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It has been a while since I drank this tea and I saved the wrapper so I wouldn’t forget to review it, because it deserved a genuine and thoughtful review. I am 99% sure this came from derk.

Mine has the word roast circled. I don’t know if that is true of all the ones reviewed here. It also says June 2022.

This tea was fantastic. I know it was fantastic because it immediately got added to my wishlist and that is something I am trying to avoid doing because I am trying to sipdown and not add to the cupboard. This oolong is worth it, and deserves attention and gong fu preparation if you have time to do it.

February Sipdown Prompt – a tea that makes you feel cozy

Both Da Hong Pao and Dong Ding teas are very cozy to me. I am surprised that I have not reviewed this one yet! This was a gift from Superanna.

Yesterday afternoon I felt like continuing my celebration. I chose three chocolates and this tea, and used a scent cup to get the full sensory experience of this tea.

Honestly, as I sat there inhaling the aroma from the scent cup, I felt that I could stop there and say I had enjoyed a great tea experience. It smelled so good. As I cast about in my mind for how to describe what I was smelling, I finally settled on cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, nearly done, not too much cinnamon. Or a sweet bread, warm and waiting to be lightly glazed. How lovely that I het to drink it, too!

The tea was clear and of medium body. There is a light cinnamon note, a hint of minerality, and well-rounded flavor.

Second steep got the scent cup as well, and this time the freshly baked sweet bread has stepped back a bit and the minerality has come forward, like a hint of rou gui, just a little rock oolong peeking through. The change in the aroma is reflected in the flavor with mineral notes replacing some of the sweetness. It is by no means less enjoyable.

A third steep was made but I did not use the scent cup for this one. It is much the same as the second steep and I think that a fourth steep would not do this tea justice today. I ended my session. I want to remember you like this, Da Hong Pao.

Sipdown

This is a tea I would gladly repurchase. It is great with breakfast hot and plain, lovely as a sweet tea iced at lunch, nice with afternoon chocolates or cookies. The black tea base is a nice tea and not just a carrier for flavoring. The fruitiness of the black currant is present but not candy-like and it doesn’t smack of chemicals.

Just a very nice tea. I would love to try more from this company someday.

I had this as a quiet celebratory tea this afternoon after a long morning of scans, but I got cleared at this six month follow up. Nothing that looks like cancer, they said!

My brain, when I heard those words, immediately projected a picture of the box of Bissinger’s chocolates that I got for Christmas and have only eaten three pieces of. Angels were singing and bells were ringing, and of course, I wanted to have tea with my chocolates.

This good sized sample has been hanging around here for a while and I chose it for my celebration. I was going to take out my Awakening Bell from Woodstock Chimes but as I began to set things up, the wind chimes on the porch began to ring beautifully.

I decided to toss the rinse as it was very clear even after twenty seconds. There wasn’t much aroma yet, either.

I only made two steeps because there was a good bit of leaf and I was making a fair amount at the time. The first was 30 seconds and the second was 45.

I didn’t get any strong chi but I was already high on my good news so that could be why. But the flavor was quite good! This was a very easy to drink sheng. There was a bit of camphor, a bit of chilly cave with mineral scent, a fleeting fruit note, and some light and fresh vegetal flavor, slightly savory like a root vegetable. The sides of my tongue tingled just a little but not enough to be perceived as sour or harsh.

This would be a great starter sheng for someone afraid to dive into the sheng pool but interested in easing in one toe at a time. Have saved the leaves for more sessions tomorrow.

February Sipdown Prompt – a tea ordered online

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This tea was ordered online by me for me. Ashman liked it, which was a bonus because he doesn’t like fig flavor, figs, or fig jam. He loves strawberry tea, though, so I guess the strawberry and vanilla in this complemented the fig nicely enough for him to like it.

I was happy to get a couple of sipdowns today, but noticed that Harney and Sons has a brand new strawberry vanilla black tea and it is testing my resolve sorely. I hope to stay strong and maintain my buying ban for a little while longer.

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Good hot or iced. Truly only black tea and orange blossom and no other fancy flavors but good hot or cold as sweet iced tea. I will probably re-order eventually. Very economical, especially in the 250 gram tin.

January Sipdown Prompt – a tea blended in your home country

I have enough of this left for one more pot. I really think a repurchase is going to happen eventually. I knew nothing about this company and this tea was a gift, so I only found out today that it is blended here in the US and the company is much bigger than I initially imagined. (This was a gift so I knew nothing about the company.)

When I looked them up today I saw lots of teas I would like to try, but I plan to behave and not order anything for myself for a while. I may order a few teas for gift giving, though.

This is so smooth and the fruit flavor is fresh and full. It is very good hot and at iced. I had it both ways today. As a summer refresher pitcher, it is really delightful, but it is very welcome as a hot breakfast tea as well.

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A lovely little matcha, mostly consumed in lattes.

January Sipdown Prompt – a winter inspired blend

Not a sipdown, but it will be soon. This is my second pouch of White Christmas. I would probably repurchase it in future when the cupboard is lower, especially since Ashman likes it and it is good both plain and as a latte. I find it nearly identical to their blend called Cookie.

It steeps up rather dark and resteeps well for combining the two steeps, my frequent technique for economy. This has deep, nutty flavor and works wonderfully as a breakfast tea even with sweet waffles and syrup. The CTC powers right through and it is nicely brisk.

Sipdown

As good cold as I thought it would be! Fresh tasting green base with noticeable tea flavor that is not buried by the tropical fruit flavor. This is chilled, not cold steeped, but I would like to give cold steeping this one a try someday!