88

This is from the “sipdown-in-progress” box. To be honest, I was hesitant to try this one, as I find myself not enjoying smoky teas as much lately as I used to…

But I actually really like the smoke here, it pairs so nicely with the bergamot. The overall taste is a bit light, I think this would be ideal for afternoon tea. The bergamot is not overpowering, and has a nice citrusy zing. The smoke is fairly light as well, a nice savory smoked food sort of note. I’ve never had a longan fruit, but to me the fruit here tastes quite a bit like lychee, with that unique juicy sort of floral tropical flavor. It seems an odd pairing with the other two flavors but goes over well, happily I am a fan of lychee in general.

Raising the rating a bit here because I like this one more than I remember. Happily, I see that the US website still offers it, in the case that I find I need it in my cupboard later on.

In other news, I seem to be amassing quite a stockpile of freeze-dried miso soup. I fell in love with it a few months ago after I think discovering it through Kickstarter? So now I’ve ordered some alternate brands through Amazon and am in miso heaven. The freeze-dried variety is so much better than the instant kind I’ve had in the past, with actual big chonks of veggies and such. And the flavor variety is amazing! Today I had an eggplant version that was delish… (drool)

Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Floral, Lychee, Smoked, Smooth, Tropical

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Courtney

Haha the soup collection — love that!

Cameron B.

I’m a soup lover, I’ll have to start breaking out the Instant Pot & dutch oven recipes soon… ❤

Courtney

The winter is perfect for soups! We actually picked up some vegan gruyère to make French onion soup in the Instant Pot today!

gmathis

Thank you for helping me decide what’s for supper tonight!

Cameron B.

Yasss French onion! I’m thinking something with beans and greens this weekend…

ashmanra

We practically live on soup. I am loving chickpea lemon orzo right now. Where do you get freeze dried miso?

ashmanra

Thank you! I like the variety pack. I had looked at some others but they were ten of the same thing.

Courtney

Chickpea lemon orzo sounds amazing! I’ll be looking up that recipe stat!

AJRimmer

Oh yeah we have 20 pounds of green chile in the freezer, ready for green chile stew all winter long (:

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Comments

Courtney

Haha the soup collection — love that!

Cameron B.

I’m a soup lover, I’ll have to start breaking out the Instant Pot & dutch oven recipes soon… ❤

Courtney

The winter is perfect for soups! We actually picked up some vegan gruyère to make French onion soup in the Instant Pot today!

gmathis

Thank you for helping me decide what’s for supper tonight!

Cameron B.

Yasss French onion! I’m thinking something with beans and greens this weekend…

ashmanra

We practically live on soup. I am loving chickpea lemon orzo right now. Where do you get freeze dried miso?

ashmanra

Thank you! I like the variety pack. I had looked at some others but they were ten of the same thing.

Courtney

Chickpea lemon orzo sounds amazing! I’ll be looking up that recipe stat!

AJRimmer

Oh yeah we have 20 pounds of green chile in the freezer, ready for green chile stew all winter long (:

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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