Simpson & Vail

I’ve had a tin of this but haven’t reviewed it yet. Now is the time! Any tea named after the morbid Poe must be blood red, and thanks to beet root, this is a mighty red cup. I love that touch. Poe is a mix of ripe pu-erh, lapsang souchong black tea, bergamot and beet root. The black tea seems to hide under the pu-erh, but the pu-erh isn’t overwhelming. Immediately on opening the tin, the smokiness makes itself known. But I love a smokey tea once in while and this just fits with Poe anyway. Really this entire blend is perfect for Poe. The classic bergamot mellows out the not-too-strong smokiness. Both black tea and ripe pu-erh seem essential for Poe. So for the creativeness for a Poe blend, this gets an A+. Not to mention the blend is very unique and very tasty. This is very worthy of having an entire tin of.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 5 minute steep

I found this tea in the back of my pantry this morning and thought, “It’s an oolong kind of day today.” Last time I had it, I drank it “grandpa style” and remembered it being quite good that way, so that’s what I am doing again today.

It’s still a great tea—I especially love looking over at my glass tumbler on my desk and seeing the floating leaves throughout the morning. I’ve been neglecting oolongs these past few months while focusing on blacks and greens throughout the day—this tea tells me that I have to remedy that going into these next few months.

Drinking this “grandpa style” today. I looked at my To-Do list for the day and realized I just needed a tea to keep me going through the day, so I decided on this one. I loaded my glass tumbler with 9 grams of dried rolls of leaves and have been filling it with water as needed throughout the morning.

This is a very smooth and light tea, with a silky taste and mouthfeel. I haven’t been paying any attention for specific flavors today—just enjoying the tea. This is an oolong that I’d like to keep stocked in my collection, as it is one that I come back to fairly regularly.

Additional notes:  So I did end up stocking up on a tin of this with my reward points a while ago. This is just dreamy on a hot summer day.  Caffeine kick with lovely lingering flavors of violet and roses.   Reading outside, I feel like Alice waiting to fall into Wonderland… or at the mad tea party with all this crazy news lately.  But trying to enjoy my day while ignoring the news.   Please everyone stay safe for this fourth of July weekend.  I wish the best for all of you!

Edited to add: the second steep is just as flavorful. It’s really the perfect mix of florals and base of black tea. It might be my favorite floral black tea! Even cold, delicious.

I needed a whimsical tea today for this mad as a hatter winter weather. This tea should do. It’s also very tasty. Immediately on opening the pouch, I am reminded of all of the flowers that are constantly in anything Wonderland related, from the book to the Disney movie. So many flowers in this cup! The blend is made up of an Indian black tea, rose Congou, violet flavoring, and tons of pretty flowers. The flavor is divine — both rose and violets equally take the stage but the black tea also comes through amazingly well. It’s malty, smooth and sweet. I’d love the base tea even without the floral flavors. I’d definitely stock up on this one. It’s one of my favorite floral teas.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a mug // 12 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Now for Dostoyevsky’s blend. I haven’t actually read any of his books… yet. Assumptions out of the way, I kind of expected this to be a smoky blend… and with the bergamot would have been lovely. I’m a fan of the occasional smoky tea, yet this is not one. This blend features black teas from India, Sri Lanka, China and Taiwan and bergamot oil. The black teas here make for an exceptional blend with just the perfect amount of bright bergamot. The black tea is brisk enough while also being smooth, sweet, and tasty. A great showcase for the bergamot. Though this tea does not have my favorite bergamot (that would be tough to beat) this bergamot is certainly delicious enough for me.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 13 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Great Expectations is one of my favorites, so I’m happy to try a Dickens blend! I’m a little puzzled by this one though. Interestingly enough, this is a black tea blended with a little green oolong. I don’t think I’ve had many green oolong/black tea blends before, but the result basically just tastes like a roasted oolong instead of bits of green oolong with black tea. I can tell there is some sort of fruit flavor but I had to look up what it is – black currant. Not much flavor, just enough to tell it’s there. Black currant isn’t my favorite but I’ve had worse black currant teas. This is an interesting flavor combination but not really one I love.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 15 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Edited to add: svtea.com has 15% off everything until the end of 1/8 with the code HOTTEA18!

I was weirdly excited about this and I have no clue why because I don’t love Jane Austen. However, I guess I could sense it was a good tea because this awesome smelling brew came out with lovely notes of spearmint, lavender, and vanilla. All distinctive and yet subtle.

Check out the full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2017/10/07/jane-austens-black-tea-blend-from-simpson-and-vail/

Tea Swap
Sipdown

Work tea session

Sweet, malty, & full of nom-noms.

I had shared this tea with a coworker. She made this into a latte (per suggestion from the note on the packet) while I had mine ‘black.’ Upon listening to her taking her first sip of the tea, I assumed that by the “Holy shhhhhhhh*t,” she liked it.

I liked my cup, too, and will look into finding more of this, if available.

This tea seemed like a good tea to have around the holidays. I haven’t read Little Women yet (it’s around here somewhere) but it seems like a wintery book to me? At least what I know of the book suggests winter. Anyway, this tea is more summer than winter. It is fruity and fresh. The base is a Chunmee green with additional rose petals, apples and strawberries. I noticed many pieces of fruit in my infuser! I wouldn’t say the flavors stand out with strictly apple or strawberry… it’s more of a general fruit flavor. The rose notes are very light… more in the background. The description mentions an almond flavor and I wish it would have been more noticeable. But I’m very glad for the green base in this one. This is a delicious blend but I think it needs adjustments to make it a fantastic blend.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 30 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 25 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

Now, I was never much a fan of Austen, especially when I heard the Brontes were also not much of a fan. I’m a Bronte fan completely. I recently watched ‘To Walk Invisible’ and was wondering what is with all the Branwell screen time? I guess he added drama. I’m much more of a fan of this tea than Austen. The black tea acts as the perfect base (there, yet not too strong) for great flavors. It’s a unique blend of spearmint, lavender and vanilla flavor. Not only do these three flavors go wonderfully well together and complement each other, but they are also equally balanced. This tea almost should have been the Bronte tea and each flavor could have represented each sister (lavender for Emily because she loved the moors, vanilla for Anne because she was the sweet one, and spearmint for the boldness or possibly the freshness of Charlotte’s writing). I read Anne’s ‘Agnes Grey’ last year, and if it wasn’t for her sisters brilliant writing, I think her writing would have been even more well received than it is. So even though some would say Anne didn’t bring much to the table, I disagree! Now I wish I were reading a Bronte book today. This tea would be lovely with reading.

Another one of my kitty buddies had a rough night last night. Fluffy didn’t pass too far behind her brother, who passed away on 2/4 of this year. She seemed fine up to a couple days ago.. she was a scrappy one! Her suffering wasn’t long, but it is very hard to know they are suffering even for a short time. Another hard day in a hard year. Both cats kind of bookended my Dad’s hospital visits this year. Next year HAS to be better.

Not bad tea with deep taste

I was looking for some herbal treats to share with my wife in the evening, and was happy to find some rooibos-based holiday flavors to add to my cart. Then in a true show of bipartisanship, I smiled, drifted to the OTHER side of the aisle, and found plenty of caffeinated options to agree with. Simpson & Vail’s “St. Nick’s Tea” is the first among them to make it to our cup.

Deliciously nutty with a strong sense of maple, this flavored black tea has just enough of a chocolate edge to make it seem decadent. While it was my first cup on this cold morning, it won’t replace my daily black tea any time soon. Great tea to share with family and friends – holiday or any day.

I have been enjoying a number of Ceylon teas lately (this year is the 150-year anniversary of teas from Ceylon/Sri Lanka), so I thought I’d add some of my favorites to my notes on Steepster. I will start with this tea.

The dried leaves are broken and machine-rolled; very black and consistent. The color of the brewed liquor is similar to that of a brown ale beer.

I steeped 9 grams of dried tea in 20 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes. I attempted multiple steepings of the same leaves, but this tea does not work for multiple steeps.

The initial aroma came across as malty—bread-like, even. The initial flavor I picked up was that of oatmeal or even cooked barley, with a hint of malt to it. There was also some creamy and bread/toast-like flavors as well.

Overall, it was a very typical black Ceylon tea, and is one of my favorite teas sold by Simpson & Vail. I have come to appreciate these types of black teas as ones that have enough caffeine to move me through the day but not so much that I am up for long hours after drinking them. I appreciate the fact that I can drink this on an empty stomach and not feel ill from the tannins (unlike a malty Assam tea). This has become one of my regular teas and, given the inexpensive cost for the loose leaf variety, it doesn’t “break the bank” to have it frequently.

An enjoyable tea.

Sipdown no. 23 of 2018 (no. 379 total).

I never really did find the rose in this tea, and without it, it was a pretty run of the mill green tea.

The dry leaves are gorgeous, but the flavor seemed nondescript to me.

Trying again. I bumped up the steep time and heat a bit.

The tea is a very pale yellow and clear, and smells like a vegetal green tea. I don’t smell the rose in the aroma.

The flavor has just the slightest hint of rose. Honestly, if I didn’t know it was there, I probably wouldn’t identify it as such. It’s there mostly as a sort of whiff of volatile oil right at the beginning of the sip.

I like it, but I want more rose. Maybe the next cup? Right now I have to mark it down for roselessness.

Sadly, this tea is no longer available, and if it wasn’t for Pinterest (of which I am not a member, or maybe I am but I never figured out how to use it) I would not even have a description of it.

I say sadly because it’s a gorgeous tea — the dry leaf is huge and twisty and has rose petals in it. It smells of the generic Simpson & Vail flavored tea jumble (the paper bag it came in allowed the smells of other teas to co-mingle to the point where they all smell similar).

The cup I’m drinking now is clearly picking up some remnants of last night’s carmelized pear rooibos from the Breville, so I’m not going to take notes on this one.

Black currant isn’t usually my favorite fruit. And teas that have them usually don’t taste very well to me. Call me a fan of all the other fruits! This tea isn’t bad though, even with the blackberry leaves added, which I usually find too bitter. Not here. Honestly, the flavor to me might seem more like blackberry than black currant, so maybe I like it better when a black currant tea reminds me of blackberry. And blackberry leaves do not taste like blackberry to me, so that can’t be it either. An okay tea for being black currant – better than I’d like most of them. As good as this tea can get, I suppose!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoon for a full mug// 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep

I had to try this guava blend when I saw the other S&V guava blend. Side by side comparing! A white tea blend that has guava flavor. I taste more of strawberry than guava so possibly it’s hiding here too. Don’t let the hibiscus mention scare you from this one, there is no noticeable hibiscus in the flavor when I tried it. The second steep I poured just boiled water and the white tea flavor was much more prominent while losing some of the fruit. I’m not docking points for that though, as I really shouldn’t use boiling water on white tea. I just know it doesn’t really ruin white tea. I like this as strawberry flavored white tea but as a guava tea it kind of fails.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoon for a full mug// 28 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

I wanted to try this tea because I’ve been liking guava flavors in tea recently. (I haven’t actually had guava so I’m no expert.) But I think this tea might be misnamed. I’m not sure if the guava is hiding behind other fruit flavors (raspberry), but I’m not really tasting it here. There isn’t a ton of fruit flavor here anyway. It’s a really great green tea base though.. I never really see White Monkey green tea anywhere.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug// 28 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 25 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

I’m really not good with CTC style teas. I’m so used to full leaf teas that whenever I use the CTC I always put too much in. Inevitably, the little tea balls all compact and form an impenetrable shell, all the while, coloring my tea VERY strong.

That being said, even strong, this wasn’t a total disaster. It had some bright citrus notes going on underneath it all with some malty notes present as well.

I’ll have to try another round with much less tea. This one is on me. Therefore I’m holding off on the rating as of now.

SVtea.com just happens to have 15% off their dessert teas until 10/16 and you really can’t go wrong on any of them. I love most of these dessert blends. I realized I hadn’t written anything on this one yet. There is plenty of chocolate and sweetness in the flavor here, on this black tea base. The black tea is mild enough to let the flavors shine. The little red flowers in the blend really make the blend pop. There is a great amount of flavor here for only including the occasional cocoa nib and flavoring (and especially because this blend is not exactly new and fresh from S&V at this point… I’ve had it a while). How S&V can keep their teas so fresh is a GOOD mystery. Definitely chocolate flavor here! Plenty of flavor for two steeps. I like it.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep

I was deliberating buying this one because of the mixed reviews. But I love plum so had to give it a try. It turns out I LOVE it. Who said this didn’t have any flavor? I think it’s delicious! Maybe not 100% accurate of a juicy sweet ripe plum, but there is plenty unique flavor here to love: definitely fruity with undertones of a lovely floral. The black tea is great with the flavor. Two delicious steeps with lots of flavor! I’ve tried better plum teas but this is great stuff. I never lose with S&V teas.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep

Additional notes: This is more of a tasting note for S&V’s marshmallow root that I somehow didn’t add to Steepster… I’m usually mixing the marshmallow root with the cocoa shells anyway. The marshmallow root doesn’t have that super sweet flavor that some marshmallow root has from other sources (like the type from 52Teas that I like a lot), but it isn’t unpleasant by any means. It’s a nice flavor level to the cocoa shells. More earthy than sweet. Also, the marshmallow root really helps sore throats. Better than that “throat” tea that doesn’t really seem to do much. But on a cocoa shells note, I will ALWAYS keep these in stock from S&V. They are very cheap and the best cocoa shells you can get!