Blue Mist from Simpson and Vail

Tea Type: Black Tea

Where To Buy: Simpson & Vail

Product Description:
Blue Mist is a blend of Jackfruit (a fruit from India with an aroma of banana and pineapple), Apricot and Mango black teas with cornflowers and marigold petals. Brew tea at 212º – steep for 3 minutes.

Tasters Review:

Thought I would step outside my comfort zone with this one. I HATE Bananas!!!! I mean HATE them! When I read this had Jackfruit in it – which is supposed to smell like Pineapple and Bananas – I thought I would try it!  I love Pineapple but not Bananas but I gave it a whirl…

It smells nice…you can tell Mango and Pineapple but there is a little hint of something else which I will ‘chalk up as’ that banana illusion. Nothing is too over the top to make me change facial expressions – like I normal would when smelling bananas – but it does have a different sort of aroma, that is for sure!

It’s VERY dark in color.

It tastes like a HOT tropical smoothie. Not really floral but fruity and not like Pina Colada but truly unique. Almost like a tropical drink with NO Pineapple, Coconut, or Flowers in it…if you can picture that. It’s much different than ANY flavored black I have tried to date. If you are looking for something different this just may be it.

On the 7th Day of Christmas … from 52Teas

I have a confession to make… today was the one day that I had to “spoil the surprise” because I won’t be home most of the day tomorrow… and I probably won’t have time to post a review on the morning of the 20th, so I had to open this package late on the 19th.

But, since it is about 11:30 pm Pacific time as I write this, I guess I could argue that it IS the 20th somewhere.  Right?

Ah… the sacrifices one must make when they review teas!

The tea of the day for December 20th is …

BANANA PEACH

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Product Description:

…like a banana peach flavored green tea with real no-sugar-added dried banana and peach pieces. Think of it like tea with a hint of cool refreshing fruit smoothie added in. Enjoy!

Taster’s Review:

I can’t believe that I haven’t yet written a review for this tea!  I’ve had this tea for quite a while now, and it just may be my favorite from 52Teas.  Before I tasted this tea, my favorite was Chelsea’s Chocolate Banana Rooibos, but, I do believe that this one has taken the number 1 spot.

In fact, shortly after I tried this tea (and instantly fell in love with it), I bought the rest of what 52Teas showed as in stock so that I wouldn’t run out of it.  I thought that like so many of their blends, this one would be a limited edition.  I still have plenty of this tea on hand, and now that it is part of 52Teas permanent collection, I guess I needn’t hoard it.  Life is short – we should enjoy the teas we love most more often!

The flavor of this tea is just perfect.  The Chinese Sencha green tea is lush and sweet.  It has a buttery essence to it that can be experienced both in the taste and the mouthfeel, and since there is very little astringency to this tea, I can enjoy that buttery essence well into the aftertaste.

The union of flavors works so well in this cup.  The fruit flavors are sweet and remind me a bit of fruit nectar sans the pulpy texture!  I can taste the banana flavor just a little stronger than the peach, but I think that both compliment each other very well.  When combined with the fresh green tea base, it becomes a delicious, fruity treat; it is very much like tea with a hint of smoothie!

This is absolutely delightful!

Banana Green Tea from The Tea Farm

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  The Tea Farm

Company Description:

Banana Green tea is a green tea mixed with Banana flavors. With the delicious tastes of green tea and the sweet taste and aroma of banana.

Taster’s Review:

I am quite fond of banana flavored teas, so when I find one, I usually order it right away.  Such is the case with this tea from The Tea Farm!

The green tea flavor is definitely the most prominent flavor in this cup, but it is not overly aggressive and doesn’t overpower the banana.  It has a fresh, vegetative taste that makes for a delightful contrast to the banana essence.  It is mildly sweet and has a nice mouthfeel.  A low astringency level here, and no bitterness (just don’t over-steep it or brew at too high a temperature!)

The banana flavor is delicate but delicious.  It actually tastes a bit more like plantain than banana to me, because it doesn’t taste as sweet as a banana, it tastes more like a savory, slightly starchy plantain.  Very pleasant.

This is a wonderful offering from The Tea Farm, and has inspired me to explore their teas further!