S and S Green Tea

Sipdown! Another cold brew. I can taste the green tea and the green rooibos distinctly, with a bit of sweetness from the strawberry and pear. The peppercorn is very mild, but still noticeable.

I really like that this tea includes some green rooibos. I definitely notice it. The strawberry flavor is light and sweet. I’m not really into the addition of the pepper, though I understand why it’s there from the description. The green tea here is gentle and works with the blend. Some sips are quite delicious, but some are a bit too peppery for me. Some sips are almost a bit salty? In a good way, but also maybe I’m imagining it. This is an interesting one.

(52teas (Anne) 2022: 101)

Hmm, drinking this after eating freeze-dried strawberry perhaps wasn’t the best idea. The tea is pleasant enough, and I’m getting a hint of spiciness at the end of the sip; aside from that, I can’t really identify any flavours. It’s supposed to have strawberry, which is probably hard to pick out because of what I just ate. Even if I could pick out the strawberry, I think I’m fairly ambivalent about this one.

This is the tea of the week for October 14 & I’m sipping on it right now. I cold-brewed it overnight and it is SO GOOD cold brewed! It’s good – you know – brewed traditionally (hot) but the flavors really come to life when the tea cools a bit (whether hot brewed or cold brewed, I tend to prefer this one when it’s cold. Good hot – awesome cold.)

For those of you unfamiliar with Salt & Straw – it’s a really unique ice cream joint that makes handcrafted ice cream using not-so-ordinary flavors. Like Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper … or Pear & Bleu Cheese – which are two of my go-to flavors on the rare occasion that I do go there. But if you’re in the Portland area (I know there are some Southern California locations too!) be sure to check to see if they have any limited edition flavors (like chocolate caramel potato chip cupcake – yes. It’s a real thing.)

Anyway, my go to is usually a scoop each of the two aforementioned flavors – strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper and pear & bleu cheese. These two taste amazing together.

So I decided to go with that as an inspiration – using some of these flavors and reimagining the others. I started with Chinese Sencha for it’s creamy, buttery taste and texture and added some Green Rooibos for a little bit of lightness and to enhance the fruity flavors of the blend. Then I added strawberries & pears. Instead of honey balsamic, I added honey essence & brandy essence. Instead of bleu cheese I added cheesecake essence.

I love the result. It is sweet, fruity, creamy, and there’s just a hint of pepper and brandy. A bit of tang from the cream cheese. A really unique and interesting set of flavors that just – work. I love this.