Bird & Blend Tea Co.

A sample from the sale!  This is as FULL of a pouch as their 20gram size pouches can get.  Wow!  You’d think all these full raspberries and rosebuds would weigh a ton.  OR whomever put the sample together was just filling the pouch?  I probably should have weighed the pouch first.  I was craving raspberry, so luckily I had this on hand.  This is a no-caff blend consisting of raspberries, some of them full bright fuchsia raspberries, rosebuds, strawberry bits, rose petals and raspberry leaf.  I tried to use much more leaf than usual — over two teaspoons because a raspberry takes up an entire teaspoon.  Sadly, I didn’t have any fresh raspberries this year (my favorite) so this tea will have to do.  It’s good!  I would say the resulting flavor is more rose than tangy berry, but that is to be expected.  The second steep isn’t as strong, even with a fifteen minute steep.  The raspberries sure were drained of color though!  I’m surprised there isn’t some sort of champagne flavor here.  But I like this anyway. 
Steep #1  // 2 teaspoons + 1 full raspberry for full mug // 12 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 2 minutes after boiling //  15 minute steep

Tried again and alone :)

While last time I found it really enjoyable, today it is bit different story! I still quite enjoyed it, but maybe it was too spicy; maybe I have over"appled" it?

It was nice warming up cuppa, mostly apples and allspice. Pretty much mouthwatering, but quite tart aftertaste. I will keep current rating; it’s tasty, but not really perfect!

Simple evening/early night tea for family. “Martin, brew us a tea pot of tea.”

I took this one — caffeine-free, simple flavour (hopefully) and brewed. 3 teaspoons per big pot (unknown volume for me) and steeped… I just let it in.

It haven’t delivered great flavours, but… apples were there and the spices as well. Most prominent were allspice which is highly uncommon for me in teas, but it was nice overalll. Easydrinking, though bit simple for me. Maybe bit more of lemon peel (fermented by the way) would make it litlte bit juicer or more complex flavour profile.

But for family certainly good choice and everyone liked it exactly for those simple flavours. I wasn’t just that much impreessed.

I made this as a teapop and got a whole lot of peach and rose. The peach flavor is actually quite nice. I do get the cardamom and personally I don’t love it here because it accentuates the carbonated flavor of the Perrier and therefore hides the juicy peach. It’s good but maybe not a repeat order.

Another tea from August 2020 subscription.

Well. It is weird tea. Haven’t seen tea with: rooibos, cocoa nibs, Ceylon black tea, puffed quinoa, cat flowering tops, stevia and flavours.

Although it is pretty much creamy and dough like in taste, stevia is honestly somehow overpowering everything, although I understand that the taste can remind bit that dough.

As I don’t really know how honeycomb cookie should taste like, I can’t much say it is similar to taste. But the tea itself is somehow in the middle. I like it, but it’s sweet. But it’s called honeycomb so it is supposed to be I think. Creamy qualites are high. Missing bit of some other flavours. Maybe more cocoa nibs next time? I have just looked inside pouch and can’t see any!
Well…

It’s Matcha Monday!

I opted to finally try this matcha out for my morning pick, and now I’m bummed that I wanted so long. Hello, new favourite matcha! It’s such a warm, silky peaches & cream profile with rich buttery notes that immediately immerse you in the “Cobbler” flavour! The only thing it’s missing? A kiss of cinnamon! However, it really doesn’t need the cinnamon to be delicious – I just think it would compliment really well.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CERiPpqgC95/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvmoUh1ysGk

The “leaf” for this was huge which leads me to think that I underleafed it with my usual 4 perfect spoons in my cold brew bottle. Also leading me to believe that I underleafed this is that it is very subtle. I get some rose and not much else. Next time I will need to add a whole lot more leaf to try to coax out some flavors.

I admit I had my doubts when ordering this tea, but it definitely is a great find. Not so fond of beetroot (I like it, but in small doses ;-) ), but fascinated by the comments…and this is another Great Taste Award in UK.

The judges say : ‘A true, earthy beetroot nose followed up by an inspired combination of ingredients that gives you a wonderful twist on borscht – and what could be more welcoming or comforting – except for a shot of vodka added to it. Fantastic outdoor winter drink – but why bother going outdoors? Original and well worth rewarding.’

Indeed, it starts off with a beetroot rich nose, but in mouth the blend is far more balanced, and I think it also makes a wonderful and refreshing summer time drink!

Another one from the box from Shae! Thanks so much!

Anyway, I just woke up. It’s 5:45 AM here and I fell asleep last night around 7 pm. I’m pretty groggy so I figured I’d have a cup of tea. I reached into the box, this is what my hand fell on. So this is what got made! (Such a scientific process lol!)

I did my best to measure out 3 grams, but I’m using 12 oz of water which is why this is likely a bit weak. I did try it before adding my usual Splenda and it’s pretty bitter without sweetener. So I’m reviewing this with these factors in mind.

This is a smooth tea. There are no harsh edges present (again, with the Splenda) and it goes down easy. The bergamot is present, but not overpowering and is well balanced with the black tea. I’m sitting here trying to pull additional flavors or notes from this and can’t. It’s just what it says on the tin. Earl Grey Cream. It’s creamy, it’s black tea, it’s bergamot. It does exactly what it says it will and nothing more nothing less.

That said, for an EGC, this is pretty good. Hella smooth and well rounded and as promised. And sometimes, that’s what you’re looking for. Not every tea session needs to be a globe-trotting adventure. Sometimes you just want to sit down with a nice, simple cuppa and not have to worry about overloading your taste buds with an entire bouquet of flavors.

This tea is for those days.
Recommended.

I wanted so much to do a SIPDOWN, but couldn’t decided which flavoured tea I would like to drink, so I made a line of them, counted them and let the random.org choose a tea for me. If I was clever enough to don’t include the new teas… I would not open tea from AUGUST 2020 subscription

So yeah, I am having a fresh new tea, so new, it isn’t on their website yet.

Opened the pouch and something familiar hit my nose. I found out bit later it is dark chocolate covered violets with vanilla notes. They have this line on their pouch and it is exactly that I think. Dark chocolate with strong violet aroma. Vanilla not that much. Typical set-up; DIY tea bags (need to buy new box (100 pcs)), two teaspoons, 300 ml cup.

Steeped for recommended 4 minutes and well, cloudy copper brew appeared. I probably overleafed it or steeped for long as, well, it is quite bitter with vanilla aroma. And cocoa aftertaste. It is as well somehow floral from violets and all the tastes/aromas are fighting each other what should be the most present and best for tea.

But as it cools down, it has specific flavour, which is nice! It reminds me some floral Darjeelings a bit (but not that smooth). I think I will try it again with shorter steeping. Or less leaf? I am just sad there is no violets in, instead there are mallow flowers. Probably cheaper?

I have to agree with my previous tasting note. It is mostly lemongrass and oranges, hints of actual lemon; refreshing and thist quencher :)

JUNE 2020 subscription (probably)
Maybe I do too many tasting notes now? Well, I have lots of teas coming to me and I need to reduce numbers greatly. And I have to drink lots of few last cups of teas. I keep last cup in pouch and… well it doesn’t disappear.
Moreover, I have received already August subscription envelope and this haven’t been even opened! Probably I have been waiting for hotter days, but colder ones came instead.

Dry leaf aroma reminded me some opened and bit stale 7Up drink. The ingredients looks fresh, lemongrasss kept its green-yellow colour.
Brewed, grandpa, 3 tsp, boiling water makes bright yellow colour, while lemongrass is on the bottom and peels are on the top. It won’t be easy to drink it (and I am lazy to strain it).

Well, aroma of brewed tea is pretty much same. Taste… well, it is not a lemonade but I notice lemons for sure, among other citrus fruits, lemongrass, and… well that’s it.

Pretty nice even hot.

Thanks to tea-sipper for letting me try this one! This tea totally reminds me of Teavana’s lavender creme flavor! Very sweet and desserty. You get a nice lavender flavor supported by the other ingredients. B&B’s rooibos is great, as always. I’m almost regretting not grabbing some of this during the sale.

Sipdown (287)

I tried this is hot water and that sort of artificial sweetness/powder flavor was still there. It was pina colada with a touch of something else and that something else had me really disliking this blend.

I wanted to like this iced latte that I had on Matcha Monday weeks ago. Bird and Blend recommends this as an iced latte with coconut milk and I can see how that could be better. Unfortunately with plain milk, this is too strongly tasting of powder and artificial flavor. I am not a fan.

This one reminds me of the now defunct Della Terra’s Lemon Chiffon, especially the aroma of the steeped cup and the finish. There’s a hint of floral cream (lavender) and some citrus zest, sweetened with apple. There’s also something that pops a bit (like a mostly but not quite flat fizzy soda). The (floral) tobacco-sweet rooibos base is pretty prevalent too. All in all, it’s a pleasant way to wrap things up for the evening.

Rating: 85 I’d pick up more of this in a 25-50g capacity when I’m running low on other favoured B&B teas. I also like this better than most rooibos blends.

My last sample from Shae. I brewed this one at work this morning and didn’t realize my little electric kettle was almost out of water, so I ended up with my mug only 2/3 full. I generally stay away from “holiday” type teas, as cinnamon and orange just isn’t my thing. However, this one has a strong almond/marzipan note added, which makes it a bit different. Still not my favorite flavor combo, but better than I was expecting! I may try adding milk next time, as the Ceylon base was giving it a dryness at the end of the sip that I wasn’t crazy about. Still so fun to get to try all these new-to-me teas, though. Thanks again for the lovely surprise, Shae!

Been back to matcha crazy lately. That’s practically all I drank for years. One of the reasons is our USPS in our area has been very poor and I can’t order tea unless I have time to go track it down at the post office. This one had to be shipped twice, the first was shipped back without any notification… Etc. I understand that the USPS is under a lot of stress right now. Without going political, I’ll leave it at that. :P

So, long story longer… I still have a lot of matcha from over the years that I’ve been drinking and can always get more from Amazon which uses it’s own delivery people. I hope things get worked out soon.

I have not had this ceremonial style aka straight. I have only had it as a latte and with oat milk, this is now, one of my faves now. Creamy, tastes like ice cream but not sweet (thank goodness), vegetal, it’s just really really good to me. I saw there were mixed reviews so sometime soon, I’ll try it straight. So keep that in mind, when you read this review.

I used 2 tsp of it, add 240ml oat milk, 100 ml water, lots of ice. Even as it melts, it just tastes so rich and creamy.

If I disappear for a week or two, it’s because I can not log into Steepster. I was just able to get back in today (again).

This is one of the samples Bird & Blend sent me in my last order. A yerba mate based infusion, which I´m normally not such a fan of, aromatised with lemon and ginger…to give me an energy boost, not this morning in my case, but after lunch. I quite like this infusion, where the grassy bite of the yerba mate is nicely complemented by the citric addition. The ginger touch is subtle, which I can appreciate as well.

Apparently, this tea won a Great Taste Award in UK. The Guild of Fine Food judges said:
‘Lively citric nose that’s encouraging and properly promises what you will get, which is something delicious and stimulating. Mate makes it an original choice in the overcrowded field of lemon-ginger infusions. Excellent to see the quality of the natural ingredients.’ Quite right, I say ;-)

Testing testing… a backup tasting note to post from the last freeze… no new tasting notes for a while. I’m sure all the Steepsterers are congregating in some tasting note I’m not seeing….

From a long ago order, just never wrote a note yet.  First, for some reason I expect this to be like the rocket popsicles, but no, those aren’t chocolate.  Then I always expect this to taste like raspberry, but then I realized I’m thinking of the David’s tea that has a similar name — I think I only had that blend once or twice, so my memory is a bit hazy there.  This blend isn’t raspberry… it’s mainly black tea, chocolate, yerba mate, and coffee.  The yerba mate is the green rather than the roasted, which seems a bit odd with chocolate and coffee.  It works well enough anyway, but it’s not really a flavor profile I’m ever gravitating towards.  Earthy, rustic, a bit bitter, even with only a teaspoon.  At least it doesn’t have the chicory the David’s blend had.  Maybe the caffeine is supposed to skyrocket me into space or something. 
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon for full mug // 23 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled //  3 minute steep

This tea bag sample was provided by Bird & Blend. Thank you!

It may not be particularly fancy or high quality, but sometimes a traditional British black tea blend is just the thing. Its malty profile takes so lovingly to milk, and even sugar if that’s your fancy.

This one is quite nice in that is has the raisin notes from Assam, sweet potato from Yunnan, and bright citrus from Ceylon. Grain notes in the form of malt, malt residue syrup, and baked bread have filled out nicely in my milk cup. Not sure how this one would fly without milk though!

I’d 10/10 serve this to my father and older sister. This is their style of tea to a “T”. Sadly, for them, I usually don’t stock up on Breakfast Blends.

Rating: 76 – English tea grannies would be pleased.

This tea bag sample was provided by Bird & Blend. Thank you!

First of all, that green-blue colour is fantastic.

Secondly, my throat is sore so a peppermint heavy blend with spirulina makes me exceptionally happy right now. I also like how Bird & Blend tells us the blend is 44% Chinese oolong and 30% peppermint (not that you can really taste oolong but living in a country where our food labels aren’t super transparent, I respect this so much. Don’t change Bird & Blend).

The profile is peppermint, cream, peppercorn (which enhances the mint mostly), and slightly vegetal skewing floral note– possibly from either the pea flowers and/or oolong.

Rating: 78 – mint is life right now. You never appreciate mint more than when your throat feels like sandpaper. This also gets a couple points for being fun and novel.

I’m seeing nothing but glowing reviews on B&B site and expecting something marvellous, but it wasn’t that for me.
Doesn’t taste like the name Cream Egg would imply, but more like a weak black tea. Can also taste a slightly sweet vanilla flavour with the tang of the black tea but that’s it – there isn’t any chocolatey flavour like the description promised. How on earth could tea taste like chocolate, anyway?
Perhaps they could try making this as a hot chocolate with real pieces of fondant in? Tea cannot taste like chocolate or at least not in my experience.