Sil

apparently vanilla + rooibos = no thank you for me unless there’s something else going on in the tea. On the plus side, that means i get to leave all the rest of the sample pack for kittenna hahaha! :)

It’s not bad, but i much prefer creamy vanilla + something else rooibos.

sipdown break! lol I need to try some of my della terra teas so that i can figure out IF i want to place another order this weekend or wait for the next sale.

This tea smells like maple syrup with a hint of blueberries. I can see why folks are enjoying it, but it is not quite on the same oh man, i need to have this, level as the upside down cake that della terra has. That being said, this is a lovely tea, but it’s much more maple blueberry pancake than it is blueberry crumble. my other half actually asked if i was drinking that pancake tea again. I’ll have to try brewing this at a lower temperature next time to see if that changes anything. For now, this is a decent tea, though not quite what i hoped it would be.

sipdown!

This is a nice little black tea. It’s smooth while not feeling “wimpy” or light…I could see this being sort of an everyday breakfast kinda tea for me if i do a reorder with upton sometime. There’s almost a sweetness to it that’s hiding in the background but not like some of stacy’s teas. It’s really is like a keemun without the smokey notes, not that i mind those in my keemuns :)

SIPDOWN! yes that’s right…until i have to leave we’re going to see a bunch of these lol I planned out all my teas last night so that i can get to 190 or explode trying haha

Dropping the rating on this one a little since the last time i drank this as there’s an astringency here that i don’t like that much especially when comparing it to the other black im also drinking (just for you whatshesaid)
I really like the aroma of this tea and the initial sips, but then there’s a taste in the back end that isn’t all that wonderful and ruins the sip for me.

I have to say though, that this is why i love upton samples. They’re great value since even me and my giant cups can get 2-3 cups out of them and while the packages aren’t resealable, they keep the smells out very well with just a bit of tape to hold them closed. While i don’t love most of their flavoured teas (the tisanes are ok) i really like that i can try out a HUGE list of straight teas. I also love that they put the packaging date on the lable AND if you’re doing a shared order you can add the names to the labels so that when they arrive you just put the teas away according to the name on the label :)

SIPDOWN!
I tried this cold to see if i love this any better and while it’s not as bad as it was hot, it’s still no winner. Again it’s mostly a generic bland sort of tea that has kinda of a fruity, grassy taste to it. oh well, glad to have tried it!

sipdown! and thanks to raritea for this one. While this IS a green oolong, it’s also jsut kinda hanging out being a slightly flavourful water. This is a tea that i could take or leave but will never drive me to hating it OR loving it. it’s just kind of there…

SIPDOWN!

Dropping the rating on this one a little as it’s not nearly as delicious as i remember from my first run through it. I think as i’ve tried more and more teas, i’ve come to grow fonder for those dark robust blacks, while the “lighter” blacks have less appeal for me. Not that this is a bad tea, but it’s not going to be my favourite ever. :)

So i REAAAALLLLLY wanted one last cup of tea before bed and Della totally just put their teas on sale (again) so i couldn’t help it, i had to go sit down and measure out my portion of this tea in the shared order with the girls. Mostly, in case i decide i need to order more. So uh up one in my cupboard sigh You know what though? totally worth it. I don’t love this more than the lemon and lime chiffon but i do really enjoy this for it’s own reasons. I still think i prefer the orange lapacho tea Indigobloom found BUT this might be a decent substitute.
The orange isn’t as strong as i want it to be, but it IS still present and still has an almost creamy taste to it. mmmm yeah, i could have a bit more of this in my cupboard.

pssssst guess what? 200 teas! that means i just need to find a way to sipdown 10 teas tomorrow haha Not sure if that’s actually doable but we can see :) If nothing else, i’m still pretty proud of myself for getting down this far in 3 weeks. After the weekend with the girls i was at something stupid like 320+ and now i’m at 200. That being said, I have incoming swaps and orders, but there’s no mail until monday haha.

This one? I’d probably order it again. I rather enjoy the creaminess of the rooibos and it’s a nice change from the other fruitier rooibos blends that i like and love. It’s just not a tea i see myself wanting all that much in summer, so maybe i’ll hold off until the fall again.

SIPDOWN!

I rather enjoyed this one, though the after taste does leave my mouth a little dry. I really like the way that the tiramisu flavour has been captured. Overall this is something i would for sure drink again, though it doesn’t need to be a permanent re-stock. :)

Pretty much took a sip of this, made a face, took another sip and then poured the rest down the drain. It was like a mix of licorice and ginger…which wouldn’t be too bad, but it wasn’t the delicious kind of licorice. Not to mention that i pulled the star anise out of the brew basket before brewing it. so yeaaah. no. thankfully, sipdown!

Sipdown!

Delicious apple goodness! Enjoying this one quite a bit tonight.

Having a few delicious cups of this with dinner tonight. Cilantro in the enchiladas! and cilantro in the tea! that’s pretty much the only reason i did that, plus it’s so very nearly a sipdown lol AND my mango lassi tasting note reminded me that i do have this other mango blend from stacy

I am enjoying the fruity mango-ness of this tea quite a bit :)

backlog from earlier today – still a delicious creamy tea that’s perfect for those days when i just want something delicious to accompany my black morning tea!

backlogging from earlier today

I am still enjoying this one quite a bit, though i’m not sure if i’ll restock it. I tend to find that there are other flavoured teas i moev towards first when i’m looking for a rooibos. That being said, I would love another mango flavoured black or something like that from stacy as this is pretty kick ass in terms of mango-licious taste!

backlogging – see previous tasting notes on this one.

had this in an afternoon meeting and drive everyone crazy with the smell. it was awesome yay!

SIPDOWN! backlogging from earlier today. The one thanks to Courtney! I also really enjoy this one hot so I may reconsider having something this “light” in my cupboard. I really like how true to watermelon taste this is. It really is a light and refreshing tea!

mmmmm this tea isn’t have bad. Either that, or I’ve lowered my expectation of Tealux slightly. Overall, depending on the pricing of these pearls compared to others, it might be worth carrying them as a back up staple in the cupboard. This is a decent black overall though. Not as malty or as robust as i’d like but not weak or astringent.

Mmmm morning latte again because of the horrible weather. I seriously have zero desire to go to work today especially since its been late work nights the past couple. While this is pretty tasty, I for sure need to either bust out the hand blender when I make these or finally go get a matcha whisk and start trying that. My whisking skills are just not quite up to the task. Still, it wasn’t a terrible attempt and its nice to have something creamy and warm in the morning. :)

Guys! I am TOTALLY in the home stretch…well mostly, provided no teas show up tomorrow, though i also kind of want them to lol SIPDOWN! Bringing my grand total to 208 and i still have Friday and Saturday! If i don’t manage it, it’s going to be awfully close :) Of course the week after I’ll be back to adding teas into my cupboard but at least i’ll be able to try and keep it around the 200 mark…still aiming for 150 by november heh.

I save this tea for the last of the day because I wanted to pay attention to it. Last time i gulped it down distractedly without taking notes. Soo i um may have accidentally steeped this one for about 25 mins LOL

The good news? It’s only slightly more hibiscusy than i would want. It also REALLY reminds me of another tea. it’s appley and cinnamony and i just enjoy this one. quite a bit. yep tasty! i think this would be pretty good cold too if the hibiscus didn’t overpower everything.

SIPDOWN!

I meant to try this one as a latte but i forgot and now it’s gone but that’s alright. I’m super happy to have been able to try a new company through my swaps. Long day…one more cup to go after this before i wrap myself into my blankets and drift away. thank god it’s almost Friday.

oh yeah… the tea lol not too shabby…let it steep for a long time but i’m still getting that rooibos-ey taste so not my overall favourite in terms of rooibos tea.

Blueberry zabaglione vs blueberry creamcheese danish who will win!

Second contender – BCCDB! A re-blend of a favourite among steepsterites – the new blend seems to not stack up against old memories.

blueberry taste? check
Creamy taste? mostly
restock in my cupboard? Nope
astringent? nope
better with a bit of sugar? check.

ho hum…the hunt continues.

Taste comparison!

Blueberry zabaglione vs blueberry creamcheese danish who will win!

First up, we’ve got BZ in this corner! An oldie but a relatively decent cup of tea in a pinch. Always trying to be as good as it’s sister tea – strawberry zabaglione!

blueberry taste? check
Creamy taste? mostly
restock in my cupboard? Nope.
astringent? check
better with a bit of sugar? check.

Tried this out cold brew and it’s alright as a cold brew with a little sugar added to it. I’m still more disappointed than excited by most of the recent blends from frank so it might be time for a break or to just try and pick some up when it’s a 4 way split OR through trades…‘cause the newest it calling out to me. Anyway, this isn’t terrible as a cold brew. I’ll have to compare it to the lupicia peach and see which i like better in a comparison :)