Candy Cane Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha

Day 11 of the 52teas advent calendar. I’ve been stuck in bed with a migraine all day. Definitely not going to be able to get through all my tasting notes. Luckily I don’t need to say much about this one because I’ve reviewed it before. Loved it as much today as I have in the past. Glad it made it into this year’s calendar!

52teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 4

sniffs the bag "It’s kinda got that caramel thing. Maybe it’s vanilla. Welp, first of all, color’s not that appealing chuckles sniffs steam, repeatedly sips Um, hm. sips It tastes a little dirty also, like maybe it’s got the mushroom in it. sniffs When I smell it, I can feel it in the back of my throat. It’s got that vanilla or caramel, like it’s trying to cover up the armpit smell. It’s not like that one yesterday (Figgy Gingerbread Honeybush), but- sniffs it kinda smells like it has thyme in it or something. Mushroomy thyme. chuckles Aaaahhh. It’s, it’s okay. chuckles I’m trying to think of some nice things to say about it. Whadyu think about it? I thought maybe it at first it was the dittany, or dictamo, but you take a drink and you’re ready for it to fizz up. It doesn’t, it just goes flat. I think it’s either a dirty smell or it’s in my nose. chuckles Or maybe something in my nose is dirty. chuckles Almost like, you know, when you breathe in a little dust and it has a dog hair attached to it, and you get some of that dog sebum on the hair and you’re like what is that? And you figure it’s a dog hair. And they try to cover it with a lemony thing. I mean it’s not bad. It’s not as bad as yesterday’s. When you get more than one “Mhm”, then you know something’s wrong. This one didn’t get any "Mhm"s. Definitely dog hair. And then I tasted it again and went “Mhm”. Not several like yesterday, just one. Mmmm mhm. Not my favorite. Have you gotten any comments on it yet?

It’s called Candy Cane Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha. “It iiis? Oh, ok. I bet you picked it up right away didn’t you. You’re good with those marshmallow ones. Burnt marshmallow. Is that why it smells burnt?”

Do you know what genmaicha is? “No.” It’s green tea with toasted rice. “Oh, that’s the toasty flavor! burps Hm. Ok, so it’s like a toasted marshmallow in the fire. But I think it’s the flavor that throws me off, you know when they put the natural flavor… because it’s not so natural. If they could make it taste like a toasted marshmallow without putting natural flavor in, with like some kind of herb. Boy, it has no lemon in it but it’s got some kind of pee-pee color. That’s the green tea, I guess. Thank you. I like doing this every year, every Christmas.”

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I really enjoy this one. The toasted rice taste is there but could be more apparent. As it is, I love how gentle this tea is — cool and mildly pepperminty-creamy-sweet. The mellow, toasty and buttery green tea is a great base for these flavors. Good for last night and this rainy morning, when I wasn’t really wanting to drink or eat anything with strong flavors or heavy presence. On Kiki’s note about using some other ingredient to emulate the marshmallow flavor — I wonder if pandan would fit into this profile? Personally, I don’t think it needs it.

Hmm it’s hard to describe what I think of this tea. I guess the main word I’d use to describe it is…unnecessary? 52teas does a delicious genmaicha, and the candy cane is really refreshing and nice. I’m just not convinced the two need to be paired. In some sips, they went together fine, but in others the roastiness and mint seemed sort of at odds. The only flavors I get are that bright, sweet mint and the toasted rice, but I’d prefer them separately.

Can’t go wrong with a genmaicha blend from 52Teas. Though, this isn’t my favorite. The nutty genmaicha flavor is at the forefront, with the creamy peppermint being more secondary. Still delicious, but not something I need to purchase again.

2024 Sipdown Challenge | January | A winter-inspired blend

Candy canes are wintery, right?! Plus, this came in my 12 Days of Christmas box. So it’s wintery by default. (Southern hemisphere, look away…!)

Anyway, my last cup was light on the candy cane, which is sad. I must’ve exhausted all the peppermint pieces in my first cuppa. I’ll leave my rating the same anyway.

2024 sipdown count: 6

Adventaggedon Day 23: Tea 8/8

…and last but not least is the third candy cane tea from today! For a hot second I thought maybe there wouldn’t be a genmaicha blend in the countdown this year but I’m relieved to have been wrong!

I remember liking past iterations of this and I don’t know if it’s just that my palate has changed or if maybe the formulation itself was slightly tweaked but I think I liked this a lot this time around that what I was remembering. The creamy fluffy marshmallow note was just so spot on and it married completely beautifully with the lighter soft notes of candy cane. Of the three candy cane blends I had in my advents today, this one easily had the most components/flavours going on to try and convey but it all just felt really in sync and cohesive. Not a strong flavour (but not all teas need to be strong to be good) but one where everything on the checklist comes through clearly.

#tiffanys2021sipdown Tea #27

Finished this last night 1/24 I think….working all these different shift times at work and can’t remember what day it is anymore LOL!! Anyway, I’ve been on a genmaicha kick lately, this one was actually made before my last two sipdowns but was savoring this one a little longer. Cold brew pitcher of the entire packet, it was so refreshing with the candy cane mint along with the roasty green tea. I’m a fan :)

#tiffanydrinkstea #tiffanys2021 #tiffanysfaves #tiffanyinthe614 #tiffanysteasipdown #sipdownchallenge

A tasty dessert blend for a weird night. I’ve taken on another job at a university and and so I’m working some odd hours. I wanted something low caffeine but also comforting and rich. I’m trying to get through more of my caffinated teas because I have a record number of teas right now and I need to cut down by ~50 or more. I’ve had to store tea in my room because both of my drawers and the cabinet are full. Oops!

This has a lot of mint, but it certainly conveys candy cane because there is a nice dose of vanilla in there. I can taste the sugar/marshmallow flavour as well. The genmaicha is toasty but vegetal, which in my opinion clashes with the peppermint a bit. Rice + peppermint? hmm not my favourite combo. It was a good cup and I look forward to drinking it again however I probably would not buy it again. I like some of the other genmaichas better.

Another from Annie— thanks so much for sharing! I better write a tasting note now, as I have less than a teaspoon left. I LOVE 52Teas’ marshmallow genmaicha blends, so always happy to see more variations. This one looked like mostly popped rice (and I didn’t see any peppermint candy in my serving). However, there is plenty of mint and marshmallow flavor. It’s a surprisingly delicious combination. The briskness of the mint with the creamy marshmallow is great. It seems like a dessert! This is a unique blend, yet straight forward. It is what it says it is!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 28 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 27 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
2019 Sipdowns: 32 (52Teas’ Butter Pecan… tossed the last couple of teaspoons because this one is probably around 10 years old and the flavor is just WEIRD now. I don’t mind old teas but not OLD teas.)

This tea is my laundry companion. It is creamy and minty and very festive with some nice roasty rice notes. Not a lot of marshmallow which is a little disappointing but still a nice tea to play around with while it lasts.