Spiced Cucumber Melon Green Tea

Such a unique blend! I steeped this one hot and set it aside to let it cool for later (instead of cold brewing). I love the melon flavor but also the spiciness at the end. I thought it might be more subdued with a colder steep, but it’s still got some bite left in it.

Thank you Evol Ving Ness for sharing this one with me. I made it both hot and iced. My preference was for the hot tea which was smooth that had more body than other cucumber melon teas given the spice but is still refreshing in the summer. I found the melon comes out more in the iced tea and creates more contrast between the sweet cucumber melon and the roasty green tea base/spices.

Check out my full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2018/06/27/spiced-cucumber-melon-green-tea-from-52teas/

Ayup, so…
I like the cucumber and I like the melon. What I am not crazy about are the warm spices which to me, translates as pumpkin pie type spices. Yeah, nope. To me, here, these strike a jarring note. I am wondering whether something peppery or more gazpacho like, like for example a hit of balsamic vinegar, would work more effectively here.

I got this tea in my mystery grab bag months ago and am finally trying it for the first time. Although I loved all the other 52Teas blends that came in that order, this particular combination of flavors didn’t appeal to me. Sampling it has confirmed that this isn’t for me. The flavors are well-done and exactly what the name promises: lots of cooling cucumber and honeydew melon with a bit of a spicy kick in the aftertaste. And the combination is actually quite pleasant! Just not something I’m likely to reach for again. Anyone want to take this off my hands?

Another Evol sample….

Upside of this one? LOVE the melon flavouring….but you know what i don’t need? SPicey melon lol. However, that being said, this is as close to it’s name as i think you could get. It’s really well done for what it’s supposed to be, just happens to not be what i want with melon. I did appreciate the spiciness in this one though…i imagine it paired with a nice solid black tea :)

March Mad(Hatter) Tea Tournament! Round #4
This is honestly not really the teas I thought I’d end up with. I guess it’s good to have a reminder to revisit teas.  And fun to compare teas.  Much like one of my favorite things, the arbitrary Tournament of Books, is about comparing two random books.

Match #1  52Teas – Spiced Cucumber Melon  VS. Teavivre – High Mountain oolong
A perfect blend up against an oolong that was never really a favorite and lacked distinctive notes.  Winner:  Spiced Cucumber Melon

Match #2  Octavia – Berry Mocha Truffle  VS. Tealyra – Parisian Sparkling Wine
Another tough one.  Both great blends!  But the lovely black tea that accomplishes what it’s trying to do perfectly wins over the herbal that accomplishes what it’s trying to do perfectly.  Winner:   Berry Mocha Truffle

-————————————————————FINAL MATCH  -—————————————————
52 Teas – Spiced Cucumber Melon       VS.     Octavia – Berry Mocha Truffle
I didn’t see this final coming!  This has been so fun.   Of course two flavored teas make it.  What can I say, I like what I like.  Both the ultimate of flavor combinations.  One a green tea base!  One a black tea base!  The Berry Mocha Truffle is a lovely chocolate berry blend, but is it the best of its kind?  I don’t think so.   The 52Teas might be a bit faded now (I just noticed it’s five years old) but when fresh this is unbeatable!   It’s magic!  Some ingredients here shouldn’t even work for me!  My original note mentioned a tea magician created it.  It’s a unique one and memories of these teas also help. Winner:  52 TEAS -  SPICED CUCUMBER MELON!!!!!!

From the 52Teas reboot.

This is one that I put off drinking for awhile. In general, I am not a fan of any melons, except watermelon, so the melon in the tea had me a little hesitant.

That said, on my first steep of this, I was rushed out the door after making it and didn’t get to drink it until i came back, a few hours later. So, it was cold.

And it was one of the most refreshing teas I have ever drunk! The cucumber helps with that a lot, of course. I was afraid I would be getting way too much melon in it, but the melon adds just a hint of sweetness, not overpowering at all. The spice is nice and subtle too, just a tiny bit of heat in the background that contrasts with the cucumber and melon. It’s an excellent tea for a hot summer day (well, I’m in Texas, so technically, that could be just about any day of the year), and I’m very glad I gave it a try, even if it did take me forever. I may need to get myself a larger size of this one.

Steep #2: I wasn’t sure how the cucumber and melon bits would hold up to a resteep the next day, so I tried it. It’s nice. This time, the tea is lukewarm, since I didn’t leave it siting out for three hours before drinking it. The cucumber and melon are still present, though they aren’t quite as strong as they were yesterday. The bite is still subtle, but a little more present, today – I’m identifying it a little more distinctly as ginger or peppercorn, but I’m leaning towards ginger. It’s still very nice, and I think the heat helps the spices stand out a little more – I think they got a little muted in the cooldown yesterday. I think the cold tea upped the refreshing factor, though.