Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This year’s Christmas week blend is inspired by goodies the vision of which supposedly danced in sleeping children’s heads before they had My Little Ponies to dream about. So here’s my attempt at a sugar plum shou mei complete with some lavender flowers. I sure hope you enjoy it.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I was thrilled when I saw what tea 52Teas created for the week of this past Christmas: a Sugar Plum Shou Mei White Tea Blend! I love sugar plums! That it to say, I love the Jelly Belly type of sugar plum that’s a jelly sort of candy. I haven’t tried a real sugar plum. I don’t think I’m really entirely sure of what a real sugar plum actually is.
Which I guess opens things up for 52Teas to be very creative with this blend, right?
It took a few sips before I started to really recognize the “plum” notes in this tea. I could taste the white tea in those first few sips: sweet, light hay-ish notes, and a crisp, melon-ish like quality is what I could taste.
After the first few sips, I started to notice some plum-like qualities. Sweet and juicy! Then I noticed hints of lavender starting to emerge. But the aroma of the lavender here is stronger than the lavender’s contribution to the flavor profile of this tea. I can smell the lavender as I sit here, enjoying the scent of the tea wafting out of the cup but the flavor is much softer, like a whisper of lavender, a hint of lavender that caught a ride on the airy notes of the white tea.
This is pretty tasty. It’s not quite as strongly flavored as I anticipated it being based upon my experiences with 52Teas. But it does have the flavors I’d expect from a “sugar plum” flavored tea: I taste the tea, and I taste notes of sweet plum. I don’t know if this tea excites me enough to start filling my head with dancing visions, but it’s a tasty cuppa.
French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Look ma: No mango this week! Instead, be prepared to be blown away by this new black tea blend. If you love our Pancake Breakfast blend, you’re going to LOVE this. It’s similar to Pancake breakfast, but a little sweeter with some cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup and yes, even a touch of butter flavors.
This is like French toast in a cup without the 600 calories you’d expect from some hot French toast drowning in maple syrup and butter. This is a brand new comfort tea and I imagine it’s going to go FAST.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum, yum, yum! I have been looking forward to trying this French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas! I adored the “Pancake Breakfast” blend 52Teas put out a while back, and I was certain I’d enjoy this one as well. And it certainly is living up to my high expectations.
It is totally YUM!
My one complaint, if one is to get picky … is that there is a tad too much cinnamon in this. I don’t mind cinnamon, not at all, and I personally am enjoying the level of cinnamon in this cup, however, to capture the true essence of French Toast in a teacup, I think that the cinnamon should be a bit more delicate. As it is, this is more like French Toast that has been made using cinnamon swirl bread … which is typically my favorite kind of bread to use for French Toast … although recently, I’ve discovered a Peach Cobbler bread and that stuff is AMAZING as French Toast … but I digress.
My point is this: when using non-cinnamon-y swirly bread, my French Toast doesn’t usually have this much of a cinnamon taste to it.
But the cinnamon rant aside, this is truly delicious. The black tea base is rich and robust. The cinnamon is the strongest note here, but, I also taste maple, butter, and a hint of brown sugar. There is also a sort of bread-y taste that brings all these flavors together and creates a taste that is very much like liquefied cinnamon French Toast breakfast in a teacup … made complete with a cup of tea to go with it.
What can I say? 52Teas does it again! This blend has already sold out, however, you can request a reblend of it by going here and clicking on the big, blue “Please Reblend” badge on the center of the page and fill out the form that follows.
Divine Temple from Georgia Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Tea Description:
This name of this tea is perfect, for it is divine to drink. Before you take your first sip, inhale the aroma which comes from your cup. You sense a combination of fruits, many fruits. Now take your first sip; there is a sweetness to the palate. But you also sense a substantive base which complements the sweetness. This comes from the multi-blend of white and green teas. No wonder this is our bestselling tea. It is perfect for an afternoon break. And you get all the health benefits which come from the high amount of antioxidants in the green and white teas. What more could you ask!
Steeping time: 175°F / 2-3 min / 2.5 teaspoons per 10oz
Ingredients: white tea China Pai Mu Tan, green tea Darjeeling, green tea China -Fog Tea, -Sencha, -Lung Ching, -Gunpowder, -Jasmine, -Jasmine Jade Pearls, candied mango bits (mango, sugar), candied pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar), candied papaya bits (papaya, sugar), flavoring, orange peels, strawberry bits, red currants, sour cherry bits, apricot bits
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Divine Temple from Georgia Tea Company tastes like a fine wine. This tea is scrumptious and truly divine. I love the mixture of white tea and sencha which I can detect from all the other various teas within this really cool blend. Oh and yes as the description states, you want to drink this in before taking your first sip. The aroma is just to die for. This is the kind of blend that I could see myself being buried with, surrounding me, tucking me into my hand built casket. Sorry the review was turning a little dark there, but in all seriousness, whoever created this blend really hit the nail on the head here. They must surely be very proud of themselves, then again, this is a really hard tea to top.
So what is this tea anyway? Well as you can see, the ingredients list a whole array of yummy goodness, white teas, green teas, fruits of all types from berries to citrus. I can really taste the tropical fruits but the berry notes also jump up and dance for me now and then, especially the cherry. One may think that this tea is just too confused, the flavors won’t stand out, it will be a muddled mess. Nope, its damn tasty, that is what it is and there is some sort of backdrop here, that just screams white wine. This is surely a tea to be chilled and guzzled in the summer and this tea blend will absolutely be gracing my shelf in the kitchen that hosts my summer stash, but right now I am quite enjoying this tea warm, and when warm, the liquor of this tea, which does have a liquor note in it, is almost reminiscent of a warmed brandy.
Snowflake from Georgia Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Tea Description:
An excellent black tea with coconut, almond and vanilla flavoring. A Christmas favorite. Great with sugar and cream!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Like a lot of tea drinkers I go through stages in what type of tea I crave. Lately I have been feeling put off by flavored teas, just wanting to enjoy unadulterated teas. After several failed attempts today at flavored teas I remembered my prized precious stash Georgia Tea Company teas. Snowflake from Georgia Tea Company is one of those flavored teas that I never tire of. As a matter of fact, I could select any of my Georgia Tea Company flavored teas and be in bliss. At this time I only have a few teas from them but I do intend to get more as I dwindle down my existing stash.
Snowflake has the perfect balance of nutty, vanilla, and coconut to give your mouth a buttery feel. It is also perfectly sweet without adding creamer, or sugar, but is also strong enough to support either, or both, if you are so inclined. I have it both ways depending on my mood but when I really want a decedent dessert treat I go with creamer and a little german rock sugar.
I love that Georgia Tea Company teas are heavily scented because not only does it add a lovely dimension to the sipping experience but it makes your home smell warm and welcoming as well. Put out the candles and put away your room spray, just steep some tea! While the tea is heavily scented it is not overly flavored. Georgia Tea Company does not smother their teas in artificial flavorings just to cover a bad base. I rather enjoy this simple yet flavorful black tea base used in this blend. Their green blends are even more amazing!
This tea reminds me of marzipan, or amaretto, actually it reminds me of a few different things but I do love the taste of this blend. I am quite picky when it comes to the use of coconut in teas. Often times the coconut tastes rancid, or stale. Not in this cup! This tastes fresh!
Do take the time to check out Georgia Tea Company’s website and browse through their selection of teas. They have a really cute Mother’s Day gift basket on sale now with this tea blend included!
Strawberries and Cream Green Tea from Della Terra Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
Strawberries and cream. So creamy, so fruity, filled with berry deliciousness! Just like the classic dessert, this green tea will cover your tastebuds in all the classic flavor you know… Delicious!
Ingredients: Green tea, Lung Ching, Pai Mu Tan, strawberry flavor and bits, cream flavor
Suggested brewing tips:
Serving Size: 1 level tsp./6oz serving
Water Temp: 158-167°F
Steep Time: 1-3 minutes
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this Strawberries and Cream Green Tea from Della Terra Teas is best described as Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Both in the steeped and dry form the smell is nothing short of perfection. Not only the strawberry and the cream scents, but the tea leaves themselves smell amazing!
Now I already knew going in that Della Terra has some of the best flavored teas on the market. For me they are right up top with Butiki Teas, and a handful of other places. This tea, is just indulgent, lovely, delightful, and about another twenty or so adjectives all adding up to bliss!
To be honest, I really am not even focusing on this review right now, this cup is that good! I keep getting sidetracked by the cup, sitting back inhaling in the sweet creamy aromas, enjoying the aroma of the tea leaves caressing my senses with their delicate, but attention grabbing nature. If they made a perfume that smelled like this I wold wear it. People may say I am too old to wear a scent that smells like a carnival, but put me in a pink tutu and parade me around the ring, I am all in with this tea! It reminds me of the fair, or a circus, and all of the sticky sweet smells that go along with it from spun sugar cotton candy, to kids blowing giant bubble gum bubbles, or the smell of funnel cake filling the air. Yet, it is not really all that sweet at all! The flavor of this tea is nothing close to sticky sweet! Its so natural, so pleasing with the grassy buttery tones of the tea, that while I may be taken into this sweet intoxicating world in my imagination, I am not putting that junk into my body! What could be better!?
Sorry I must end my review here and really sit back and lavish in the rest of my cup.