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“Similar thoughts to last time. Not really a fan of this tea. It doesn’t taste like much beyond rooibos/honeybush, maybe a tiny bit of spice. Not donutty or creamy/custardy like creme brulee.” Read full tasting note
“There were two bags of this among the teas from Sil so I think she gave me a sample from her bag and then I happened to buy myself a bag. So thank you Sil for sharing. I actually finished one bag...” Read full tasting note
“TTB #20 Not sure if it’s the age of the sample or my steeping parameters or something else, but this tea tastes like a straight-up rooibos…not getting even a hint of creme brulee. :(” Read full tasting note
“Day 5 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516. I’m planning to catch up on my Advent teas this weekend, but I’m currently sipping on the tea for December 5th. I was super excited about the...” Read full tasting note
Tea of the Week for October 21, 2019!
Our Third Tea from our “I Love The Pacific Northwest” Collection!
Portland is well-known as a foodie city. It’s also known for the large number of food carts in the city. The very first food cart that I ever visited was called Donut-o-Rama, which is sadly, no longer operating (at least, not that I’m aware of). The thing that drew me to Donut-o-Rama is that I heard of their Crème Brûlée Beignet & I decided that was something I needed – yes, NEEDED! – to try. For me, it was love at first bite.
Sweet, yeasty donut ‘crust’ enveloping a creamy vanilla bean, five-spiced custard that is then sprinkled with sugar & torched for a crispy, crème brûlée type of experience – donut style. Seriously YUM. It would be difficult for me to list my top 10 favorite flavor adventures in Portland, but this one definitely would be considered for the list & if nothing else, biting into my first Crème Brûlée Beignet was a very memorable experience and one worthy of noting in my “I Love The Pacific Northwest” collection.
For this blend, I started with a base of organic Rooibos combined with some honeybush. To that, I added some essence to create a pastry flavor – as well as a creamy, custardy flavor. I added some vanilla bean & some cinnamon, clove, fennel & Szechuan peppercorns to create a five spice flavor. (Well, OK, it’s only four spices, but I didn’t want the focus to be on the spices as much as the beignet & custard flavors, so I omitted the star anise.)
I’m so happy with the result on this one. I am tasting the pastry notes as well as the creamy, vanilla custard & a nice touch of spice. I like the balance here. The spice is distinctive without being too aggressive. The base of rooibos & honeybush work with the flavors of the ‘donut’. It’s sweet, creamy, warm & delicious. It’s also all organic, VEGAN, caffeine-free, gluten-free & allergen free!
organic ingredients: rooibos, honeybush, cinnamon, clove, fennel, szechuan peppercorns, calendula petals & natural flavors
At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.
There were two bags of this among the teas from Sil so I think she gave me a sample from her bag and then I happened to buy myself a bag. So thank you Sil for sharing. I actually finished one bag and broke into the second to get the recommended 4 g of tea.
I love Creme brulee and I love beignets and I’m heartbroken since I should currently be in Disney staying at the French Quarter resort where they have the famous Mickey Beignets. Alas, this is a lot more honeybush and a lot less creme brûlée or beignets than I expected. Spiced rooibos and honeybush. Not my thing.
TTB #20
Not sure if it’s the age of the sample or my steeping parameters or something else, but this tea tastes like a straight-up rooibos…not getting even a hint of creme brulee. :(
Flavors: Rooibos
Same! I only ever tasted rooibos with this one.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but may I suggest that instead of boiling water, use a slightly lower temperature with Rooibos. I find that with a slightly lower temperature, less of what I call the rooibos ‘funk’ comes out. I enjoy rooibos but I don’t enjoy that weird, off taste that comes from rooibos and I find that it doesn’t find its way into my teacup when I use a slightly lower temperature.
Also, use a longer steep time. I usually recommend at least 8 minutes, and you can go longer without bitterness. (no tannins in rooibos!) This may result in a better flavor for you.
I second the reduced temp. My rooibos/honey bush experiences have been better with more like 200/190F water.
I generally go with 190 degrees F for green rooibos and 195 for the red. It may not seem like a big deal – just a few degrees less – but it really does make a difference. At least … to my palate it does!
Thanks for the tip! I will try that next time. :)
Day 5 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
I’m planning to catch up on my Advent teas this weekend, but I’m currently sipping on the tea for December 5th. I was super excited about the flavor combo on this one – these are two desserts I really enjoy. This tea is delicious, but I don’t taste either creme brulee or beignet. It tastes like straight rooibos. I do enjoy rooibos, so I’m still enjoying this tea, but I wish I could find a way to bring out the dessert flavors in this one.
