15695 Tasting Notes
Sipdown (1615)!
Not sure when my next order with BrutaliTeas is going to be since I still have so many others to sip though, but whenever that order inevitably happens I do know that I’ll be making sure a larger bag of this tea finds its way in. I’ve greatly enjoyed the sweet syrupy strawberry and dragonfruit flavours of this blend and I like the texture that the white tea adds to the liquor. It’s such a nice tropical sweet white tea!
Sipdown (1616)!
Finished this one off grandpa style over the course of two days in office. It took a long time for the thick savory smoke notes to fade out with this method of steeping and even longer for the sweet, dense earthy shou to stop producing good tea. Just such an intense and complex tea overall. The combination of that heavy layer of smoke with such a forest soil and sweet petrichor rich shou is just magical and it brought me to fond childhood memories of deep summer rainfalls and end of summer break camping.
But not too mad about this sipdown because I have a full cake of it to enjoy still!
Had a Western style mug of this a few nights ago and it was just lovely. Thick liquor with such a complex flavour – sort of somewhere between medium to full bodied. I think the general flavours of oak and other sweeter but dark leaning woods stood out the most to me, but they were pretty matched by a stone-y mineral quality, more savory and umami herbaceous dill and other brothy flavours, some charcoal roast, and then a nice undertone of dark plum that built up on the palate over the coarse of the mug. A smidge of vanilla too – not much, though. It was just so warm and inviting with a great spread of really cozy flavours that still felt connected and embedded in nature.
Cold Brew!
I took the opportunity with this month’s (gifted) Tea Runners subscription box to restock this herbal blend since I enjoyed it so much when I received it the first time. It still smells strongly and sweetly of wintergreen but not as much as I remember. I’m getting more chamomile and other florals and herbs than were present last time. At least, in my memory anyway.
It’s still super refreshing cold brewed with that kind of cooling minty quality that gets you at the back of your chest. However, the taste is sweet and coating with very herbal and heady floral qualities. Much, much more chamomile than I remember along with lavender, linden, and clover. It detracts from how brilliant the wintergreen/spearmint/vanilla mix is – but not enough to change my love of this blend entirely.
It is nice, however, to know there’s variation from batch to batch. That is something I will absolutely note for next time.
Cold Brew!
Happy to report that my glowing first impression still stands. This is just such a delicious blend with a really rich, creamy coconut and delicious complimentary notes of candied pineapple and maraschino cherry. I go back and forth a little on thinking of it like coconut cream pie or pina coladas or, like, some type of tropical ice cream sundae. It’s just fruity, decadent, and delightful. Really, my only con is that it’s also very oily from all of the coconut fat. However, I can get past that.
Been trying to catch up on the second Critical Role campaign, though that’s really been the case for the last year. I’m getting fairly close now though; I have about thirty episodes left of the 141 in the second campaign.
So, y’know, only around 120 or 130 hours left to go…
I don’t always drink a Critical Role inspired tea while I watch or use either of the two DnD themed mugs that I own – but whenever I do, like in this case, it just feels more magical and immersive. This blend is inspired by my favourite character’s familiar, and it’s just a nice cozy composition. Like a peppermint cream type of flavour, but with the extra buttery flavours of the milk oolong and a nice woody minerality and toasted nutty quality from the rooibos. Peppermint cream but more is, I suppose, how I might sum it up.
It’s growing on me.
I taste roasted coffee, cream, coconut, and chocolate all alongside a nice sweet and nutty rooibos tea base and when I take a sip with intention/mindfulness all of those flavours are lovely but very distinct from another. However, when I allow my mind to wander a little bit more and the lines between each flavour to blur and ‘fuzz into each other’ more it becomes, truly, like this delicious mix of Coffee Crisp meets, well, Tiramisu. Such a simple blend – but I just really dig it!
I’ve been really enjoying the balance of really dark jammy berries and very herbaceous aromatic sage in this black tea lately – plus, isn’t it just absolutely gorgeous!? There’s something just extra pretty about seeing the pop of green and red against the black tea base. It’s a lovely blend for anyone not intimidated by something a little more savory!
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbaZLpWOTO4/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq-SeI_zMLM
