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“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.” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
“(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...” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
Tea of the Week for October 14, 2019!
Our Second Tea from our “I Love The Pacific Northwest” Collection!
Ever hear of Salt & Straw Ice Cream? They have locations throughout California now, but they got their start right here in the Pacific Northwest. Their flavors are fun and unique. I mean, how many other ice cream joints out there have a chocolate caramel potato chip cupcake ice cream? (Yeah, that’s for real – it’s the scoop I got last time I was in there and it was so good!)
So with this tea, I decided to celebrate the Pacific Northwest by celebrating Salt & Straw. I was inspired by two of my favorite Portland flavors: Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper and Pear & Bleu Cheese. (Yeah, they sound weird but they are really amazing.)
I started with organic Chinese Sencha for it’s sweet, buttery flavor and it’s creamy texture. Then I added just a little bit of Green Rooibos to add lightness & enhance the fruity flavors to come. I added strawberries, pears, some black peppercorns & a touch of cream cheese essence (instead of bleu cheese), some honey essence & a hint of brandy essence (instead of balsamic – don’t worry, there’s no alcohol in this blend!)
It may seem like a really weird concept & yes, I’ll be real: I was worried about it at first but it really works together nicely. Some of the flavors are a bit more subtle than others but they all work together in this very unique yet flavorful blend that reminds me so much of Salt & Straw. They make some really unique flavors that may seem a bit weird when you first read the menu but when you taste it – the flavors are sublime!
Salt & Straw is such an inspiring place when it comes to flavors – they are anything BUT basic! I like to think that 52Teas is similar in that regard & this blend is anything but basic! The pear & strawberry flavors are forward, with notes of cream cheese & honey in the background. A subtle bite from the black pepper lingers toward the end of the sip and into the aftertaste. A very subtle note of brandy that weaves its way in & out. Very unique. Very tasty.
This unique, only found at 52Teas blend is all natural & organic, VEGAN, gluten-free, allergen-free & alcohol free!
organic ingredients: green tea, green rooibos, strawberries, pears, black pepper, calendula petals & natural flavors
Note: I test all my teas first without sugar & then with a teensy bit of sugar added to taste the differences in flavor. I must say that this tea benefits from the addition. The flavors really come to life with the addition of just a teensy bit of sugar (about half a teaspoon per 12 ounces of tea). Still good without the sugar – this tea tastes more like what I envisioned for the blend (which was a combination of the two ice cream flavors) with the bit of sugar.
At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.
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.
How would you describe green rooibos in comparison to red rooibos? I’m sure I’ve head it before but I can’t put my finger on the flavor. Red rooibos is so distinctive.
*had
They’re totally different, but I love them both. I’d say green rooibos tastes light, sweet, and fruity. It’s a distinct flavor that kind of goes with everything!
Thank you! I’ll have to look through my rooibos teas and find one to try.
(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.
I love Salt & Straw, my friend and I make a trip there every time we take a vacation to Portland!
Me too – we just went up to Portland today and we stopped in and I had my go-to: a scoop of strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper and a scoop of pear & bleu cheese. I can never finish it all, though, but that’s ok too because we don’t live far – so I have more for later tonight! :)
I tried the Pear and Bleu Cheese last time I was there. Can’t say its my favorite (but blue cheese in general isn’t my favorite thing, I was more curious of the concept). Once I was there over my birthday and they had a monthly flavor at the time that had Lucky Charms cereal mixed with chocolate covered potato chips (as an Idahoan, that is one of my go-to favorite snacks) and that ice cream was SO good. Wish I could get that one every time!
Yes, always check their “daily special” board – because it’s usually a really unusual flavor. This time it was a green fennel & ginger flavor, I tried it but it was a little too fennel and not enough ginger for my liking. (I like fennel just fine, but I guess I was wanting a bit more ginger bite to it.) So I went with my usual go to. I love Bleu cheese though so this flavor is right up my alley.
They also had their october flavors – the one I wanted to try was sold out – and one that sort of piqued my interest had pork blood in it – I sorta wimped out on that though. I don’t know if I’m ready for blood in my ice cream.
