This blend was one of 52 Teas’ monthly blends for May. I was excited when I saw it because I find it really unique and intriguing. I unfortunately steeped this cup a little too long because I was steeping some other teas at the same time and forgot to un-steep this one first. So, I took a tentative sip because I was thinking that it would be pretty bitter. Thankfully it wasn’t! Phew.
Guys and gals…let me tell you what this tea tasted like. Are you ready? You sure? It tasted like….A blueberry cream cheese danish. Shocking! No, i’m just being silly.
But really it does taste exactly like a blueberry danish with cream cheese. Both the dry leaf and steeped liquid smells like blueberry, but once I taste it I swear I can taste the cream cheese and sweet pastry bread. How they liquidized a blueberry danish, I have no idea. All I can say is that it tasted like Willy Wonka transformed a blueberry cream cheese danish into a mug of tea (instead of a stick of gum!) It is so creamy and tangy from the blueberries and cream cheese, but sweet from that classic danish icing and the sweet pastry bread.
This is a winner, hands down, one of my favorites of all time. I highly recommend you try it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This blend is no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Rush from The Love Tea Company. . . .
So a little while back a couple of us sisters received a gift from the wonderful CuppaGeek. Super Starling said she received hers for her general awesomeness so if I got one too, does that mean I am awesome as she is? That’s quite the accomplishment I think because she is one awesome lady. So that means that this gift was not only a great present that made sure to tell me I was loved, but also an ego boost. Plus, as part of the Tea It Forward program, this also helped support a good cause since $1 from each box sold goes to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness.
Today’s tea pick of the three options in the box is Strawberry Rush, a fruity green tea which I found quite surprising. The first surprise was the steeping temperature. 3 minutes at 195F seemed quite high for a green base to me. Nonetheless, I followed these recommended steeping parameters only to be surprised again when I removed the filter basket and found a deep fuchsia colored tea as opposed to the usual light yellow shade of a green tea. My guess is the hibiscus is the cause of this color so I was interested to see if that meant it would take over the flavor as well.
Well, hibiscus is definitely in the mug but far more tame than what I expected. There is a distant memory of strawberry here but if I am being honest, the base is extremely bitter and I am finding that to be incredibly distracting. My hope is that the high temperature water burnt the leaf since I don’t imagine this is its intended taste.
In order to give this a fair try, I actually dumped my first brew and steeped this up the way I would normally steep a green tea, using 75C water and steeping for a quick two minutes. The new mug is far less bitter which means I can actually enjoy this one. The hibiscus is imparting the same level of tartness as before but without all the burnt to cloud the mug, the memory of strawberry here is not so distant. However, even though I can taste a slightly underripe strawberry flavor, it is also muddled among the various other flavor components. In fact, the citrus of the orange is one of the more prominent flavors and to me it feels out of place. The papaya mellows things out but there is a divide between the sweet and sour and it creates a confused tea. If I didn’t know this was called Strawberry Rush, I would suspect this was a fruit punch tea more than anything else as at the end of the day this tastes like fruit. Not one specific fruit. Just fruit.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
It’s hard to keep this one in stock, teens and tweens love it, and it’s so much better than soda. It’s a Brilliant Blend of herbal and fruit that evokes strawberry fields. It is an organic green tea that is a simple pleasure with complex ingredients – green tea, with papaya, apple, orange and strawberry pieces, rosehip, calendula petals and natural strawberry flavors. This blend is great hot or cold, but our preference is cold. Blend several pots, keep it refrigerated and serve over ice with a fresh strawberry on the side. The kids can take part in the mission on this one. Make sure they #sharethelove with their friends.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pomegranate Black from 52Teas. . . .
Let me start by saying I love flavored black teas. Fruity, chocolately, spicy, you name it. So, I was stoked to try this one. It’s certainly not anything that will blow your socks off, but is more of a solid contender for a daily spring or summer tea.
Flavored teas are really only as good as the base upon which they’re built, so I was glad that this black tea base had a mild flavor. The pomegranate is a light, clean berry-ish flavor that’s more of a scent of the tea rather than a full-blown flavor. I also added just a touch of agave to bring out the sweetness of the fruit. It was a nice complement to the irresistible, ever-famous boxes of cookies that the little girls in green peddle each year around this time.
Overall, Pomegranate Black by 52 Teas is a simple, non-adventurous tea that begs to be paired with sweets for a mid-afternoon treat or as slight twist on iced tea to be served at lunch with friends.
I would certainly drink it again!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for the black flavored teas that are.
