It’s Christmas Eve! Wow! I can’t believe I’m almost finished with my sampler box. I did enjoy it, though. It was fun to revisit these wonderful teas. And I am very excited to find out what tea Frank came up with for tomorrow!
For the most part, I have not been surprised by any of the teas that 52Teas put in this box. Frank made really good choices, choosing some of the best teas that he crafted over the past year or so. I do wish that the Gingerbread Chai was a part of this box, but I do understand why it wasn’t (since it was the Christmas Day sampler last year). It would have also been incredibly cool to find my Tomato, Basil and Black Pepper tea in this box. And since there was one or two blends that I haven’t tried over the last year or so, I wish that those were part of this box, only because I would have liked to have tried them.
But, besides these few minor details, this box has been a real winner with me. And today’s tea comes as no surprise to me, because this was definitely a hot seller. So, for the eleventh tea of Christmas, it’s …
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Frank has a way with honeybush. I may not always love other blends he creates, but, usually, his honeybush blends are absolutely amazing.
This Cinnamon Roll Honeybush is a dieter’s dream, because it has the flavor of a freshly baked cinnamon roll without the fat and calories.
I reviewed this tisane in September, and I am really glad that this was in the sampler box, because I’ve finished my pouch of this already. It’s so good, and it’s nice to revisit it. I hope that Frank will eventually make this tisane part of his Sweet Honeybush line, but until then, you can visit the in-stock page as Frank is reviving all the teas that he’s featured in this sampler. If you haven’t tried this one yet, you really should!
On the Tenth Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to Me …
We are nearing the finish line. These sampler boxes are a fun way to count down the days until Christmas, especially if you’re like me and have difficulty with time. I often blame it on the artist in me, but whether or not that is the case, I don’t know. What I do know is that I have a real issue with the concept of time.
And I bring that up, because, well, an Advent calendar seldom works for me, because I can’t usually wrap my brain around the fact that it’s December 1st when it is. So, even if my intentions are good and I happen to buy an Advent-type, countdown calender, I probably would end up forgetting about it and not start it until mid-December anyway. This cuts the time in half for me, I can handle 12 days. 25 days … well, I probably COULD handle it, but, knowing the struggle it would pose for me, I rather not put myself in that situation.
Yes, I’m babbling. Basically my point is, this kind of countdown – 12 Days of Christmas – works for me. Even though, technically, the 12 Days of Christmas isn’t actually supposed to start before Christmas and be a “countdown”, but actually, should start on Christmas Day.
Enough already! Let’s get on with today’s tea, shall we?
Here is the tenth tea of Christmas …
This chai appearing in the box was a very happy surprise, mainly because it was the first chai in the box (and possibly the only chai!) and Chai is just so warm and cozy and comforting that I expected there to be at least one other Chai tea before this, the tenth day.
Assuming that this is the only chai in the box this year, I guess that this is a good choice for that one chai. It is certainly yummy. Although, truth be told, I would have selected the Gingerbread Chai which is my favorite chai from 52Teas. However, since it was last year’s 12th Tea of Christmas, I didn’t really expect it to appear in this year’s box.
But, all that aside, this is a really yummy chai, so long as it is brewed correctly. The first time I brewed this (it’s been a couple of months now), I brewed it too strong and it caused the Assam to taste really harsh. Normally, I like to brew my chai really strong, but this is not a normal chai, so don’t treat it as such!
A very flavorful chai, the black tea base is bold and invigorating, the spices do not overpower the delightful flavors of caramel and vanilla. I wrote my full-length review of this chai back in October, and I think I’m loving this now even more than I did back then, and that just may be because I am enjoying this “latte” and – just as I stated back in October – it is an over-the-top treat. It is AMAZINGLY good, and even if you don’t think you need to go over-the-top, I do recommend trying it … at least once!
On the Ninth Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to Me …
Today’s tea is another one of my favorites from this past year. I seem to have more hits than misses when it comes to 52Teas, but, I suppose that is what makes them my favorite tea company. Not only does Frank manage to create some really unusual and totally unique flavored teas, but, he does it well. He doesn’t just toss flavoring in with some tea leaves and call it a blend. He takes the time to create something that tastes as good and interesting as it sounds. Having been a tea artist, I can speak from experience and say that it is NOT easy. But, Frank makes it look easy because it is a rare occasion when I’m actually disappointed by one of his teas. Most of the time, I’m just as pleased as can be with his creations.
And today’s blend is no exception. He brought back some cherished childhood memories with this tea blend.
For the ninth tea of Christmas, 52Teas gave to me …
I wasn’t allowed to drink a lot of soda as a kid, which, looking back now, I think was a good thing. I was pretty frustrated with it as a kid though, because all I drank was water and punch (aka Kool-Aid, which was made with saccharine – YUCK!) There was a rare occasion as a child when we would visit my father’s best friend, he would make me a special “cocktail” consisting of ginger ale, ice and a maraschino cherry. It looked much like the glass on the label. It made me feel grown up to have a drink that at least looked like the adults drinks, even if it didn’t taste like it (and truth be told, I still prefer the way the ginger ale would taste over a mixed drink).
And then, there was the even more rare occasion when I might be sick to my stomach, and was allowed to drink “flat” ginger ale, which was supposed to settle my stomach (according to my step-mom). Those were the only two times I was really allowed to have soda (unless we were out to eat, which was an even more rare occasion), and both times involved Ginger Ale. So, Ginger Ale is kind of a special beverage for me, and Frank has managed to capture that flavor very well in this tea.
Like the other teas in this 12 Teas of Christmas series, I have reviewed this tea previously … and I love it now as much as I loved it then.
On The Eighth Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to Me …
I have been very happy with this sampler box and loving every tea that has been featured. But I don’t think I’ve been happier with a selection than I am with today’s choice … this tea was easily my favorite from the past year. (Exception: my Tomato, Basil and Black Pepper Tea was actually my favorite, but, I don’t think that 52Teas is going to include that tea with this sampler. So, I guess I should rephrase the previous statement to say that this tea is my favorite tea from the past year that didn’t include tomato.)
And it really surprised me at just how much I loved this tea. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were a chocolate tea. But, vanilla? I didn’t think I’d ever be choosing that as a favorite. I mean I like it, but, is it my favorite flavor? This tea certainly opened my eyes. And the biggest surprise of all was just how well the malty tones of Assam and the sweet, creamy flavor of vanilla meld together.
I guess by now it’s probably pretty obvious what tea I’m talking about, so let’s get this part over with: For the Eighth Tea of Christmas, 52Teas this to me …
As I said above, this is my favorite tea that 52Teas produced this past year that doesn’t include tomato. It is sweet, creamy and absolutely incredible. The Assam is rich and malty, has a moderate astringency. I am actually experiencing a tad more astringency with this cup than I remember from previous tastings of this tea. As you can read in my first review of this tea, I thought the astringency was lighter than with other Assam teas that I’ve tasted. Today, I experience more astringency, but, even so, it’s not an overly astringent tea.
Still no bitterness, still sweet, bold and malty. The malty tones of the Assam marry so well with the creamy notes of the vanilla, and create a caramel-ish taste that is incredibly decadent.
I love this tea.
On the Seventh Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to Me …
I was pretty confident that this blend would appear in this 12 Teas of Christmas box, because it is probably one of 52Teas’ top 3 sellers this year, if not of all time. (Note: I don’t know this for sure, it’s a guess based only on the response to the tea on Steepster as well as the fact that it had been reblended several times before it was made a permanent part of the My Sweet Honeybush line).
This is also one of the only tisanes out there that I’ve purchased multiple pouches of, as this became a daily beverage for my daughter for a while. As much as I love most of 52Teas’ blends, if I were to purchase multiple pouches of all of them, well, I just wouldn’t have any room in my kitchen for anything but tea… and my family would disown me. As it is, they’re getting pretty frustrated with the amount of tea that I own now.
But, I digress.
I am really glad that this tea was in the sampler box, because I’ve been out of it for a while now, and I’ve missed it. It’s nice to revisit it!
COCONUT CHEESECAKE FLAVORED HONEYBUSH
As I mentioned above, this was my daughter’s favorite tea for quite a while. And, one sip will tell you why: it’s really delicious. Sweet and creamy, with a delicious coconut flavor that lingers. The cheesecake flavor here is very well pronounced with a tangy cream cheese and sour cream kind of flavor in the background.
The nutty flavor of the honeybush ties in well with the pastry-like flavor.
I find this just as delicious now as I did back in February when I wrote my full-length review of this tea. It makes a wonderful late-night treat that will satisfy my sweet tooth without calories, and since it’s honeybush, it’s caffeine-free too!