Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Licious
Tea Description:
Pan fired green tea, shredded coconut and pineapple bits.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
As I sit here, readying to write this review, the aroma wafting from my mug is absolutely divine! It is deliciously pineapple-y and coconut-y. YUM! I have never been a big fan of the alcoholic cocktail, but, I am pretty sure I’m going to love this Green Pina Colada Tea from Tea Licious!
And I do! This is really yummy! The flavor of the green tea base is light and refreshingly smooth, with whispers of a vegetative tone that tastes faintly of lightly buttered, steamed green vegetables … something mild, like spinach. This vegetal tone marries nicely with the flavors of pineapple and coconut.
The fruit flavors are sweet. The coconut has a slightly creamy taste and texture, and I think that this plays well to the hint of buttery taste from the green tea. The pineapple has a hint of tartness that is noticeable towards the tail and this lingers into the aftertaste.
Overall, the tea is deliciously fruity and sweet – just like the cocktail itself. But what makes this better than the cocktail, at least in my opinion … is that it’s a tea! The sweet presentation of this tea would make this a nice choice for a dessert alternative – something light and gently sweet – not cloying and heavy. It requires no sweetener to enjoy this tea, but, if you want to bring out the pineapple notes a little more, I found that about half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar did the trick. Without the sugar, it’s still really delicious, but the sugar really enhances the sweet pineapple notes. This is delicious served hot or iced – it will be a really refreshing tea to choose as the warm weather approaches!
Sencha Piña Colada from Souvia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where To Buy: Souvia
Product Description:
You’ll take a mini vacation as this refreshing blend sweeps you off to a tropical isle. Smooth green tea with coconut and pineapple in the the classic concoction.
Ingredients: Green Tea, pineapple pieces, coconut shreds, flavoring
Taster’s Review:
Even though I’m not much of a drinker of alcohol, I’ve quite enjoyed many of the classic cocktail flavored teas – like this one.
The Sencha base tastes refreshingly light and crisp. This is a very smooth tasting Sencha. There is not a strong grassy or vegetal taste to this one. It is not bitter, but there is a little bit of astringency toward the tail end of the sip. The astringency is dry and clears the palate nicely so that I can enjoy the sweet aftertaste of pineapple and coconut.
Even though the tea base is remarkably light, the flavors are still well-defined. The pineapple is sweet and tangy and the coconut is creamy. There is even a hint of rum to this cup. The flavors are very unified… I not tasting one particular note trying to overwhelm the others. In each sip, I can taste the pineapple, the coconut and the rum, as well as the bright flavor of the Sencha tea. The taste is delicate and very refreshing.
I like this one hot, but, I think its even better iced!
Iced Tea Series from 52Teas, Part 3: Piña Colada Flavored Black Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
About This Iced Tea Series:
Here are FIVE unique iced tea blends we’ve created from high quality Nilgiri CTC teas. These are uber fine teas, so they are not as pretty as our whole leaf teas, but they steep up a bold, rich, flavorful iced tea. We’ve packaged them in one ounce pouches, which is just enough for one gallon of iced tea (more if you re-steep) so you can just rip them open, dump them out and steep. No measuring required!
Taster’s Review:
I don’t know if I’m just getting better at brewing iced tea (it does take me a couple of times to really get into the swing of it), or what, but, it seems like these blends from 52Teas keep getting tastier. This one is amazingly good.
The flavor is INTENSE! I am not one to judge alcoholic drinks since I don’t drink them often (read: almost never), but, based on my memory of the few piña coladas I’ve had in my life, this tastes remarkably like them. Basically, if you were to take a piña colada and mix it with some Nilgiri black tea – that’s what this tastes like.
The black tea is much less pronounced here than it is in the previous tastings in this iced tea series. That is not to say it’s too weak, because I can taste the Nilgiri black tea here, but, the piña colada flavor is the dominating taste.
The pineapple and coconut are quite harmonious, and there is just a hint of rum. This is just the way I would want a piña colada to taste if I were to order it in a bar. But then, why pay $9 bucks for a fancy, bar-made piña colada when I can have this at home for a fraction of that? That’s an awful lot to pay for the paper umbrella and a hangover.
I am just loving this iced tea series!
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!
On the 1st Day of Christmas … from 52Teas
This year as a special holiday promotion, 52Teas offered a special 12 sampler package which is comprised of 11 of their best-selling teas, and 1 brand new tea (for Christmas day!). The “rules” are simple: open one cleverly disguised sample package per day – labeled simply with the day that it should be opened (today’s sample package reminded me that I should only open it on December 14, because “Santa is Watching”).
Inside the sample package includes a new label – the label for the tea – and enough of the tea for several cups. Today’s special tea is:
Piña Colada Honeybush
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
We create a lot of different blends here on 52teas. It is one of the things I absolutely love most about my job is experimenting with new flavor combinations and creating new and unique blends. I have to admit that some of our experiments are more successful than others. Some of the blends we create are good, some are great, and a few, like this week’s Tea of the Week, are just phenomenal!
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.
We hope this tea blows you away as much as it did us. I’m seriously thinking this might be one to enter into the World Tea Championships next year. Enjoy!
Taster’s Review:
This is one of 52Teas best. Although, to say “one of 52Teas best” is a bit vague, not only because I happen to say that quite a bit, but because 52Teas makes a lot of great teas. It would be difficult to actually pinpoint their “best.”
However, this tisane happens to have the distinction of placing 3rd at the North American Tea Championship. Not too shabby!
You can read my original review of this tea here. My opinion of the tea hasn’t changed! The flavor is excellent. It is pleasantly sweet from the honeybush base, and the flavors of pinapple, coconut and rum are well-balanced.
I am really glad that this tisane was included – it’s a little walk down memory lane!
Tomorrow, I will be posting about the 2nd Tea of Christmas, which is… well… we will just have to wait to find out tomorrow!