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A friend brought back some tea samples from her trip to South Korea and the teas are delightful.

The dry tea satchet smells strongly of coniferous tree with a touch of tangerine. Surprisingly, the prominence of the tree note swaps place with the citrus once it steeps up. It’s such a juicy and smooth tangerine. It’s delicious, clean tasting, and refined. I wish I could spend more time with this blend.

Steep Count: 3

I received this as a sample in my last order and I liked it more than I remember. I’ve been feeling crummy lately (what’s new), and the combination of grassy and grainy flavours paired with the balanced but bright sweetness of raspberry is simply soothing to the soul.

I don’t usually go for herbal blends but I wish I’d picked up more of this now.

I should really branch out with what Christmas advents I get – try new teas, cheaper companies… However, I’ve desperately wanted to stock up on this no fuss, Nutella-scented, fall-in-a-cup blend since I ran out 9-10 months ago. The price on its own is not actually terrible either (before shipping, and all the other indulgences I added). Maybe next year I will switch it up and say no to more Nutella chestnut tea in my life (the thought makes me so sad).

What I most appreciate about this tea is that I can delude it with milk for an evening dessert latte, or steep it up strong and bold in the morning (or in the evening because who needs sleep). It’s not super complex but it accomplishes the objective it sets for itself. I respect that.

What a beautiful balance of floral and fruity notes in this delicious pouchong blend. Lupicia definitely knows what it’s doing with that peach flavour. My only complaint is that it doesn’t offer up as many subsequent steeps as some flavoured oolong blends do. It did do well both steeped up hot or as a cold brew though, and that’s another point in its favour.

Will definitely reorder more at some point.

It must be time for advents (specifically that DF order) because I just finished this off. Still one of my favourite mango teas – although, now that I’ve had the chance to try it, the ripe mango oolong from Lupicia is now a rival for that spot (different base teas and concepts make it hard to choose).

I picked up some of this on a whim when I went to restock Pumpkin Chai (at this point it’s a fall tradition more than a matter of taste). You know what? I think I like this better than Pumpkin Chai. It tastes fuller and better balanced; needs less tweaking. I think it may even have more “heat” than the DT’s chai blend. The citrusy notes from the spices and bergamot taste delicious when milk is added too. Like a cheerful citrusy spice cloud. On top of that, the vanilla-caramel notes give it a London Fog vibe. I’m a huge sucker for my LF’s even more so than the PSLs. This is the best of both worlds.

For me, this is on par, if not better, than a lot of the commercial pumpkin spice latte things out there. Now, it just needs to work with my Eggnog. Turns out the nog I bought is not lactose-free or going to hold up past our upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

I should write notes on new teas in my cupboard but… I have this decadent blend again. When this, or any vanilla flavoured black tea, appears in my life it’s usually all I drink until it’s gone and I’m once again vanilla-less.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Just loving the quality of the bright raspberries and strawberries on the smooth but full Young Hyson base. I’ve enjoyed it so much I haven’t even gotten around to trying it as a cold brew yet.

EDIT- I coldsteeped my last serving and, wow, it was delicious. Always a delight to have a tea that tastes good regardless of drinking temperature.

I finished this one up a while ago but forgot to post a note. I feel bad because it was a tasty and charming white tea. It deserved better.

I recall that it reminded me of a green tea at times; it had the hay notes you see in many white teas, but it was altogether grassier than what I expected: bamboo shoots and sweetgrass too! It was a temperamental steeper and could get grass-bitter if oversteeped though. It made me think of a laying in a grass field and listening to the blades rustle in the wind. All in all, a very restful and vibrant tea.

The fire smoke is finally hitting us here, turning the sky into something autumnal and eerie. It’s not as bad as other areas, but it’s an energy zapper and a mood killer.

I wanted a tea profile to contrast this internal lethargy so I reached for something extremely green, decadent, and bright – this candied melon tea! It’s so cheery and flavourful – although, this particular tin is saddled with the now bittersweet memory of briefly visiting Lahaina, Kona, and Honolulu back in March. Absolutely surreal and heartbreaking at the loss of lives and homes. We are really lucky here in the Lower Mainland that it’s just the smoke right now; it’s an understatement to say wildfires have particularly sucked this year across the board.

But here I was trying to distract myself. That almost never works, eh? Maybe I need to embrace the fall-ish notes and the catharsis that this upcoming season can offer. Hopefully, I have a puerh hiding away somewhere.

Steep Count: 3