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This is a “Say it isn’t so!” sipdown :(

I’ve been hanging on to the last bit of this honeybush because I couldn’t bear to see it gone from my cupboard. But today I was searching for an oldie but a goodie, and this one fit the bill perfectly. As with most honeybush blends I brew this one strong and for a long time. It’s nice as a hot tea, but I find that the flavors come out even more when it cools. When I had an upset stomach, I enjoyed a splash of this honeybush with club soda. Goodbye old faithful, I hope to see you soon

I’m surprised how well this one did in my travel mug and thermos today. It was a lovely hot tea, but it was also nicely refreshing when it cooled down. I kind of want to try it iced, but part of me fears that it might be a tad too light a tea for that. I somehow didn’t get any bitterness at all this time, so I must have gotten the steep time, the temperature, and the amount of leaf just right. I really do love my black teas, but it’s still kind of nice to throw a light tea like this one in there every once in a while.

Today the weather warmed up a little earlier in the day than it was doing last week. I’m tempted to brew up some iced tea for tomorrow. I’m not sure what it is but I really don’t like drinking cold tea in my travel mug. If I want to take it out with me, I have to put it in a bottle, otherwise I have to just drink it at home in a glass. Of course my reusable bottles are packed up somewhere in a box for the duration of the reno, and I don’t think I’ll find it until we move back into our home in September. Hmmm…do I go out and buy another one, or just sit tight and hope I run across the right box?…cue the Jeopardy theme…

The weather hasn’t been cooperating with me. I made this a few days ago and I set it in my fridge to cool for the next morning. But these past few mornings have been a little cool which have enticed me to have hot tea instead(thus the delay in consuming this tea). By time the sun comes out, it’s usually nearing my caffeine consumption cut-off time, and I just want to resteep the hot tea that I had been drinking.

Today is another cool-ish morning but I decided to just put a sweater on and go for it. I guarantee that I would appreciate the refreshing nature of this iced tea much more if it were a little warmer out. The black base is what I can taste the most with this tea, but the berry taste is definitely present in a complimentary way. It’s nice that it tastes like actual berries, rather than the chemical imitation. I saved the teabag, because it looks to have quite a bit of oomph left, but since I’ve been waiting so long to drink this first batch, I’m not sure how long the teabag will keep. Will it go bad? Will it make me sick? hmm…should I venture to play a little game of teabag roulette?

I enjoy iced tea, but I’m a little new to all the various methods of brewing, so I particularly appreciate the brewing instructions included on the packaging for this tea. I haven’t made iced tea for years (I think I was a teenager when I last made iced tea), and when I did, it was always did it the same way:
-Brew a strong tea in teapot (I used a loose leaf vanilla tea from Mauritius)
-strain tea into jug while still hot
-add ridiculous amounts of sugar
-Chill in fridge
- Squeeze a lemon slice or two into it
-Enjoy with a smile as if to say “look, I still have all my teeth even though I’m basically drinking sugar with a little bit of tea in it”

So I’m still a little odd with my iced tea. With hot tea, usually enjoy it black, and I rarely add anything to any of them. But when it comes to iced tea I have to force myself to drink it without any sweeteners. What’s that about? I figured if there was a way to get me to enjoy iced teas without the added sweeteners 52teas would be the perfect option to get me started. So far, it’s not bad but I think it’s going to take some time to kick the sugar habit. It’s that first sip that makes me think…something is missing. But it’s better for me to miss the sugar now than for me to miss my teeth later :D

Oh look at that, now the sun’s coming out!

I’m finishing off the last of this honeybush today. It’s tasty, but personally I like it best when I brew it a little on the strong side – heap the leaves in there and leave it steeping. I have to keep this tealog short so I can get back to researching mattresses. I had no idea there were so many options!

The weather was a little cooler this morning than it has been over the past little while, so I figured I’d go through my Fall try me box to see what tea delights were to be found. And delighted I was! This tastes exactly how an Apple pie tea should taste. The spices are present and complementary, with the apple taste more at the forefront with the black tea base right behind. I think this is going to knock David’s Tea “Big Apple” from my favorite apple tea spot (although that tea has been slowly slipping down my rankings with the more tea I try – there are just so many tasty options out there that seem to be a better value). I think I need to explore Apple teas a little more, it seems that there may be plenty of gems out there that I have yet to discover.

I used my typical black tea method, of heating the water until it is hot, not boiling (I was able to blow on it and sip it slowly right after it had brewed). The tea may have come out a little lighter than I intended because I may have poured it right at the 3 minute mark…o.k. I’ll admit it! The tea smelled so darn good and I was thirsty so I had a classic case of tea impatience…impateaence, if you will.

The resteep was also lovely. I did notice a touch of bitterness as the tea cooled, but it was still good. The bitterness was almost like the taste I associate with accidentally biting into an apple seed when eating an apple…a little distracting, but it still doesn’t ruin the experience for me as a whole. I have a bit of leaf remaining, so I hope I’ll be able to consistently get such good results from this tea. So far it looks like it’s a candidate for my reorder list.

Slowly but surely I’m rediscovering my love for genmaicha, but it still has a long way to go until I would compare it with a good black tea (for me at least). I enjoy the cherry aspect in this, it goes nicely with the genmaicha base. I drank this while doing some return to work wardrobe shopping. I finally found what I hope will be my perfect work shoes…and they were on sale!

The smell of this seemed a bit oversweet, so I was cringing as I took my first sip of this tea. But I quickly found out that it tastes pretty good– it really was like vanilla birthday cake. You know, those sheet cakes with about a half inch of icing that usually has things like icing balloons or icing rosettes across the front. Don’t get me wrong this is a sweet rooibos, but I think it’s one of the better ones I’ve had from David’s Tea. I wouldn’t keep in stocked in my cupboard, but I’d probably repurchase it on occasion.

I must say, the greasy film this tea leaves on my mug is a bit of a turn off, but it’s not a huge deal for me.

On the flip-side, when I read that the ingredients include freeze dried ice cream bits, I said “cool! Astronaut food” I was instantly 12 years old again.

I can’t say the word Astronaut without thinking “Astronaut Mike Dexter”

Whoa! Random thoughts…I think I’m overtired…off too bed

Hmmm…so this is one of those weird teas that I really have to be in the mood for. If I’m feelin’ a lemon dessert tea then this would be an obvious choice, but the reality is, lemon dessert is never my first choice of flavors. In a previous tealog I said that I’d reorder this one, but I’ve since found other caffeine free options that I prefer for my flavor preferences. If you enjoy the taste and smell of lemon cake, lemon essence, or lemon extract, then you will likely enjoy this tea much more than I did.

I had a hard time getting the room to a comfortable temperature last night, so I didn’t get the best sleep. I decided a good black tea was just what I needed when the alarm clock went off this morning. It’s a bold black tea with a nicely balanced strawberries and cream flavor. I’m using it less and less because I don’t want to run out of it – The horror! I have my fingers crossed that there will be a reblend before my package is empty. (What do you say Frank? Reblend? Do it! Do it! Do it! But you know…no pressure)

Today was my second day at work, and my coworkers organized a little meeting to officially introduce me to the team. It was nice to learn about everyone’s background and they even brought pie and ice cream to share. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more welcome at a new job :)

This is good as a hot tea, but even better iced, the flavors just pop with the freshness of the pineapple and the creaminess of coconut. This has become an absolute spring and summer staple for my tea cupboard. This is quite impressive considering I’m a little picky about both pineapple and coconut as tea/tisane ingredients.

It’s sweet and satisfying, I already finished at least one pouch of this and I just opened this new pouch, but I’m glad I threw another pouch into my latest order. I should be set for the upcoming warm summer nights (assuming Frank will continue to keep coming up with more honeybush options to supplement my cupboard as I drink it down). Thank goodness for honeybush –I love that I can drink them anytime. They top my list of most consumed type of tea/tisane, although if it weren’t for the caffeine issue, I’d probably say black tea would be able to beat it on the basis of preferred taste. It’s funny that when I started on Steepster a mere 10-11ish months ago, my favorites were greens and whites.