Incendiare

Super happy sip down! I cold steeped the rest of my small tin in a jug overnight, and unfortunately, I still taste broccoli tempura.

Sipdown. I’m actually kind of relieved about finally getting through this. I still think it’s one of the few awesome rooibos out there (at least for me since rooibos isn’t my thing) but I kind of got sick of this after a while.

Not sure what my problem is but the smell has made me feel a little queasy the last couple times I had it, but I won’t lower the rating.

Sip down! It feels great. The first cup was so malty, like Ovaltine. Very full-bodied and especially tasty after I added some coconut almond milk.

This second steep is a little weird. The malt is being replaced by a green vegetal note. Yeah, in an Assam. I don’t get it. Like string beans.

At last, my beloved has come back to me. Thanks times a billion for reblending this, Frank!

Oh, does the fresh leaf ever smell tantalizing. You smell blueberries AND creaminess AND flaky crust.

What I’ve always loved about this tea is that you can resteep it and it still has a ton of flavour. I find that many flavoured blacks don’t fare well in this way. And the flaky pastry is even more palpable the second steep around.

So excited that I’m upping the rating to my first 100 EVAR!

Sample courtesy of DTT. Thank you muchly, DTT!

I really like this one. The dry leaf is very heavy on the strawberry. Very tart, like strawberry candy, but in a good way. You just know that there’s going to be a ton of flavour once you smell it.

Steeped, it is pleasantly strawberry-ish. The base is there, fresh and green, but it doesn’t get in the way or go unnoticed at all. It’s a nice balance between the two flavours.

Is there creaminess? Not really, but I don’t really care. I just may order this someday. I bet it would make a killer iced tea.

DTT order #2 has landed. Still searching for the perfect vanilla black.

The smell of the dry tea is a soft, creamy vanilla. It smells like quite a natural vanilla, not at all perfumey or like overpowering factory-made vanilla icing.

But unfortunately, the taste lets me down a little bit. Too much sweetness and not enough vanilla, in my opinion.

I wonder if it would make a good cold brew? Like a sweetened black iced tea. That just may work.

PS: Had a jug of this cold steeped waiting for me this morning and I was right, it’s much better this way. It’s creamier and more flavourful. It tastes like vanilla toffee.

Yeesh, as soon as I cut open the pouch, my heart sank. The dry leaf smells like those cheap orange candies filled with sticky sweet syrup in the middle that you used to pick up at parades when you were a kid. You would think that it would smell realistic, like marmalade, especially since DTT was generous with the orange rind, but I guess not.

Hot, it’s a hot mess. Tastes just like how it smells, like overly sweet artificial orange candy. The second steep was meh, still chemical.

I figured I might as well try this cold-steeped, and so, so glad that I did. It is so much better. It’s still on the artificial side, but at least the bitterness from the orange rind is coming out a bit more and giving this a bit of a boost. Plus it reminds me more of an orange popsicle.

Definitely not a repurchase, but cold-steeping it is from now on.

I decided to stop hoarding this so I’ve been treating myself to it twice a week or so. It sure welcomes spring. I wanted to cold steep a jug of this but that would be a little too costly for me right now, so I stuck a mug of it in the fridge overnight and it was super tasty. Very crisp and refreshing. This works so well both hot and cold.

As some Steepsterites know, either some false advertising went on with this tea or it was just an honest mistake. I’m personally not a fan of smokey teas so the Lapsang souchong surprise isn’t a pleasant one for me. This was also sold as a chocolate EGC, but I don’t really taste any chocolate in this. Yes, there are mini chocolate chips but the smokiness is covering that up.

There is also a fair share of colourful sprinkles and silver dragées, so consequently, you’re left with a reddish-orange skum ring on the surface.

Without any additives, it’s a lighter Lapsang with a weak bergamot note. I added some coconut almond milk in hopes of drowning out the smoke. What it left me with is black forest ham. I’m not even joking. I’m not really a fan of red meat as it is, so a tea that tastes like it is a bonus right there.

Why did this have to happen?

Wow, a sip down already. It took me twenty days to finish this off. So glad I decided to try this with coconut almond milk because it really makes the raisin pop. Would I buy it again? No, but it’s been a tasty treat.

No notes yet.

Yay, it’s a sip down. I really like this one, but it’s nice to make room for all of the Shamrocks & Shenanigans I have coming in.

What a depressing day. I missed my pysanka class today, which is a once-yearly deal, because I’m sick and need to finish a paper for tomorrow. Furthermore, my paper is already three times longer than what it has to be. Why won’t it just die?

This is five thousand times better with coconut milk. Wow. I can actually taste the raisin now! The flavours smoothly meld together and the cinnamon isn’t so 2D. Upping the rating a few notches because it is definitely much more enjoyable to drink.

I’m really curious. Has anyone participated in Earth Hour today?

Let’s get this straight. I’m über picky about chai. Deathfully picky. In my home city, there is this chai bar owner who took six years to perfect his recipes. He imports all his spices from India and they’re packed with flavour, depth, and complexity. So naturally, most stuff I try pales in comparison to his genius.

I figured Verdant would give him a run for his money. Sadly, for me, this chai misses the mark. Not what I would even consider a chai. It’s thin and lacks depth.

Sure, the cardamom is punching you in the face and the marigolds have declared war on said cardamom, but the base is lacking. The ginger is present but blends in almost too much with the marigolds. No chocolate or vanilla.

I’ve had this without any additives, and with a bit of coconut milk and honey. The latter produces better results, but it still lacks depth and complexity.

The second steep brought out the ginger a bit more, maaaybe the chocolate, but there is still an imbalance.

I’m going to have to try subsequent steeps with this sometime. Glad to say I experienced this though.

Why am I sick for the third time this semester? My immune system fails at life.

I’ve had this a few times already but kept putting off gathering my thoughts on it. The dry leaf is creamy and sweet, and it’s great to see some chopped macadamia nuts.

Make sure not to oversteep or overleaf this one because the mulberry leaves give off a dark leafy green flavour which covers up everything else. For me, I prefer this steeped for no longer than three minutes. The liquor can easily turn into a muddled green. Nothing wrong with that, but the more muddled the liquor looks, the more like dark leafy greens this is going to taste, understandably.

The flavours are matched very well. I can detect hints of cocoa butter and macadamia nuts. This is the type of herbal I would ideally reach for when I’d like to cut down on the caffeine. I DO prefer Gold Rush however, as the mulberries themselves unsurprisingly have a more favourable flavour profile, but the price is right on this one.

Aww, it’s a sip down. Although I’m going to miss this one, if this were offered again, I probably wouldn’t spring for another pouch. I’d like more cheesecake, please.

But that’s my problem right there. I think I expect too much than what may be realistic when it comes to additional flavours.

I really shouldn’t be on here right now, but I need to shout out how much I’m enjoying this tea. I burned through half the 1 oz. bag in the past few days.

The dry leaf smells heavenly. Creamy vanilla mint. It’s more like white chocolate than dark or milk. Like these little guys but mintier:

http://www.foleyschocolates.ca/img/products/3110-10K.jpg

As for the taste, it’s creamy cocoa butter vanilla mint. Definitely different than Swiss Mountain. The base is really light and doesn’t get in the way, which I kind of like since I’m looking to taste the vanilla/white chocolate and mint anyway.

I was bad and just ordered 100g of this, amongst other things, using DTT’s 30% off code.

This tea has sure taken me on a ride. First of all, the dry leaf smells intoxicating. Swirls of fresh orange zest with a squeeze of grapefruit, topped with a pinch of cinnamon. It’s exactly what I’m looking for in an orange spice tea.

The cinnamon comes out more once steeped. But the real confusion happens with the flavour.

First couple sips, alright, it’s citrusy, a little spicy. I was actually expecting more cinnamon but that is not a complaint.

But as this started to cool off, there was something in here that reminded me of something else. What is it? Is it a vegetable? I think it’s a potato or something. No, no it’s not. It’s something I get at a Japanese restaurant. Huh. Halfway through the second cup, I was getting warmer. It’s something with tempura batter on it. Eureka! It’s broccoli tempura. That semi-green base must be playing mind games with me.

I will see when I drink this next time if this bento box lunch special will be jumping out of my cup again.

Sitting in the library analyzing a Swedish textbook, which I used many moons ago, for a paper. Simultaneously brings back memories and makes me feel old. On that note, the name of this tea makes me wish I were in Zürich again. Sigh.

As for this tea, peeps are right. This smells like After Eight. Compared to DT’s Read My Lips, the peppermint has more POW. It’s cooler and evokes images of After Eight’s luscious, creamy centre.

Steeped, it smells almost the same, but as for the taste, this is definitely more pepperminty. Also less sugary, probably because the mint brittle in this isn’t just plain sugar like the candy lips you get in Read My Lips. The chocolate is a little darker too.

I should really stop comparing things. But that’s how my world works, yo.

Over the past couple days, I got the idea of trying JagaSilk Aztec hot chocolate with Red Leaf English Toffee matcha. As much as I like the former, lately, I feel like it’s been a little ho-hum, and as for the latter, I just got out of the habit of drinking matcha on a regular basis. So much sense, this makes!

I prepared this on the stove top with two teaspoons of hot chocolate powder, around one teaspoon of the matcha, and a cup of soy milk. The result is fantastic. The caramel flavour in the matcha really complements the chocolate, and the matcha seems to bring out more of the heat in the hot chocolate.

Sip down just in time to make room for a couple chocolate mint teas I got from Della Terra.

I’m actually quite proud of myself for going through more than 100g of this tea by now. It’s an achievement.

Note to self: Drink this with soy milk. It puts a damper on the crazy sweetness.

I still don’t get pineapple but at least the soy milk morphs the vague sweetness into a cake-ier note. And the slight bitterness from the soy offsets the sugar explosion.

A crazed Lime Jello Salad green fan, I’ve been curious to see how this one compares. That day has finally come.

I had a hunch it wouldn’t be as good seeing that there is no marshmallow in this. But the base is a success. It works very well with the lime. Gives it a little more edge. But I still prefer the green tea + marshmallow combination. It’s dreamy times.

Not my favourite SBT (it’s Rainbow Sherbet for me) but I’d say this comes in second.

This one sure has a hold on me. I’ve already burned through half my 1 oz. bag over the past week. Lucky Charms marshmallows, meet warm chocolate and a drop of vanilla.

I don’t really get the graham cracker, though. The base is quite mild, no astringency. I especially appreciate this blend because the sweetness doesn’t knock your socks off like some other Della Terra blends can (Pineapple Upside Down Cake comes to mind).

Something tells me I’ll be ordering more someday.