Simpson & Vail

I chose to try this tonight because it was one of my few caffeine-free holiday teas, but I wasn’t expecting to love it so much! This has some pretty amazing staying power, which left my mouth tingling after each sip. And the flavor? It really is like a high quality candy cane, with just enough kick to perk you up and calm you down at the same time.

I wonder if my husband would like some in his Christmas stocking?

You can see pictures here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/12/organic-candy-cane-by-simpson-vail.html

Additional notes: I had some extra heavy cream, so I finally made a scone box mix I received a while ago from Simpson & Vail!  (The first day of scones was enjoyed with Bird & Blend’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie tea.)  The scones were GOOD despite being pumpkin and despite this being July.  Then I had some extra cream left over and decided to make an East Frisian tea, lo and behold also from Simpson & Vail.  East Frisian style brewed as in, sugar goes in the bottom, cream at the top, no stirring.  The cream wafted around a lot anyway.  Or possibly I used way too much and it seemed like a cup of cream and I could hardly tell there was tea in the mug. However, I forgot one of the crucial components to East Frisian blending of cream is to slowly lower a spoon of cream into the cup, rather than pouring the cream. Oops.  It had been a WHILE. I had this East Frisian before, ages ago from Simpson & Vail and I really liked it!  This harvest seems much different (as harvests sometimes happen to change.)  The second steep, I tried plain.  And even with two teapoons, the flavor is so one noted from what I remember.  Very much just like a bland, flat, astringent tea.  I will try it again to make sure, but obviously this is the perfect tea as it is, to mask the bland astringency with sugar and lots of cream.  Simpson & Vail is usually consistent, even with different harvests, but they can’t be perfect all of the time. But this tea is simply supposed to be malty and brisk, I guess. If I lowered ratings, this would now be a 70.

This one is thanks to Nicole! I had read about the East Frisian method of brewing, so I had been waiting until we had cream around to try this one. I spotted some French vanilla cream in the fridge! So for the East Frisian method of brewing, you plop some rock sugar into the bottom of the mug, brew the tea, and slowly lower a spoonful of cream into the top of the mug without stirring it at all! The idea is a creamy top, tea, and a sugary bottom. Yum! Both steeps turned out the so I’ll just talk about the first:
I used Adagio’s amber rock sugar, brewed a teaspoon and a half for four minutes. I wanted to try a sip of tea before adding the cream and it is the perfect tea for adding cream and sugar (which I never do, but makes for a nice occasional treat!) The flavor of the tea isn’t mild, but not too tough either. A nice maltiness… I kind of wish I had drank more before adding the cream. I’m not very talented at adding the cream, it whished everyone in the mug anyway… and seemed to settle to the bottom anyway. The cream/ sugar flavor is very nice, but I feel like it kind of overpowers the tea to the point of wondering how the tea tastes. It’s almost just cream and sugar without any tea. The last gulp was nice, unlike the cream, the sugar stayed on the bottom. No matter how delicious sugar and cream are, I’d rather just drink straight tea to taste the nuances. Otherwise, I’d just be drinking cream and sugar every day. Plain tea is cheaper anyway! :D

I have come to the realization that S&V does dessert teas well. Quite well actually. I was sitting here sipping away at this, and next thing I know, it’s gone.

This was very tasty. Not overly sweet, but sweet enough. For some reason it was reminding me of Maple Pecan Oolong in the last few sips, but I have a feeling that’s because I just read a tea note on that tea haha. I may have to make another cup and update this note.

Tea #9 from Another TTB

Not bad for a dessert tea. A bright natural strawberry flavor with a pastry character. A fun tea, but not one that I would drink often.

I got this as a sample (looks like a generous amount that will brew 3-4 cups) and would never have thought to order this on my own. I hate hibiscus and avoid teas with it like the plague, BUT I couldn’t even spot it in the mix and can only detect a slight tang that goes well with the apple flavor. Just enough to give the apples a natural tartness without over tanging it into oblivion. Well played Simpson & Vail!

The dry tea smells amazing and full of spices. I can spot lemongrass and dried orange and can only pick out clove by scent. The lemongrass comes out at the end of my cup when it cools. The apple doesn’t rule the pie despite the name, but it is in there. So far I like it! We’ll see if it grows on me more as I work through this sample!

This assam is very malty and full bodied. No other assam I have tasted compares to the beauty of this cup.

This was a wonderful way to kick off our Thanksgiving break! After we dialed in the perfect match of tea and time for us (1.5tsp/8oz for 3min) I was amazed at the balance and creaminess.

The taste of this tea actually hit me in stages: first came the slight smokiness of the cloves and black base, then the cinnamon and an almost pumpkin-pie creaminess. Finally, all the notes combined to create a real gingerbread cookie flavor in the aftertaste.

This is one I wouldn’t mind keeping in the cupboard full time!

You can read the full review here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/11/gingerbread-black-tea-by-simpson-vail.html

Thank you Scheherazade for this sample.

I can smell the apple, cinnamon and coffee in it’s raw form but it’s hard to say which one is dominant. Though they are not all to my personal taste (I’m talking about you coffee) they work well together, like a warm pastry or cake styled dessert.

Flavour is dark and toasty with the coffee being fairly strong but petering out with a sweet yet spicy cinnamon finish. It’s also rather dry and nutty. The apple is not as strong in flavour as it’s raw scent at this point but I believe it’s as least keeping the blend lightly sweet.

It takes some getting used to with the strong and bitter coffee flavour and it’s a very interesting blend overall. It was worth a try and but sadly this blend is just not for me. Perhaps someone who drinks coffee would love it but I will personally stick to original apple and cinnamon blends.

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Also I mentioned last night about getting a new kitten, well I am due to receive him today some time. He is 16 weeks old and pure black with some tabby stripes. Sooty is still a real possibility but I think I need to meet him first before naming him.

Here is a picture I received from the owner:
http://tinypic.com/r/2v9w1at/5

I’ve been on a spicy tea kick lately as you may have noticed if you follow my tea log. Originally I bought this thinking it would be nice mixed in with other teas to ceate a chai but I figured I should drink it on its’ own at least once.

The package is bursting full of spices including whole cloves. The anise definitely provides a licorice-y note. I’m not sure I even know what Sarsaparilla tastes like so it’s difficult to know what type of a part it is playing in this blend. I

I did not follow the traditional chai making instructions that are on the S+V website, I steeped it the regular way and then added soymilk but it’s still pretty good this way. I’m glad to know I can drink this plain but I think it will be even more awesome mixed with black tea or some rooibos just to tone it down a wee bit…

I’m actually getting more from this today than I ever have before. I’m wondering whether it’s because I’m at the bottom of the bag, and all of the chocolate, coconut and assorted flavourings have accumulated here? After the cup I’m drinking now, I literally have two more teaspoons of leaf left. If they’re both as good as this, I’ll go away from this blend happy!

It tastes just like chocolate sponge cake. I wouldn’t say I’m getting “red velvet” cake particularly — certainly there’s no cream cheese icing to be found here — but I’m happy enough with cake. Why have I never tasted it before?! It even smells like cake, and where I usually get a whole lot of rooibos and nothing else, today the rooibos is actually farily tame.

Strange and stranger. I’m not complaining, though. Chocolate cake tea is fine with me!

Rounded off last night with a second S+V tea. I had a better time with this one — it’s mildly chocolatey, and, with milk, creamy. There’s something vaguely cake-like here, although it’s not strong. Yesterday was a long day, though, and I appreciated this as a tasty caffiene-free option. Musn’t let my S+V’s languish any more!

This is the last tea from my S & V order that I haven’t tried yet. I finally gave in and opened it last night, and was surprised but pleased to find red rooibos. The other couple of rooibos teas I got with the same order were both green, so I think I was half expecting this one to be as well.

I like this one — it tastes of chocolate cake! I’m not getting anything I feel is particularly specific to red velvet cake, but that’s okay. It tastes really good anyway. I drank this with a splash of milk only, so possibly I’ll try a little bit of sugar next time just to see whether that brings out any hidden aspects of the flavour.

It smells good, it tastes good, and it’s caffiene free so I can drink it before bed. What’s not to love? I’ll write a better note when I’ve tried a cup and I’m not half asleep, but first impressions are good!

Sadly it’s a sipdown for me, I have really enjoyed this blend. Today I added some of my own ginger root to the mix which did a nice job of boosting the flavor a bit. I really liked this tea so perhaps I should look into placing another order with S&V, though BF says I don’t need to buy any more tea for at least a year… he he

This might be an odd choice for the morning time but I woke up today feeling kind of queasy so it’s actually pretty nice right now. I will definitely be getting more of this someday, I love the combination of spices…

Tea of the morning here. It has been a rare Sunday of domesticity since I got up and made breakfast for the BF and I and then decided I wanted to make some banana bread, yum yum!

So this tea came in my last S&V order but I haven’t tried it until today. I was so sure I would like it that I bought 4 oz. of it.

I accidentally steeped it for 6 minutes because I forgot what I was doing, but it still seems really good to me. The spices are pretty strong here, I am getting a LOT if clove and ginger and cinnamon a bit lesser so. It might be different when I steep it for the recommended time. The tin contains pieces of broken up spice so this is not a "flavored’ Tea only, it’s a bit more like a chai. With all the health benefits of cinnamon, clove and ginger this will be a great one to sip on all winter long. Also smells really good. Maybe I’ll bake some gingerbread soon. ;)

I woke up this morning feeling worse than yesterday, so I don’t think I will be drinking any new teas today. Blast this %^^$#@ cold!

Because of the bergamot, this is not something I would normally choose to drink in the morning but since I can’t taste or smell much today it hardly matters, lol… this is pretty good with soymilk and some coconut sugar. If you haven’t tried coconut sugar I highly recommend you give it a go. I get mine at Trader Joe’s and it seems to give a mild, sweet flavor to a lot of teas.

This is sort of a small thing but my “likes” are not sticking to people’s tea tasting notes, is anyone else having the same issue?

Tea of the morning here but I can see how this would be a great afternoon tea as well…

I was really worried I wouldn’t like this after I realized there was bergamot in it, given that I’m not the biggest fan of Earl Grey. It really works here somehow. The orange and the bergamot definitely compliment each other and I am finding this to be really refreshing and almost juicy. Reminds me a bit of Paris from Harney and Sons but different. Great with a splash of soymilk and only tiniest bit of astringency in the finish.

I’m glad I ordered 4 oz. of it!

Finished the last of my bag with another cold brew today. I really enjoyed it on Wednesday, and after yesterday’s disappointment with Cherry Vanilla Cola, I wanted something I knew would be good. I didn’t have quite enough leaf, but it doesn’t seem to have suffered for it. I’m still getting a fabulous creamy vanilla flavour, and then a cooling hit of peppermint. Liquid candy cane, and truly fabulous iced tea! This one had languished in my cupboard a bit, but I think I might actually miss it now!

This one really comes into its own cold. I guess because it’s a winter-flavoured tea, I’d never really thought of cold brewing it before now — I’m glad I decided to give it a go, though! After yesterday’s slightly weak Cuba Libre, I went for 3 tablespoons of leaf in 2 litres of water, and into the fridge overnight for around 12 hours.

It’s literally liquid candy cane. The initial sip is almost pure, unadulterated sweetness — the stevia, I guess — but it’s so much like the sticky glaze on a candy cane it’s almost unreal. A smooth, creamy vanilla flavour emerges next, and then the coolness of the mint develops in the aftertaste. It’s seriously yummy! Looks like I’ve found my new favourite way with this tea.

I did well with this today, largely because I gave it a longer brew time than I usually have patience for. It’s deliciously creamy, with a strong vanilla note emerging first, and then a cooling hit of peppermint. I’m drinking this hot today as it’s dull and rainy, but I’m starting to think I’d really like to try it iced. I might take the bag home with me and give that a go. The only thing I’m not too keen on after letting this steep for longer is the tell-tale taste of stevia that lingers at the back of my mouth. It’s just a little too artificial. Otherwise, this is perfect! A great start to the morning!

Back to work today, and this was my mid-morning cup. It’s definitely lost some of its flavour, but it’s still a good creamy peppermint tea. I’d like to say I feel refreshed and ready to work again after the easter break (6 days of quiet and calm…), but I could honestly have done with longer. Either that, or work just sucks. I did use some of my break to finish updating my steepster cupboard and getting through my backlog, though, so at least something is right with my world. I sorted out my actual cupboard, too, and was surprised to find that I’m not doing that badly in terms of older teas. My current total made my eyes water a bit, but I’m sure I’ll start getting through it soon :) A good enough day, but now I’m tired.

I’ve been drinking this at work recently, in an attempt to get it near a sipdown. While it’s still got a lot of mint flavour to it, it’s definitely not as strong as it used to be. In my first note, I was pretty overwhelmed with the punch the mint packed. Now, it’s much, much more subtle. That does allow more of the vanilla creaminess to come out, though, so I’m not too sad that it’s starting to fade a little. It tastes more like candy cane now than it used to, that’s for sure.

I still think this is one of the prettiest teas I’ve seen, with it’s green mint, creamy green rooibos, and pretty red flowers. Probably not one I’d restock, simply because I’m a little sad about how quickly the flavours seemed to deteriorate in this and all of the other teas I picked up in my first S&V order. Their packaging needs to improve.

A nice tea, though. A must try for any candy cane fan.