As a child growing up it was rare to have ice cream. When we did have it, it was usually the basic vanilla or chocolate or neapolitan. The lucky times we’d be at grandma’s and get butter pecan or some other neat flavor.

I remember the first time I had a banana split. It was so good! The ice cream with the fruit managed to pair together two great textures. Add in the hot fudge syrup and you’d think I’d died and gone to heaven.

Frank from 52teas has made some rather splendid blends. From his Champagne Mojito to his Rocky Road, he’s proven there’s almost nothing he can’t do with tea.

Visually this tea is made up of heavily broken black tea leaves. Not quite tea-bag size, but a bit larger. Large chunks of bananas, strawberries, vanilla beans, cherries and cacao nibs are mixed in for a decent visual. Togetehr these brew a dark caramel liquor.

The aroma here is more chocolate and banana than anything else. It actually reminds me of a Nutella banana panini I had at a local coffee shop once (shhh, don’t tell the tea!). I can catch just the faintest hint of either the strawberry or the cherry but I’m not really sure which.

WOW! The astringency here is very high. Not so much a pucker as much as a sting. That’s not always bad though. It depends on how you like your tea. This does bring the flavor down a couple notches for me though as it makes it more difficult for me to discern the more nuanced flavors. I do catch the chocolate through the finish which dries the tongue, and the banana.

Fans of Assam style black teas, extra strong black teas or strong cups of coffee will like this brew. I appreciate its aroma more than its flavor, but the tea certainly has plenty going for it.

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This tea is visually interesting. The leaves between 1/16 and 1/8 inch long with the blue slivers of cornflower petals blended in is actually quite pretty. This tea brews a nice yellow-orange liquor.

The aroma from the dried leaves is of a smoother variety than that of a typical Earl Grey. It’s almost as if this blend had already been softened with milk and sugar.

Earl Grey de la Creme’s flavor is smooth but strong. You can taste the softness from the vanilla and the sweetness from the cornflower petals. Of, course the bergamot oil is ever present throughout as is custom with any Earl Grey.

Lightly bold and flavorfully striking I recommend this blend from Special Teas for fans of any Earl Grey. The vanilla and cornflower petals really add something to this classic favorite.

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It’s pretty odd an idea to put jelly beans in a tea. At least to me. But this blend pulls it off. Blended with what looks like cherry chunks, hibiscus and other fruit pieces, this blend smells mighty sweet and looks very red with an occasional colored jelly bean adding to a vibrant visual mixture.

The liquor brews up a deep vibrant blood red. It’s really quite attractive. Add the fruity scent and you’ve got a nice hot party punch on your hands.

Speaking of fruit punch, that’s exactly what this blend tastes like. Given the relative penchant for fruity teas to sometimes come out sour, this blend really does “punch” well. Though I’m not sure that was the intent here.

Jello Bello does dry the palate a bit, but not a whole lot. If it were any less the dryness wouldn’t be noticeable at all. The sour flavor from the cherries hangs around through the finish while the sweetness fades.

Not overly bold on the palate this tea comes out actually quite soft. I’d recommend it for fans of fruity teas, fruit punch and anyone who likes to try new teas. Othodox tea fans aren’t likely to like this one though, and may not want to give it a go.

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I’ll admit, it’s taken me a while to review this one. This set hasn’t been produced for over a year. But it’s remained good this entire time with no loss in flavor quality!

The 1/8 inch long curled and twisted leaves are splendid to behold. Brown and black in color some much lighter leaves are mixed in providing for an interesting visual array.

The dry leaves provide an aroma of freshly dried leaves in Autumn, wheat toast and hints at hay. Once brewed the aroma sweetens and a more chocolatey vibrant scent seems to emerge. This tea brews a vibrant caramel liquor.

Jackee Muntz seems to bite a little. There’s certainly an astringent kick in this tea’s taste. A bit of toasted bread with fired notes and a panopoly of lesser notes including a honeyed edge in the finish which is very nice.

I can recommend this tea for fans of Keemuns and other mild black teas including Ceylon style Sri Lankan blacks. More of a green tea drinker? Think of this is a dark Fukamushi style Japanese Sencha.

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Some teas are neat to think about. How the leaves are rolled and twisted. The process of producing the right flavors consistently from the leaves and buds. This Jasmine scented tea from Teavana is put through eight to ten rounds of scenting with Jasmine blossoms, oil and petals prior to being rolled into these neat little balls.

Visually these tiny pearls appear as a mixture of light and dark green twists. They’re rolled so tight they almost look like little marbles in the bag.

The aroma is lighter than expected for a tea basically wading through a couple weeks of Jasmine flowers, oils and petals. It’s clearly Jasmine, but it lacks some of the hints of nectar sweetness some other Jasmine teas have.

The flavor from these little marbles is also weaker than expected. That’s not necessarily all bad, it’s a matter of taste. I happen to like my Jasmine teas on the stronger side. The Jasmine is clearly notable in the flavor with floral tone which hint more toward gardenia than the Jasmine this tea is known for.

There’s some bite in the finish of this tea. Not enough to make a lasting impression, although the Jasmine flavor lingers in the mouth for a bit it seems to dissipate rather quickly.

I would recommend this tea to fans of more floral teas and flavored teas. Fans of Earl Grey varients may be likely to enjoy this brew. If you like your Jasmine teas on the stronger side, brew for four minutes instead of three as you’ll get more flavor that way.

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