Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake Honeybush

The more I drink this, the more I enjoy it… just as long as I ignore the name of the tea. I think it misses on a few counts, however it’s still really, really tasty.

Can I just start by saying I smiled way more than I should have when I saw MissB had marked this “for VariaTEA”. I like to think that when she tries teas she thinks of me and that is why this one was specifically sent. I know that is probably not the case but let me dream :)

Anyways, as for the tea itself, I don’t get ginger or pumpkin or cheesecake. What I do get is a very pleasantly sweet honeybush with a hint of spice (perhaps very faintly akin to candied ginger?). It is pretty tasty but definitely falls short when it comes to living up to its name. That won’t stop me from enjoying my sample. So thank you MissB for sharing! I certainly would have been disappointed had I bought this (as it is not ginger pumpkin cheesecake) but trying it I am very pleased with the taste (though I don’t think I would order this as there are other honeybush blends by Frank that I prefer much more).

Thank you so much for a sample of this one MissB! Oh my gosh. This brings the magic back to 52Teas… I’ve had a few letdowns lately. THIS should be types of blends found in the bestseller sampler. I think I can officially say that I love 52Teas honeybush blends more than the others (especially their black teas which is usually my favorite base tea.. but I’m not a fan of that one type of black tea they switched to). What other tea company even HAS nice honeybush blends??

Steep #1 // just boiled // 2 min
I didn’t really expect exact pumpkin flavor (who even has that either?).. so maybe I wasn’t setting myself up for disappointment. But I’m not sure why other tea companies do not use dehydrated canned pumpkin like Della Terra does. Get the bad out of the way (well not really bad, just nonexistent) since everything else was good good good. The honeybush base is always nice – I think I like honeybush more than rooibos now but that might be the new teabags I’ve been using. The dry blend has ginger and cinnamon pieces, as far as I can see. Then the lovely cheesecake flavor that adds that tangy creaminess! It’s more like a chai cheesecake and not a pumpkin cheesecake but it is so delicious. It’s the perfect combination, really.

Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 min
This cup is even more amazing somehow! Even more creaminess! I guess I like ginger much more that I once did…. it’s very nice here. And the cinnamon has increased too. It’s like that sugary cinnamon this time somehow? I love this blend.. as I love all of 52’s Cheesecakes. AHEM. How did a cheesecake blend not make the bestseller sampler?!? I have one more teaspoon to savor of this one!

Backlog:

this tisane exceeded my expectations. I thought I’d like it (I mean, I do enjoy most of Frank’s blends, and he seems to really bring it when it comes to honeybush), but I didn’t think I’d like it quite as much as I did.

I thought that the ginger would be stronger in this blend than it is, given the name of it. The ginger does stand out, but it’s not all about the ginger, nor does the ginger overpower the other flavor profiles. There is just enough ginger to give the cup some zing without it going overboard.

Cinnamon is tasted, and so is pumpkin and the creamy notes of cream cheese. The tangy notes of the cream cheese also come through. I didn’t get a lot of “buttery” pastry like flavors, but I found that the nutty tones of the honeybush seemed to give it a little bit of crust flavor that I was wanting.

A really good blend.

Thank you QueenOfTarts for this tea.

In raw form is has a nice fiery ginger scent which for the time being masks over the pumpkin. However there is also a very thick Honeybush scent which I find to be unique in terms of what it actually smells like. Sort of…chicory meets Rooibos and root beer.

In flavour the pumpkin has increased in comparison to it’s missing performance in the scent. The ginger is behind the pumpkin in strength and leaves a gentle burn in the after taste. The Honeybush is very strong in flavour too so I can see this being a hit and miss blend.

I’m having trouble deciding what I make of it…the pumpkin is nice and the ginger is good and I like Honeybush but do they all belong together?

My questioning made me add a spoon of sugar to see if it smooths out the balance in the blend. Well it is better now for the most part. The sugar has brightened the pumpkin and lightened it so it’s not as dominant. As for the ginger it is still noticeable but not half the strength that it was, it no longer has that burn but now a mere warmth. As for the cheesecake I suppose with the sugar you could say it has that sort of sour and smooth cheesecake filling flavour but at the same time I feel I may be reaching. Also the cinnamon is stronger now.

Overall I prefer it with sugar but am still not sure what to think about it on the whole. Perhaps over time I will make my mind up. For now I at least like it and will score it as such but will make sure to adjust it appropriately.

I really thought I would like this since I’ve been a fan of so many 52teas honeybush blends. While the tea was perfectly drinkable, it left me a little disappointed. The honeybush base and cinnamon managed to make an appearance, but I couldn’t pick out the pumpkin or cheesecake flavors because the ginger was overpowering everything. I tried a variety of temperature/time combinations, but nothing really made the pumpkin noticeable.

I feel sort of silly, buying a tea that has two ingredients that I don’t really like (ginger and cinnamon) and a tea base that is not a favorite, but drinkable. But… it’s PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE and a caffeine free version, too! I thought that it was worth a try.. but giving this tea a smell, I’m nervous. It smells a little bit sweet, a little bit tangy & up close, very heavy on the ginger and cinnamon. Uh oh. After water has been added, it smells a little bit like burning honeybush: very strong ginger and cinnamon.

Sipping…I definitely taste cinnamon and honeybush at first. The sweetness of the honeybush comes out a little bit later, but that’s really all there is. The cinnamon is not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s not like cinnamon gum or cinnamon spice, but a flavor in between the two. I’m disappointed as this blend is rather plain — no pumpkin, no cheesecake. I’ll let the rest of the pouch sit for a little while, but I doubt any more flavor will develop with time.

This comes to me courtesy of a Secret Pumpkin package from Short Sorceress.

I’ve been longing to try a 52teas cheesecake blend for some time now, so I was pretty stoked that Short Sorceress sent me a few cups’ worth. Apparently I’ll have to keep longing though, because this blend is not very cheesecake-y. After a lot of experimentation, I found that this is most enjoyable for me brewed at 200 F for a long period of time (7+ minutes). The ginger isn’t overpowering, but it is most of the flavor. There’s some cinnamon flavor as well. Pumpkin is nowhere to be seen. The closest I could get to cheesecake was by adding one piece of rock sugar – it brought out a creamy texture without altering the taste. Still, creamy =/= cheesecake. Glad to have tried, but equally glad to call it a sipdown.

The honeybush base is lovely, and cinnamon managed to made a pleasant introduction.
But, The pumpkin was slightly weak under an overpowering ginger flavor.
More pumpkin, PLEASE!
The cheescake flavor was very strong and tasted even creamier with eggnog latte creamer.
Matter of fact, I think I may need more of this tea to make it through the season….
Onto the shopping list for this one.
Creamy, yummy, and so much fun…I will be dreaming the Sugarplum Fairy Dance tonight.
Mmmmm…mmmmm…..sweet, with a touch of whimsy & and enough spice to give it some kick !

I’m not getting much pumpkin, but the ginger and cheesecake are definitely there. It is a nice, slightly spicy, and warming tea that is much appreciated after a long, stressful day at work. Maybe I’ll actually get some sleep tonight also since it is honeybush. I’m usually horrible about drinking black tea late at night.