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“I love banana and wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Decent black-tea base, but the banana flavour didn’t taste real ‘n’ proper to me. And it got bitter really quickly. Full disclosure,...” Read full tasting note
“I’ve been drinking a lot of 52teas banana blends lately, so I have to say that this one isn’t as good in comparison. The banana is very light, but desserty when you can catch a taste of it. The...” Read full tasting note
“Sipdown! (34 | 443) Yay banana tea! Love the banana flavoring here – it’s sweet, rich, and slightly creamy, like a slightly overripe banana. There’s a syrupy sweetness to it that’s almost maple-y....” Read full tasting note
“It’s a banana black with a decent base and nice realistic banana flavour. Nothing more to say, really. I prefer my banana teas to have other flavours with them, but I mean… can’t fault it for not...” Read full tasting note
Bonus Reblend for April 2021!
One of my favorite teas because – BANANAS! This blend starts with the perfect base – an organic, OP single estate Ceylon (Pettagallia) – which is smooth, rich yet mellow enough to allow the natural flavor of banana shine through. This tea is all about the banana!
It’s also VEGAN, gluten-free, allergen-friendly, organic & all natural.
organic ingredients: black tea, bananas & 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.
I love banana and wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Decent black-tea base, but the banana flavour didn’t taste real ‘n’ proper to me. And it got bitter really quickly. Full disclosure, though: I haven’t the slightest idea how long this packet has been sitting in my stash; it’s entirely possible that it’s past its best-by date.
creamer: none
sweetener: sugar
caution: Drink quickly, prone to bitterness.
Flavors: Sweet
I’ve been drinking a lot of 52teas banana blends lately, so I have to say that this one isn’t as good in comparison. The banana is very light, but desserty when you can catch a taste of it. The black tea is also too mild. The flavors just end up super light for me. I overleafed this the second time I tried it, and I made sure to steep for a whole three minutes. It somehow turned out even lighter than the first time, barely any banana at all.
Sipdown! (34 | 443)
Yay banana tea!
Love the banana flavoring here – it’s sweet, rich, and slightly creamy, like a slightly overripe banana. There’s a syrupy sweetness to it that’s almost maple-y. However, I don’t love the base as much. It’s a Ceylon base, and it’s a bit too tannic and metallic for me. The slight sharpness doesn’t mesh well with the creamy smoothness of the banana IMO.
Still a lovely tea, but I feel like maybe a Yunnan base would’ve been nice? Or perhaps a Taiwanese black tea. I’m sure this Ceylon would take milk well, but I don’t tend to add anything to my tea…
Flavors: Banana, Bitter, Bread, Creamy, Maple Syrup, Metallic, Sweet, Tannic
I have always enjoyed the banana flavors by 52Teas :D. I think overall, they are my favorite of their teas.
Totally with you on three counts here, Cameron. Love the banana, find the base harsh, prefer to drink my tea black with no sweetener. That said, with the rest of this, I will either blend a Franken-tea or pick up some milk and drink it milky to soften the base. Or maybe both, if needed.
Because I say it every single time, IMHO, the perfect banana tea was 52teas’ Banana Pudding Black.
Agreed! Imo, sharp, bright Ceylon usually does best with milk. A Banana Yunnan or Taiwanese would be divine.
Oh yeah, Yunnan or Taiwanese, or maybe even both.
I remember loving the Banana Pancakes tea!
I seem to have a low tolerance for maple. I love it and I enjoy it every once in a while, not on the regular.
Maybe with milk? I am starting to feel the need to put aside some “when I have milk” teas.
I ADORED Chocolate Eclair.
I loved their Banana Pancakes tea!
Yeah, I definitely prefer my Maple teas with some type of milk. Same with most masala chai and earl grey blends.
I remember Banana Pancakes being lovely with or without milk :)
Maybe that’s what I’ve been doing wrong then. Maple teas need milk! That makes total sense now.
I drink almost everything black, unsweetened. When I quit drinking coffee (daily), I did it by stopping keeping milk or cream in the house. Many years of this habit have gone by now with the occasional blip. But now I will set aside a pile of “when I have milk” teas.
I’ve been craving a bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich on a Montreal-style bagel for a long long while now, months. Today I had one and it was perfect. sigh. My happiness is complete.
Well, my neighbours continue to wake me up, so if I could make one adjustment to my happiness, it would be that. But aside from that, today was pretty close to a perfect day. My walk took me through the park/cemetery with all the autumn colours. The people whom I interacted with today were all lovely. I had an acupuncture treatment this morning with a practitioner that I adore. The treatment may have contributed to me feeling blissed out. And I am grateful.
All good. All very very good. And the parts that are not good are not getting any real estate in the brain and spirit today.
So, I picked up some milk today, for the teas that benefit from it. We’ve been talking about the harsh aspect to this base, so today I gave it a good double glug if milk and poof! This cup has turned into a hot banana milk tea. Delicious!
It could, perhaps, get even better with a half teaspoon of honey, but for now, I am staying with just this delight.
Hope your day and your cup(s) are likewise delightful!
Edit—ok, I broke down and added a half teaspoon of honey. This now is absolute perfection.
Yay, milk (and honey)! Yay, sublime autumn day :)
Yes, hooray for all the yays! Let us recognize and celebrate those when we can. Hooray for joy1
Try a BLT with fried green tomatoe on it. Yummy!
Thank you, mrmopar! I am puttin that on my list. It sounds delicious.
I am glad you had a beautiful day!
Thank you, ashmanra. It’s been a long hard slog. It was good to have some respite. I hope you are getting a nit of respite here and there too.
This tea was July’s Featured Reblend/Retro Monday blend. I’m a little surprised that I had to add it to the database because it was originally a Frank era blend – something that he blended in his final year @ 52Teas, if my memory serves me correctly.
Anyway, I stuck really close to the recipe on this blend – and it was a simple recipe – just tea and bananas! The only real tricky part was making sure I got the right kind of tea – this one utilizes a single garden black Ceylon from the Pettigala estate. After I managed to find the right tea, I knew I NEEDED to reblend this because – BANANAS! It was probably my favorite tea from Frank’s final year (again because – bananas). The lighter Ceylon allows the full flavor of the banana to shine through but because banana tends to be a softer tasting fruit, the Ceylon isn’t completely overwhelmed by the banana – it’s really a good pairing.
This one’s really good. If you like bananas, you need to try this blend. (But we’re almost out – just a few more pouches of it left!)
