Black and White Tea

Sipdown! 851. Thanks to Cavocorax for letting me nab a sample of her pouch while it was still sitting around with Sil :D

Hmm. Something about this tea seems kind of familiar, and I’m sad to say that it’s not in a good way. I’m starting to think that me and sTEAp Shoppe’s teas don’t agree… or perhaps, something about their chocolate flavouring/cocoa nibs. It’s not bad, or undrinkable, or anything of the sort, but there’s something that I’m not completely enjoying.

Anyhow, my first impression of this was that it’s creamy and a bit chocolatey. I’m blanking on more details right now though, so will have to go have a bit more and update later.

So i’m not sure if i’ll get to a sipdown today but i figure the next two tasting notes ought to count as sipdowns because they aren’t being added to my cupboard lol. This is another that Cavocorax let me steal a bit of before sending it off to her.
So this smells delicious…chocolatey and malty? Not sure what the undertone smell is but it’s very familiar. Sipping it, it’s a taste i’ve had before but just can’t place. I’m not sure if it’s “milkshake” that i’m tasting but the entire cup is a familiar cup or something. I just wish i could place the taste. It’s pretty much driving me crazy right now. I may have to order a bit more of this another time just to drink it until i figure out what the taste is. Overall though? this is a pretty decent chocolatey, creamy tea. Thanks Cavo! :)

thanks to TastyBrewwww for the moar teaaaa!
(this is tea tasted number 297. i’m keeping track cuz for the 300th tea i’m opening Laoshan Black and trying it for the first time.)(and it looks like that will be tomorrow morning!)
i’m afraid all this tasting is turning me into a tea snob. like in the bad way. it’s that i catch myself having some weird expectations of what i think a tea should taste like by the scent or ingredients, and then when it doesn’t match my presupposed expectations i get overly judgmental. this is not the tea drinker i want to be!!
naw no
i wanna be open to each sip. and judge it in the moment. and see what i can discern and what speaks to me (i have scarred sinuses and a poor sense of smell but i want to do my very best.)
so when i first tasted this i was all ‘meh’. but why? i really had no reason.
it’s a nice tea. i guess i should just put things in the buy or not buy categories? pass/fail?
this tea is gentle. and pretty tasty. slightly vanilla. but i wouldn’t buy more. just cuz there are other vanilla teas i’ve like more. oh that perpetual vanilla hunt.

Got the sampler size of this, which is more than generous at 0.5 oz. This tea is a nice blend. The white tea lightens up the black tea. I didn’t even add milk, which is unusual for me with a black tea. It tasted like a combination of vanilla and cocoa nibs in a light black tea base. The second steep was a whole lot different, in that the white tea is more prominent, and there’s more of a vegetal floral note. I’m not sure I’m in love, but I will enjoy the rest of the bag.

Thanks Tealizzy for letting me try this one! I’m getting a LOT of nice vanilla bean flavor here. The black tea and white tea together make for an interesting combo. I’m getting the floral delicateness of the white with the body of the black. Not getting much cocoa flavor but I’m enjoying it very much anyway! Like the other sTEAp shoppe offering I’ve sampled, the flavoring is very natural and well balanced. This makes me want to try more of their blends! :)

I ordered a few teas from sTEAp Shoppe and this was one of them. When you first open the tin you are feel like you opened a bottle of vanilla extract while holding a flower to your nose. As I steeped my first cup first tasting without any sweetener then adding the sweetener I found the flavor notes similar to the aroma. The first sip (no sweet)was hearty with a smoothness from the vanilla and the combination of black tea and white tea I found to be quite a pleasant combination bringing in a mild yet robust floral flavor. The hue is a quite dark amber color I believe due to the vanilla bean which some of the small vanilla bean beads did go through my filter and lingered in the cup. This tea is heavy yet light I am not sure quite how to say it but maybe like comparing it to whip cream, you know it’s heavy and creamy but it’s texture is so light and fluffy. Then I added the sweetener and wow! there was the cocoa flavor taking my taste buds for a ride. Unlike the sweedish delight I commented on this teas second cup is very similar to the first. The flavors seem somehow more settled now but all the notes I found are still there front and center. I not sure anyone could really dislike this tea because it is so versatile. Oh and I must not forget what did I serve this with you ask. Because after the first tasting the second must have a complimentary food to grace my palate. I knew it would be desert but was unsure as to what avenue to take. Go simple or rich. I took some time because I must admit the desire to put a brownie smothered in chocolate sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream seemed to be the perfect match. But I decided for the less obvious and less caloric approach and had a strawberry sorbet. Yes, I realize this seems way to simple but it’s not the name of the food but the effort and love that went into making it. Fresh cool strawberries and a wonderful hot tea loaded with chocolate and vanilla flavors. What could be better on a hot day.