Simpson & Vail

Made a cup of this last night. While I do like it, and will probably re-order it at some point only because I like the idea of a detoxifying herbal tea, it’s just okay. It’s sweet, creamy and smooth, it’s just… missing something for me. I guess I’m really loving my blacks of late, and the depth they provide.

Must remember to drink this straight instead of immediately adding some sweetener. It’s okay, and I’ve gulped it down, however I’m finding it less than awesome this evening.

Having a rare and lovely huge mug of this as I catch up on Being Human (the US version). So comforting this tea, especially as I try and wind down (really early!) for the night. Here’s to hoping I actually sleep a good five hours straight. ;)

2.5 tsp in 20 oz.

… and one more time, I’m drinking this tea. It just… helps. Maybe it’s all in my head, however I actually do feel better after drinking it, especially with this wicked headache the past few days with the massive dietary changes.

Had a cup of this last night/this morning – which of course means 9:00am today as my last night, and 2:30pm today as my morning. Ha!

Been feeling out of sorts again, and have a sneaky feeling I’ve been somehow eating gluten/grains by accident. So, I’m going to the other route and detoxing, which started with this tea, and then moving on to a super high fat diet to get back on track again.

This tea definitely helped clear my head and my body of whatever was plaguing it last night/this morning. It still tasted mostly of licorice, however I’m cool with that.

How’s this for odd? I like this more tonight than my normal, I-will-love-you-to-the-ends-of-the-earth teas. It’s creamy, it’s definitely licorice-y, and it’s perfect with zero added sweetener. Well, and it feels like it’s kicking my butt too, so there’s always that.

Oh, wow! I can get a tasting note up. Here’s to hoping I can post it…

Tried this last night for the first time, both hot and cold. I much prefer it hot, although I can see how it would be tasty cold as well. Mostly a cinnamon licorice bent, although the dandelion was very present. Got little spice or heat out of it, yet it was obviously a medicinal, herbal tea.

Sipdown!!

I really enjoyed this initially but I have fallen out of love with it just a bit. I think that mostly has to do with S&V being so inaccessible and the fact that I have large quantities of similar teas. I am very happy I got to try one more cup though so thank you Dexter3657 for making that happen!

Thank you Dexter3657 for the chance to have this tea again. It is warming and delicious and tastes like a fresh cookie. With that said, I think my initial awe with all Simpson & Vail teas has worn off. I find myself comparing this to Brioche and it falls a touch short. Doesn’t mean I am not really enjoying it but rather I am not so desperate to get my hands on more of it.

Sipdown!! (although a very sad one)

Okay so basically I think my next tea order is going to be from S&V. I have only had two of their teas so far but both have definitely lived up to their names. This one is like indulging in a fresh baked cookie. There is a nice bit of almond and a hint of vanilla that is found and delicious home made treats. I am actually really impressed right now. Thanks to the generosity on steepster, I have a few more of their teas to try but if they are all as good as the others I have had, I will 100% be stocking up! Thank you MissB for sending me this one :)

Really enjoying this refreshing Earl Grey variation today- I made a quart and have been sipping along for several hours. I find that with most S&V flavored blacks, brewing just under 3 minutes works best. Although I enjoy Citrus Paradisi hot, I like it even more as it cools down to room temperature. Bergamot and grapefruit notes are both there-grapefruit may be more dominant. I like it best with a little stevia.

Had this last night, and while delicious, it tasted differently than normal. Knew just from the smell it was an S&V tea, which surprised me.

1.5 tsp in 12 oz.

This tea is exactly as described, and utterly delicious. I forgot how much I love it!

Somehow, I only managed to get a small amount of this in the S&V Black Friday mammoth sale a bunch of us got into together. Initially I was bummed at this thought, then I realized (a) I can always order more, and (b) I have way too much tea as it is. ;)

I only brewed this for 2 minutes, concerned about the black base. I shouldn’t have been, although it’s more delicious to me a bit cooled than hot. Hot, I get caramel and that’s it. Cooled, I get chocolate caramels with a hint of the base. It reminds me a lot of Della Terra’s Salted Caramel and Chocolate, minus the salty notes, and with more of a full, natural taste to it.

HA! i can taste the caramel! AND i have a theory….

i’ve noticed that all of my new simpson & vail teas are very strongly scented. i don’t think i’m actually tasting it on my tongue…. i suspect the smell i so strong that i’m smelling it as i sip but probably not actually tasting it. STILL it’s a nice illusion =0).

not my favourite tea… not bad though. good thing because i have lots! very smooth. honestly, i was mostly caught up in tasting caramel and didn’t take as many notes as usual, lol.

Sipdown!! (221)

Thank you Courtney for sending this my way! I really liked this tea and to me, it tasted exactly how I remembered DAVIDs Sugar & Spice tasting. I LOVED Sugar & Spice and stocked up on it (as in I probably have over 300 g in my house and that is AFTER selling 50 g) so naturally, I loved this too. That got me curious and I decided to have a taste test and compare the two side by side.

Sadly, this is the preferred out of the two if I am being honest. This is how I remember Sugar & Spice tasting and this is how I want it to taste but Sugar & Spice falls a bit flat. This has a lot more of the gingerbread spices making for a more flavorful cup. However, the two are close enough in taste that I can’t justify buying more of this when I have so much of the other.

So, this is goodbye tasty Gingerbread tea. Perhaps we will be reunited in the future.

Hooray! My first S&V tea does not disappoint!

Thank you Courtney for sending some of this my way! It is really a nice little tea. The spiced are prominent from the moment the liquid hits your lips. It is everything a gingerbread tea should be (DAVIDs, take note!). I would definitely stock up on this.

this is a very cool tea! strawberry jam in the tea, and cupcake in the smell… they achieve strawberry cupcake by clever layering… i really have no idea how they do that!

cake without being sticky or heavy, strawberry including an essence of seeds!

very nice…. i’ll buy again.

Had to try this after the root beer debate from Butiki’s lovely honeybush blend, just to see how it measures up.

First off, this is a super fragrant tea. It smells strongly of root beer, and it needs to be quarantined from the rest of the teas. Steeped, it smells less of root beer, however still pleasantly so.

Steeped, I find it less amazing than Butiki’s offering. Butiki’s is creamier, which is a flavor/feel that I absolutely adore, especially with a root beer -flavored tea. I must admit though, this gets creamier and even better tasting as it cools; hot, it’s just okay.

This is from Dexter3657’s way over the top box—a million thanks!

Finally reached where Buffy hits its stride and the evenings this week have been such a pleasure—spent last night laughing my tail off at the “Band Candy” episode (grunting aloof teenage boy Giles!!). Tonight, this accompanies me—my first S&V ever! It’s crazy smooth, like headscratchingly so, and smells rich and strong (the scent of the S&V blends Dex sent me reminds me of holiday coffee grounds like Fresh Market’s Panettone…heady, roasty, strong). I think I might’ve underleafed it slightly but it was still tasty, excellent for the drafty cold weather (it won’t make up its mind here…60F one day, 30F the next). Thank you! :D

Oh, hey. There’s mint in this tea. And I can’t actually tell! Weird.

Anyways, it smells like dessert. Spicy vanilla nut cake or something.

Sipping it, there’s a distinct coolness on the tongue. There’s the mint. Thankfully it’s not too strong. The other flavours are all kind of muddled up together, though. I think this is a tea that needs a little sugar, but since I’m not doing sugar right now (I guess I could have added some honey), I plopped in some homemade coconut creamer.

Hmm. Not bad. Not really a fantastic flavour to me either, though. That’s a little disappointing. It smelled SO cakey dry.

Oh well! I have Gingerbread, and I really like that one.

Edit: This one is from wheezybee. Thanks! :)

Thanks MissB for this one!
You know, it’s not bad! It does have a fairly strong rooibos flavour, but that works well with the raspberry. I don’t get enough chocolate flavours but to be fair I NEVER get enough chocolate in tea.

Overall: This is good!

Also, my cupboard is up to 160, with about 20 more on the way. :O I’m bringing all my sipdown sized teas to the office! I bought paper tea filters to steep in instead of my timolino’s and that’s MUCH BETTER. I don’t have time to clean my filter baskets out at the shop so this allows me to get through 6 cups in a shift! :D