Simpson & Vail

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Recent Tasting Notes

Had this morning, but Steepster was taking FOREVER so I didn’t log it. It was tasty, overleafed and drunk with honey.

Not a favourite, but tasty all the same.

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

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Today I’m having this with my coconut-egg creamer of weirdness.

It’s pretty good. Better with regular milk though. Or commercial coconut milk creamer. Mostly because the toffee comes through better.

I need ALL the caffeine. All of it. But not coffee because I had coffee yesterday and my tummy was so angry.

caile

Hopefully this helps you feel better! :-)

OMGsrsly

Moar caffeine… moar! (This is a terrible refrain to have. A late start this morning, and then super early starts the next two days. Oops?)

caile

Ack.. early starts.

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Overleafed and steeped for 2 minutes = amazing toffee tea. I added a little honey and cream.

Mmm.

Hope it goes well with my gingerbread cake!
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/12/gingerbread-snacking-cake/

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Sil

MY cake! copy cat!

OMGsrsly

No, it’s my cake!

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I need to preface this by saying I don’t like it nearly as much as the Gingerbread.

This tea brews up very light, and IMO makes a better afternoon or early evening tea. And as strong as it smells, the flavour does not come through nearly as much as I had hoped based on the other tea I tried.

So while it’s a decent tea, it’s not a favourite. Gingerbread is a favourite.

I ended up adding a little milk and sugar to this. The second steep is OK, but there’s even less Toffee flavour.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
MissB

Aw, boo. Well, good to know so that I can figure out which ones to try first! Heh.

OMGsrsly

Markup isn’t working, brb.

OMGsrsly

I was expecting TOFFEEEEEE and got toffee. :)

TeaBrat

I agree this is a little light on the flavor

OMGsrsly

I’ll have to try overleafing it. :) See how that changes my impression.

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This one did get to cold brew for 12 hours. After I put this one in the fridge I thought to myself I should’ve perhaps cold brewed it in soda water, but that will be next time.

This one turned out quite well. I would say the root beer flavour is more apparent as a cold brew. And I have a feeling, brewed in soda water would be like some sort of healthier root beer. Interesting.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
VariaTEA

I am glad you found a way to bring out the root beer flavor with this one.

Jennkay

Have you cold brewed in soda water before? I was thinking about it, and wouldn’t it lose some of its fizziness by the time the tea was steeped?

Courtney

I actually put some in just a couple hours ago in soda water. The soda water was part way flat as it was though, so I don’t have the highest hopes. If it turns out significantly different, I’ll write up a note. :)

Suziqzer

I need to try this one cold brewed for my son, who loves root beer. He does enjoy it hot brewed as well though.. close enough to rootbeer for him.

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I couldn’t decide what to have and my S&V teas have been neglected lately, so I chose this one. The scent is so root beer-like it’s amazing. The taste less so, but still I really enjoy this one.

My next exam is 9am tomorrow, so it will be a full night of studying. But each exam down, is one step closer to Vancouver!

mrs.stenhouse12

Good luck on all your tests! They will be over in no time :)

scribbles

Good luck!

CHAroma

Good luck!

VariaTEA

You can do it!!!

OMGsrsly

Woohoo! (Umm. For finishing exams and Vancouver, obviously… :) )

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Having this lovely tea as a bit of a pick-me-up. I took a break to throw ingredients in the crockpot for chicken tortilla soup, but I’m back to work here now. I feel like I managed to get a substantial amount done today. I still have a good hour to get some more done too, before I start falling asleep at my computer.

I keep this tea in a plastic bag, inside a tin to keep the scent from leeching out. The scent is wonderful, and so very root beer-esque, but not all my teas need to smell like that! I think S&V teas lose their potency a little quicker than other teas, but they all start out incredibly potent smelling, so I don’t really mind.

Kat_Maria

Chicken tortilla soup! * drools*

Hello.Kiki

The bag inside the tin is a good idea!

Courtney

Kat_Maria the crockpot is the best too, just throw it in and forget about it!

Hello.Kiki it’s the scent definitely seeps through the bag, but I’m hoping when I perhaps clean that tin out it’ll be easier since the leaves never actually touch it hah. :)

OMGsrsly

I’ve started putting sandwich bags inside my tins. It does make cleanup much easier!

Lynxiebrat

lol…my problem with that is that then you can’t fit as much tea inside! what kind of bags? like cheap and thin sandwich bags?

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I’m really enjoying this tea. The smell was awesomely root beer. I don’t enjoy pop at all, the carbonation makes me eyes water bleh, but this is delightful instead!

The root beer scent is much stronger than the flavour once it’s brewed, but it really is a nice addition to the black base. I don’t generally do black teas cold, but this one may be in order.

Thanks MissB for letting me in on the S&V order :)

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
OMGsrsly

Ooo. I didn’t actually look at everything, and just grabbed the two teas I had on my shopping list. :) I’ll have to keep this one in mind!

Courtney

I can send some of you’d like to try it out :)

OMGsrsly

No, that’s ok! Thank you for the offer, but I have WAY too many teas right now. :)

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Mmm, sipdown!

If I get a chance I’m definitely getting more.

It’s turned into more of a delicious spiced cake flavour, especially with cream. With some molasses (not enough!) and a bit of gingery warmth. So good, especially since our mornings have a bit of a chill to them now.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec 3 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML
Cameron B.

Yum yum yum! :D

OMGsrsly

Exactly!

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Sadness! This one is almost gone. :(

Oh well. It’s delightful, and I know I need to get more if I or anyone close by does a S&V order. :)

Also, meet my cat!
http://omgsrslyfolks.tumblr.com/post/88975034566/oh-cats-meet-princess-shadow-destroyer-of-knit

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
yyz

Cute!

Courtney

She’s awesome! And beautiful. :)

OMGsrsly

Haha. He (I know!) is a rescue I’ve had for a few years. Poor beast is an old man with really bad arthritis. So I got him a distraction. :)

gmathis

Tazo does that same shred-it-with-the-back-paws move! Have you tried a feather on a string for entertainment yet?

Veronica

I recently found out that the back paw move is how cats kill their prey. It will break the neck of a bird or mouse. That poor knit mouse didn’t even see it coming. :)

Courtney

Eep sorry for the gender mix-up!

TheTeaFairy

Adorable!!

OMGsrsly

Lol. No worries about gender. :) He LOVES feathers and I have a couple sticks/strings with feathers. He also has a fuzzy ball with feathers that I’m constantly finding stuck under things.

TeaBrat

I want more of this too… sigh

OMGsrsly

Last I checked it was still on their website! Doesn’t help with a no-buy though.

TeaBrat

I know it’s there… just trying to resist it ;-)

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Good this morning, but slightly over steeped. It was a bit dry, even though the flavour was there.

The heat was off in my building again this morning, so I am dressed ridiculously in a 2-sizes-too-big jacket that is pinned smaller. Because it will probably rain and my down shouldn’t get wet. Brrrr. (This is gonna make my next tea seem weird.)

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Holy. Moley.

This tea is GINGERBREAD.

Delicious without sugar or milk, even. The base is nice and strong, and a good backbone for the flavours, but it’s not bitter or too astringent.

Then I added some milk and a small bit of sugar, and OMG, it’s even better.

GINGERBREAD.

The flavouring is super duper strong, and I can definitely tell it’s flavoured, but somehow I just don’t care.

GINGERBREAD.

I’m drinking it out of a fancy tea cup, too. And setting up my new metallic red ereader, that I got by pre-spending Christmas money. Yep.

I think that this tea needs to air out for a week or two for optimum breadiness.

Thank you SO MUCH, MissB, for functioning as a tea mule. It was lovely to meet you today (we need to go have tea!), and I really appreciate the work you put in to organize all this!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Courtney

I’m so excited for my order to arrive from MissB too. Eeee!

Fjellrev

That is AWESOME because I have some waiting for me at my mom’s.

OMGsrsly

Second steep is good too. I got 2 cloves in my tsp so it’s a little clovey, but if you keep an eye on that you can mitigate the overpowering effects. :)

JustJames

this sounds EXCELLENT. reading this made me happier.

OMGsrsly

Did you get some too? Or did you want some? Or has MissB already packaged some up for you? Also… when are you meeting up next week because I want to come over and see everyone?!

MissB

Heh. The Simpson & Vail stuff – all of it – smells delicious. My kitchen smells like I’ve been baking and making candy all day! I have a huge box here for JustJames, and blanking out if there’s any Gingerbread in there for him… if there isn’t, I’ll put some in.

Sil

yeah only downside to S&V teas – they are SUER strong smelling and will contaminate your other teas in swaps…just be careful of that hahaha

OMGsrsly

Tin foil, Sil. Not just for hats anymore. ;)

Sil

..or windows heh

Yeah just fair warning. I know with our order from ages aago it made my whole house smell…had to lock them down in tins and containers heh

OMGsrsly

I’ve already transferred one into a tin, and am emptying another tin today for the other. :) I only got two, and I’m so pleased with them!

Courtney

Is tin foil the trick? I had to remove the Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake from my cupboard for fear it would “infect” my other teas.

OMGsrsly

If you can’t get hold of odour proof bags, or use tins, then yes. Tin foil works really well. Try to get the thicker stuff or it rips super easily.

Sil

yes tinfoil is great! it’s how i wrap my matcha swaps now…inside a bag then bag into tin foil :)

Fjellrev

Ooh, thanks for the warning, OMG. I love cloves anyway but it sounds like this one is balanced with other stuff too. Don’t want pickled beets in your tea. :p

My mom commented that the parcel was quite strongly scented, especially the root beer. Tinfoil it is!

MissB

Root beer is probably the most strongly scented one, that I can tell. The (beautiful!) paper bags don’t do a good job of keeping the smell contained, however after having my stuff here next to me for a day or two now, I’ve noticed the smells have dissipated. I will however have to pack these all up well in tins and whatnot. Already thinking of ordering more, especially the candy cane, which is just available for a limited time.

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93

Hm. After a good scrub, my teas are still tasting weak to me. Perhaps I’m coming down with something – again? Geesh.

This is tasting thin and less lovely than normal, although I am getting more carrot out of the blend this time than any other time. Also a sipdown, which is sad, because I think I forgot to grab more of this when I ordered the other day.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 30 sec
Yvonne

Oh no – I hope you aren’t getting sick again. :(

OMGsrsly

Aww. It could be that you’re still recovering. Sometimes it take a few more days for everything to taste “normal”.

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93

Also tasting off, and almost a sipdown, so I’m going to go clean out the kettle really well right now, as well as my cups, and see if I can figure out what’s what.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 8 min or more
Courtney

I hope the cleaning fixes everything :)

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93

The aftertaste when this cools really is so similar to a carrot cake muffin with icing on top, that I looked around about 30 minutes after finishing this last night, to see where the rest of the cake was!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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93

I get more icing than cupcake in here when I sweeten it, yet it’s still really delicious, and definitely a carrot cake. Yum!

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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93

Oversteeped this one too, and it’s better around the 5-10 minute mark, as opposed to the 23 minute mark. Just sayin’.

Still creamy, however it’s lost the carrot cake spices and bready feel.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more

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93

Maybe I received a reblend, or perhaps adding some sweetener is the way to go with this tea. I’m unsure as to why my rating and enjoyment of this is so much higher than other’s experiences, and that makes me a touch sad. Because this is an excellent tea, and tastes just like a carrot cake cupcake, complete with vanilla icing on top. Maybe even cream cheese icing, depending on the sip. The spices all meld together well… very cake/cupcake-like, and definitely carrot cake. On my must-have-in-stock list now, which again, surprises me considering the low ratings from quite a few others.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Fjellrev

Is the base really strong?

OMGsrsly

Green rooibos? Green rooibos > red.

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92

I have so much of this that I forget about it, because it’s sitting in a HUGE tin parked under my tea bags and sweetener. So today I pulled it out, because gosh darn it, it’s yummy for when I want something with zero caffeine. A bit too sweet today though, even though the creamy candy cane part was delish.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Suziqzer

Gpod to know an old favorite can still hold it’s own.

TeaBrat

I bet this won’t go bad anytime soon :)

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92

Wow, it sure does take a while to get through a pound of tea, especially one that’s so light and fluffy… just sayin’.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
JustJames

yup! i still have some from our black friday buy that look like i haven’t touched them, lol.

Kaylee

You bought a pound of this? I mean, it’s good, but a pound?

MissB

Ha! I know right? I was told it was limited edition, so I wanted enough for the year for me and my kidlets. It was surprisingly inexpensive.

JustJames

fruits d’alsace…. it doesn’t matter how much i drink. the amount stays the same!!!! i like it but come on!

Suziqzer

I imagine that a pound of this one would last forever!

Suziqzer

Just so light and fluffy

MissB

Oh, don’t get me started about Paris and Fruits d’Alsace. I only tried Paris today!

Suziqzer

I need a bottomless tea tin too! Lol… Sounds like fun.

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92

Ah, yummy Candy Cane. I’m so glad that I bought a pound of you to enjoy whenever I want – I just need to remember you’re there in that huge tin, underneath my other teas-to-drink.

1.5 tsp in 12 oz.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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92

So very excited to pick more of this up at the border later this week or early next, as this is a sipdown! (For now). I grabbed a pound, which sounds ridiculous, however I want it to last until Winter 2014 so that I can order more, then.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 45 sec

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92

As delicious as I find this one, it also seems to work as a great tummy tamer. Yay for dual duty teas!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
VariaTEA

Yay! You make me really want to try this one out. This, Lemon Meringue by Tealish, and Caramel Pu’erh by Tea Desire. You keep drinking them and writing such delicious subscriptions. haha. I am glad you are enjoying your teas :)

MissB

Ah, I just re-opened the bag for you, put others in it, and closed it again… I may just have to open it again and add these now, too. :P

VariaTEA

No, no, no. I am not asking for teas. You are far too generous!!

Suziqzer

Sounds yummy… Probably because a fav of mine right now is also a peppermint with candy cane in the name. Maybe I’m still reminiscing about Christmas. :)

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92

A pound of this is on it’s way to me. That’s how much I love this. Soon to be a sipdown, unless the package beats me! Also finding that oversteeping makes it less yummy, and I like it better with just a hint of sweetener (stevia).

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 15 sec
Fjellrev

Gee, someone likes this tea haha. I regret not picking it up with my order but I’ll definitely do so next time.

OMGsrsly

1lb is a lot of tea. :)

MissB

It’s so cheap, and only available until early January… I wanted it to last the year. :P

OMGsrsly

Ahh. I might do something similar with Gingerbread. It’s about half gone already.

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