Bananas & Custard

Tea type
Fruit Green Herbal Blend
Ingredients
Calendula Petals, Cocoa Bean Shells, Flavour, Freeze Dried Banana Slices, Green Tea, Licorice
Flavors
Licorice, Dark Bittersweet, Smooth, Sweet, Cream, Custard, Banana, Cocoa, Grain, Oats, Roasted, Toasted Rice, Autumn Leaf Pile, Dry Grass, Creamy, Milk, Vegetal
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 11 oz / 315 ml

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15 Tasting Notes View all

From Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Snuggle up with a creamy custard cuppa with freeze-dried bananas!

Dessert is served Teabirds! Snuggle up with a creamy dreamy custard cuppa made from antioxidant-rich Chinese green tea, nutrient-rich freeze-dried bananas + decadent cocoa.

Ingredients
Chinese green tea, liquorice, cocoa shells, freeze-dried banana, calendula petals, flavour.

About Bird & Blend Tea Co. View company

Company description not available.

15 Tasting Notes

59
4169 tasting notes

So a Covid update: the sister was very lucky with mild symptoms BUT ALSO we were very lucky that she had symptoms enough to know that it might be Covid and to know to get tested to not pass it on to anyone else.  If she hardly had symptoms, things could have been very different for everyone.  Otherwise, it looks like we were extremely lucky and none of us got it (it has been over three weeks.) But one odd thing was that the health department was telling her it was fine to stop her quarantine very shortly after she was tested, when I thought the general rule was to quarantine for two weeks?  Maybe the health dept should be telling people to quarantine longer because this dang virus is just getting worse?  (She was quarantining well after the health dept told her to anyway.) Just a bit of family luck that I will be grateful for in this dreadful year. 

I bought this a while ago.  In theory, the name of this tea means I should love it.  I’ve tried it a few times but this dang licorice just ruins the entire blend.  why oh why would there be licorice in banana custard?  Honestly, it makes it taste like a tire.  With hints of banana, but only occasionally. Also, there are cocoa shells but I can’t really tell they’re present either.  I can hardly even taste that this is green tea.  It really just seems like a cup of nasty licorice.  Even the scent of the dry blend is just bad.  It’s definitely not creamy or custard.  I would really love an actual banana custard tea.  Also, this is sadly SOMEHOW the ONLY “banana custard” tea that pops up in a Steepster search.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 40 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 30 minutes after boiling //  2 1/2 minute steep

Flavors: Licorice

Courtney

Yay for the covid news. Fingers crossed your sister feels better quickly!

Cameron B.

Rofl, a tire?! XD

White Antlers

Glad your sister is okay and was wise enough, in the face of skewed advice, to continue quarantine.

tea-sipper

Thanks Courtney & White Antlers.
Cameron – well, I’m sure there were better comparisons than tires, but my brain didn’t want to think about it for too long.

derk

Thanks for the update! May I echo White Antlers.

tea-sipper

Thank you derk :D

Mastress Alita

My sister was pretty sick for about a week; apparently here the quarantine period is 10 days but she did a full 14 anyway before going for retesting (negative now!) and getting clearance to go back to work. I live in a very backwards, extremely “Red” state and our own aunt didn’t believe she was sick and couldn’t understand why she was quarantining and saying things like it was “just proof masks don’t work!” UGH. People make me so mad…

Glad symptoms were mild for your sister and she’s feeling better now!

Leafhopper

I’m glad your sister is feeling better and decided to quarantine for an appropriate period of time in spite of the health department’s strange advice. Also, licorice banana custard doesn’t sound very appealing.

Lexie Aleah

Glad to hear your family is ok. It’s crazy to me that so many people are still not taking it seriously. At least us Steepsters have our tea to help keep us calmer throughout this crazy year.

Martin Bednář

I am glad your sister is felling better. And all your family! Here, if you don’t have symptoms, you should live as “nothing happened” even you are almost sure it’s Covid. You aren’t tested if you don’t have symptoms.

So, I think it’s better in your situation.

Too bad that tea was unpleasing. Especially when it has got so nice name!

mrmopar

Yeah, as well. Glad to hear no Covid for you guys.

tea-sipper

Thank you all, you wonderful Steepster fam you!
Mastress Alita – it’s great to hear your sister tested negative!
How is your brother doing with Covid, Martin? (If you mentioned in a tasting note somewhere – sorry, I’m three days behind and trying to catch up soon.)
And yes, LICORICE BANANA… what was B&B thinking?!?!

tea-sipper

Well, I WOULD catch up with tasting notes more, but the dashboard ‘more’ button is broke again.. sigh

Cameron B.

Hmm, my “See More” button is working fine.

tea-sipper

It works once until THIS note is on the bottom of the page for some reason.

Skysamurai

Oh my goodness. Glad you guys are okay. But also shame on the dept. Ive actually heard of people going in later and then testing positive so I really think we should be quartining regardless.

tea-sipper

YES. If the virus keeps spreading around, the health dept should maybe be thinking of changing their tactics a bit.

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84
15575 tasting notes

Definitely just slightly over did the steeping here because the sip started off with a bitter steamed kale type of note that I found a little off putting, but after the initial taste the flavour was very creamy banana in a way that was a bit like banana pudding with a super rich and sweet custardy finish/aftertaste. I definitely distinctly taste the licorice, but it worked for me when paired with the vanilla/cream flavours to convey this type of really rich sweetness.

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79
439 tasting notes

From the TTB
It smells like banana, both the dry leaf and in the cup. The first few sips were like banana cream pie. As it cooled I got more of the dark chocolate bittersweet taste lingering. Not tasting the licorice, which is probably a good thing because I’m not sure it would go well with the banana and chocolate flavors. I do like this blend the banana stay at the tip of my tongue and the chocolate lingers in the back.

Flavors: Dark Bittersweet

tea-sipper

All I get from this is licorice!! Maybe I should make SURE to mix the pouch more.

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80
961 tasting notes

TTB #17

I’m not really getting custard from this, but it does have a nice sweet, smooth banana flavor that I enjoy.

Flavors: Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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1789 tasting notes

Excellent mixed with Butterbrew

Flavors: Cream, Custard

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60
2284 tasting notes

This one has that same chalky banana flavor that banofee rumba has. I drank it plain, and at first it tastes like almost nothing, but at the end of the sip, the chalky banana hits. The second steep tastes the same as the first. I prefer this over banofee rumba because it’s missing the slightly rotten taste the other has. At first, I was missing any flavor from the green base, so the next time I brewed it longer, and an almost smoky green flavor appeared, and the banana didn’t seem as chalky. I could also taste the cocoa shells, which were okay, but maybe didn’t fit super well. I don’t love this. It’s all right. I fell out of love with banofee rumba by the end of my 2 oz of it. Maybe I’m tired of banana teas. But I also think this ingredient combination just isn’t right.

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57
6105 tasting notes

I’m going to have to attempt a second cup of this, because something tastes wrong. Yes, I taste banana, and cacao shells, and (bleh) licorice, but there’s also this pervasive smell/taste of rot. Like, rotting banana. I can’t tell if there’s actually something wrong, or if it’s a weird combination of ingredients… either way, this is not an overly pleasant cup, although it has some tasty elements. Every now and then, I’m getting a sip that tastes like chocolate banana, but then the next sip tastes like rotten banana. I know Banoffee Rum-ba had a similar banana issue, but I don’t felt like it tasted quite like this.

Anyhow, sad. Also – no custard here, which is unfortunate (but who knows if things are working together to cover that up).

gmathis

Ugh. Not a banana lover here. PTSD from my high school summer at the local Dairy Queen. I’d come home smelling like the flavor you just described!

Kittenna

Delightful! Haha. I like bananas… to a point. This tea may go too far.

Mastress Alita

Banana is my demon food. I have such a strong aversion to them I can’t even stand to be in a room when someone else is eating one, or if a peel is left in a bin. Even banana candies or artificial banana flavorings squick me out.

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65
3986 tasting notes

365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 17

This is one of the teas from Bird & Blend’s January subscription box. Being a great lover of banana, I was very excited to see this pouch!

So full disclosure, I actually had to brew this one twice… I chose a little 16-ounce teapot for the Instagram photo, and accidentally only used the amount of tea I would normally use for a 12-ounce mug. I guess I’ve been drinking out of mugs so much lately that my brain just went into “auto” mode. Doh! So, of course, it came out somewhat weak. I didn’t want to give an unfair rating, so I dumped it and made another 12-ounce mug. Tsk tsk, so wasteful!

I will say, this one is not at all what I expected given the name and description. The banana flavor is light, and there is no custard at all. To me, it almost tastes more like granola with bananas in it? I’m assuming the green tea here is at least partially roasted, as I’m getting an almost genmaicha-like grain flavor and I don’t see what else could be contributing that. The product photo does make it look like the green tea leaves are somewhat brown, which would support my theory. I’ll have to inspect the leaf when I get home later…

Anyway, it does have a nice natural banana flavor. I’m not sure I really taste the cocoa shells, maybe a little bit, but I certainly wouldn’t notice the flavor if I didn’t already know it was there. Happily, the licorice root is not at all noticeable either.

So this is an odd one for me. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t order it. I’m okay with that though, as I already have a banana tea from B&B (Monkey Chops) that I really love!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsvY-rFFYDk/

Flavors: Banana, Cocoa, Grain, Oats, Roasted, Smooth, Sweet, Toasted Rice

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
VariaTEA

I’m currently sitting in those awkward 4 seaters on a via rail train where you sit uncomfortably next to and facing a stranger and basically try to avoid eye contact. In an effort to be entertained while doing that I tracked down this tasting note as I recall wanting to read it and here we are. Turns out I’m at least 5 pages behind on your notes. This one makes me sad because bananas and custard sounds amazing but this tea does not :(

Cameron B.

I’ll send you a sample to try! ;)

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65
2238 tasting notes

156/365

The fourth of Bluebird’s Tea Election candidates. This is one I haven’t tried before, and I don’t even remember when in was released. I must have been absolutely and completely off the radar at that point…

I’ll admit, I was worried when I saw liquorice root on the ingredients list, and large chunks of it in the actual blend. Initially, it’s not a problem – I get delicious banana flavour (ever so slightly underripe…) and for once it’s not super artificial. I don’t get much in the way of custard, but there is a light creaminess. It tastes to me like banana yoghurt; custard is pushing it a bit. The green tea base works well here, though. I think it helps with the slightly “green” banana flavour.

The end of the sip is where it all goes wrong, because liquorice. It’s all very nice and banana-y, and then there’s this smack of excessively sweet, cloying awfulness. The thing I hate most about liquorice root is how it seems to linger at the back of my throat, so I can taste it for ages afterwards. It seems to build with successive sips, which makes it more of a problem mid-cup than it was to begin with…

As it cools, I can taste a hint of chocolate from the cocoa shells. It’s quite pleasant, but not enough to override the liquorice. At this point, every other flavour is having to compete hard for prominence.

There are a lot of good things about this blend…if only it wasn’t for the liquorice.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 45 sec 1 tsp
Starfevre

What does the count at the top of each of your notes represent? The number of unique teas you’ve drunk during this year?

Scheherazade

It’s where I’m tracking my 365 Days of Tea challenge. I’m drinking a unique tea every day for a year, which seems a lot crazier now than it did when I started!

Starfevre

Well, it looks like you’re ahead for the year so far, so you’re doing pretty good! I don’t have 365 unique teas in my cupboard (anymore) so I couldn’t do that. Anymore. Respect.

Scheherazade

I started last November :) I don’t have enough in my cupboard to see it through, but I’m fairly confident that (with new acquisitions every now and then) it’ll work itself out.

Fjellrev

What a pity, because this world needs a properly done banana custard tea.

Mastress Alita

This is the only tea that I would legit be upset if it wins the elections… because it is the only one of the five that I can’t personally drink (on account of the banana… that’s my one “villain food” in this world, that I simply can’t ingest in any form, since I can’t stand both the texture and taste/flavor of it). I was surprised to see it amongst the six candidates, to be honest. In fact, I’m always surprised to see how popular banana blends are in general from how often they come through my dashboard! I must be the only person that has a problem with that fruit. (And yet licorice root, which I commonly find people don’t like, I absolutely love… I must have a very off-kilter palate to the norm).

Scheherazade

I think liquorice root is one of those love/hate kind of things. If you really do like it, you’d probably enjoy Teapigs’ Liquorice & Peppermint. That’s the liquorice-est tea I know, and I hate it!

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73
259 tasting notes

Aroma: Foam banana sweeties!

Flavour: It’s hard to know what to expect from a blend like this, but having NEVER encountered a banana tea before there was an equal mix of excitement and trepidation. Banana + Custard is definitely different. The flavour is a predominant coating of strong artificial banana. Think thick banana milkshake kind of flavour. Yum! This is combined with a light vegetal note that’s developed from the green tea and a finish of liquorice felt in the back of the throat.

Final thoughts: Bananas + Custard is obviously a kooky blend, but it’s well worth trying with it’s delightfully sweet, creamy notes.

For more: https://www.tastethetea.co.uk/2016/10/19/bananacustard/

Flavors: Creamy, Licorice, Milk, Vegetal

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 15 sec 1 tsp

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