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“So today was another disgustingly hot day (although not as hot in Guelph as Toronto, lucky me!), and the brief time I spent outside spurred me to attempt seven…. yes, seven cold-brewing experiments...” Read full tasting note
“When I was little, my grandparents used to always take my brother and I to IHOP. My grandpa would get pancakes with strawberries, and would always convince me to look somewhere else then put one on...” Read full tasting note
“Finishing off the last that I have of this tea. It is yummy… perhaps more today than my previous cups! I don’t know if that is because I used a little more leaf, or what… but I can taste all the...” Read full tasting note
“So after my last tea-mare, I really needed something light and refreshing. Well, this certainly did the trick!! Thank you so much to Kristaleyn for the sample! I really like this one. It’s so...” Read full tasting note
What’s better than our Pancake Breakfast black tea? Maybe this Strawberry Pancake green tea with our sweet, buttery Chinese sencha and freeze-dried strawberries. With just a touch of maple syrup flavor (without the calories of actual maple syrup!) this is a tea you can really sink your teeth into.
Our Tea of the Week for the Week of October 24, 2011
At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.
So today was another disgustingly hot day (although not as hot in Guelph as Toronto, lucky me!), and the brief time I spent outside spurred me to attempt seven…. yes, seven cold-brewing experiments today! Clearly I’m not going to drink them all now (especially since most are in two-cup volumes), but I’m thirsty and felt like getting started.
First up is this one (all but one are 52teas… I was just in that kinda mood, and if I drink them down, I can buy more!! Right?)
Hot-brewed 1 slightly heaped tbsp of this in about 1/2 cup of ~82C water for 30 seconds, then topped up two cups with cold water and stuck it in the fridge for about 7(?) hours. I’m getting the lovely aroma even from the cold brew, so am pretty excited!
Ok, the flavour is not bad, but I don’t think my brewing method was great. I’m picking up on more astringency/bitterness than I’d really like (it’s not horrible, just tastes oversteeped), alongside the delicious strawberry flavour (which is more in the aftertaste, and definitely screams ‘added flavouring’ to me, not that I really care). The green tea is kind of masked by the astringency, but is somewhat seaweedy and nutty. Overall, it’s quite drinkable, but not a “success” in my books. No worries though, because this is one I enjoy hot anyhow! I just opted to cold-brew every 52teas packet I’d purchased that I thought appropriate (e.g. not Malted ChocoMate or Mayan Chocolate Chai), and so this one got it’s turn too. I’ll probably try this one again either with a straight cold brew or by cooling off a hot-brewed cup.
When I was little, my grandparents used to always take my brother and I to IHOP. My grandpa would get pancakes with strawberries, and would always convince me to look somewhere else then put one on my plate. That’s what this tea reminds me of.
I can taste every flavor in here, which is so cool. I wasn’t expecting this to work as well as I imagined it could be. But it’s all there, pancake, butter, syrup, strawberry. It even kind of tastes like the strawberry syrup the strawberries typically come soaked in so that your pancakes get even more of the flavor.
I do get a bit of that chapstick taste that Mercuryhime mentioned, but as it’s cooled it’s gone away. That’s kind of what it smelled like at first too, but after I took a sip I forgot about it.
I think with just a bit of something sweet, maybe even some real maple syrup, this could be really awesome. I’ll give it a try at home!
Finishing off the last that I have of this tea. It is yummy… perhaps more today than my previous cups! I don’t know if that is because I used a little more leaf, or what… but I can taste all the elements of this tea today, and they are all in delicious harmony.
Tasty!
So after my last tea-mare, I really needed something light and refreshing. Well, this certainly did the trick!!
Thank you so much to Kristaleyn for the sample!
I really like this one. It’s so light that I didn’t get any nausea from the phenols at all, and the flavour is spot on! Strawberries! and pancakes! Yummmmmm.
With some raw agave syrup, everything really popped. This particular agave is very molasses like, so it worked perfectly to bring out the pancake note.
Again, the flavour is light all around, but I quite like it that way. Tasty!!
Thanks again Kristaleyn :)
Yay! Glad you liked it :) I was pleasantly surprised by this one. A happy mix-up in my order, truly.
I know right?!? serendipity :P
Nausea from phenols?
It’s a working theory I have. My random google searches tell me that nausea is associated with phenols, and since green tea has phenols… well, I figured that must be why. I haven’t found any solid proof but it seems to fit! also, if I brew my green tea at a slightly higher temp, it seems to burn some of it off. Or if it’s been roasted, like a Hogicha.
Hmm, weird. Well I’m sorry to hear certain teas make you feel nauseous. I’m glad you liked this one though! It is good.
I think I might just not be as fond of 52teas as everyone else is. I am getting strawberries, but it’s not the best or most pleasant strawberry flavor I have gotten. And I’m not tasting a ton of butteriness for some reason. I like buttery green teas but I’m not getting pancake flavor. It’s not bad but it’s not exciting either.
I tend to like his flavouring but dislike his base teas, which kinda ruins it a bit for me…although I really like his new black base. (I hated the last one!)
Daniel me too, I don’t like the base and maybe it’s me but it carries over so much that I can’t do it. Too bad really.
I think that’s an accurate statement for me as well. I’ve found ways to enjoy a number of his blends though, but they’re not my favourite by any means. I do enjoy the Cinnabon one though heh other than that, they’ve been hit and miss but not nearly as bad as adagio for me shudder
@sil – misery loves company (or at least verification!) – I’m glad to hear I’m not the only person disappointed (usually, not always) by Adagio.
First sip had a taste that reminded me of strawberry seeds. No, not strawberries. Strawberry seeds. I think it’s the slightly astringent quality. As I continue to sip on this, I am tasting chapstick. I use to have this berry flavored chapstick. This tastes just like it. It actually does smell remarkably like strawberries and maple syrup, but the taste is chapstick. I think I’ll wait for this to cool a bit and try again. My experience with 52teas has been that the cooler tea tastes more like the intended flavor than the hot tea.
Ok, I tried it after it cooled down. Much better. It’s not longer like chapstick. It tastes more like what it’s supposed to. I think I’m even tasting a bit of butter. mmm! Tea is a bit astringent though. I’m beginning to see that 52teas varies a lot in tastiness. I really want pancakes now. I don’t even like pancakes.
Thank you for the sample CHAroma!
I’ve noticed the same thing. Some of their blends are to die for and others aren’t quite to my liking. But overall, I think they’re great! Plus, I just love the whole concept of a new tea blend every week. Very unique.
I’ve noticed with a lot of flavoured teas that they taste much better once they’ve cooled down somewhat. Luckily, I have super sensitive teeth so this isn’t a problem for me – I hate hot tea and usually drink it at maybe 40-50 degrees, if that.
Yes!!! I did it!!! This tea is perfect if steeped at 175 degrees for 2.5 minutes.
Now I’m getting that buttery pancake taste as in the black tea version. The pancake flavor really only persists for the first infusion, which is a little disappointing. But I’ve found the same is true of the black tea blend.
Subsequent steeps reveal a lovely strawberry-flavored green tea. Yum! I’m loving this! Raising the rating from 68 to 76.
Second tea in my second 52teas order! The novelty of being able to receive tea in Ecuador is far from wearing off. I love getting a call from the receptionist at my office letting me know that a package from the US has arrived for me! : )
I opened this tea immediately just to sniff it. Yum… Strawberryish! Very strawberry and little everything else. Not what I was expecting, but still yummy.
I brewed 2 tsp to 12oz of water. As it brewed I smelled something doughy and if I really thought about it, some lingering maple. All in all it the scent was very pleasant. The liquor was golden green and shimmered nicely in my glass teacup.
I sweetened it generously with brown sugar, as I mentioned in my other pancake tea review, pancakes and maple syrup have to be sweet. Delicious! The strawberry played in nicely with the dough taste and a slight maple flavor that was more of an aftertaste. I basically gulped down this entire cup. Next time I want to sip it slower… Hopefully I will be able to! : )
Steep Information:
Amount: 2 heaping tsp
Water: 500ml 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strawberries, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: strawberries and bread
Flavor: sweet strawberry, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bread, astringent
Liquor: translucent yellow-green
Delicious sweet green tea, slightly gritty mouthfeel. The pancake seems to be in the end / after the sip with the sweet strawberry upfront, and a strong vegetal flavor in the middle.
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/12/52teas-loose-leaf-green-tea-strawberry.html
I was waffling on this one, and glad that I did, because your review sort of verifies why I was so unsure about it. I’m crazy and actually cold-brewed Malted Chocomate even though I figured it would be weird. It was… interesting!
Waffling on cold-brewing it? Yeah, I think it’s best as a hot tea, although it’s not the worst cold-brew I’ve had. Both 52teas Coconut Cream Pie and DavidsTea’s Buttered Rum were definitely harder to get down, the former because it just tasted like flavouring and the latter because it tasted really off.
Actually, I was waffling on buying this one. I had a feeling it would have an odd aftertaste. As for the CCP and BR, I definitely prefer the former iced. BR is much better hot. Actually, I love CCP cold-brewed, and luckily didn’t have any problems with it.
Ahhh, gotcha :) Wasn’t sure what you meant! It definitely tastes of artificial flavouring, which I tolerate only because I like artificial strawberry looks guilty.
Hmmm, maybe I’ll have to try CCP just straight cold-brewed, and perhaps for longer. It wasn’t bad, while Buttered Rum tasted gross, which made me sad :(
You iced Buttered Rum? Hmm. It’s a good thing we have a word in the English language like “experiment” for choices like that. :P
Kidding around of course, but that’s interesting. I don’t think it would EVER have occurred to me to ice that one. Certain ones are just hot-only or cold-only in my head.
Haha some artificial strawberry flavourings taste good to me too. While I like the idea of strawberry teas, I find it hard to find one that I like? I’ve even been hesitating to try the Strawberry Zabaglione. There’s a little chain here in Alberta called Steeps which makes a Chocolate Dipped Strawberry black, and it’s goooood, though.
Yeah I leave the CCP in the fridge for anywhere between 6-10 hours, and it’s been great every time. Iced, Buttered Rum was a disappointment for me too. So much weaker and flatter, somehow. Oh well, now we know!
@Daniel Scott – Hey, I wouldn’t have tried it if I hadn’t seen others doing it! I am a sheep, after all :P It really didn’t work for me though, so I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll notice I did feel that Malted ChocoMate and Mayan Choco Chai are meant to only be only hot teas. :D I can’t even envision them cold! I don’t think it would work.
@Incendiare – I was sent a small sample of Strawberry Zabaglione and at least my first attempt with it wasn’t as good as everyone else seems to say it is. No real loss for me though, because I’m not married to the idea of finding a good strawberry black. As for other good strawberry teas, Butiki’s Strawberry Oolong is good, although I personally don’t think that “strawberry” was the flavour I was getting. I feel like I have had good strawberry teas though… hmmm….
Also, I’ll try your CCP suggestion :D
About the iced Malted Chocomate that I bravely tried. You know how you find many mates to have that banana flavour (I think it is you who experiences that)? For the first time, the Malted Chocomate took on a banana-y flavour for me when cold-steeped. It was weird. So you’re definitely not missing out haha.
Thanks for the Butiki suggestion! Strawberry Oolong sounds good.
Yeppers, it’s me who gets that banana flavour, with roasted mates at least! (Eeee, someone reads my tasting notes and actually remembers something?!) I think I will steer clear of icing that one, haha. Not that I mind that flavour, but if other people are getting it too, perhaps it ends up being quite a bit stronger, and that’s unnecessary!
I feel like I’ve had some other good strawberry teas too. I did like DavidsTea’s Strawberry White, although I’m not sure it was terribly strawberry-y… It’s funny, I’m completely blanking! If I think of others I’ll try to remember to mention them :P
I like this one best steeped at 175 degrees for 2.5 minutes. Haven’t tried cold brewing it, but I suspect I wouldn’t like it based on your experience.
The parameters above were just for the hot-steeping pre-treatment; I can’t recall what I normally use, but I should try with the above :)