VariaTEA Send Message

I made this as an iced latte with whipped cream and a caramel drizzle to enjoy while I worked on a research memo for work that I have been stressing over all week. I spoke to a former employee in my position regarding the assignment and she really helped me clear my head so finishing it went much smoother than the rest of the experience. Now I am debating sending it off to the lawyer now or waiting for the morning and giving it a once over after I sleep. As much as I’d like to do the former, my gut says give it the once over in the morning. So instead I am updating my tea journal and watching Scrubs while writing about this tea.

The banana smell was so awesome when I started scooping out the tea and I am super glad it is coming through in the latte as well. I figured caramel syrup would compliment the praline element of this and while it was a bit much at first, it’s really mixed in now making for an awesome liquid dessert. Banana is first and foremost but with a whole lot of vanilla as well. It’s like banana-vanilla ice cream with caramelized praline. It’s honestly so good!!! MMMMmmmmgood!!!!

Yesterday I cold brewed this and ended up adding 7-Up. That ended up being alright so today I decided to make it as a teapop to finish off the little bit of 7-Up that no one wants to drink now that we have sprite in the house. However, I also was being lazy and the limeade was easier to reach than the 7-Up so that got added instead.

It’s actually refreshing in a tart sort of way. Between the hibiscus of the tea and the limeade, there isn’t much sweet but a nice amount of pucker. That works fairly well with the touch of spice in the blend.

I was won over by the description of this tea and how everyone who smells it ends up buying it so I wanted to smell it too. Spoiler: it smells goooood! That smell does transfer slightly to the taste, leaving a velvety smooth coconut impression. Alas, there is a sharp metallic twang at the end of this sip that really distracts from it. Calabash doesn’t give recommended steeping parameters so I went with my usual of 3 mins at 200F. Won’t be doing that again.

Made this as an iced latte and it’s got a lot of chocolate flavor. Well, more cocoa flavor than chocolate. And it’s got a nice smooth spice profile from the chai. I was a bit nervous because there was a whole star anise in the infuser but the flavor works here. I should note that the cocoa settles to the bottom so it needs to be stirred before drinking.

I had this cold brewed earlier. It was a nice pairing with my Jamaican Patty, especially since the patty was very hot and this was cold when I needed something to help with my lack of patience. It’s hibiscus-y and not overly special but refreshing and fruity nevertheless. It also was made better by a splash of 7-Up.

Sipdown (258)

Thank you Sil for sharing! It paired beautifully with a cotton candy cupcake. Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB4APeTg5BJ/

I drank this while working and it had an awesome cotton candy sweetness with just a touch of fruitiness that comes with the treat. Yum!

Made this this morning because I was craving the menthol notes of it. Didn’t end up drinking it until lunch time with some leftover Chinese food. It was a nice pairing given the Chinese food was peppery and the mint and lemon was rather refreshing next to that.

Iced Tea Sipdown (256)

We decided to try a new cupcake place today and one of the cupcakes was a vanilla cake with grape frosting which just seemed so weird but so interesting. With that calling my name, I heard this tea calling me as well.

I was excited for a grape flavor after I had quite a lot of success with the cupcake. Unfortunately, this was sorta grape-y, mostly hibiscus though and then just soap. Me and the white tea bases that companies use don’t always get along it seems and despite my high hopes, that was the case here.

Iced and Hot Tea Sipdown (257)

The hot tea was actually cool by the time I got to drinking it so I guess it’s an iced and cool tea Sipdown. Also, I’ve been slacking with my tea drinking which is not great because as I just realized talking to Sil, I have ordered lots of tea to add to my already large cupboard. So Sipdown should are good and while this has always been nice thanks to 52 Tea’s mastery of banana flavouring, it’s also always been kind of flat compared to more interesting banana blends like Anne’s Gone Bananas or Banana Pudding.

Both ways of drinking this tea were nice. I think the hot/cooled tea had a touch more banana flavor but both were enjoyable and were finished rather quickly. I am okay saying goodbye to this one though.