Mango Blueberry Crumble

Crumble? Yes. Mango Blueberry? Not as much. Perhaps age is at play since this is from June 2017. There is something sweet but more than anything this tastes like the streusel you might find on top of a crumble. Warm. Cinnamon. Sweet.

I seem to be the odd one out because I actually quite enjoy this one. The first mug from the sample pouch had more mango chunks so understandably, that one had more mango mixed in with the other flavours, but this last mug even hits the spot.

To me this is quite heavy on the blueberry, and those blueberry notes remind me of my precious Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish. Throw in a hint of allspice and a touch of crumble flavour (in place of the pastry notes in BCCD) and you have a beautiful tea. I’m also enjoying the honeybush base. It isn’t strong at all and enhances the crumble-like flavours. Could have gladly gone for thirds!

Since i got through all the AQ2T teas that i needed to, i figured i’d check in on a few 52 tea blends and see if there are any still around that i might like to add to my pre-order. I find that there’s something about the honbeybush that Anne uses that doesn’t sit well with me most of the time. Always seems a little woody for my taste or overpowering at least. With this one i do get a little berry feel from this but it just doesn’t hit me the way i want it to given how much i love mangos! (and blueberries)

My 52Teas order finally came in. Turns out, the reason it took so long to get delivered is because customs held it, openeed the package, and then proceeded to fine me $12.34 in import fees for the package containing undeclared spices. lol whatever you say CBSA…pretty sure it is clearly tea (consider the fact that the labels list teas as ingredients, the exporter is called 52Teas, and if you open the package it is obviously tea.)

Anyway, I tried the two herbals I ordered, one of which is this. The honeybush is somewhat sweet and tastes like typical honeybush, although I personally thing some oatmeal flavouring or rooibos would have improved it. There were some interesting fruits. The mango was distinct, although a bit tart. I couldn’t make out a ton of blueberry, but it was there. Overall, it wasn’t as good as I hoped, however it wasn’t bad either. I was hoping for something more desserty (oatmeal, brown sugar, maple syrup, that kind of thing).

So, this is my 1500th tea reviewed here on Steepster which is pretty cool!

This is another tea that I got in my free subscription box that I was super pumped about because it’s another one I would have felt compelled to order on my own as well! The dry leaf smells interesting; a little mango, a lot of allspice/nutmeg.

Steeped up, I’m a touch disappointed because I don’t think the mango or the blueberry come through that distinctly. Yes, it’s fruity but less defined than I would have expected given the dry smell and amount of fruit in the physical leaf. Why I AM living for is the allspice; I think it’s really tastefully done, and I like the way it’s playing off the fruity flavours of the blend. Not enough blends take advantage of all spice, in my opinion. That combined with the nutmeg undertones really sells the “Crumble” aspect of the tea to me.

I just want a bit more… sharpness(?) with the fruit notes. Maybe focusing on one instead of dual fruit flavours would have worked better. Then again, maybe not.

I got this as a sample with a recent order. I finally gave it a try because it sounded like a nice dessert tea to quiet the voice in my head telling me to raid the work fridge for some sort of sweets at about 3pm. I’ll preface this by saying I don’t normally like red rooibos or honeybush blends. I just don’t like the flavor that comes from a red rooibos or honeybush base.

That said, the “mango blueberry crumble” bit sounded too good not to try. I added a few drops of stevia and a splash of cream, and it was so satiating and comforting. Had this been a black tea blend I would’ve stockpiled. To my surprise, the mango-blueberry pairing really worked. It legit tasted like a delish summertime baked good, not that I’d ever dream of turning on an oven in south Texas on a hot summer day unless it was absolutely necessary.

But I digress…it was tasty, even if I didn’t care for the honeybush base.

I don’t tend to buy rooibos or honeybush teas, but 52teas kindly included this as a sample. Does it make any sense to say that while this tea is not my style, I still think they did a really good job? The dry tea smells divine. It’s like a waft of buttery spice cookies. When I first started sipping this cup, spice cookie was the predominant flavor too, but now that it’s cooling I can really taste the mango and blueberry. Vaguely, this tea reminds me of David’s Coco Chai Rooibos, because they both have a light spice note and a bit of nuttiness to the base, but this one is obviously more fruity. While I personally prefer a black tea base, I can see how something light like honeybush makes sense with delicate fruit flavors like blueberry and mango.