Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Company Description:
Sometimes I think white tea is not as much fun as the others. It’s such a delicate and subtle flavor to begin with that it doesn’t lend itself to things like chocolate peanut butter cup. What DOES pair well with it are nice sweet fruits, like black currant.
Taster’s Review:
52Teas is one of my favorite tea companies. Why? Well, there are several reasons. They offer a new flavor every week, and these flavors are usually just a little bit out of the ordinary. And, perhaps most importantly for me, they offer these new and unusual teas in a quantity that I can feel comfortable about buying – 1 or 2 ounce pouches, depending upon the type of tea, and they are easy to store and are re-sealable. This is the perfect amount of tea for this tea reviewer because it’s not a huge commitment, but it is just enough to taste the tea several times to determine whether I like it enough to sit down and write about it, and it’s also enough to share some with my SororiTEA Sister, Jennifer.
All of this, and their prices are reasonable too – usually just $7.99 per 2 ounce package (and did I mention that the shipping is free?)
All of these reasons really wouldn’t add up to much, though, if the teas didn’t taste good. And I must say, while I have tasted quite a few of 52Teas offerings, I’ve yet to try one that disappoints me – and more often than not, I am very pleasantly surprised by them.
This is one tea that really surprised me. I held off buying it for a while because I’ve never really considered myself to be much of a fan of black currants (although, I don’t know why, as I love black currants in tea cakes and most of the black currant teas that I’ve tasted have been delicious). I am glad that I finally gave in to my curiosity and tried it, because it is really quite good.
The fruit flavor is vibrant and yet it does not overpower the delicate flavor of the Bai Mu Dan. It is sweet and refreshing – especially when served chilled. This is one of my newest favorite iced teas! It is much tastier than any of those RTD bottled teas out there – and the best part is that because you brew it yourself, you can control the amount of sweetener you add to it, or you can choose to not sweeten it at all! I do add just a little bit of agave nectar to mine, because this really brings the fruity flavors into focus plus I can taste some of the sweet, delicate notes of the white tea just a little better.
Another outstanding tea from 52Teas!
Piña Colada Honeybush from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where To Buy: 52Teas
Company Description:
Sweet African honeybush appears to be MADE for tropical flavors. Combine it with dried pineapple, unsweetened coconut flakes and a touch of rum flavor, and you’ve got a tea so soothing, relaxing and pleasing to the senses, that, like I wrote on the label, you ought to be required to sip it from a hammock on the beach.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve got to be honest; I wasn’t very interested in trying this tea when I first saw it on the 52Teas website. I’m not a big fan of piña coladas. (Although I do like the tune – catchy!) However, I had read so many positive reviews of it on Steepster that I just had to give it a try. Fortunately, 52Teas sells their teas in 2 ounce packages – not a big investment to try something you’re not too confident about.
But really, I don’t know what I was so worried about! This is 52Teas, after all, one of my favorite online tea companies. I have yet to try a tea from them that I really dislike.
My curiosity got the better of me and I finally decided to buy a package. And WOW! This tastes fantastic!
I’ve tried a few piña colada flavored teas, and with most that I’ve tried, the flavors of the coconut and pineapple are represented but there is seldom anything resembling rum in the blend. Not so in this blend. There is a touch of rum flavoring to this. It isn’t an overwhelming flavor, but just enough to make this taste more like a piña colada than a tropical flavored tea.
The coconut and pineapple flavors add a pleasant sweetness and tropical flair to the cup – maybe I should be drinking this out of fancy stemware rather than my tea mug – complete with a little paper umbrella!
But as delicious as this tisane is hot, it is even better iced! It is super refreshing and fast becoming one of my favorite cold drinks – I could drink it all day! That is… if I hadn’t just used the last of my package. This is definitely a must try tea!
Coconut Cream Pie from 52 Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52 Teas
Company Description:
Our Coconut Cream Pie flavored black tea has been one of our bestsellers here at Zoomdweebie’s since we opened. In addition to the pouches of this tea that we’ve sold, we sell a LOT of beverages made from this tea, in particular, this is probably our all time bestselling iced tea latte, one sip of which has led people to exclaim, “That’s like coconut cream pie in a glass!” I’ve also been frequently challenged on our assertion that our tea lattes are all fat-free, particularly with this tea.
It is simply so decadent, so wonderfully sweet and satisfying, that people cannot believe that we didn’t just liquefy a slice of coconut cream pie and serve it to them in a glass.
For the 52teas version of this tea, we are adding some honking-big flakes of unsweetened coconut to our premium black tea blend along with coconut and vanilla flavors.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm… imagine… enjoying coconut cream pie for breakfast! This morning, that’s just what I did!
I have been eager to try this tea. I am a member of an online tea-tasting community and some of the other members have raved about this tea, so, with one of my most recent orders to Zoomdweebies (aka 52Teas) I made sure to order this tea.
I was fairly confident I’d enjoy it. I love coconut – and especially coconut cream pie! – and I usually do like the tea from 52Teas/Zoomdweebies. They are as talented as they are creative when it comes to flavoring tea!
Upon opening the package, I was greeted with huge coconut flakes. LOTS of them! With each teaspoon of tea, there are at least two or three pieces of coconut on the spoon – and from the looks of it, this tea has coconut-o-plenty all the way to the bottom of the pouch!
The aroma of the dry leaf is a very strong coconut scent, with a pleasing note of vanilla. The brewed liquor has a softer fragrance, but it is still clearly coconut with hints of vanilla. It smells delicious!
And it IS delicious! The medium-bodied black tea base is smooth and non-intrusive to the coconut and vanilla flavors. There is no bitterness and very little astringency to the tea – it is just a brisk, flavorful black tea.
The coconut and vanilla combination is sweet and tasty. I would say that it is a bit like drinking a slice of coconut cream pie, but, since I’m currently enjoying this tea hot, I am going to say instead that it’s a bit like eating a warm bowl of coconut pudding. It tastes so smooth, creamy, and decadent, it is truly dessert in a teacup.
I’m currently drinking this tea hot, with just a sprinkling of raw sugar to bring out some of the more delicate flavors of coconut and cream – but this tea is quite sweet without the sugar, so I recommend tasting it before you sweeten it so you don’t overdo it. A splash of milk or cream will enhance the creaminess of this tea.