“Super backlogged on teas right now; will hopefully catch up by the end of the week (and read some tasting notes, too!) Until then, I’ll jot down some thoughts on a couple new teas from my 52teas...” Read full tasting note
“Hello! I’m back (for the time being). I’ve been really busy lately, because we are redecorating/deep cleaning my apartment. So I haven’t really had time for tea. This morning I decided to try...” Read full tasting note
“I was utterly unfamiliar with the existence of Grays Teacakes prior to this tea. If I’ve understood correctly, they are kind of like coconut toffee/brittle? I haven’t tasted them so I can only...” Read full tasting note
“Hello Everybody! This is another Tea of the Week for January (Retro Candy Shop Month!) – this tea was inspired by a candy called (interestingly enough) “Grays Teacake” which really doesn’t taste...” Read full tasting note
Tea of the Week for January 14, 2019!
When I ordered my haul of British old fashioned candies (you know, because research for this month’s theme) I had to include Grays Teacakes in the order. Something in the name drew me to it. I really can’t be 100% positive, but I think it might have been the TEA part of the name. Pure speculation, of course.
Anyway, I had never tried these tasty candies before receiving my package from Handy Candy, so I didn’t know exactly what I was in for. The description said they were creamy, chewy, coconutty & rich. Upon tasting them, I can report that they are coconutty & somewhat ‘rich’ I suppose – although they weren’t quite as creamy or chewy as I was lead to believe by reading the description – or perhaps, out of fairness, I should say they weren’t as creamy or chewy as I wanted to believe based on what I read into the description. These were first kinda hard to bite into & then a little chewy but the ‘hard’ bite seemed to negate the chewy part a bit. But it did have a richness of a caramel although I must admit that lately, I’ve spoiled myself a bit when it comes to caramel & tend to buy the more spendy, handcrafted type of caramels, which tend to have a richer flavor to them than the commercially manufactured candies do.
All that aside – I was still quite enamored with the flavor of these candies – toasted coconut & caramel! – so I decided that I HAD to interpret this candy in tea form. I started with a base of organic, roasted Kukicha & added toasted coconut plus some caramel essence.
I LOVE this tea & maybe I’m a wee bit prejudiced, but I think that the tea outshines the candy that inspired the tea. It’s smooth and tasty, with it’s pleasing roasty-toasty flavor, sweet coconut & caramel notes. So good! It’s also VEGAN, organic & gluten free. (Yes, I usually also say “allergen free” however coconut is regarded by some as a tree nut & as such represents the only tree nut that I utilize in my tea blends, so this tea is safe for those of you who are not allergic to coconuts.)
organic ingredients: roasted green tea, toasted coconut & natural flavors
At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.