Bellocq Tea Atelier

mmmmm trying to at least get a little closer to my sipdown goals for this year but lining up some sipdowns for August. I won’t make my goal in July, but i might be able to get back on track in august if i whittle a few more teas down heh. This one is always a great cup to enjoy in order to slow down. I don’t lov it in my travel mugs so i generally drink it when i’m home. it’s a great tea in that, if i need something a little more intense, i can brew it for 4 mins, while 3 mins gives me a good morning tea, that isn’t quite as bold.

everyone in the house is sick including the dog…except me. Working from home today to have a bit of a rest and take care of my other half and the dog. Figured i’d use it as an opportunity to drink a few teas since they were largely missing from my weekend. This really is a lovely breakfast tea, as long as you don’t over steep it. IMO the directions listing 4-6 make WAAAY too strong a cup lol

yep this is delicious for me at 3 mins. Recommended 5+ mins is just too strong a cup for me.

note to self – this is so much better at 3mins, not the recommended 5-7

noms. 3 mins steep makes this work for me a little better than the longer, recommended steeps UNLESS i want a bolder cup…then 4-5 works just fine.

this one is a little harsh this morning, i think a shorter steeps makes it better for me, versus the recommended. 3-3.5 seems to be the sweet spot. Still a good cup but i prefer it the other way.

First of my teas from this morning and it was still a winner. I am thoroughly enjoying these bellocq teas especially since my unflavoured tea stash is so low.

Super glad that i picked this one up after getting to try the sample a long while ago. Thankfully the tea is still as enjoyable as i remember it being. A really great breakfast tea – enough of a kick to wake you up without making you feel like you’ve been punched in the face.

sample sipdown because i’m going to send the last little bit of this to terri since i think she might enjoy this one. FuzzyPeachkin sent this my way and i am. a. fan! This is bold enough for me while being one of the smoothest cups ever. I didn’t brew this according to the instructions – instead treated it as i usually do most black teas. I can see how adding just a touch of honey/maple syrup to this would make it awesome! This is for sure going on my shopping list as it’s really yummy!
Thanks FuzzyP!

sample sipdown! This was sent my way by the lovely fuzzypeachkin and i’m happy that she did. This would have likely been one of my first puchases from Bellocq as i’m always in search of more delicious assams. :)

This one is pretty good. I’m not sure that it ranks high enough to replace tiger assam or 49 but i wouldn’t ever turn my nose up at this one. It’s more what i would rate as an afternoon blend, being not quite as bold as i like with a bit of astringency in the taste. It ends up leaving my mouth a little dry, though i don’t mind that. There’s a nice flavour to this cup and the scent is slightly sweet smelling, though there’s no fruitness to the actual liquor. Overall, a nice introduction to Bellocq! Thanks FuzzyP!

I received a sample of this tea with my Bellocq purchase a few months back and am just now getting around to trying it. This is very light—all I can taste is the bergamot, really. The bergamot’s natural and quite delicate; it’s pleasant, but not as assertive as I generally like in an Earl Grey (or Earl Grey-esque blend). The tea base is barely detectable—I can tell something’s there, but that’s it. I haven’t had much success with whit teas thus far—I haven’t tried a ton, but all the ones I’ve had seem lacking. I do tend to go for strong flavors, and I don’t think I’m particularly good at picking up subtle notes, so it could be that I’m just not going to be able to appreciate them properly. This isn’t a bad tea by any means, but there’s just not enough to hold my interest.

Goodbye, White Wolf. I’ll see you on the other side of 2017!

I hate how “bottom of the bag tea” tends to be crushed or not quite enough for a proper serving. It makes the last cup literally bittersweet! #teastruggles

I think this tea may be my bank account’s kryptonite.

This probably would appeal to lovers of 52tea’s Graveyard Mist and that ilk. Otherwise, I can see how this would come across as toothpaste to some (lots of spearmint, minimal vanilla).

Sipdown! Hopefully I’ll see you in the fall, White Wolf.

Fingers crossed that I can invest in some new teas and companies by then so I don’t have to make notes on the same 27 all the time.. I can’t believe that half a year ago I was well over a hundred here. What have I done to myself?

OMGsrsly raised a good point as to the kind of mint that is in this tea. I thought it was peppermint but original packaging says spearmint. Maybe the vanilla sweetens it? Of course, it also lists “natural ingredients” and “natural flavourings,” so who knows.

This isn’t a cheap tea, but it’s cozy and I find myself reaching for it over others when I want a “greener” tea. I love all the flavours in here, particularly when the pine/cedar (Christmas tree flavouring!) creeps out. Sometimes there is a spicy finish, which is also lovely. I’ve also enjoyed it hot and cold on equal terms. It’s a shame I’m almost out.

While I probably won’t re-order this right away, it has definitely made the winter purchase list.. unless I find a cheaper option (please let there be one). $17.00 USD for 2oz of tea is beyond me right now.

This is also good cold steeped in the fridge over night.

I didn’t think the white wolf would be such a soft tea. I was expecting the mint and anise to nip, but it’s so fluffy!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8EFVDq0crs

Mint, anise, and vanilla are all well-balanced here, forming a fresh and sweet beverage. There’s a hint of smoky spice creeping into the finish that I’m enjoying. It’s almost musky. The delicate white peony base is powdered over by those wispy ingredient notes but I get glimpses of gentle lemon and melon fruit profiles under the surface.

I feel like I’m wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket at my parents place, looking out of the solarium window after a snowfall. The back of that house overlooks a canyon/creek and all the tall pines! When the sun starts to set the lights from the house 100 meters across the ravine from us become visible. With snow, everything becomes so quiet and it seems even farther away.

Long story short- this tea makes me feel nostalgic, romantic, and cozy. I’m glad I have lots and lots of this tea, because this is totally my thing.

And to think I bought it solely for the association with wolves, and the suggestion of cedar, which there’s little to none of. I thought the lack of cedar would disappoint me but it doesn’t!

I’m always searching for a good white tea to drink in the evenings. As a black tea lover, I need a white that has enough flavor to keep me interested. This gentle sweet floral is almost perfect.

I couldn’t resist the look of that White Wolf blend any longer and finally caved in a few weeks back. So here I am now, with so much white tea, and even more yellow tissue paper. I’ve never seen a tea parcel look more like a birthday present! This tea was generously included as a free sample.

Anyways, how does it taste? Lavender, lavender, lavender, melon, white grapefruit, garlic-onion.. whoops! That last one is coming from the aftertaste of my exquisite tuna-mayo-garlic-green onion lunch mix. Come on, I know you’re all jealous of my fabulous meal (a container of mouthwash couldn’t fix this).

That lavender is definitely the dominant note in this one, but I don’t feel it gets soapy. It blends into everything extremely well, actually (including the tuna onions). It creates soothing “spa-like notes”, and something almost nutty and juicy mid sip. I could see me wanting a nice cup of this during the rainy spring season.

Edit: I enjoyed the cooled down second steep even more than the first. The lavender takes on a sweet minty quality, and lemon/white grapefruit notes pop out. Yes, this is a good tea with fish.

I gota sample of this when I was at Bellocq because I was unsure about it since it was based on a darjeeling. I’m glad I did because it’s quite delicious! The coppery bright taste of the darjeeling is tempered by the strength of the spices and the sweetness of the rose. The rose is definitely a hey lement to this blend. Without it the tea would have seemed muddy and dark. The vanilla in this is fantastic! I’m trying to pick out the spicesand I’m getting cinnamon, cardamon, and saffron? I could be wrong about the saffron.

This is definitely a warmth-bringing, cheerful tea! I might just grab up a little more for. Around the holidays.

This is a really lovely green – seaweedy and vegetal, but delicately so. I’m never good at identifying just what sorts of vegetal notes I taste in green teas, but if I had to take a stab at it here I’d go with edamame. Now that the tea has cooled a bit, I’m also picking up on the lemon Fuzzy_Peachkin mentioned in her review. I’ve never tasted a straight tea with such a pronounced citrus note. There’s some astringency and bitterness, but nothing that detracts from the experience. This is definitely a tea I’d be interested in restocking – I hope Bellocq keeps carrying it!

ETA: Not so impressed by the second steep, which is too bad given how pricey this tea is.