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Cold steeped!

This one is a bit odd to me. It’s almost like a mulled cider sort of flavor profile because of the cinnamon, but then it’s paired with tropical fruit? I wouldn’t call it distinctly passion fruit, but it does have a tropical slant to it. The cinnamon here is reminding me of potpourri, which, needless to say, isn’t the best association to have lol. Quite similar to Pomegranate Grove, with a different fruit.

It’s okay? I think this one might have been better hot, as I find this mulled spice sort of tisane a bit odd cold.

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So I didn’t expect to like this one, since it’s a rooibos base with almond flavoring. But actually, it’s really good. The tart and fruity notes really help to balance out that cloying amaretto sweetness and make for a really well-balanced tisane. It ends up bringing to mind some kind of fun, fruity cocktail with a splash of amaretto.

Not sure I’ll order it again since I rarely drink rooibos, but I would consider it.

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Finished off this lovely hojicha. So nice and mellow with a gentle sweetness, perfect for autumn. Or at least, perfect for me wishing it was autumn already… ;)

I have a ton of hojicha, but maybe when I don’t I’ll look into finding another toasty twig tea similar to this one…

ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge – “Lazy Day – make an easy peasy tea!”

Behind again on these prompts, oopsies lol. I figured I would make a teabag for this one, and I thought I hadn’t written about this one yet. Apparently I have, though it was 9 (?!) years ago, which hardly counts.

I quite like this tea actually. It starts out tasting quite fruity, mostly stonefruits like plum and apricot. Then the cinnamon comes out more at the end of the sip, adding sweetness and a festive feel. The hazelnut sort of mingles in the background and gives some richness and a slight creamy note. Even drinking it stone cold (busy day at work), I’m still quite enjoying it.

I’ll be happy to have this one in my cupboard when the holiday season rolls around. :) I do wish they sold it in loose leaf (in a size other than sample or a pound).

Cold steeped.

This tastes pretty much as I would expect from the name – like a sour green apple candy. I’m thinking Sour Punch straws… Nice green apple flavor with a whole bunch of added tartness from the hibiscus.

I don’t think this is something I would want to drink often, but it was a fun one to try, and it definitely delivers on the name IMO.

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This one is a cinnamon candy style black tea, similar to Harney & Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice, but less intense and less sweet. Smooth black base with a Red Hots/Big Red gum sort of flavor.

It’s enjoyable, especially since I’ve been craving fall and brought out the autumn and Halloween mugs this past weekend. But it does taste a tiny bit weak, so I think I prefer some other renditions of this flavor profile because of that.

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I’m not big on plain Earl Grey. I don’t know why, I like bergamot, but I tend to enjoy it much more when there’s some other element, be it cream, extra citrus, or other fruits. But I do love this one plain. I think it must be the smooth Chinese black tea base combined with the relatively subdued bergamot. I can still taste plenty of bergamot, but it doesn’t hit me over the head. And it’s also a very citrusy bergamot (yes, I know bergamot is a citrus, but sometimes it tastes more floral or sweet or fruity), which helps its case.

So anyway, I found myself enjoying this more and more as I sipped through it, and now I’m a bit sad it’s gone. Happily, A&D seems to have this one in stock almost all the time, so I should be able to restock easily when I get to that point. :)

Cold steeped.

This is nice, but a bit weak. The pineapple flavor is nice, it reminds me of canned pineapple specifically. Mildly sweet with a touch of tartness as well, even though there’s no hibiscus here. I taste a touch of the lemongrass but not much else.

Pleasant tisane. Maybe the flavor would be stronger if I had steeped it hot and then chilled it. Not one I would reorder, but I did enjoy the pitcher and it was quite refreshing in this heat.

Cold steeped.

This tastes remarkably similar to their Wild Strawberry. In fact, it doesn’t really taste like mango at all. More generically fruity and tart, with a bit of that strawberry Jell-O thing going on. There is a hint of something slightly perfumey or chemical? Especially at the very end of the sip.

Not great, but drinkable. Certainly not mango.

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To me, this tastes quite similar to the medium roast version, perhaps with a touch more of a caramelized note to it. I love the balance of the herbaceous, slightly grassy flavor with the toasty and woody notes from the roasting. There’s also a beautiful lingering dried fruit sweetness that reminds me of raisins, and a touch of molasses-y dark brown sugar. I tend to keep my steep short, for some reason it seems like when I steep these CatSpring roasted yaupons longer, I get more of a charcoal flavor which isn’t my favorite.

Still not sure which of these roasted varieties I’ll be reordering, as I like them both. Maybe I’ll just get both and eventually decide which I prefer… :P