46 Tasting Notes
I have been snowed in for four days now and it looks like we’re about to get another round of the Blizzard of Oz 2013. I am way behind on packages. I apologize for that.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying an icy stein of this coming week’s tea of the week, which I can’t tell you about until tomorrow, except to say that it’s delicious and fun and I have some and you don’t. :P
Did I mention cabin fever might be taking a slight toll on my sanity?
Just made a pitcher of this at home. It’s another blistering day in Wichita. This is unmistakably banana. I’m thinking the black tea base maybe takes some of that Laffy-Taffy/Runts flavor away and makes it a bit less artificial tasting. To me, it’s just the right hint of sweetness in an awesome black tea without actually BEING sweetened. My wife prefers her iced tea with Splenda and insists this is amazing that way (too sweet for me, but to each their own).
I reallly love the ease of these teabags. I’m getting some samples of different pillow pack bags in to consider for the next round. As cute as these little bags are, they were a bear to get the teabags into.
Thinking about the teabags makes me a little sad. I would love to be able to share our teas with LOTS of people on a much larger scale. The truth is, it is VERY difficult to compete with the big teabag companies. The level of automation they employ and the economies of scale they enjoy are just unbelieveable. At one point I calcluated that to keep my labor costs in line, I needed to be able to produce 80 teabags an hour, weighed, filled and sealed—which was challenging. But if I had $40k, I could buy a weigh-fill-seal machine, fill a hopper with tea and hang up a roll of teabag filter paper and it would make 160 teabags a MINUTE for me. That’s twice my hourly goal in a MINUTE!
Oh well. I spend entirely too much time looking at Youtube videos of industrial equipment. LOL. Maybe someday we could get a bunch of purchase orders from some grocers and take them to the bank and say, “Please, can you help us join the industrial revolution?” Or maybe we’ll crowd source a Form Fill Seal machine though our awesome customers and Kickstarter or one of those sites.
Okay. I’m rambling now. Anyway. The tea is hitting the spot on this very hot day. I hope everyone is having a good Friday and staying cool with some nice iced tea.
Preparation
Have you tried any of these cold-brewed? I just purchased a new glass pitcher that I want to use for cold-brewing and I’m wondering if I should hot brew or cold brew these iced teas… I actually purchased two of the rainbow sherbet ones so that I could experiment with the cold brew … but I was wondering if you or anyone else had success cold brewing this.
I got this one for my daughter – she will LOVE it!
I prefer my tea a little stouter than a cold-brew accomplishes, so I typically steep them in hot water and chill them.
That is my habit also, 52teas. I usually steep strong, resteep, cool on counter for a while, then refrigerate. If I need it faster, I make it stronger then add cold water and ice.
Maybe you need to go on one of those shows like Shark Tank (although the BBC version Dragon’s Den is a way better show). That way, it’s not YOUR $40K on the line.
Our AC is on the fritz and I think this tea is keeping me sane. It is just an amazing iced tea. A perfect rich tea and then you get that cotton candy finish, and it just makes you happy. Does me anyway. The teabags make it easy too. I just put the teabag in my 2quart pitcher, pour in a bit of boiling water from my tea kettle, and three minutes later, top it off with cool water and pluck the tea bag out for round two later. (Second steep is just as awesome as the first.
Preparation
Are the prices for the iced teas for each two-quart teabag?
Yes, but if you buy $10 worth, you get 10% off. $25 or more and you get 25% off. As I just posted in the discussion forums:
“FYI, regarding the pricing, these are half-ounce teabags. If you purchase $25 or more and get the 25% discount, you are paying $2.2425 each, which comes to (drumroll please…) $8.97 for 2-ounces. So instead of paying $8.99 for 1.75oz of one of our regular black tea blends, you’re paying about the same for a little MORE tea in individual hand-packed teabags which are further individually hand-packed into foil-lined stay fresh pouches. I just wanted to point that out, since I’ve had a few people mention that on the face of it, it appears pricey. Incidentally, the tea I used for the flavored blends is a PREMIUM CTC Indian tea. I could have spent 1/4 (!) of what I did on some crap tea for these teabags, but that is NOT what we are about.”
Oh, and the price includes shipping to the US.
It may seem a bit odd the way I did it, but it just worked out this way. Right now, if I sell ONE unit, it’s going to cost me $1.56 just in POSTAGE to ship it.
No complaints here, sounds good.
Wish I wasn’t on a tea purchase hiatus atm :(
Can’t wait to try this one Frank! Love to read your tasting notes – it gets me even more excited.
I really like the tasting notes Frank. Keep it up. :D
So excited!!! I’m waiting for you to add the other teas on Steepster so I can add them to my virtual cupboard! :P I just love being organized!
Also just curious, how does the base for these iced teabags compare to the ones you use in the teas of the week? Is it the same or a new one?
The base tea for the Southern Boy Teas blends is a special South Indian blend specifically for iced teas. It is also a CTC tea. I think it makes a beautiful iced tea, but as indicated on the instructions, you should steep the teabags in boiling water for no more than 3 minutes.
Cool, thanks! Can’t wait to try these!
I’m enjoying a cup of this “iced” in my office today. That is to say steeped in a small amount of hot water, allowed to cool, then topped off with cool water from my water cooler. It’s a complex flavor. Rootbeer kind of hits your nose first, the first taste is all black tea, made a little stouter with the addition of chicory, but then you get the buttery-root beer on the back of your tongue and a hint of sweet licorice on the tip of your tongue. I did have a sip of it while it was still hot, with similar results, but the flavors are more pronounced when it’s chilled. I think as a hot tea it would be really awesome with some cream and sugar. As an iced tea, it’s quite an adventure just the way it is. I’m thinking I will have to make another cup. Oh, and the leaf smells amazing, like something from a dream: root-beery, buttery, licoricey—very exotic scent when they are all combined. I could just leave my nose in the package and smell it all day. I steeped it using hot water from my water cooler. Not sure how hot it is, probably at least 190.
Preparation
I love seeing you review your own tea (without the rating, of course)! It does sound gooooooood ….
Frank, will Mango Black be back this summer?
Yeah, I should write tasting notes more often. Just so much to do. LOL. Speaking of which, and to answer Ashmanra:
I’m afraid there are no plans to bring back the Mango this year, but I am putting the final touches on our Summer 2012 iced tea series. This year we are doing 2-quart teabags. I THINK I’m going to have the last of them packaged and ready to post on the website later this week.
(Lots and lots of packaging with this)
oooh, I can hardly wait! :)
My mom would LOVE this – I will have to get some for her soon!
SOOOOOOOOOOO excited for this one!!!!!!!!
I cant believe this exists! Why is is sold out! thats not fair!
I can’t wait to see what you guys think of this one. I’m having a big glass of this iced right now, and all I can say is WOW. This may very well be another North American Tea Championship tea right here. It is really stunning.
I just got mine in the mail today, I’m drinking a cup right now and it really is a knockout, well done Frank! You really captured the spirit of the cinnamon roll.
I just got mine too! I guess I need to make some. :)
I didn’t get this one but I hope my 52 teas order comes soon. How long does it normally take to get to Canada?
I can’t wait! I keep checking my mailbox. haha.
I love it!
So, I officially have a new favorite iced tea. This stuff is just incredible! It is SO refreshing. If you haven’t ordered yours yet, there are only five left at this writing!
So wish I could. Need more tea money again. Running dangerously low. :-(
@RachanaC ~ I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter how much tea money I could allot each month, I would find myself running low and wanting more tea. I feel your pain!
Just ordered this today. Got 2 packs of it since I assume it will be so great. Can’t wait.
My wife and daughter came to see me in my office tonight and Millie saw this blend with her picture on it and started squealing, “I want a Millie Tea! I want a Millie Tea!” We brought some home, and she is ecstatic with it. I have to say, I expected the honeybush to compliment the bubble gum flavor, but OH MY! It is just stunningly bubblegummy!
Someone just ordered this in the shop as a 16oz iced tea with a tablespoon of sugar, took one sip and exclaimed, “MY GOD! This tastes JUST like a chocolate shake!” Had to pass that on. =)
powdered coffee creamer might even add to that effect:)
When you served iced tea on the spot, do you pour it already prepared or brew it fresh then.. super chill? Haha. I’m interested! I’m going to try making some iced tea from the cinnamon bun tea I received from you guys yesterday :)
When we had the tea bar, I had a tea machine that brewed single servings. We would brew it right into a cup of ice. But we had to close the tea bar in October 2010.
boooooo i wanna know naaaaoooo! lol
Mean of me, isn’t it? Maybe I should give you all a hint…
i like hints!
hint hint hint hint!! (chanting)
Well, I will neither confirm nor deny any guesses, but feel free to guess away; if you’re wrong it still might be an idea worth pursuing in the future. HINT: It’s based on a popular cocktail.
Strawberry Daiquiri? oh man, please let it be so!!!
Sex on the Beach tea, yea!
i dunno…there have been a lot of strawberry blends in the recent past. I’d much rather like a lime marguerita or something…that being said i won’t guess only because i don’t enough about what frank’s had in the past lol
Is it bad that I just googled “popular cocktails” because I have no life? lol
@boxermama….hell no!
Oh, I hope it’s a Mai Tai tea!
Blue Hawaiian would be nice
Bahama Mama sounds good!
May I have a peach bellini please?
Does it have coconut in it?
Is it a green rooibos base? (don’t think you have done one of those at least not lately)
Will it make our toes curl?
LOL BoxerMama I did the same. Really hoping it isn’t Mojito… which is why I’m pulling for Daiquiri :)
ooh yeah peach bellini! my husband inserted there should be a Coconut monkey tea http://www.barnonedrinks.com/drinks/t/the-coconut-monkey-5074.html eww.
I call for an EARLY release!!!
I second!
I’m going to cross my fingers that it’s NOT a caesar tea…
Good Call, Kittenna !
Caesar tea? What would that be?
It’s here:
According to Bacardi:
The world’s second most popular drink was born in a collision between the United States and Spain. It happened during the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century when Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and Americans in large numbers arrived in Cuba. One afternoon, a group of off-duty soldiers from the U.S. Signal Corps were gathered in a bar in Old Havana. Fausto Rodriguez, a young messenger, later recalled that Captain Russell came in and ordered Bacardi (Gold) rum and Coca-Cola on ice with a wedge of lime. The captain drank the concoction with such pleasure that it sparked the interest of the soldiers around him. They had the bartender prepare a round of the captain’s drink for them. The Bacardi rum and Coke was an instant hit. As it does to this day, the drink united the crowd in a spirit of fun and good fellowship. When they ordered another round, one soldier suggested that they toast ¡Por Cuba Libre! in celebration of the newly freed Cuba. The captain raised his glass and sang out the battle cry that had inspired Cuba’s victorious soldiers in the War of Independence.
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