On the 12th Day of Christmas … from 52Teas

Happy Holidays to everyone!

First of all, sorry this will end up posting a little late.  I was up LATE last night doing the final preparations for the holiday morning, and I had figured I’d be up earlier than this!  My youngest actually slept until about 9 am Pacific Time!  I couldn’t believe it!

Anyway… I was especially excited for today’s tea, because it was one that I hadn’t yet tried!  This was the one brand new blend from the box, and from what I understand it will soon be featured as a tea of the week.

Without further mumblings from me… The CHRISTMAS Tea of the Day is…

GINGERBREAD CHAI

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Product Description:

Ingredients:  Premium black teas, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, pink peppercorns, natural flavors.

Taster’s Review:

Well, as I said before, this was the tea I was most excited about because I knew it was a new blend.  Of the other 11 teas, there was only one of them that I hadn’t yet tried, but was definitely on my on-going list of teas to order when finances allow. (The one tea I hadn’t tried being the Chocolate Chai from Day 2)

Anyway, on to this NEW chai!  Wow!  It’s really tasty!  It really tastes like gingerbread and chai married in one teacup!   I can taste the baked cake-y taste in the cup, and I must say that in the time that I’ve gotten familiar with 52Teas blends, Frank (the head zoomdweebie at 52Teas) has improved with achieving the pastry and/or cake-y flavor for the tea.

Not surprisingly, the ginger is dominant in this cup.  But, it doesn’t taste over-ginger-y either.  That is to say, it doesn’t taste like Frank just got really happy with the ginger root.  It tastes like gingerbread, not an overpoweringly-ginger-flavored chai.

The other spices are very well balanced and they carry a full-flavored taste that fills the palate with warm spice.  The black tea base is a little understated here but not so much that it can’t be tasted.  That’s not a complaint!  I like that it doesn’t try to intrude upon the other flavors.  The tea is there, it just doesn’t overwhelm the cup.

Because what really makes this chai outstanding is the gingerbread flavor!  It really is yummy, I love the cake-y taste!  It adds such a delightful dimension to the already delicious chai.

When I had originally ordered this sampler box for myself, my initial thought was “great, I can just order the sampler, and since I will have a small sample of the new Christmas blend, that will be one tea from 52Teas that I won’t need to buy because I will have already tried it!”  But, as it turns out, this is one tea that I WILL have to order, because of all the chai teas that I’ve tried from 52Teas, this one is the BEST by far!  Gee, thanks Frank.  My wallet thanks you too.  Yeah.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I hope that Santa brought you LOTS of tea to enjoy!

 

Holiday Fruit & Spice Blend from Mark T. Wendell

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where To Buy:  Mark T. Wendell

Company Description:

A blend of select black tea leaves with orange pieces, bits of cranberry, ginger and cinnamon. A winter season favorite that is now available year-round.

Taster’s Review:

Having recently tried Mark T. Wendell’s Autumn Cranberry blend, I was very curious to see how this one would differ from that tea.

While the two teas are both black teas flavored with cranberry, they are two very different teas.  Since I’ve already reviewed the Autumn Cranberry blend, I think I’ll just talk about the tea that I’m sipping right now:  Holiday Fruit & Spice!

The black tea base is brisk but not very aggressive.  It seems rather content to sit back in the background and just let the cranberry, orange and spices do their thing.  It is a mild yet very delicious black tea with a light-to-medium amount of astringency.

The cranberry and orange are very complimentary to each other here.  A light tartness from the cranberry and the sweet orange really come together well in this cup.  It tastes juicy, bright and delicious.

The spices here are not overwhelming or spicy.  Instead, they simply give the cranberry and orange a very seasonal kind of flair.  The spices add just a hint of warmth to the cup.  What this sort of reminds me of one of those spiced fruit punches that are served at holiday parties… you know what I’m talking about?  With the clove-encrusted orange slices floating on top?  It has that kind of spice level… not strong, just warm and very agreeable.

There is no bitterness to this tea.  I even brewed this and forgot to set the timer — I think it must have been brewing for well over 5 minutes before I rescued it!  But still, no bitterness.  Just very pleasant fruit and spice flavor.

After my initial taste, I decided to add a drizzle of honey to my cup.  It is plenty sweet without the honey, but I like the way the honey enhances the fruit and spice flavors.  This is a very nice cuppa – one that would be perfect to serve to friends and family at holiday gatherings!