Simpson & Vail

Sipdown!
I am amazed I finally finished off a tin of this. I have a few other teas from Simpson and Vail I’ve hardly touched but this went fairly quickly. When I first got it I wasn’t even sure I liked it but it’s better when you steep it for a longer period of time.

I added a bit of soymilk to this and liquid stevia. My friend turned me on to that idea, she carries a small bottle of liquid stevia everywhere and that way you can just put a few drops in. A little really goes a long way!

Tisane of the evening here… I haven’t been writing as much lately because I’ve been pretty busy. Anyway this is a bit more delicious than I remember and is definitely good with a bit of soymilk.

Happy Valentine’s, Steepster!

I am having some of this tonight and am bumping the rating up just a wee little bit. I sure was not too crazy about it when I first got it, but the longer steeping time helps. I might even get it again when this tin runs out. :))

Finally I discovered the secret to success with this one is to use more leaf than I normally would and steep it for 7 minutes to really allow the flavors to pop. I added a sugar cube and some soy milk and it is very enjoyable now. Bumped up the score.

I’m sorry to say this one was a bit disappointing to me after the name of coconut macaroon because I really wanted it to taste more macaroon-y!

The smell of this is totally divine in both the dry leaf and the brewed tea. But the flavor is a bit weak, it’s a nice green rooibos blend that has some slight coconut flavor. I did try this some with soymilk and that improved the flavor a bit but I liked it more when I added a touch of maple syrup. Anyway, that’s already a lot of doctoring up to do. If you like green rooibos, and coconuts and you don’t mind sweetening this a bit it could be perfect for you! I have a whole tin of it now so I will surely find a way to love it more, maybe by adding some rum. :)

Hmm. One thing you can’t help but notice is how strongly this tea smells, in fact I had to take it out of the bag it was in and put it in a ziploc bag and back in the other bag to keep the smell at bay a bit. It’s a very sweet and fruity aroma.

This is a Chinese green tea but I believe it tastes very strongly of the passionfruit flavor, not at all subtle as the description states. It’s a nice combination with the green tea but definitely overwhelms the other ingredients a bit including the flowers. I think this would be great iced for the summer time, regardless. It also seems a bit sweet at the finish, not sure if that’s from the passionfruit flavoring, the marigold or something else. I probably wouldn’t get this one again but I will certainly finish off the ounce I bought.

We finished the last of this today. It was good but I have a lot more black tea to drink so I will hold off on buying more for a while. :)

This has become a standard breakfast tea in our place. Mild but malty, great with a splash of soymilk, good for a gentler way to wake up. It isn’t one of those teas that will make you go wow or have major excitement. It’s kind of like a comfortable pair of slippers you really enjoy. Anyway I will be seriously tempted to get more when it runs out soon.

The morning cuppa. It’s a nice and versatile black tea blend which I like especially for breakfast but would be good anytime…

I had to get up at 5 am this morning not feeling too perky. This tea really did a great job of reviving me into a semi-conscious state.

This is a great morning blend, slightly malty, chocolatey and dark but without any underlying bitterness or astringency. Had a delicious smoothness, I might need more later in lieu of a nap. :)

sorry for the short note, I will try to elaborate more on this one in the future.

I haven’t had this tea in ages so I decided to steep some up today. I guess I should have checked my own steeping notes since I steeped it for 3 minutes and that’s exactly the same thing I did last time, vowing I would try it for less next time in the future – lol

I definitely think this batch got oversteeped at first because it came out a bit bitter. I decided to dump it out and start anew.

For the second batch I went for 2 minutes at around 175 F and the results were much better. I guess this tea really needs to be treated like a green, so I wrote a note on the bag for future reference.

It does have some of the flavors of a 2nd flush darjeeling now (spicy, fruity), but with a bit of rich nuttiness similar to pecans. I’m glad I found a way to make it more enjoyable!

I really enjoyed trying this one although sometimes I still am confused about what a pouchong is; however I keep reading it is somewhere between a green tea and an oolong so let’s go with that for now. :)

I steeped this for about 3 minutes around 180 F. This steeps up to be a very nice light yellow. At first I did not notice much flavor but it really seems to build up in your mouth a bit over time. The front notes are very mild, melony and a bit earthy but the finish has a real kick to it where you can sense a lot of the classic darjeeling type spice, along with a lingering astringency. Definitely a fascinating and unique cup to try although I am not sure I will need to restock when this amount runs out.

I might try steeping this at an even lower temp or for the recommend two minutes instead of three to see if I can kick the astringency down a notch or two.

Tea of the morning here. This is one of my favorite flavored teas and I really should have checked my supply because I am almost out of it and I am getting a new order from Simpson and Vail today! Yay for new teas!

I like the almondy goodness here and I also like mine with soymilk which makes it a bit more creamy and dessert like. Of course I am having it for breakfast but you could really enjoy this any time of the day. See previous notes for more details.

Tea of the morning here, without a doubt one of my favorite dessert teas. Might have to get some more when my current supply runs out.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Tea of the morning here… a slightly decadent choice for morning time but that’s okay. I feel like I’m eating an almond croissant. This is one of my favorite teas from Simpson and Vail so far. It takes soymilk very well and doesn’t need sugar at all. So good! See previous notes for more details…

Tea of the morning here; I find this stuff to be quite yummy! I do sort of wish I had a banana muffin to go with it, but no such luck. It’s a gorgeous day here today. Have a great day Steepies!

Tea of the afternoon here, this stuff is super yummy and really good with some coconut sugar added. Almost makes me believe I am eating a cookie without all the calories. :)

See previous notes for more info

This is a really nice afternoon/dessert kinda tea. I gave some to my boyfriend who normally doesn’t like flavored teas and he said “This really does taste like a cookie!”

Definitely almondy, a bit sweetish and rich. I enjoyed mine with a splash of soymilk. I would get this again if I placed another order with Simpson & Vail. See previous notes for more info…

I almost feel kind of guilty for liking this…

Like I should have advanced so far in my tea-snobbery by now that I only drink 50 year old aged tea that was plucked by virgins, hatched by Chinese monks and brought over here with a pedigree and adoption papers.

But I. don’t. care.

this is yummy!

I’m usually disappointed by any tea that promises it will be like a pastry or a baked good. This is an awesome blend of black tea, almond flavor and safflowers. It definitely is a dessert tea, it’s pretty good for what it claims to be. It’s a bit much for this early in the morning, I’m drinking it with soymilk right now. But I think I will be happy to have this in my stash for when I do want something dessert-like.

The morning cuppa. I really liked this one, it is indeed “tippy” and perfect with a touch of soymilk! see previous notes.

I really wasn’t expecting much from this one, but I am always open to trying teas from new regions, plus if it helps the Bolivian farmers at ChaiMate earn a decent living, I am all for it.

Then I saw this news article from 2009 on it/them and I’m very happy about buying this. Aren’t these people cute? lol. http://www.newstimes.com/business/article/Rare-flavors-suit-Simpson-Vail-to-a-tea-276653.php

Anyway onto the tea, I steeped mine at 3 minutes at 212 F. It’s a dark amber cup with a slight bit of cocoa in the nose and a definite plummy taste. I found this quite easy to drink neat (without any sugar or soymilk). It is very smooth with a slight sweetness and only a tad of tannin in the aftertaste. Very, very good! This might become a new breakfast favorite in our humble abode. Thanks to Simpson & Vail for introducing it to me. :)

Just done with this packet now – it is pretty good on its’ own and also nice with a pinch of ginger root. I’d consider ordering this again from S & V. I used to be such a rooibos hater, I think the flavor does “grow on you” a bit. ;-)

I got only 1 oz. of this and it’s almost gone, I liked it a lot better than I thought I would – it is going on my list of things to reorder! see my previous notes.