Simpson & Vail

I was surprised at how light this tea actually tasted. It’s got a very strong, sweet smell to it, not to mention a lot of lavender in the dry mix, so I was expecting something a little more intense than the light flavor I got at first. There’s also a subtle fruitiness, due to the apricot flavoring.

It’s certainly nice for the summer, kind of a “cheery” tea. The flavor becomes slightly stronger as it cools, but not much. Just enough.

I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I do drink it on occasion. I got curious as to what a coffee-flavored tea might be like, so I ordered some. There’s a lot of big pieces of almond in the blend. Not so many coffee beans, but that could just be my bag.

It certainly smells like coffee. It tastes like it too, in that’s what I’m primarily getting. Not so much the almond, but I suppose it’s because I was expecting a sweeter almond flavor like most almond-flavored things have. It’s something I’d drink in the morning really, or when I want coffee flavor without the jitters that strong coffee gives me.

With the addition of milk along with sugar it tastes less like a cupcake and more like strawberry milk. Tasty either way, but I prefer it without milk.

Also the second steep brews up pretty much the same as the first.

I think I need to use a bit more than one teaspoon per cup for Simpson & Vail teas, since so far they seem to be very mild. That said, this tea’s actually really tasty.

I taste the strawberry and a tiny hint of chocolate; it reminds me a little of Adagio’s Valentines tea. There’s a little something else to it too, guess that’s the “cakey” note other people have mentioned. I’m the kind of person who could drink dessert teas every day, and not just for dessert, so I could see myself going through the 2 oz. bag I got pretty quickly. Next time I might add milk along with the sugar, see if that’ll coax the chocolate out a little more.

Nope, just not my cup of tea. Nothing I can do makes it taste like anything but perfumed powder or soap. It’s more like something I’d want to wear, not drink. Seems as far as florals go, lilac isn’t for me.

Since it’s just flowery tea day for me today, this time it’s lilac. The smell of the dry leaves is powdery and soft, kind of like a sachet. The brewed tea smells the same way.

It tastes like the various scented powders and sprays I used to coat myself in as a teenager smelled. Not entirely sure I’m used to, or really want, that as a flavor. I probably have to play with it a bit more and see what I think.

This is the first time I’ve ever tried a violet tea. Normally rose and lavender are my florals of choice, but I decided to try something new.

Anyone else remember the violet candy that came in the purple wrapper? It smells like that. As it should, considering it’s violet-flavored. I remember wanting it once as a kid because it was purple (my favorite color, ha) and spitting the first piece I put in my mouth out immediately because it tasted HORRIBLE to me. I figured that now that I’m older, I might be able to appreciate a floral flavor more. Like I said, I adore lavender and rose.

It reminds me of that candy when I add sugar. Not quite as in-your-face VIOLET, but I still remember it. I think I like this because the violet is more muted; too strong and I’d probably be spitting it out too. Probably not the first thing I’d go for when I want something flowery, but I could see myself buying it again on occasion.

This was the tea that got motivated me the most to order from Simpson & Vail.
Anything with the word “cookie” in it has my attention.
The smell of this tea first made me skeptical because it didn’t smell very “cookie-y” when I opened the bag. But as it steeped it began to smell more like a sugar cookie.
The taste was pretty buttery, which is usually a big aspect of a sugar cookie. Sometimes buttery tastes in teas don’t sit well with me, but in dessert teas it’s heavenly! You can definitely taste the almond too which is an excellent combo to the butter. It definitely lives up to it’s name but I don’t think any sugar cookie tea can ever beat, Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride. :P
I would have fully enjoyed this cup of tea if I hadn’t gotten randomly sick again, but I definitely will when I drink it in the future! It’s worth trying if you ever order from Simpson & Vail! (:

Wow was this ever sweet! no sugar added or anything. I don’t mind, it was a nice dessert treat. Maybe next time I’ll try it with milk and see how that goes.
I think it actually did taste like red velvet, but I was in a rush so will try a longer steep next time. Gotta hold off on the rating for now!

Thanks Cheri for the sample!
I must admit, the first and only time I’ve ever had Creme Brulee was on my cruise last month, so I’m not the perfect judge of accuracy here! I can say that this was caramelly and sort of creamy and vanilla-y. I’m not getting much custard from this, but I’m satisfied with what I am getting. I nice sweet dessert tea.

Backlog
I cold brewed this yesterday and took it with me to Disney. This is delicious, roasty, honey, sweet, cold brewed this was fabulous and refreshing and still yummy when it got hot from the Florida heat. This is on my repurchase list. My favorite of the samples I received from Sampson & Vail.

Backlog
This is what I was afraid that the Nepal Green tea would be like. This is pure astringency. Wasn’t a fan, and didn’t finish.

Backlog
I had this cold brewed yesterday. I must admit, the mention of dryness in the description scared me a bit. But this wasn’t that bad. Sort of vegetal, and only slightly dry, almost like a wetter kind if dry if that makes since. The dryness will still keep me for restocking, but I wouldn’t turn a cup down.

Backlog
This was the tea that made me realize I should really taste my tea before I sweeten it. I cold brewed this and took it to class yesterday. This is not a tea you should sweeten. Trust me. It’s got a savoryness to it that really clashes with any added sweetener. As such it wasn’t drinkable. Since I ruined it I’m not going rate it. It’s a shame, since a savory type tea might have been interesting.

I had this cold steeped in my fridge, and decided to put it in a mason jar with some ice and frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries).

Before adding the berries, this was refreshing, light, and slightly fruity. I can’t really tell what kind of fruit, but it was fruity. There’s also a slight floral note to it, that I assume comes from the base tea.

With the frozen berries this was more flavorful, and the fruitiness more present. All and all this is an alright tea, something I would drink if offered, but wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

My picture of this in my mason jar: http://instagram.com/p/qNTH55Q04c/

A sample of this tea came my way for review, and while I did enjoy it I found it quite surprising. The black base is very light, and so the peppermint and floral notes take the forefront. It’s an undercover black tea, and a nice way to enjoy the flavor of an herbal with a kick of caffeine.

You can see the full review at:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/07/holiday-blend-by-simpson-vail.html

Backlog from last night.

Of the samples Simpson & Vail sent me, I went for this one first. This definitely is a light gentle green tea. I got lots of fruitiness from this one. The fruit was distinct enough that I double checked that this wasn’t a flavored tea. As far as I can see it’s not, which is impressive. There’s also a bit of a floral note in it.

Second steeping brought forth some astringency. The fruit was still there, but mellowed out a bit. The floral note is more noticeable at this point though.

Third steeping is much more astringent. I’m not really a fan of astringency so this was the end of this session.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar – Day 1

(originally written November 1st)

Continuing my November tea advent-ures with the first tea from the Simpson & Vail calendar! I’ve just recently tried my first couple of teas from S&V and really enjoyed them, so I’m very happy to have bought their advent box.

I was also excited to see this blend lying on top when I opened the box, as I’m always looking for more caffeine-free options for the evenings and candy cane is such a festive flavor! It looks as though they’ve stopped putting the cornflowers in, as my packet just looks like plain green rooibos.

Wow, the dry aroma hits you like a ton of bricks! SUPER candy cane scent, good for opening the sinuses. ;) These packets seem to be the perfect amount of tea for a 16-ounce pot.

Happily, the steeped tisane is not as strong on the peppermint flavor. I find it just strong enough! The candy cane is still very present, but it doesn’t overwhelm me and make me feel like I’m eating an Altoid. There’s a bit of creaminess to me, perhaps a hint of vanilla? This blend does have stevia (boo), but luckily it’s not too much. And I suppose it makes sense to sweeten a tea that’s based on candy… I can just barely taste the green rooibos base, and it adds a mild grassy herbal note.

This is definitely a very good start to the Simpson & Vail calendar! Which is very encouraging after the perfumey mess that was the Tea Revv tea for Day 1…

I’m definitely adding this one to the list to pick up the next time I order from Simpson & Vail. A great option for a sweet nighttime herbal blend!

SIPDOWN! (101)

This tea was given to me by TeaBrat. She added it to a swap just out of the kindness of her heart. :) Overall, I find it pretty good, and caffeine-free options are always nice in the evening. I did a shorter steep this time around so the peppermint flavor would be a bit less intense. My only issue with this blend is the stevia – it adds a weird faux sugar aftertaste that I don’t like. I wish they would leave that out and allow people to sweeten it themselves if they choose to. I think a little bit of vanilla would be helpful too, just to give it that sweetness that candy canes obviously have.

I’m happy that I got the chance to try this blend, but it’s not something I would restock. But I’m not the biggest mint fan either, especially peppermint. :P

Edit: I hope I’m not annoying anyone with all of these sipdown notes… I realize they don’t have much substance! Don’t worry, I’ll go back to writing meaningful tasting notes soon.

I got this sample from TeaBrat in our recent swap. I don’t have a lot of experience with green rooibos, so we shall see! There are also a few white and red flower petals in this blend. It smells very strongly of peppermint with a slight sweetness. Candy cane indeed! I brewed for 5 minutes.

The brewed tea has a lovely aroma. The peppermint has grown milder and I pick up on a sweet vanilla note. However, when I taste this plain, I pretty much just get a mild peppermint tea. In a lot of other notes, people mentioned sweetness from stevia but I didn’t get that at all. I’m not sure what green rooibos tastes like but clearly it’s very neutral because I don’t really pick up on any other taste besides peppermint. When I add sugar, it helps to bring out that vanilla sweetness. This is quite tasty with milk and sugar, but kind of unremarkable on its own.

Made this today iced, and it’s really tasty and refreshing with the cool mint coming through in the background. Phew! Thought I’d ruined it with a touch of oversteeping.

Try #1 got botched by BCAA showing up to jump my (now-former) car, so now I’m drinking try #2. Dunno what I did this time around (as opposed to last time), however I’m getting chocolate juiciness with a hint of mint. It’s really delicious today!