A Quarter to Tea

Sipdown (247)

This was good the very first sip but it becomes less impressive as we go. The amaretto is not my fave and the peach which I really liked at first seems to dull the more you drink. There is also the honey note that shouldn’t be here. Plus there is something else that I just don’t like but I can’t pin down.

On the plus side, I have survived my first semester of law school and can stop complaining about exams. Yay!!!

Sample from VariaTEA. I really like the peach aroma of this one, and the concept of tiramisu sounded interesting. It’s a neat idea in theory, but not so much in practice. Funnily enough, i think i’d really like just a tiramisu tea, on the bases of the undertones in this tea. The peach is a little strong, but i may still be a littler overly sensitive to peach. I’ve had my fill of peach teas for a few years i think haha. Don’t really get much of the base tea coming through because of how strong the peach is, but i like the aftertaste of the tiramisu…
thanks VariaTEA!

Final Count: 37 including all the samples

Sipdown (251)

Thankfully there is not a whole lot of fennel here. There is maple custard. With not a whole lot of fennel. This pleases me. Though would probably disappoint people who want fennel.

Sipdown (254)

People really seem to hate this one on here so I decided to rip the bandage and try it both hot and iced, using up all the leaf in the process.

I am trying the hot tea first. It is citrusy with a slight booziness. It is artificial tasting and just not a great flavor but it is not as terrible as I expected. Yay for that.

The iced tea I dropped on myself and wore. However, what I wasn’t wearing I got to try. This is such a strong orange flavor and it is sharp.

This is not a good tea but it isn’t as terrible as expected. However not as terrible as expected is not really a rave review.

I’m liking this a bit better this time. When it was warm it had a strange flatness that creamer rounded out. I walked away from my cup and came back when it had cooled and I think I like it better cool. I can pick out the subtle anise, maybe a little cinnamon and the baked peach. I’m enjoying this cup, but it’s still probably not a reorder at this point.

I don’t know about this one. I’m not sure what crostata is, but I can taste the peach here. I’m not getting the nuanced flavors that others are getting. Coming back to my cup after it has cooled… the peach seems baked, not fresh and I feel like I can pick out a little more of the depth, but can’t name the flavors. So far I’m not loving it, but I’m not hating it either. I have about a cup or two left to see if I can suss out exactly how I feel.

(Sipdown! yay!) Brief note on this one.
This is a very good tea that represents tiramisu pretty well.
The only critique I have are that it doesn’t give me that boozy coffee flavor which is what makes me think of tiramisu. There is just the right amount of coffee flavor for me in this, and with a little milk added I can taste the tangy mascarpone coming through. For those of you who don’t know what mascarpone is, it’s really similar to cream cheese but of a higher quality. I really like how the oolong blends with these flavors. I didn’t like it at all when I first tried it because again I mainly associate tiramisu with a very strong alcoholic coffee like flavor. After about two cups I decided I quite liked this one.

Sipdown (270)

The smell of this one reminded me of DAVIDsTEA Pumpkin Chai. I think the mix of pumpkin, caramel, and spice had my mind drifting to Pumpkin Chai. Also, both have the little pumpkin sprinkles. Anyways, tastewise, this is a lot nuttier than Pumpkin Chai and with a lot more spice. It’s nice enough but AQ2T has a very particular spice blend with a lot of their Fall/Winter teas and it is not my favorite. That spice blend is present here as well which makes this feel familiar and a bit boring. I like the nuttiness though.

In other news, my new obsession is candles. Since I have my own apartment with no little animals running around who might get hurt, I burn them often and they just make things cozier and delightful. I told my friend this and she said between my love of tea, reading, and no candles, she thinks I should have been a librarian. Alas, just like my tea collection, I can see my love of candles getting out of hand if I am not careful. MUST. RESIST. THE. URGE. TO. SPEND!

I made this as a latte and it came out soooooo pretty. Like a cute and unexpected pink color so that made the latte all the more exciting. Plus, with a touch of whipped cream, it was quite the lovely latte.

I used 1% milk so it was a touch on the thinner side which allowed the honeybush base to come through a touch. But, once you get past that touch of base, you get a whole lot of berries and cream. So. Good!!

For some reason this tea was not in my steepster cupboard but I have a lot of it since I stocked up when AQ2T announced they were going out of business. Tbh I have been a bit terrified to try it since I received it in August because I have been panicking that it would not be nearly as good as I remembered. However, steeped it has made my entire bedroom smell as mouthwatering as I recall this tea tasting. With that said, I managed to let it get quite cold and while it does remind me of the last batch, the base comes out a bit more at this temperature and the berry is a touch tart. However, I know the love is not gone and I probably just need to drink this while it is still at least warm.

Sipdown (273)

I was trying to think of caffeine free blends that I have in large enough amounts to make as an eggnog latte. A lot of my caffeine free blends have hibiscus so I don’t want to risk curdling but this tea came to mind. As soon as I opened the package I was hit with this amazing smell of tart berries and cream. It should be a candle. It honestly is smells soooo good. So I made it as an eggnog latte and plain to see how it tastes on its own. That used up my entire package of this tea.

Now I am sad because I actually REALLY like this. Like a lot. The plain tea is not as pungent in flavor as it is in scent but that isn’t to say it isn’t flavorful. This is delicious berries and cream through and through. It’s awesome. I. Want. MOAR!

Awesome eggnog latte too but because it makes it almost cream cheesy. Like a berry cheesecake or cheesecake with a blueberry/raspberry coulie on top.

Honestly I am a fan. And I think it is best plain so that’s how I recommend it. And I DO recommend it.

Sipdown! I tend not to order straight teas or blends from companies specializing in flavoured tea, although in retrospect that’s kind of silly given that if I’m so in love with their flavoured teas due to the bases, the odds are good that the straights they carry are pretty spectacular… Long story short, this was surprisingly delicious – I drank it not remembering what I’d brewed, and couldn’t identify it (straight blend problems), but was immediately hooked. Flavourful and completely smooth, I have no idea what is in this tea but… yum. It reminded me of one of Butiki’s last straight black blends, which I’m not remembering the name of, but which was also delicious. Thanks for the free sample, Lauren – this blend might make it into an order of mine at some point!

Ehhhh, not a favourite. The orange in here is quite potent, and not in a good way, or maybe it’s the brandy or rum that I’m objecting to. Either way, it’s a very strong tea, and the two cups I’ve had of it have both been bitter from flavouring, not oversteeping. Not really sure what I’ll do with the rest of this, as I’m not particularly keen on drinking it again.

Odd that there wasn’t already a listing for this. Anyhow, I forget my exact opinion on this one, but I enjoyed it. Strawberry/cream/white tea is generally a winning combo for me, and this was no exception. I may have to put this back in the “to drink” pile because it’s reminding me of those Campino swirled hard candies, and now I’m craving it….

Excited for another flavoured genmaicha! I enjoyed this one, although I really can’t say that I picked up any of the listed flavours. It just came off as a tastily-flavoured genmaicha, the specifics of which I don’t recall (sleep deprivation does this, apparently… I only drank this yesterday…)

Had no idea what to expect with this tea, although mulled wine made me think of classic mulling spices/Christmassy flavours. And perhaps that’s what this tea is… in Germany? The dry tea smells to me like grape mixed with something that I’m not too keen on, although I don’t see anything in the ingredients list that I’d identify as objectionable. I was hoping the flavour might be kind of grapey/mulled wine-y, but it wasn’t – the objectionable flavours took over and I ended up dumping half of the cup. It wasn’t horrible, but it just isn’t to my palate at all.

Classic AQ2T cranberry flavouring, but it seemed gentler somehow in this tea; perhaps it has been a bit tempered by the apple? I didn’t notice the sage in the first cup, but I’m currently drinking the second infusion and it’s unmistakeable, yet not overpowering. It does strike me as a little distinct from some of the other cranberry teas I’ve tried, which is good. Perhaps I’ll compare them, but probably not. Overall, pretty enjoyable for those times when I’m looking for cranberry, which coincidentally is right about now!

Sample Sipdown! (11 | 80)

Yummy!

This really does remind me of a lemon cake. It has a nice buttery, cakey note in the background and a desserty lemon flavor.

I will say, the base is very bland and “tea-ish” tasting. I did a 2.5-minute steep and it’s not bitter, though there is a touch of astringency. So I think this could be improved with a more flavorful base tea.

But still tasty! I love lemon cake. ❤

Home – 8:30 PM

Trying this one from VariaTEA again, with a shorter steep as last time it came out quite bitter.

Hmm. To me, this tastes like coconut. There is some lemon and cream as well, but the coconut is the strongest flavor. It’s a little bit soapy tasting as well. There is a cakey element to it, but it’s more coconut cake with a touch of lemon.

Not bitter this time though! But otherwise the same.

Clearly I’m quite insane, as no one else mentioned tasting coconut in this. Oh well, we’re all mad here! XP

Home – 9:00 PM

From my swap with VariaTEA!

This is my first time trying one of AQ2T’s blends. I do plan on ordering samples of some of their teas to try, but I’ll likely wait until next year, after I’ve moved. Partially because of a lot of yarn spending lately, and partially because the less stuff I have to move, the better!

I was surprised to see big chunks of graham cracker in here! I guess that must contribute to the cakey aspect.

I clearly should have steeped this a bit less, as the base is verging on bitterness after 3 minutes. Hmm… I do taste desserty lemon and some cream, but I feel like I’m tasting a lot of coconut? And it’s almost slightly off coconut even.

I think I’ll hold off rating this until I try it again with a shorter steep, as the bitterness from the Assam is throwing off the flavors a bit.