Lemon Cheesecake Bar Houjicha

Dried leaves: Mmmmm, lemon. And then, just behind the lemon… I don’t know if I’d have identified it as cheesecake, but it does fit that profile. It did smell like a lemony, creamy, dessert, though.

First sip: lemon in the forefront, the sugar and creaminess in the background. The sugar is kind of WAY in the background – just enough to evoke dessert without actually being sweet.

This is another one that might evoke the dessert better with added cream and sugar. That said, I like this one a lot, the way it is.

This is another one of the reblends from the new 52Teas as of July 2015, and I must say it’s my favorite so far – it makes a terrific iced tea, something I drink a LOT of in July. Though there are several lemon-flavor ingredients, the lemon flavors do not overpower the tea – the hojicha is a very, very smooth green tea and the flavor shines through. Not only is it great as iced tea, but it does well chilling overnight in the fridge, which many flavored teas don’t do – in some, the flavoring oils rise to the top and turn bitter if they sit overnight, so they only taste good when freshly iced. This tea, however, does not turn bitter. I make it by the quart and chill it. No sugar needed for my tastes.

Looking over all the other reviews for this tea, it looks like I had the exact same experience. This was good but not the cheesecake flavor I had hoped for. I more compare this to a sweet creamy lemony treat with a hint of a toasted flavor running thru each sip. Still good tho. Very bright and very delicious. Still a fan even if it isn’t cheesecake tea love!

http://www.cuppageek.com/index.php/2015/07/24/a-lemon-cheesecake-tea-in-a-cup-courtesy-of-52teas-yes-please/

Happy Friday everybody! Enjoy your day!

I love the smell of this tea, it’s so sweet and fragrant. I grow both lemon balm and lemon verbena from time to time and both of them make excellent teas all on their own. They lend a lemon flavour to this blend but one that’s tangy-sweet rather than the sourness you’d get from pure citrus. The houjicha is a good base for this tea with its distinct toasted flavour. However I do wish that there was more cheesecake flavour as I can barely taste it in this cup.

This is my first tea from the newly managed 52teas! The dry leaf aroma is surprisingly lemon and cheesecake! I know I shouldn’t be surprised. But Frank’s cheesecake blends never seemed to have enough cheesecake, and this one actually smells like it! The aroma is potent and mouthwatering. Aahh, now I’m really excited to try this one! I should have worked out tonight. But now it’s too late and I’m tired and although I should really just already be in bed, I’m going to brew up this tea!

The leaves are really pretty too. There’re big chunks of lemon peel and lemongrass among other things. What a beautiful tea! The houjicha is of nice quality too. There are whole leaves as well as stems, not just a dusting of crushed leaves like I’ve found in some houjicha varieties. Houjicha definitely gets the short end of the stick sometimes. It deserves as much love as any other tea! Yes, even as much love as a premium dragonwell or silver needle!

I find myself fluttering around the cup as it steeps. Hurry up! Hurry up! You know you’re impatient when the timer says 58 seconds and you run to the bathroom just to pass the time and return to see 14 seconds left. Sigh. Seriously, two minutes really shouldn’t take this long.

Okay, enough of my babbling. Time to try it! Mmm, the flavor is unexpected. The houjicha comes through strongly. The lemongrass hits the palate next. There’s a creamy component but not quite tangy like cheesecake. It’s really very lovely! I was expecting more of a sweet, dessert type tea. This is actually calming, relaxing, and revitalizing. A much different experience than I was expecting but quite enjoyable nonetheless.

I’m debating whether or not to add sugar. I don’t feel like this tea should be sugary sweet. The vanilla lends a sweetness that is perfectly adequate. But I also want to see if I can coax out more cheesecake. I’m not sure sweetener is the way to do this, but I’m going to experiment anyway. Hopefully, I don’t ruin a good thing.

Hmmm, Truvia definitely brings out different elements of this tea. I think it is a bit creamier and more akin to cheesecake now. But it’s actually quite a lovely, enjoyable tea sans additions. I really like this! It’s not my perfect cheesecake blend, but then Frank’s teas never were either. Okay, let me be honest. I pretty much sucked this cup down. It is a delicious tea! I’m a fan!