Simpson & Vail

This is ok but I like Adagio’s version better.

I had this tea last night and was really hoping to love this tea. I love the name and was thinking there might be some cedar or tree stuff in here like Whispering Pines does with their herbal brews.

Alas, when I brewed it up the hibiscus was front row and centre for me. I could taste hibiscus, rooibos & fruit in that order. Strange that when I look at the dry leaf, I don’t see hibiscus but it’s definitely there. I love the natural sweetness & woody flavour of rooibos but it was barely there beneath the hibiscus. This tea is not for me but thanks Allan for the sample.

The fifth steeping was my final one, since the tea lost almost all flavor by this point. This was also evident in its nearly colorless liquor. I should note that each steeping time was increased by 15 seconds as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, although the fourth steeping still had much of the original flavor, I would not recommend going beyond the third steeping if one is to do justice to the original quality of this tea.

The fourth steeping of this tea saw the loss of its initial smoothness, in addition to growing yet weaker in flavor.

Third steeping the tea grows weaker but continues to more or less maintain its flavor profile.

I did a second steeping and found this tea to remain quite rich still. Incidentally, I would not recommend pairing it with any greasy or heavy foods, as together it can be too much. Instead, light and cool desserts might pair best. I will attempt a third steeping and update.

Recently, as my tea palate has improved, I have grown very fond of oolongs, which always seem to have an astounding complexity of flavor that arises purely from the leaves and their processing, rather than added flavors. This tea is no exception. It has a strong, sweet aroma. It is creamy at the back of the throat and finishes very sweet, like cream and honeydew.

I’d recommend this to anyone interested in oolongs or green tea (it’s a very green oolong). It is a light, yet flavorful, and comforting cup of tea. I will update on multiple infusions.

The first thing I notice is the berry/floral sweetness. Not really so much the pepper, but maybe that’s because the peppercorns are whole and not much of their flavor is coming through. I guess that’s what that little something is in the background though. Kind of smoky/musty/I don’t know.

It’s an interesting tea. I can’t tell right away what kind of berry it’s supposed to taste like other than that this is berry-flavored, but it’s definitely good.

This is easily the first Simpson & Vail tea I’ve had that I like. It’s also the first one that tastes anything like it’s name to me.

The dominating note here is a strong almond flavor note. It’s definitely an almond extract type flavor, so if you’re not a fan of it I’d steer clear. The base is light, not entirely devoid of flavor, but mostly unremarkable. It is a smooth cup with no astringency, though and satisfying for what it is.

I don’t know if the pouch I got was old, but this didn’t really have any of the flavor I associate with Yunnan. None of that cocoa-ey or raisin-y flavor at all; it was very light and honestly a bit weak. Even when I opened the pouch, the leaves were scentless. Since tea normally smells like SOMETHING, I associate that with it going stale.

The second steep was even worse; lighter and weaker than the first. I have bagged, supermarked-purchased Yunnan that tastes more like it should than this does. Again, I don’t know if this batch was old, or S&V’s unflavored teas are just really weak.

Might give one of their other Yunnans a try, but certainly not this one again.

The more I drink this, the more I like it. It really is one of the nicer pear teas I’ve tried. While the pear flavor’s still strong on the second steep, the ginger actually manages to peek through a bit more. As in, I can actually taste it now, rather than just smelling it.

Bumping up my rating a bit, because it’s better than I initially thought it was.

It’s strange. I see the ginger pieces and I can smell them in the dry mix, but what do I get when I brew the tea? Pear. Only pear. I guess S&V’s pear flavoring is strong enough that it masks the ginger entirely.

Not that it’s a bad tea. Hell, I’ve had three cups today, so it’s safe to say that I enjoy it. It’s one of the more pleasant-tasting pear teas I’ve had, and I bet it’ll be good iced. Just…there’s no ginger. I might as well have purchased the plain pear tea instead. In fact, I’d suggest that you just do that if you’re trying to decide between the pear teas; just get the plain one. You won’t taste the difference.

For my husband and I, this tea had less to do with Santa and more to do with some pretty fantastic memories we both have around chocolate malt milkshakes. And there’s something pretty fabulous about enjoying the flavor of such wonderful treats while managing to almost entirely skip out on the calories associated with them!

My full review and pictures can be found here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2015/02/st-nicks-tea-by-simpson-vail.html

This is a strong tea, it is malty. It is slightly sweet. This is one I had finished off a while ago and recently decided to repurchase. While it’s not quite as good as I remember it is tasty. It is an excellent morning tea. Simpson and Vail is among my favorite tea stores. Their prices are reasonable and their teas are generally excellent. This tea is excellent and a good value.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 3 min.

This is an interesting tea. I am admittedly not impressed by the taste. Its not bad, just not fantastic either. Its falls somewhere in between. We will see if their claims of it providing energy hold true. It tastes a bit like oranges and a bit like straw. It’s rather weird tasting.

I brewed this one time in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 5 min.

Thank you for this one a while back in your sale, Ost! It’s a decent black tea – reminds me a little of an assam. Bready, sweet. The second cup is like pastries. Not too much depth to the flavor though. I think I’ve been spoiled with awesome black teas lately. I wish I had more to say about this one.
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // 5 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5+min

This was from a teabox a WHILE back… finally getting around to a couple of older teabox teas! This was stored in a thin baggie so the flavor won’t be the best. It’s a light green tea with hints of fruit flavor – I can’t really distinguish the fruits though. Might be a generic fruit flavoring, or the flavor just isn’t the freshest. Not bad but a little boring! It’s gone now…
Steep #1 // 20 min after boiling // 2-3 min steep

Oh rooibos, you ruin damn near everything for me. All I get is that woodsy rooibos flavor. I can tell that there are supposed to be other flavors, but the rooibos drowns them out. They never had a chance.

i would love this Tea. It is a healthy diet specialy from whom who has many problem regarding health.

I am not sure what to think about this tea. I bought it with my last order based on the theory it was low in caffeine. Tried it tonight for that very reason. It has a strong roasted flavor, not sure if its roasted nuts or something else. I am not at all sure I like it. I think a flavored Hojicha would be more interesting.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and 175 degree water for 2 min.