became a tea snob, and I never knew they had this kind of variety. So curiosity got the best of my and I requested some.
Because this is a tea bag, I’m not expecting great quality, just something quick and dirty and sweet. That being said, this isn’t half bad. I’m not getting much in the way of tea, but what I’m really getting is tiramisu. Cinnamon, espresso, and chocolate. I can see this being loved by someone who’s not a big tea person, or by someone looking to cure a sweet tooth guilt free, or even to throw in you bag for a quick fix in an emergency.
This is something that if I can find in stores, I would buy a box and leave it at my dads for when I visit for the day.
Preparation
I cold steeped this one last night. When I came home from class at 2, I made sunny side up eggs, with diced potatoes and onions (hey I hadnt eaten yet, so technically it was still breakfast for me), and strained this into a big cup.
I’ve been sipping on it for the last hour or so, and I got to say that I’m impressed by the amount of flavor. I’m not seeing anyone else mention this, so I don’t know if its just something that came out because it was cold-steeped, but this is super floral! I had to double check that it wasn’t scented, because that’s how strong the floral is. And I’m not getting any hay or oat taste. There’s a slight fruitiness but the main note is floral. It’s actually not bad, considering how much I wasn’t a fan of that cherry rose tea cold steeped.
Preparation
Not again! I opened this package, and instantly was overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol. This is my second Honeybush from 52teas, and my second one that smells like straight alcohol. To make sure I wasn’t crazy, I made my boyfriend smell it and he wrinkled his nose and pretended to gag. “Why would you buy alcohol tea?” So I’m obviously not crazy.
Steeped up, this taste taste as strong of alcohol as my last 52tea, but even with a ton of sweetener all I get is sugar water and liquor, no chocolate, no peanuts, nothing appealing. I’ll try the rest of my teas from my order but I might end up crossing 52teas off my list.
Flavors: Alcohol
Preparation
Are they using peanut butter extract or something?
Are they using peanut butter extract or something?
That sounds awful. I’ve heard so many mixed reviews on 52teas that I’m just not sure I want to try them.
I got that alcohol taste and smell in pretty much all the teas I have tried from them. So I just don’t buy them, i can’t tolerate that at all. Having said that, they seem to be very popular here.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but It is my understanding that most flavourings contain alcohol (like vanilla extract does) and there’s a process to let that evaporate once it has been mixed with the tea. I think in 52teas blends, it might be the problem. Most likely, in a couple of weeks from now, it won’t be as bad.
I had the same problem with Coconut Cream Pie Honeybush, and Frank replied saying:
“ou might try airing your tea out a little bit. Pour it out onto a baking sheet or something and spread it out. Give it 15-20 minutes, stirring it around a couple of times during the process. You shouldn’t have to do this, but alcohol is used in our flavors as a carrying agent. As it evaporates, it carries the flavoring through the tea. It SHOULD have all evaporated as we were blending it, but occasionally, for some reason, we might end up with some of the tea that the alcohol didn’t properly evaporate from. I’m afraid I’m running into this a little more frequently now that I’m doing larger batches of tea. I’m going to have to redouble my efforts to make sure everything is blended extra well.”
I let it air out that way all day and then all day again the next day, and it helped a little bit but not much. If I wanted to drink alcohol, I’ve got a bottle of coconut carribean rum that I bought from the Cayman Islands, that at least is cold, has another taste besides alcohol, and will give me a buzz.
I really wanted to like it too, before these past two experiences, I’ve had two genmaichas from them, and an oolong and all 3 had flavors, none of which were alcohol. But I even smelled the Almond Bliss iced tea I got, and it two smells like alcohol.
I’ve had good luck just letting the pouches hang around a few months.
Backlog
I steeped this up double strength, and then iced it. The dry leaf of this smells sweet and jasmine.
The jasmine and fruity notes of this blend together so seamlessly. Sweet and fruity and floral, but also slightly vegetal from the green tea, with an extra something in the depth from the black tea. This is a perfect candidate for an iced tea on a hot day.
Preparation
Last of my GTT to try, and it’s been fun!
The leaf of this is so tightly rolled, which I love. I almost wish I did this in my glass french press instead of my yixing tea pot so that I could watch how much these expand. The first steep of this was roasty, but pretty weak. I think this is one of those teas that needs a rinse to wake it up.
The second steep was stronger, roasty, nutty and slightly fruity. I want to say apricot maybe?
The third steep, I started to notice that there;s a slight dryness in the after taste. Sort of thrown off because the description specifically mentions no astringency, gut there’s definitely some here. Much like the last cup, plus some toasted rice notes
This steep and the fifth were both more astringent, and tasted a lot like genmai.
If it weren’t for the dryness, I’d be a huge fan of this. As it stands, its still pretty good. There’s a nice comforting roasted flavor, supported by the nutty, and accented by the fruity. Definitely a relaxing tea, just not a fan of the slight dryness.
Preparation
Backlog
I had this cold brewed last night, and I think I’m just not a fan of rose in teas. The rose was pretty strong in this one. I felt like I was drinking perfume, a water based perfume . I was able to drink about half of it before deciding to call it quits. It wasn’t terrible, it was just weird and not my cup of tea (har-har).
Preparation
Backlog
Eh, I’ve never had black currants before, so I don’t know how accurate the flavor here is, but to me this tasted like plastic. I had this cold brewed yesterday, and ended up dumping it out. Not a fan, and it’s going in the swap pile.
Preparation
I had this cold steeped in my fridge, and decided to put it in a mason jar with some ice and frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries).
Before adding the berries, this was refreshing, light, and slightly fruity. I can’t really tell what kind of fruit, but it was fruity. There’s also a slight floral note to it, that I assume comes from the base tea.
With the frozen berries this was more flavorful, and the fruitiness more present. All and all this is an alright tea, something I would drink if offered, but wouldn’t go out of my way for it.
My picture of this in my mason jar: http://instagram.com/p/qNTH55Q04c/
