Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Our cakey- and gingerbread-flavors were getting mixed reviews in our black tea blends, so I decided to give it a try with a lighter base, and oh man, did that do the trick!
Here’s a light, refreshing Young Hyson green tea base blended with cinnamon, ginger and organic flavors like gingerbread, cake batter, butter and brown sugar.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been looking forward to trying this Gingerbread Coffeecake Flavored Green Tea from 52Teas! I absolutely loved their Gingerbread Chai that they made for their Christmas blend a few years ago, and I was certain I’d enjoy this too.
And … this might even be BETTER than the Gingerbread Chai – and that’s saying something because I love chai! Of course, it could just be the fact that it’s been quite a while since I’ve had some Gingerbread Chai so I’m basing this all on memory … although I must say that was a very memorable chai! At the very least, I must also say that this Gingerbread Coffeecake is a very memorable flavored green tea!
The light Young Hyson green tea base is a perfect match for the buttery, cake-y, zesty ginger-y tastes of the flavors in this tea. I thought that the green tea would be overpowered by the flavors … but it isn’t. I taste the light, crisp flavor of the Young Hyson … with hints of grassy flavor that – oddly enough – really seem to complement the flavoring.
The gingerbread flavoring is perfection. This tastes like my favorite ginger cookies that have been liquefied and mixed with green tea. The flavors are nicely balanced. There is a peppery ZING from the ginger … not too much, but enough to let you know that there is ginger in this tea! I taste the buttery, cake-y tastes and the brown sugar. It is sweet and decadent and delicious. Truly a delight to drink!
I wanted to take a moment to mention that 52Teas/Zoomdweebies wants to reopen it’s tea bar in Wichita, Kansas, and is holding a “crowd-funding campaign” through Indiegogo. Please consider contributing to this fundraising event to help a small businessman. Every little bit helps … and it would be great to get Zoomdweebies BACK on the map, don’t you think?
Boo-Berry Cotton Candy from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Just in time for Halloween! We’ve blended Young Hyson and Gunpowder green teas, freeze-dried blueberries and organic flavors to create the most amazing blueberry cotton candy flavored green tea EVER. I will NOT be able to reblend this one right now, as this used up the last of my green teas for the moment, so don’t miss out!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It may seem a little weird to be reviewing a tea called “Boo-Berry” in December, especially for those of you who – like me – are fans of the General Mills Monster cereals that are re-released every year around Halloween. Yeah, I’m a bit behind on reviewing my 52Teas … but I am trying to get to them in order of their release, and I do like to wait a little while for the teas to have time to cure. Something that I learned from my days as a tea artist is that when you flavor and/or blend a tea, the flavors need time to develop. I found that three weeks is usually sufficient, but as I said before, I am a wee bit behind.
So that is why I am reviewing this tea now and scheduling it for December 9, two months after it’s release for the week of October 8.
But I am glad I did wait a while, because based on the review I read from my SororiTea Sister Azzrian, this tea seems a bit different from what she tasted back when she did her review of it. I can taste the flavors and they’re strong! The cotton candy shines through, as does the blueberry.
The combination of Hyson and Gunpowder give this tea a pleasing dimension of flavor that is sweet, slightly vegetative and what I want to call “perky.” Yes, I said Perky! By that I mean – it has a vibrant, invigorating and even uplifting kind of taste. I feel it perk me up as I sip it.
Of the two flavors, I taste the sweet, sugary notes of the cotton candy just ahead of the blueberry, and only the sweetest notes of the blueberry. I find that this does lack some of the tart, tingly notes that I’d expect from a blueberry, this tends to taste more like the candy-ish blueberry taste of Boo-Berry cereal, which seems appropriate since that’s what inspired this tea. I notice a tart note in the aftertaste only … and only after waiting about a minute into the aftertaste do I notice it. In other words, if you want that tart blueberry taste, finish the sip, and then wait about a minute, and you’ll feel the tingly berry note develop on your tongue.
But, don’t take that as a criticism or complaint, because it isn’t intended to be. I don’t want my cotton candy to taste sour or even very tart. And I’m glad this doesn’t. Overall, I’m really pleased with this cup, it’s certainly a very good representation of what I would think a Boo-Berry Cotton Candy would taste like.
Now, if you’re getting ready to rush over to the 52Teas website to purchase some of this tea for yourself, you’re going to be a bit disappointed to learn that this tea is now sold out. That happens a lot with 52Teas blends. He only blends a limited quantity of each blend, and since he does a new blend each week (hence the name 52Teas) … he couldn’t possibly keep all the teas in stock all the time. So, if you are fed up with wanting to order a tea from 52Teas that ends up sold out before you can get to it, here’s what I recommend doing: Subscribe to their tea of the week or monthly tea package program. That’s what I do. That’s how I’m able to try each and every tea that they offer. Now, I’m not going to lie and say that I fall head over heels in love with every single tea that they create. I don’t. But, I do at least enjoy most of the teas that they create, and there’s never been one that I just do not like. And occasionally, there is one that I’m crazy about. And best of all: I never have to worry about the teas selling out before I have a chance to snag a pouch for myself.
PS: The subscriptions also make killer gifts!
Boo-Berry Cotton Candy from 52 Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Gunpowder and Hyson Green Teas
Where to Buy: 52 Teas
Tea Description:
Just in time for Halloween! We’ve blended Young Hyson and Gunpowder green teas, freeze-dried blueberries and organic flavors to create the most amazing blueberry cotton candy flavored green tea EVER. I will NOT be able to reblend this one right now, as this used up the last of my green teas for the moment, so don’t miss out!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Anyone who knows me knows that I love 52 Teas cotton candy blend, I also love blueberry tea, so this was a no brainer when it came out! I snatched up my bag in a heart beat and I am so glad that I did. As I write this review I see that there is one more bag to be claimed and I’m strongly considering grabbing it!
When I first scooped out my tea to put in my strainer I noticed the HUGE plump numerous blueberries in the blend! I literally said out loud “Holy Blueberries!” I shook up the bag a little to make sure that the blueberries had not all somehow miraculously risen to the top of my bag defeating gravity, but alas, that was not the case. This bag is stuffed fully of luscious blueberries through and through!
So I steep…. the cup is a deep chocolate color, very unexpected with two kinds of green tea however the sweet blueberries have done their job painting the brew.
I do feel that this tea needs a little more time for the flavors to develop and mingle with each other. I do detect the cotton candy flavor I am familiar with in the 52 Teas Cotton Candy blend and of course the blueberries which I am familiar with from 52 Teas Blueberry Zabaglione blend. Yet as Frank, master blender of 52 Teas does create a new tea each and every week, sometimes some of the blends do need a little maturing time. This is one of those yet I can absolutely taste the prospect in this one and I know it is going to be a good one! So the question remains, do I grab up that last bag or do I let someone else grab it, showing my generous side? I know once these flavors have fully developed I am going to be kicking myself, but I think I am going to let someone else get in on the fun here and restrain myself from another order. It is getting close to the holidays after all … but just wait for it … I am sure in a couple of weeks I when this tea is all gone I will be saying BOO-HISS!
Special Piña Colada Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
If you thought our award-winning Pina Colada Honeybush was good, wait till you get to try THIS!
We blended some of the finest green teas we had–some chun mee, young hyson supreme and a smaller portion of Japanese sencha for balance with real dried pineapple, our honking big coconut flakes and all natural flavors. This is going to blow you away. I was thinking really hard about not offering two green teas in a row, but this is so amazing I couldn’t resist.
Taster’s Review:
I must agree: this tea IS amazing!
Having tasted their Piña Colada Honeybush and loving it, I knew I was in for a treat with this blend. And even though I really do love the Piña Colada Honeybush, I think that this is even better. The sweet, tropical flavors meld so seamlessly with the sweetness of the green tea blend.
The dry leaf is really beautiful with its green tea leaves, large chunks of dried pineapple and HUGE flakes of coconut. And it smells as good as it looks!
But the taste is what really wins you over with this tea. Sweet, juicy fruit flavor with a touch of rum. The green tea is light and refreshing with a soft mouthfeel. There is next to NO grassy taste with this green tea, I don’t know if that is because of the strong piña colada flavoring offsetting the grassy notes, but for those who often find the vegetative taste of green tea to be off-putting, I think that this green tea would work for you!
Unfortunately, as I write this the tea has sold out. I do hope that this is one that 52Teas considers reblending because I think that there are a lot of people out there who are sad about missing this one – or at least, they should be! It’s SO GOOD!
Since this one IS sold out, though, I intend on reserving the rest of this package away for iced tea brewing! As awesome as it is hot, it’s even better iced!