Gingerbread Coffeecake Green Tea

Description

The 1st Tea of Christmas!

This is a Frank-era tea that I’ve not yet blended since taking over 52Teas & it’s not really one that I’ve thought about much over the years, so I was a little surprised when it earned a significant portion of the votes! 

I was also just a little worried, to be honest, when it did earn those votes, because it ISN’T a tea that I’ve blended & therefore, it was one I was a bit uncertain about blending. It’s also one that I’ve not consumed in quite some time – it was originally released during the holiday season of 2013, so it’s been over a decade since I’ve last tasted it! So, I only had my reviews from way back when to consult on what I should be tasting right now. (If you want to read that review, it’s right here.) 

I was also worried because I didn’t have the recipe from Frank as it was lost in a computer crash. So, I had to wing it, although, I must be honest, I think I’ve become pretty good at winging it over the past (almost) 10 years now! I knew that Frank used young hyson for this tea – so that’s what I did. I also knew that he added cinnamon & ginger root – I did that too. I didn’t have his exact essence recipe on hand to be able to duplicate it exactly, however, I think I still did pretty good with this. 

One thing that I added that Frank did not is crystalized ginger. I did this because the whole idea of a gingerbread coffeecake seems to be a delightfully sweet yet pleasantly spiced confection, so a little bit of crystalized ginger seemed like the perfect addition. There’s not a lot in there – maybe just enough to add a trace of sweetness. 

Anyway, I think the tea turned out amazing. I can taste the notes of gingerbread, the warmth of ginger & cinnamon, buttery notes & brown sugar notes from coffeecake – as well as a really pleasing note of cake. It’s sweet without being cloying & it’s quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

So, I think I did good with this one! I hope you’ll think so too! This tea is not only super tasty, it’s also organic, vegan, gluten-free & allergen-friendly!

organic ingredients: green tea, cinnamon, ginger root, crystalized ginger (dried ginger & cane sugar) & natural flavors

to brew: use 3g of leaf to 12oz of very hot water (175°F), steep for 2 minutes, strain. 

serving suggestion: Each time I taste tested this tea, it was hot. That mostly has to do with the time of year, when it’s cold outside, I tend to want a hot, cozy drink – just like this! So, I haven’t actually tried this tea served cold, so I can’t really recommend choosing hot vs. cold. But what I can say is that I am really enjoying this served hot. The spices are warm & inviting. The overall cuppa is sweet, cake-like & really enjoyable as a hot beverage. I tried this without addition & it was splendid. Then I tried it with half a teaspoon of sugar & it was even better – the sugar brings out the cake-like flavors of the tea – making this a rich, flavorful treat!