Tea: S’mores Genmaicha

Tea: S’mores Genmaicha
Company: 52 Teas

I have had this tea for a while and been waiting to rate it, since I have been messing around with it. But I have figured out weather or not I like this tea….. I do. This tea is basically the offspring off one of Franks other Genmaicha teas, Marshmallow Treat; that review is coming up.

Ok the first time I smelled the dry leaf it wasn’t the best thing. It smelled like chocolate liquor, but in a meh way. However, when I bought the tea Frank had just made it and he also mention to other people talking about the smell that he might not have let them air out as long as they should have, and that it would disparate over time. Needless to say he was right. When I went to smell my tea today it was great. It smelled so toasty, gooey sweet and chocolaty. YUM!

The taste is pretty good. You got the gooey sweet from the marshmallow, a lot of chocolate flavor, and a toasty butteryness coming from the genmaicha. However, there was one flavor I wasn’t getting that is part of a s’more…… gram cracker. Luckily I figured out that if I put a small (very small) piece of cinnamon stick in my tea pot it helped add that cinnamon gram cracker flavor that it was missing. I do kinda wish it had more lapsang souchoung so it could be a bit more smoky though. Then again I am the kind of person that either roast there marshmallow to perfection OR get it on fire and let it burn a nice crispy shell around it. Hmmm burnt sugar…..

Overall S’mores Genmaicha is a very tasty tea. If you are looking for a good sweetly flavored Genmaicha or something a bit different to try, pick this one up. But you better hurry though. There are only 5 left  4 left  NONE.

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Specifics

• leaf: 1.5tsp
• Pot: porcelain (no top)
• Water: 8oz
• Temp: 185F
• Steep: 2:20 minuets; 2:45 minuets

Tea: Chocolate Chamomile Curiosity Brew

This tea is part of another Sip Down of my large stock of tea and comes from the lovely Verdant Tea. It is called Chocolate Chamomile Curiosity Brew, and as the name suggests it is a curious concoction indeed. It takes some of the traditional ingredients from a sleepy time tea (spearmint, chamomile,fennel) and mixes it with cinnamon chips, the malty chocolaty laoshan black, Wuyi Big Red Robe, Peruvian Cacao Nibs, and Marigold. I at first was skeptical of it, being an odd combo, but found it to be a unique, relaxing, and tasty tea.  The malty and chocolaty black tea mixes with the cinnamon and fennel to make an almost brownie like flavor. The chamomile adds a nice creamy floral aspect, while the spearmint adds a nice touch of coolness. It tastes great warm and makes a refreshing ice tea; it’s a very relaxing mix. Did I also mention that this tea can take many steeps as well.

So if you are found of sleepy time tea. mint teas, or want to try something out of the norm, I would give this one a shot.

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Brewing Specifics

• Pot: Porcelain
• Water: 8oz per steep
• Leaf: two tsps
• Steep Time: 1 minuets (then added 30 sec each steep)
• Sweetener: just a pinch of light agave
• Temp: 205F

Directions

HOT BREW

1. After getting your water boiling poor it into the pot and leave it for 5 seconds, then pore out the water; this is to do a rinse.
2. Pour under boiling water back in and steep for 1 minuet; continually added 30 seconds for each steep done.
3. When it is done steeping strain it off into a mug or pitcher
4. Add sweetener if desired
5. ENJOY

ICE TEA

Note: use 4 tsp per 8oz of water; can make between 1-2 quart batches from 8oz steeps.

1. After getting your water boiling poor it into the pot and leave it for 5 seconds, then pore out the water; this is to do a rinse.
2. Pour under boiling water back in and steep for 1 minuet; continually added 30 seconds for each steep done.
3. When it is done steeping strain it off into a  pitcher or extra large pyrex
4. Add sweetener if desired
5. Then add equal parts ice to your pitcher or pyrex (ex: 16oz of tea + 16oz of ice)
6. ENJOY

Tea: Cocoa Canela )Organic

This was from one of my samples from my last order from DAVIDs TEA. I was wondering how well this would taste with the chocolate in it. Chocolate teas don’t always seem to do to well. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Even with out any creamer it was very chocolaty. Plus the cinnamon in it was awesome, not too little, not too much. Just a good amount of cinnamony goodness. Though if your not a fan of cinnamon, you should probably pass this one up.

After having a few sips of this I thought I might try to put a little bit of cream or milk in it to see how it does. Sadly we were out of Almond Milk, so I had to try to use 2% milk. Now I am horrible when it comes to warming up milk. It always seems to get that weird flavor or I end up curdling it. This time it was weird flavor, plus it subdued the chocolate cinnamon flavor; but in a bad way.

The only thing I kinda have a beef with this tea is the choice in mate’. They used Yerba mate’, which is the greener, lighter flavored one. I wished they had used toasted mate’. I think it would have complemented the flavor a lot more then the Yerba.

Overall it was a good tea. Not something I am dying to go out and buy, but not bad by any means. I would recommend it to someone who likes hot chocolate and cinnamon.

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Brewing Specifics

• Pot: Porcelain
• Water: 8oz per steep
• Leaf: 5g
• Steep Time: 6 minuets
• Sweetener: just a pinch of light agave
• Temp: 205F

Directions

1. After getting your water boiling poor it into the pot
2. When it is done steeping strain it off into a mug
3. Add sweetner if desidered and choice of creamer
4. ENJOY