White Chocolate Grasshopper Honeybush

review from NEW 52 teas.

I am a fan of this one. It won’t top my list of mint chocolate teas ever, but it’s a good one. What is particularly appealing to me is the use of spearmint. There never seems to be enough mint chocolate spearmint teas. this is like winter to me..that sensation when you brush your teeth and then suck cold air in to your mouth… only not as intense because of the white chocolate which smooths things out a little. Yep. I’ll enjoy my little sampler or this one.

My neighbours have a newborn who has been crying through the night directly behind our paper thin shared bedroom walls.

I have been doing what I can to exhaust myself so that I can sleep through her wails more often than not: as much daily exercise as I can manage so that I am good and tired when I go to bed and cutting off caffeine earlier than I normally would.

This is my evening cup tonight. The creamy vanilla of the white chocolate is coming through and the mint leaves a pleasant tingle on my lips. Very nice.

Yup, definitely seems that I am on a sip down mission today… After three years in California we’ve been advised that our company is looking to move us again. So I’ve started working my way thought the house spring cleaning style like I always do when we get this news to make it just a little less stressful when the movers eventually turn up to move us who knows where. I’ve started in the kitchen because its always helpful to know what food we have to try to eat through, give away, donate and dispose of and of course I need a good dose of caffeine to keep me motivated and moving through this process… or in this instance, a non-caffeinated break to stop me from getting super jittery!!

This is the reblend of the tea by the new 52 Teas – I cold brewed it up and although I’m getting the minty grasshopper flavors, I’m not getting much chocolate and unfortunately there’s another flavor that I can’t put my finger on that I’m not finding all that pleasant. It might be the honeybush base as I’m not the hugest fan of this type of tea. Down the sink this one is going… but I have plenty of other great 52 teas to take its place both in my cup and in my cupboard.

Today was not one of those days. I slept late, went to church, did some grocery shopping, worked on a quilted table topper for a Christmas present… It was a nice day. I have no reason to be grumpy or blue.

But I am. Grumpy AND blue. I tried to trace the cause of this disagreeable mood, and I think it might have been my weekly budget planning. Christmas is killing me, and my expected income is severely less that I’d hoped.

Amelia Peabody, heroine of the mystery series by the same name, calls tea ‘the genial beverage’. It was too late for regular black tea (caffeine, you know) so I brewed up a cup of this honeybush tea. It didn’t make me magically perky, but it was soothing. Tea might not cure all ills, but it doesn’t hurt either. :)

This is the 52Teas reboot version.

Dry tea scent: pure, white mint. Like wintergreen. I couldn’t really smell the white chocolate, but I did get a couple of beautiful white chocolate chips into my teaball. I’m kind of expecting the white chocolate to melt into my tea and turn it a bit more translucent, but it still appears pretty transparent, if dark.

This tea is like pure, white mint, like the hard ones you get in the restaurant, the texture of chalk, but they slowly melt in your mouth like ice, and when you blow afterwards, you almost expect to see your breath. Those mints.

Since mint is the predominant flavor in a grasshopper, I’d say this one is pretty spot-on as to the flavor. I do kind of wish I was getting the chocolate a bit more. I think it’s there, and I can almost taste it if I try looking for it, but it’s overshadowed by the mint.

This tea makes me think of being wrapped up in winter clothing, playing in deep snow. The fact that it is hot tea against the mint emphasizes that toasty warm feeling of being all wrapped up against the iciness, a beacon of heat against the cold.

Imagine if I cold-brewed this one…

This is another one I may need to try with milk and sugar, to see if it brings out the chocolate a little more. Also, next time, I might separate out the white chocolate chips, and add them directly to the water, rather than inside the tea ball. I mean, I think the melted chocolate would have made it through the mesh, but I’m not entirely certain. I might open up the teaball when I’m done to see whether I see any lumps of chocolate. I do think this will become a favorite – I just need to figure out my favorite way to drink it. :)

Tastes like a mellower version of Graveyard Mist. The white chocolate is pretty non-existent. Meh.

EDIT: As it cooled, there was a floral base to this. I am not a fan of floral teas, but if that’s your thing you will like this tea.

I brewed some of this to put in the fridge the other night. This is not a flavor I would think to serve iced mostly because I tend to prefer chocolate-y or creamy flavored teas as hot teas, but this is really yummy iced. It’s like a candy bar – it really curbs that sweet tooth.

I was excited to try another version of honeybush after last night’s piña colada deliciousness, however the spearmint caught me by surprise. I thought grasshoppers were peppermint— maybe I’ve never actually had one and am confusing it with mint chip ice cream? It probably didn’t help that my expectations were high or that it has already been an long, exhausting week (and it’s only Wednesday), but the spearmint was so overpowering that it reminded me of chewing gum. Once the tea had cooled considerably, the mint flavor receded a bit, and I could detect some creamy notes, but I don’t think I’ll finish the cup.

Well…I think it tastes like spearmint chewing gum. However, my husband really loves it! That’s all I got :)

This tea is unique! Very smooth + relaxing. Or wait, is it crisp + refreshing? I can’t put my finger on exactly what these flavors invoke, but they come together to create a suuuper clean blend of light white chocolate, mint, and vanilla. This taste errs ever so slightly on the subtle side, so I always end up adding a bit more than the recommended amount of tea and a TINY bit of rock sugar with this one. Definitely a re-order for me, can’t wait to try it as a latte and perhaps iced.