Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I’ve paired a nice Chinese Keemun with freeze-dried granny smith and red delicious apples, cinnamon chips and organic flavors, including some brown sugar and other yumminess that goes in an apple pie. I think this one is going to be really popular, so don’t drag your feet about getting yours.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the pouch of this Apple Pie Keemun from 52Teas, I was greeted with the delicious aroma of apple pie! A strong cinnamon note with lingering apple notes. Mmm! I started to get very excited over the prospect of tasting apple pie in a tea!
This is really quite tasty. When I first read the announcement about this flavor, I thought … “Oh … that sounds amazing. Apple Pie and Keemun tea.” The body of the Keemun is rich and full, and it offers a nice platform for the flavors of apple and cinnamon.
The Keemun has a slightly smoky note to it. This smokiness gives the cup a “fresh baked, home made” sort of goodness which is further enhanced by the buttery, pastry like flavors that I’m tasting. The natural fruit notes of the Keemun elevate the flavor of the apple. And the earthiness of the Keemun compliment the cinnamon.
A really good, palate-pleasing combination of flavors. It all works together very well!
On The Eighth Day of Christmas, Southern Boy Teas Edition!
Day eight. Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that last year was a good one for you, and that this one is even better. May you have delicious tea to drink all year long!
Coconut Cream Pie Iced Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Learn more about Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
Another tea that I am very excited to try! I have, of course, tried the 52Teas version of the Coconut Cream Pie Black Tea and it’s a delicious tea – one of their best! So my expectations are high with this one!
And SBT did not disappoint! Oh goodness! This iced tea flavor is – thus far – my favorite of the newest releases from Southern Boy Teas. This tastes just as good as the 52Teas version. Sweet, creamy, and luscious. Just like a slice of coconut cream pie!
The black tea is not just a background flavor with this tea. It’s pretty well balanced with the flavoring, so this tastes to me like black tea and coconut cream pie, which is what was intended (at least, I’m assuming that was the intention!) The black tea is a robust, rich tasting tea. It’s invigorating, not overly astringent, and not bitter. Delicious and full-flavored.
The flavoring is sweet and creamy with notes of coconut and vanilla. I taste notes of buttery sweetness as well, which represents the pie crust. It’s very smooth and creamy tasting, and it adds just the right amount of sweetness. Even though this is a rather “dessert-y” flavor, it doesn’t taste cloyingly sweet.
This is a big WIN from Southern Boy Teas!
Butternut Pie Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
The full bodied and bold Butternut pie taste gets its true edge of excitement with the addition of oriental Matcha to turn it into a truly thrilling culinary delight. Nothing comes close to the sensation that creamy Butternut pie Matcha delivers to its many takers. This delectable delight can be wildly popular across any age groups because it distributes different unique benefits depending on who is enjoying it. To the young in age, this bold tasting treat delivers sweet satisfaction and a yearning for more. To the young at heart this cherished treat delivers youthful enjoyment and leaves an unforgettable aftertaste.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s Matcha Latte time, and for this afternoon’s Matcha Latte, I decided to go with a flavor that’s perfect for fall: Butternut Pie Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea! Having previously tried Red Leaf Tea’s Pumpkin Pie flavored Matcha and reviewing it, I felt confident that I’d also enjoy this butternut squash variety. After all, butternut squash tastes very much like pumpkin.
And this is really good. In fact, I think that I might like this Butternut Pie Matcha better than the aforementioned Pumpkin Pie Matcha. I get a more clearly defined flavor of the butternut squash here than I recall tasting with the pumpkin pie – although in fairness to that flavored Matcha, it has been a while since I have tasted the Pumpkin Pie Matcha. But, I remember the Pumpkin Pie Matcha to have a bit more spice to it than this does … here, I taste a stronger note of butternut squash and not so much of a spice note.
Some of the more note-worthy flavors I’m tasting with every sip are the sweet notes of squash with hints of a nutty flavor, and a low note of a buttery, pastry-like flavor. I taste the sweet, vegetative note of Matcha and it melds beautifully with the squash notes. The sweetness of the squash seems to enhance the natural cacao notes of the Matcha, and you know I’m loving that!
This particular batch of flavored Matcha was crafted using the classic grade of Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, and a robust level of flavoring. My usual go to specifications are the classic grade of Matcha with a distinctive level of flavoring, however, I received a sampling from a friend who chose the robust level of flavoring, and I’m actually really glad that she did! I like how the butternut notes really shine through.
That said, I am finding that the robust level of flavoring does obscure the flavor of the Matcha just a wee bit. Not enough for me to really complain about because I can still taste the Matcha, and because the flavor of the Butternut Pie is just so tasty that it’s difficult to find fault with this chawan full of Matcha goodness.
As I mentioned above, I did prepare this as a latte, using mostly water to prepare the Matcha in the traditional way: first, I measure and sift the Matcha into my chawan, and then I pour in a small amount of hot water and whisk until the water is incorporated, then I add the rest of the water and whisk until the consistency is smooth. Then I added a small amount of warmed half & half to the chawan and stirred in the half & half with a fork. The Latte came out smooth, rich and creamy, with a nice amount of froth on top. The final ratio of water to half & half ended up being about 3 parts water to 1 part half & half.
This would be tasty prepared traditionally (without the half & half) but, I find that the addition of the dairy helps to bring out a sort of creamy, almost ‘whipped cream’ element to the drink and I really enjoyed that – it made for a delicious autumnal treat!
Lemon Meringue Tisane from Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Honeybush
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tisane Description:
This is truly a classic tea! It makes a great hot or iced tea. We have finally found the perfect lemon tea. This one has a mild and smooth lemon flavor with a hint of creaminess, reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. It is naturally caffeine free. Ingredients: Rooibos, Green Rooibos, Honeybush, Lemon Bits, Calendula and Cornflower Petals, and Flavoring.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This Lemon Meringue Tisane from Trail Lodge Teas is easily one of the better Lemon Meringue Pie teas/tisanes that I’ve tasted. It’s totally YUM!
The base is a combination of red (or oxidized) rooibos, green (or non-oxidized) rooibos, and honeybush. I think that this is a winning combination. I’m not big on rooibos, but, when they’re combined with the honeybush, this seems to soften that sometimes “funky” taste that goes along with rooibos. And since green rooibos is much better tasting than red rooibos … this brings out the fruity character to the rooibos rather than that woodsy/nutty flavor. Nice! The honeybush still offers some of that sweet honey-esque tone and just a hint of nutty taste that accentuates the “pie-like” quality of this tisane.
The lemon is a softer, sweeter lemon, much like the creamy curd filling of a lemon meringue pie. I taste notes of vanilla too, and this brings a meringue-like quality to the cup. And every once in a while, I could swear I taste just a hint of butter that seems to imitate a pie crust like flavor together with the nutty tones of the honeybush.
This blend works together so well. Sweet, lemon-y goodness! A nice dessert-y treat that you can enjoy any time of the day … you can even make it a late night snack since it’s naturally caffeine free!
Lemon Meringue Chai from 52Teas
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Chai Description:
As for this blend, well, it’s just a bit of heaven in a cup. Our house blended masala chai with lemon myrtle, lemon peel, marshmallow root and all organic flavors. It’s chai with a sweet pucker.
Anybody who thinks chai is just for wintertime hasn’t had a chai like this before. I’m pretty sure this will be a major crowd pleaser. Make it as an iced tea latte for a real special treat.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
It may come as no big surprise to anyone reading this right now that I’m a subscriber to 52Teas Teas of the Month program. Once a month, I get an envelope full of teas from 52Teas. When April’s envelope arrived, THIS was the tea I was most excited to try. I love chai … and I LOVE lemon meringue pie. I was sure this would be a winner for me.
And while this Lemon Meringue Chai from 52Teas IS a tasty chai, I’m finding myself a wee bit disappointed. First of all, the tea base is a straight up Assam, and while I do love Assam tea, I don’t know what it is about the Assam teas that 52Teas acquires but they just seem to work better in blends than they do straight. The Assam teas from 52Teas tend to be on the harsh side when used on their own (that is, not part of a black tea blend) and I’m noticing some harshness with this tea (I only steeped it for 2 1/2 minutes too!) Of course, I’m about to contradict myself here … because one of my all-time favorite teas from 52Teas is the French Vanilla Assam … but somehow the Assam worked well with the french vanilla notes but not so much with the lemon meringue chai flavors.
I like the spice blend just fine, it’s got a nice level of spice … not so spicy as to overpower the cup, but spicy enough to remind the drinker that this is a CHAI. I like the lemon-y note as well but, I’m finding myself wishing that there was just a touch of vanilla in this to make the lemon notes a little creamier … you know, like a lemon-y curd kind of taste … that’s the kind of lemon note I was looking for here but didn’t find.
The marshmallow root is a pleasing touch but it’s almost overwhelmed by the rest of the flavors of this cup … in particular, the Assam. As I reach mid-cup to the last few sips of the cup, the marshmallow root starts to emerge more, and this is a delightful surprise, but, I do wish there was a tad more … marshmallow-y goodness to this … that may make up for the lack of vanilla-y notes for the lemon.
Overall, this is alright. Not the worst cuppa I’ve ever had, certainly, but also not my favorite from 52Teas. I think I like the idea of a Lemon Meringue Chai blend better than the actual execution of it. It does make a tasty iced tea, though (It definitely gets better as it cools!) … and it is certainly worth a try, and I’m glad I did try it.