Bird & Blend Tea Co.

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Recent Tasting Notes

97

Backlog:

For real? I’m the first one to review this tea here? Can’t be real.

Anyway, I was thrilled to be able to try this tea because I love me some Earl Grey, and this is an awesome Earl Grey. AWESOME! I love the blend of teas used – it provides a solid backdrop of flavor that’s rich, robust and full of gusto. And even better, the bergamot doesn’t wimp out in the presence of the black tea power. This is the kind of Earl Grey that I’m more than happy to start the day with – any time!

I love this tea. Since my favorite Earl Grey is no longer being sold (at least not by the company that used to sell it) this may now be my favorite Earl Grey. It would be difficult to say. I’ve had a lot of amazing Earl Grey teas. But this one definitely has earned a spot in the upper echelon.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/09/05/new-house-blend-black-tea-from-bluebird-tea-co/

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85

Sipdown! (4 | 220)

I’ve been feeling compelled to go through and finish off some of my Bird & Blend teas lately, because they’re mostly pretty old and even though I love them, I never reach for them. Poor neglected teas!

I actually like this one even more than I remember. That milk oolong base just really adds something, it makes it taste buttery and almost white chocolatey, like peppermint bark. And of course, it adds a rich, silky texture that gives it even more of a decadent feel. This last cuppa is a bit heavy on the herbaceous mint, but I chalk that up to the dust at the bottom of the tin.

Definitely a reorder for me, maybe if B&B has some Strawberry & Nutella Pancakes for their boxing day sale I’ll try to go for the free shipping threshold. We’ll see! I did set aside one serving of this for my DIY advent calendar, because I think it’s perfect for the holiday season! :D

Flavors: Butter, Cream, Creamy, Mint, Peppermint, Smooth, Sweet, White Chocolate

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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85

I pulled this one out to try because I’m planning to send some in a swap and since it’s rather old (like the majority of my teas) I wanted to check on it. Peppermint leaf can sometimes get a little funky over time in my experience. Luckily, this smells minty and yummy.

Still very tasty. I think I got a little too much mint and too little oolong in this scoop, so the milky oolong notes are somewhat subdued, but still there. I love how the cacao in this tea tastes a little toasty, it reminds me of roasted nuts and it’s lovely. The peppermint leaf is (happily) still tasting fine, even if there is a little bit too much in this cup. I can taste the creamy white chocolate notes of the oolong underneath, and it’s adding its lovely silky texture to the mix as well.

Yummy. I’m sure this has lost some luster over the past couple of years, but it’s still creamy and tasty and I’ll have no issue finishing off the rest. :)

Flavors: Cocoa, Cream, Herbs, Peppermint, Roasted Nuts, Smooth, Sweet, White Chocolate

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Courtney

Yum! So excited to try this one! It’s been in my B&B cart, but how nice to be able to test it out first!

Cameron B.

Yay tea frens! :D

derk

Mmm, yes.

Mastress Alita

This has always been one of my B&B favorites.

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85

Home – 7:00 PM

Ugh, being sick is the worst. So much sniffling and sneezing and blowing my nose and headaching… At least this cold seems to be passing quickly, I just caught it yesterday and it already seems on the way out.

We ordered a refrigerator and washer/dryer for our new house, though. Yay! We’ve been dealing with very sub-par appliances in our current rental house, so brand spanking new ones will be a nice change. Although really that’s the case with most things – the poor quality of our rental house is probably one of the main reasons we ended up building a brand new home instead of buying an existing one…

Anyway, the tea. I love this one from B&B – in fact, I just ordered a 50g pouch the other day. It makes me think of peppermint bark, though without the dark chocolate layer. The milk oolong really does taste like white chocolate with its creamy and buttery notes.

Really I would probably prefer peppermint flavoring to the dried peppermint leaf, but it’s still mighty tasty as-is.

Flavors: Butter, Cream, Peppermint, Smooth, Sweet, White Chocolate

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Kawaii433

Aw, feel better soon, Cameron!

Mastress Alita

My migraines have been awful too, being sick is the worst! Get better! I agree this tea is one of the best!

lizwykys

Ooh, I’m going to have to try this one! Hope you’re already feeling better, C; sick at Christmas sucks.

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85

Home – 10:30 PM

Yes, I’m having a caffeinated tea at 10:30 PM. I can’t help it, too many exciting Bird & Blend teas to try! I figured oolong shouldn’t be too high in caffeine, plus this has a lot of peppermint leaves mixed in so it’s a bit less tea per spoon anyway.

Okay, you guys… There is no way this isn’t a flavored milk oolong. It smells like sweetened condensed milk and tastes like white chocolate… Flavoring isn’t mentioned in the ingredients, but I’m wondering if it’s already included in the milk oolong base.

Anyway, I’m loving this one. It almost reminds me of peppermint bark, but with a milder and more herbal peppermint flavor. It’s creamy and buttery with an almost vanilla taste. I do also taste a bit of mild floral from the oolong, but it’s light enough to not disrupt the overall flavor. I’m not sure whether I’m getting any flavor from the cacao nibs or not… The peppermint leaves a nice refreshing, cooling aftertaste on the tongue.

Love it! The only thing I would change would be to perhaps have a slightly higher ratio of oolong to dried peppermint leaf. But it’s still really tasty as-is!

P.S. – I’ve never had a peppermint cream. I really want to try making some now – maybe I will for the holidays!

Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Floral, Herbaceous, Peppermint, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla, White Chocolate

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
derk

This looks like a peppermint cream-type tea I would try. I see lots of reviews for this kind of tea from, say, DAVIDs but they usually have chunks of white/chocolate which I want to avoid.

Mastress Alita

This tea is one of my all-time favorites~

Cameron B.

I’m surprised a lot of the other notes on it mention not tasting the cream aspect at all! It made me wonder if they changed the formula or something…

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85

Another one from Bluebird! This was one that I didn’t necessarily pick out, but ended up splitting with someone else who wanted it (I got 10g). I have been liking mint teas more and more lately though, so I’m glad I ended up with a sample. This is another blend that has barely any tea in it. There are only a few pellets of oolong mixed with a lot of crushed peppermint and cacao shell. Dry scent is pepperminty with sweet and creamy notes, and I can smell a touch of cocoa. Recommended steep was 3 minutes, but I went for 4 since there’s so little oolong anyway.

Hmm… At the beginning of the sip, the first thing I taste is roasty cacao. It quickly gives way to strong peppermint, and it has an unfortunate mineral/sour/musty note to it that makes me sad. Not sure if that would be improved by a shorter steep or not, but I’ll definitely try the recommended steep next time. I don’t taste the oolong at all, which is what I expect given the scarcity of the pellets. It does, however, take on the thick texture of a green oolong, and there’s a touch of creaminess. I would be very happy with this tea if it weren’t for the weird wet rag peppermint taste. :( Withholding rating until I try it again.

Flavors: Cocoa, Creamy, Metallic, Musty, Peppermint, Thick

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

Time to get back to trying my teas from the Bluebird Tea Co. group order! This tea is based on the English dessert, which is some combination of pastry, jam, and almond filling. Yum! This blend doesn’t have much actual tea in it. I can see some silver needles, but there are a ton of fuchsia flower petals along with apple, rose hip, hibiscus, almond, and a couple dried cherry pieces. Dry scent is sweet/tart cherry candy and marzipan.

I must say, the color of the steeped tea is quite lovely. It’s a beautiful transparent combination of orange, red, and pink and it reminds me of a glowing gemstone. Hmm… I’m honestly somewhat disappointed with this one. It just generally tastes weak. I can taste the hibiscus/rose hips along with tart dried cherry and just a little bit of marzipan near the end and in the aftertaste. Definitely no white tea at all. Overall, it’s kind of just a weak, tart tea. The cherry flavor redeems it a bit, but not much.

Flavors: Cherry, Hibiscus, Marzipan, Rosehips, Tart

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Fjellrev

This sounds like such a wonderful combination. Are you going to try to cold brew it?

Cameron B.

I don’t generally make cold brews or iced teas… :(

Fjellrev

Aww that’s too bad. Just not your thing?

Cameron B.

I might just try it with this one anyway, since it’s a bit tart for me when it’s hot.

Fjellrev

Yeah, I’m not a fan of hibiscus hot. It’s so thick and tart, ech.

Cameron B.

I’m just not a fan in general, unless it’s really faint or sweetened. Boo hiss hibiscus!

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88

Additional notes: Finishing up my five year old sample from Steepster’s group order split and I’m simply amazed at how lovely the flavor of this STILL is. Wow. I would think at least the coffee would go bad! It hasn’t. It’s smooth, spicy, sweet. And I’m loving it despite the 100 degree day I drank it on (in air conditioning anyway.) It’s so delicious. I used a little over a heaping teaspoon. Very cool water on the first steep. It’s very calming and comforting. I’m not sure I like when a sipdown is extra special, making me want to stock up all over again.
2019 Sipdowns: 56

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88

Additional notes: Even though I basically wait around until B&B has free shipping for international drinkers, I stayed strong and didn’t buy any tea this time around. Basically what kept me strong was thinking of all the kind Steepsterers who have sent me tea, especially this year (or late last year). So thanks for keeping me strong, tea buds. :D I REALLY hope this is a free shipping event that pops up every year though. The teas I love more are limited or seasonal, so that also factored. But I don’t think their ‘permanent wall’ teas are ever really on sale… so free shipping might be the only discount available to the permanent teas. Next time!
I was revisiting this one, somehow this has more flavor when I waited to steep after the water cooled for around 18 minutes and used a teaspoon and a half. I can’t imagine a half teaspoon would make that much of a difference, but somehow it did. (However, the new base might be stronger.) So many lovely flavors mingling. Sipdown next time.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 minute steep

Roswell Strange

Apart from some of the matchas, the only year round tea that I really adore from them is the Rhubarb + Cuastard rooibos. I bit with this sale though and got some Easter teas, the Purple Rain (because I am so intrigued by violet teas right now), and a new matcha…

tea-sipper

I love Rhubarb & Custard too. One of my favorites. I’m glad a few Steepsterers are supporting B&B during my tea buying hiatus. :D

Arby

I’m so tempted to order from B&B but I can’t justify the price. It would be at least $140 CAD (75 British pounds) and there is no point making an order of just a few things when you are paying shipping anyway. Oof I wish they included their seasonal/limited options in their pick and mix 10 pack.

tea-sipper

But you missed the free shipping to the world, Arby. And I’m always suggesting group orders.. you can do a group order with Canadians. :D

Kittenna

@Roswell – we totally should have coordinated. I got Easter teas too, which I definitely did not need 50g each of!

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88

Thank you so much QueenofTarts for doing such a perfect job splitting up the Bluebird order! And thank you to everyone in the order for doing such a good job deciding. The order couldn’t have worked better for me… I get to try almost everything I wanted to try!

First tasting note for this blend — it’s a shame as I know it has been available for a while. This blend sounded like such a nice combination: coffee, chocolate, chai. I noticed plenty of coffee beans but now that I’m not tasting much chocolate, I realize I didn’t notice any chocolate ingredients. I wish they had used cocoa shells! There is definitely something ‘mocha’ about it… not that I’m accustomed to drinking those sorts of things but it tastes like an additional coffee flavoring was added… I don’t think it could just be the coffee beans. The black tea that Bluebird uses isn’t as strong as I’d like it, but I like the blend anyway. Tasty, sweet, coffee with hints of spice… a nice combination indeed. Did it meet my expectations? On the coffee/mocha level, definitely… but it didn’t seem to match up in flavor when it came to the chocolate, spices, or black tea.
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // couple minutes after boiling // 4-5 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 min

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80

This was one of the smaller samples I got in the Bluebird Tea Co. group order. It’s not something I would have chosen on my own, though I do like strawberry and chocolate. The rose, on the other hand, is not one of my favorites, so hopefully it’s not overly strong in this blend. There are cute heart-shaped sprinkles mixed in with the tea, dried strawberry, rose petals, and pieces of crushed cacao shell. Dry scent is sweet and creamy chocolate with strawberry.

I actually quite like this, even though I can taste the rose involved. It blends quite nicely with the strawberry, and together they are almost like one cohesive flavor. The chocolate is definitely present, though it’s darker and more bitter than I expected. It’s a nice counterpoint to the sweeter, fruitier strawberry/rose. This one would definitely be delicious with milk and sugar added.

Flavors: Bitter, Dark Chocolate, Rose, Strawberry

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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All I’m getting from this tea is smoke and maybe a hint of burnt sugar.

I’m not sure if it’s because it has a “best by” date in 2019, or if I’m just not a fan.

Either way, meh.

Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Smoke

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Rosehips

I didn’t care for this one either! It’s too bad, it sounded like such a tasty idea.

Cameron B.

It needed a lot more apple in my opinion!

tea-sipper

My MUCH older Bonfire toffee has a ton of flavor, so maybe you just had a bad batch?

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Work – 11:00 AM

So I underleafed this one. The dry leaf smells super smoky, so I was afraid of it being too strong and used a bit less leaf than I normally would. It’s not super weak, but it could definitely be stronger. The smoke is much less potent in the brewed cup.

So I’m not really getting apple, but that could be my fault. There’s definitely dark caramel – the burnt sugar sort of deal. The base tea is smoky but not overly so, since it’s a blend of smoked and unsmoked teas.

This one would be a great candidate for some maple syrup, boychik style. Maybe next time I’ll make this at home with more leaf and a drop of maple.

Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Caramel, Cinnamon, Smoke, Sweet, Wood

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Yay, another one from the Bluebird Tea Co. group order! Honestly I don’t even remember what flavors this tea is supposed to contain, heh. Just poking around in the dry leaf, I see some dried apples and a few of those lame caramel cubes, along with possibly cinnamon bark and some decorative red flower petals. It smells deliciously caramel appley!

Yum, I quite like this one! There’s just a little bit of smoky character (I assume from some lapsang) and it goes very nicely with the burnt sugar, toffee, and sweet apple flavors. I’m also getting some mellow wood and malt notes from the base tea. Perhaps there’s a little hint of cinnamon here as well. Overall, yums! I’m really liking Bluebird so far.

Edit: Forgot to mention that this was the inaugural run for my new Christmas mug from Target! http://instagram.com/p/vwF4hrGgPI/

Flavors: Burnt Sugar, Cinnamon, Malt, Red Apple, Smoke, Toffee, Wood

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
tea-sipper

Glad you like this one and Bluebird so far!

boychik

I don’t think the link is working ;(.

Cameron B.

Yeah, apparently it didn’t like being italicized. :P

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80

Another tea from the Bluebird order! This one was definitely a total wildcard on my part, as I have such little experience with maté and absolutely none with chicory. But for some reason I kept going back to it, so I figured I might as well get some and try it out. I know chicory is often used as a sort of substitute for coffee, so I figured it would mostly likely be roasted and possibly somewhat bitter. I will say, my 25 grams of this tea has one tiny piece of freeze-dried raspberry in it. So, either the packet of this tea didn’t have ample raspberries or someone else got all of them when it was divided up. I’m hoping this doesn’t have a ton of impact on the flavor… Another thing, the ingredients lists only roasted maté, but mine appears to be a mix of both green and roasted (unless the crumbled green leaf is something else). Dry, it smells very much like sniffing a giant roasted nut of some kind, possibly cashew.

I admit it, I actually made this twice. The first time I steeped it for 5 minutes and it was super bitter. I figured I should give it another chance before writing any kind of note (although the directions did say 4+ minutes). This time I stuck to 4 minutes, and thankfully it’s not quite as bitter (although it still has bitterness to it). I’m assuming the bitter quality is just a part of the chicory and I’m not still brewing it incorrectly…

Overall, the taste is also similar to roasted nuts, and definitely a creamy and fleshy nut like a cashew or macadamia. There is a fair amount of bitter (possibly from both the cacao and the chicory) but it doesn’t overpower too badly. I must say, I don’t really taste chocolate at all here. I do, however, taste a strong roasted flavor from both the maté and the chicory, and it’s very nice and slightly reminiscent of coffee. I definitely don’t taste any raspberry at all, or anything close to a fruit taste.

This is definitely an odd one, and I may experiment with even shorter steep times to bring the bitter quality down even further. It would definitely take milk well, though I don’t generally add milk to my teas.

Edit: I forgot to mention that there’s a certain umami quality to this tea that makes it seem very broth-like. It almost reminds me of miso soup! (in a good way :D)

Flavors: Bitter, Broth, Coffee, Creamy, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Umami

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
boychik

careful, mate is very energizing. its better as breakfast option. maybe you are not sensitive ;)

Cameron B.

I guess not… I had another maté earlier today as well and didn’t really notice any difference.

donkeyteaarrrraugh

…it sounds strange…. which is always intriguing…

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Sipdown! (1 | 37)

Yay, first one for February!

I didn’t enjoy this tea as much as I remembered… It’s a bit too clovey for me. I do taste bits of cake, almond, and orange, but the clove is quite strong.

Oh well, I guess now I don’t have to worry about trying to get more, since B&B is pretty inconsistent about which holiday teas they offer from year to year… :P

Flavors: Almond, Cake, Clove, Orange, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Sipdown! (49 | 146)

I don’t generally love almond extract or marzipan type flavors in tea, but here it’s gentle and doesn’t overpower the whole blend. This tea is almost four years old, so I’m sure it’s lost a lot of its flavor, but it still tastes like a yummy gently spiced cake with a sweet almond glaze.

Happily, I have an unopened pouch of this in my cupboard, ready for this holiday season! :)

Flavors: Cake, Cinnamon, Clove, Marzipan, Nutmeg, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 21

I remember really liking this one in the past, but it’s not wowing me today.

I remember it tasting more cakey, but right now I’m just getting some very mild spicing and a hint of almond extract. The base is smooth and earthy.

It’s pleasant, just not very flavorful this time around. Oh well.

Flavors: Almond, Cinnamon, Earth, Marzipan, Smooth, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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After ordering a couple of tea advent calendars to enjoy this December, I’ve been craving Christmasy teas a bit. I admit I’d forgotten about this one until I found it rummaging about in my tea cupboard.

I was worried about its age because it didn’t have much of a scent in the tin. Luckily the steeped tea still has plenty of flavor left!

This tea does a nice job of straddling the line between a spice tea and a dessert tea. There’s a bit of clove-y warmth, but also rich marzipan and creamy cake notes. And just a little bit of sweet orange adds a nice aroma and harmonizes nicely with the spices.

So cozy and comforting for curling up and watching a movie. ❤️

Flavors: Almond, Cake, Clove, Cream, Marzipan, Orange, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
VariaTEA

Which calendars have you bought?!

amandastory516

I love this one!

Cameron B.

@VariaTEA – I’ve been good, only two (so far)! Dammann Frēres and Palais des Thés. Although I did get the jam advent again so… /shrugs

@amandastory – I know! Hopefully they’ll offer it this year so I can restock. :P

Mastress Alita

I know I voted for it in some poll or another through all the B&B e-mails I get as the Christmas tea I most wanted to see return. Hopefully it does well. It’s my favorite as well (I think I snagged some during a rando Christmas in July sale at one point…)

tea-sipper

Ah, the infamous jam advent. :D

Cameron B.

@tea-sipper – Infamous?! I can’t help it if I love jam! :P

tea-sipper

Well, I had no idea there was a jam advent until you were posting about them. haha

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Bird & Blend Tea Advent Calendar – Day 16

So apparently they’re offering this tea for sale for today only… Considering ordering some, but then there’s the whole shipping conundrum. If I keep it under £12, the shipping is £4.80. But I want to order more things… And the shipping just gets worse and worse as you order more, unless I spend $80. UGH. I guess I’ll see how I feel about it after I finish this tea.

I do quite like this one. It’s marzipan-ish, but in a cakey way that makes me think of wedding cake. There’s also orange and spice in this cake, but it’s not overly spiced. There’s definitely a maraschino cherry on top as well.

Ugh, still love this one… Now what to do…

Flavors: Almond, Cake, Cherry, Cinnamon, Clove, Cream, Marzipan, Orange, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 12 OZ / 354 ML
tea-sipper

Psst… they have an awesome Boxing Day sale every year.

Mastress Alita

Oh, this one will be gone by the Boxing Day sale, considering it’s limited stock and only 50g and 150g were both available when I looked from the “secret link” given to the advent calendar folks earlier today, and now, the 50g bags are already gone… The “limited time sale!” stuff on B&B is kinda miserable. Sometimes by the time I wake up and get the “secret links” I find the UK customers have already bought it all out. >_>

tea-sipper

Yep. It’s a great sale when you can grab things you want.

lizwykys

Yep, this one was already sold out when I checked (9:52 AM UK time). Also, it was over £12 because it was being sold in a tin … though I’m not quite sure what secret lists I’m on or not on, so maybe there was a packet option. Anyway, I can’t even get it to show up on the site any longer, to double check. Damn; ghosted by a retail web site! They’re serious about their “ghost” theme here!

Mastress Alita

They were packets, not tins, in 50g and 150g sizes and came through the B&B mailing list with a link to the people who bought the advent calendar a day early. Today there was another link with the “Ghosts” promotion and it seems they put new stock out which is again going incredibly fast. Honestly, they should’ve just made this tea available all holiday season knowing it’s their “best-selling holiday tea”, it’s ridiculous to make people go through a Black Friday frenzy to get a tea.

Kind of makes me a bit thankful I’m on an ordering hiatus for a while, seeing stuff like this…

lizwykys

Yeah, I clicked through from an email promo, saw an image of it in a tin, and figured that’s why the high price (whatever it was; over €20, I think). Clicked around, clicked back and saw “sold out” (which may or may not have been on there the first time), clicked away, then when I went back once again just to check what the exact details were, I couldn’t even get it to show up at all. I agree that it’s a curiously unfriendly marketing plan.

… argh. And now I see I later got yet another email, this time with “Christmas Cake Secret Link!.” Around 6 hours ago. I WAS WORKING, MAN, C’MON. Aaaand of course it doesn’t link to any Christmas Cake now. sigh

I wonder what teas from other brands are similar to this one?

Cameron B.

I did end up ordering 50g (I was in France, so the time zone worked out) along with a couple of other teas. Some of the other upcoming ghosts sound interesting…

lizwykys

ooh, thanks to Mastress Alita for helping me puzzle together a working link, I was able to order this! Excited now.

AJRimmer

Will there be a group order for the boxing day sale? I love a good deal, but I only want to order a few things and would love to reach the free shipping threshold with a little help.

Mastress Alita

I’m not ordering any tea for quite some time, but I will warn that last year, by the time I woke up and got the Boxing Sale e-mail and clicked on it, pretty much EVERYTHING was already sold out by the UK folks who got that e-mail way before I did, considering the difference in timezones. The Boxing Day Sale stuff sells out so fast trying to put together a group order that requires a bunch of people replying over several days? That would be pretty much impossible. Stock was gone within hours… it’s ridiculous.

AJRimmer

Ah, good to know. I guess I’ll just wait to buy from them until I have enough room on my shelf for a big tea order – probably many months, honestly!

tea-sipper

Group orders would probably work best from B&B when it’s the usual prices for teas (so there is no sale teas going out of stock) but when a bunch of people want to sample a little bit of MANY different blends. I think that was what happened with a previous group order from them. Also, the more you buy of each blend, the cheaper the tea is (like splitting a 150 gram amount of a tea among many people would be much cheaper than buying 50grams). And honestly, if you wanted to order $90 worth of tea before the free shipping, shipping would have been at least $15 to the US so that is saving a lot on shipping right there. I DO appreciate the free shipping from B&B but I’d probably never hit the $90 mark on my own. I understand why they have it that high though.

AJRimmer

Hmm maybe I’ll look into doing a group order sometime possibly next summer then. I appreciate the input!

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Home – 7:30 PM

I forgot how much I like this one! It’s one of the few blends I’ve tried that really does taste like cake. Some kind of lovely mild orange spice cake with vanilla drizzle. There’s a bit of almond and maraschino cherry in there as well (so maybe vanilla-almond drizzle and a maraschino cherry on top!). Ugh, I want to eat that cake!

Definitely signing up for the Bird & Blend subscription again. It’s crazy affordable for the quality in my opinion, especially for international shipping. And when I get rooibos blends, I’ll just donate them to my fellow Steepsters. ❤

Definitely need to buy a pouch of this when it comes back for the holidays!

Flavors: Almond, Cake, Cherry, Cinnamon, Cookie, Malt, Orange, Spices, Sweet, Vanilla, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
VariaTEA

I have to try this one. It is hanging out in my stash but don’t think I have had it yet. You make it sound delightful though.

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Yay, I got my portion of the Bluebird group order! Thanks again to QueenOfTarts for organizing the whole thing. I ended up with ten different teas, which sounds like a lot, but the sizes range from 10 to 35 grams so it’s actually not a ton of tea. I’m feeling very pleased with my purchases for the price I paid! All of my lovely new teas are now safe and secure in various small tins that I had sitting empty.

I couldn’t decide which tea I was most excited for, but I ended up choosing this one (partially because of the cute snowflake sprinkles!). I must say, you can tell that all of these teas are blended in-house, mostly because of the range of ingredients included. For instance, this one has large pieces of dried orange peel and cloves, which are more expected, but then it also has a smattering of pine needles! Dry scent is a sweet combination of almond extract, orange, and clove.

Ooh the steeped tea smells fantastic – very sweet and cakey. And it tastes delicious, too! Definitely very cakey with strong almond flavor, a light kiss of orange, and a nice warming undertone of clove. I didn’t even realize there’s stevia in this tea, as you can’t taste it really. There’s a very slight sweet aftertaste if you sit there and think about it, similar to a very mild licorice root. I love it! Very happy to have picked up 35 grams.

Flavors: Almond, Cake, Clove, Orange, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
TeaNecromancer

Teas with sprinkles just make me so happy

Cameron B.

I know, right? It’s so cheerful. I felt the same way when I opened my pouch of Santa’s Secret, it just put a smile on my face instantly. :D

tea-sipper

So glad you like this one too! I can’t wait to get my Bluebird order… should be here on Wednesday! :D

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90

The scent of this blend is so delicious — mint, vanilla, chocolate. It really does smell like mint chocolate ice cream! After water has been added, it smells much more earthy, woody and minty… sharper, almost… but I can still smell the chocolate.

Sipping… the first thing I taste is mint paired with some rooibos. It almost seems like it is going to be too sharp, but it slowly changes into something smooth and creamy. The chocolate flavor itself is subtle, but the creaminess is lovely! This tea has such a nice balance of rooibos and mint. The mint isn’t too overwhelming for someone who isn’t crazy about it. This is really yummy! I would definitely repurchase this in the future.

tea-sipper

Glad you like it! … And that we split it!

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Backlog:

I was at first a little upset to see hibiscus as one of the ingredients, fortunately, the hibiscus adds relatively little to the blend except for a pretty pinkish hue to the cup which does – admittedly – enhance the “watermelon-ish-ness” of this tea. Fortunately, it doesn’t do much to the flavor (I don’t want an overly tart watermelon tea!) nor the texture (a watermelon tea should be on the light side, I think).

There is some tartness to this, but not just from the hibiscus, but from the lemon-y notes. And I do like the lemon and the watermelon together. The lemon brightens the cup nicely.

A very fruity tea, I like that I can also taste notes of the tea base which is a green and white tea base. It’s light, buttery and fresh tasting. I do think that the tea tends to be more of a background note, and the fruit medley is more focused than the tea. But the flavors are so nice that it’s hard to complain about that.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It’s a little more fruit than it is tea, but it’s a pleasant tasting cuppa. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/08/27/watermelon-splash-tea-blend-from-bluebird-tea-co/

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