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Countdown to Catching Up – Tea 8!

This is a reblend from Frank’s era of teas . . . Hey! with my last anniversary, I think I surpassed Frank’s time as a chief zoomdweebie of tea. (That’s what he called himself, the chief zoomdweebie. As for me, I’m sure you’re aware that I refer to myself as the Mad Tea Artist of 52Teas!) I’m pretty sure he held on to 52Teas for 7 years, and in June, we celebrated our 8th year. So, yeah! That happened. Yay for me & 52Teas!

Anyway – I don’t know if Frank was ever as behind on crafting his teas as I am now. I do know that it takes me a bit longer than it did Frank because I think he would package the teas immediately after blending them rather than allowing them time to cure. I allow them to cure before I test them – I do this because I have found throughout my journey as a tea blender that a tea blended today will taste different 3 weeks from now than it does today. I want to give the teas time to cure so that i can test the true flavor of the tea that YOU will taste when you open the pouch, rather than what I would taste immediately upon blending.

Anyway – that’s part of the reason it takes me longer to get a tea out to you than it did Frank – in case you’re wondering.

So, let’s talk about this tea. Frank crafted this back in 2011 (I think). I didn’t have the recipe of this tea due to a computer crash, so, I kind of winged it – using my best guestimate on the recipe that Frank would have used. The tea is a little different: Frank used a black tea blend of Nilgiri & Assam, while I used a blend of Yunnan & Assam. Frank also did not include any dried pumpkin bits in his tea blend – and I used freeze-dried pumpkin as well as pumpkin seeds – which, I’m not sure how it would have impacted the flavor overall, as most addition of fruit does not really impact the flavor tremendously, but I like the way it looks when there are fruit bits (is pumpkin a fruit or a veggie – I know it’s a gourd, but is it classified as a fruit or a veg?)

So, there are definite differences between the two blends, and if I had to choose between them, I think I like mine more, if no other reason than my own ego. LoL

Nice pumpkin-y flavor, that starchy, pancake-y flavor that we all love from the pancake breakfast blend, plus a drizzle of maple-y syrup goodness. YUM!

Countdown to Catching Up – Tea 9!

I know I say this a LOT – but I absolutely LOVE how this tea turned out. It’s so very peachy! I think a better name for this would be gramma’s peach cobbler filling because it tastes a lot more like her gently spiced peach cobbler filling than it does a peach “cake” – which is what I understand a Kuchen is supposed to be, although to be perfectly honest, I’ve never actually tried a Peach Kuchen. I happened to stumble across a recipe for such a thing and it sounded delicious. Truth be told – I think I’m better at working out recipes for a tea blend than I am baking, so rather than trying to bake a Peach Kuchen, I thought I might just create a tea based off the recipe I found – and this is the result. (I think next summer, I might have my youngest try her hand at crafting a Peach Kuchen for me.)

Anyway, this tea is delicious. It has a lot of peach flavor, notes of cinnamon & ginger, as well as a hint of cake-y & custard-y flavors in the background. But the real star of this is the peach, peach is what I taste first & peach is what is there, proudly – throughout the sip. So good!

Countdown to Catching Up – Tea 10 (Counting down from 10 to 1!)

As I’ve mentioned previously – I’m very behind on getting teas out due to my cellulitis. An update on that: My legs are definitely getting better. They are healing, and they don’t hurt nearly as much as they did even last week. About 12 days ago, we were really worried that the infection had gotten worse, but after another round of antibiotics, they seem to be (finally) working & things are improving. Fingers crossed that this continues!

Anyway, because I was way too outraged & embarrassed at how behind I really was, I decided rather than call this a tea of the week (because I don’t even want to admit what month this is from to myself, much less anyone else!) I decided to call it a countdown to catching up! I figure by the time I’ve completed this countdown, I’ll still be a bit behind, but at least it will be a more manageable & easier thing to admit to!

But – anyway – this wonderful caffeine-free tea! Let’s talk about it! It tastes like someone liquified one of my cranberry oatmeal cookies! It’s wonderfully warm & inviting with the flavors of cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg. The cranberry brightens the cup a bit. The oatmeal notes are not overwhelming – but they’re there – enough to say – yep, this tastes like an oatmeal cookie!

Lately, I’ve been finding that most of my tisanes, I prefer cold-brewed. But this is best served hot. I like it with a drizzle of honey – but it’s also quite nice with a teensy bit of brown sugar to bring out that cookie element just a bit more. It’s also good without any sweetener, as I’ve had it several times without, but, I find that the cookie-ish flavors pop just a bit more with a sweetener of some sort.

The 12th Tea of Christmas!

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and to those who do not, Happy Holidays! I wish everyone a very happy & healthy new year!

So, this tea! Today, I brewed it a little strong so that I could go latte with it, because I was in the mood for something creamy. I really enjoy this chai, there is a rich, roasted chestnut flavor (thanks not only to the vegan & nut-free chestnut flavor but also the touch of Lapsang Souchong in the blend) & a really nice blend of warm spices. The black tea blend is rich & flavorful even though it’s a latte.

This one makes a really nice latte, I do recommend brewing it strong though (using extra leaf to do so rather than steeping it longer) so that the flavors are not masked by the presence of the dairy.

The 12 Teas countdown is over, but tomorrow, I think I’ll start counting down the 10 teas to getting caught up! :)

The 11th Tea of Christmas . . .

Since I just reblended this one last year, I was a little surprised when this won the overwhelming number of votes for the Genmaicha tea of the box this year. But, I’m also glad, because it’s a really nice version of our Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha.

I love the crisp flavor of the peppermint & how well it pairs with the creamy, soft notes of the fluffy marshmallow & vanilla. The roasty-toasty genmaicha offers such a pleasing contrast to the other flavors of the cup.

I’ve already finished this pot, so I guess I should go on and make tea #12!

The 10th Tea of Christmas . . .

I’m almost caught up with this countdown! I was a little surprised at how well this tea did on the poll, not because I questioned its popularity at all, but because I felt as though I had just reblended this recently, so I didn’t expect it to do so well again. But the poll this year, interestingly – had a really nice mix of “recently blended” teas as well as teas I hadn’t blended in quite some time. I hope that the teas that appeared in this year’s box was just as fun for you guys as it was for me.

Anyway, this tea! It’s so good! Lovely, bright tangerine notes with a pleasant citrus-y sweetness & lots of fluffy marshmallow-y notes. I like how after I brewed it, I could smell that “freshly baked cupcake” note. My mouth started watering before it had even cooled enough to start sipping. Now that it has cooled & I’ve started sipping, I am so happy with this cup. A really nice cup for the early evening – like now, although it really is nice as a first cuppa of the day too!

The 9th Tea of Christmas . . .

Of all the teas that I’ve crafted for this year’s box, I think this one has been the most delightful to have in my tea studio. I love all the teas I craft – some more than others; I admit I’m not an impartial mom when it comes to my teas! – but this tea has been special, because every time I open the bin in which this tea is stored, my olfactory nerves are met with the most amazing scent. Sure, all of the teas smell amazing, but this one is a whole other level! It smells SO GOOD! I am truly going to miss it when it does leave the tea studio. I’m sure this one’s gonna sell out quickly!

Anyway, I’m also pleased to report that it tastes as good as it smells. This is one that also tastes amazing as a cold-brew, but I think it’s even better as a hot tea. Usually when it comes to my naturally caffeine-free blends, I tend to prefer them cold-brewed because there’s something about the process that brings out the very best in the flavors of the tisane. But this is one that I prefer as a hot tea, maybe it has something to do with the idea that a Maple Baked Pear would be better served hot (preferably with a drizzle of sweet cream over it!)

The tea has a really pleasing pear note with a luscious maple-y note & just a hint of warmth from the cinnamon & nutmeg. So good!

The 8th Tea of Christmas . . . (And YES I’m very well aware of how behind I am on these! LOL)

I’ve had several pots of this particular tea by now & every time I taste it, I’m surprised at how much I love it. Mostly because – while I adore lemon teas, I’m not always such a huge raspberry fan. I don’t hate them, but if I were to create a top 10 list of my favorite fruits, I don’t think raspberries would be anywhere on that list, even in an honorable mention category.

But here, the combination of raspberry & lemon works so well. The “Linzer” part of the blend is more or less a nod to my inspiration behind this tea. I wasn’t actually trying to create a “cookie” tea, mostly because so many of my teas in this year’s box are baked good flavored – gingerbread coffeecake, spiced snowflake cookie, tangerine cupcake & the one that was just announced for today, Christmas eve: candy cane marshmallow treat genmaicha. So I mostly just used the idea of a Linzer cookie as an inspiration & rather than trying to nail the flavor of a linzer cookie, I just added some vanilla bean & even a little bit of cotton candy which when added to the tea while it “cures” becomes crystalized & crumbles into little tiny sugary bits.

Anyway, I love the way it all turned out. It’s sweet, it’s bright & pleasantly tart & fruity. A tasty cuppa!

The 7th Tea of Christmas

I was a little surprised when this Oolong won out over the other Oolong teas in this year’s poll (as well as the biggest vote getter among the banana blends) – I was surprised mostly because I only just crafted it last year for last year’s box & I didn’t expect it to be that popular this soon! So, I’m surprised, but it is a happy & proud surprise!

I love this Oolong. I know it’s no big secret about my love for Banana teas. In fact, my love for banana teas is so grand that I have to limit myself to allowing only one banana tea in the 12 Teas of Christmas box because one year, I believe I allowed at least 2 (maybe 3?) banana teas & I heard about it from one or two customers who wanted a bit more variety. Me, though, I love me some banana tea & I could possibly create an entire 12 BANANA teas of Christmas & not get bored with banana teas! LoL

This tea is lovely though. I’m getting a strong banana & nutmeg note, with a lovely creamy eggnog background. I suspect one of the reasons the eggnog is a bit in the background is because I started my day with a chai that was “latte-d” with an amazing eggnog. I don’t make homemade eggnog, however, I do search the store for the best eggnog possible without those weird ingredients that I would prefer not to figure out how to spell and/or pronounce. I don’t indulge in a lot of eggnog this time of year, usually only one bottle per year – that’s my own little special Christmas reward I grant myself this time of year.

But I digress . . .

The point I was trying to relay there is that I don’t drink a lot of eggnog, but today, I started my day with a luscious, creamy eggnog chai latte & so my tastebuds might be a little “indulged” with that eggnog so maybe I’m not picking up on as much of the eggnog notes here. But I do taste the eggnog a bit – as well as a hint of rum. Nice. But what’s especially nice is the lovely banana & nutmeg notes – as well as that smooth note of TieGuanYin. LOVE!

Edited to add: THANK YOU to everyone who voted for this one!

The 6th Tea of Christmas

This is one that I’ve not reblended for at least a few years & I’m glad to have it back in my cupboard. I love my chai blends & I love the spicy heat of this blend, not to mention the dark chocolate-y notes! YUM!

I will be the first to admit that my version is a bit softer on the spicy heat than was Frank’s version. That is owing to the fact that he used powdered/ground cayenne pepper while I chose instead to opt for dried, whole cayenne peppers that I opened up, emptied out (most of) the seeds & chopped/minced up the pepper pods & added that to the blend. So, with my version, you get a good amount of heat, but mine isn’t quite as high on the Scoville scale as Frank’s would be.

But I still love it & if I’m 100% truthful here, I prefer the heat level of this blend versus the scorching heat of Frank’s version. I don’t know? Maybe with age comes a more delicate palate? I used to be able to handle more heat than I am now & since I’m the first customer I have to please when I tea out there, I need & want my palate to be able to handle the heat level. I’m sorry to those who would prefer more heat, but if you would prefer more heat, please feel free to sprinkle a little bit of ground/powdered cayenne into your brewing vessel while you’re steeping this tea & you can achieve those desired results. Me though? I want my taste buds to dance, but I don’t want them receding into my tongue & trying to hide from the heat.

So, there’s a really nice, tolerable level of heat to this & as I continue to sip, I can feel the heat develop in the back of my throat. It’s nice! I also appreciate that I can taste the cayenne pepper, but that isn’t the ONLY thing I taste here, I taste the lovely blend of black teas (mostly Assam teas, but with a little bit of Yunnan for a nice, well-rounded flavor), I taste the other spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves & black pepper) as well as notes of dark chocolate.

And I love it!