Raspberry Banana Honeybush

So I’ve had this tea for awhile now and I’ve liked it but only so so. For I don’t know why reason, I’d been trying my honeybushes at 7 minutes 30 seconds lately instead of my usually 5 minutes. This came out really good that way. So I decided to try it at 10 minutes tonight. Again, really good like this. A stronger raspberry, a more muted banana, less candy-like overall.

Steep time: 10 mins

Ok I got distracted because I had to make this hummus: http://www.cookincanuck.com/2012/11/creamy-curry-hummus-recipe-healthy-snack/ Hummus is way too terrifyingly easy to make especially now that I know I can get a jar of tahini for a more reasonable $6. (This one does not include any tahini which is why I like it.)

Still lukewarm, this is great. Mostly banana, still enough raspberry. I actually think I may like it better cold, I’ll have to give it a try. It seems like as it cools off, it gets creamier.

All around it’s a nice sweet drink.

Thanks to CHAroma for this tea! Aaaaaand a sipdown :D

So my nose has decided to plug up again, so I can’t taste this one as well as I would like. What I can tell you is that it tastes like a fruity flavoured honeybush. A touch artificial, and I’m not picking up specifically raspberry or banana, though I would probably guess that the fruitiness was a berry flavour if questioned.

I’m going to leave the rest to sit overnight… perhaps I can taste it properly in the morning.

ETA: Ok, so after leaving it to sit overnight, I can taste raspberryish flavours, and the tasty and sweet honeybush base, but I remain surprised at the lack of banana. Shocked, actually, because I have had a few banana-flavoured teas from 52teas before, and they don’t often lack in banana flavour! Even Malted ChocoMate kind of tastes like bananas! It’s pretty tasty though. I do have other HB evening options I’d prefer, though.

This is, quite possibly, the weirdest tasting hot beverage I have ever consumed. To me, the banana is very artificial tasting. But nothing has ever come close to real banana flavor except for real banana. That said, this is not bad. The raspberry seems to be doing background work, keeping the banana from being too over-powering. It’s sweet and barely tart and MUCH better cold.

I’ve been drinking this with leftover pie and other desserts. It makes a great compliment, actually. The smell sort of reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum. I’m really starting to love honeybush. While I’ll never buy this particular flavor, I know 52teas has lots of other honeybush that I’d love.

Thank you CHAroma!

Edit: Caught Mr. Snuggles (spoiled doggie) licking my mug. He hates real bananas though.

This tea has me a little frightened. It’s a honeybush, which I hear is very similar to rooibos. Rooibos and I don’t get along. I knew there was a probable chance of receiving a honeybush blend with my 52teas Tea of the Week Plan. But I also had heard so many good reviews of 52teas that I figured it was worth the risk.

And overall, I’m a very happy customer. All their blends are unique and delicious. And I’ve found while perusing my credit card statement that I’ve bought a lot more than just the 6 teas that came with my subscription.

But enough stalling. On to the honeybush tea! The dry leaves smell of raspberry and banana and slightly medicinal. The brewed tea aroma is still raspberry, but the medicinal quality has gotten stronger. I feel dread as I sniff the aroma. I want to like this; I do! But I’m not so sure…

Okay, time to sip it…Wow, actually I mostly just taste raspberry with an aftertaste of banana. Thank God! I really thought this was going to be awful (no offense to 52teas). With the second sip, I’m convinced that 52teas could blend just about anything and make it wonderful!

I mean really, I don’t even particularly like raspberry or banana-flavored things. And don’t get me wrong, the tea nails these flavors. Yet somehow, I find myself enjoying the cup. Insanity. Simply insanity. What is this world coming to?

That being said, if anyone would like a sample, I’m more than happy to share.

Did I mention that 52teas has done a popular tea revival? Check out their in stock blends to see a couple favorites return to your life. The world is a happier, brighter place with their rebirth.

So yummy! I just got finished writing a full-length review of this tea, which will publish in a few hours on SororiTea Sisters, so I hope you’ll watch for it!

It doesn’t surprise me in the least that I love this blend, since I absolutely flipped for Monkey Farts from My Sweet Honeybush. This might be even better, because the tartness in the raspberry evens the sweetness of the banana out just a bit… or maybe it’s the other way around, the tart of the raspberry gets mellowed out by the banana. Either way, it’s really a delicious combination.

This makes a fabulous iced tea. It is very sweet with no sugar added. The dry leaf smells like a box of runts, but the flavor of the steeped tea is actually quite natural, juicy, and refreshing.

WOW! What a sweet smell! I’ve never smelled such a sweet smelling tea before! As soon as I stepped it it punched my nostrils. In a good way. This is quite good. Though it’s too hot so I gotta wait a bit more…

The flavor isn’t quite as in your face as the smell is. It’s kinda mellow. But still good. IT would probably be weird if the flavor was as strong as the smell.

This is kinda perfect for me at night. I don’t get much banana, but I get it in the aftertaste and it is balancing out the raspberry. It smells sweeter than it tastes. I reallllllly like honeybush :)