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A new-to-me tea company, yaaaaay! I heard about Old Barrel from TeaTuber “As The Tea Brews” (highly recommend her channel if you’re not familiar). She kept raving about their teas and they looked and sounded so interesting and yummy, so I decided to make them my monthly tea order for February. They’re based in the Southwest (New Mexico originally) and they have a lot of teas that reflect those flavors, based on things like horchata, green chile, empanadas, etc. But interestingly, they also have quite a few puerh blends, which I find to be unusual. I figured for my first order I would pick up their New Mexico sampler, and then added on a few more teas that I was most interested in, which brings us to this tea!

This is one of several teas they have that use coffee from local businesses (love it), and I tend to like coffee in teas so I was excited for this blend. Plus banana, yum! I have to say, I’m really enjoying this cup. The coffee beans and the cinnamon take center stage, with the banana mostly in the background until toward the end of the sip, where it becomes a bit more obvious. I like that it isn’t really sweet-tasting, despite being a dessert-ish tea. And the coffee isn’t bitter or acidic. The puerh base gives a nice richness, while the coffee adds yummy toasty notes which are so cozy with the warming cinnamon. For me, the banana keeps it from being a bit too “dark” and one-note, it’s such an interesting flavor and really makes the finish IMO.

Anyway, so far so good! I hope I like their other blends as much as this one. Oh, and this would probably make an amazing latte, I might have to try it that way soon…

Flavors: Banana, Candy, Cinnamon, Coffee, Creamy, Earthy, Roasted, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Toasty, Woody

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Courtney

New tea companies are so fun!

Cameron B.

For sure, especially when they’re a bit different than other companies in my cupboard. :D

Courtney

Absolutely — and when the tea ends up being lovely. :)

Sil

oh man i miss “new” tea companies

AJRimmer

My favorite of their teas is lavender creme brulee!

Jean027

I really want to try this tea. I heard the reviews on “As the tea brews”. I will order from them this year. Right now I have a lot of banana and coffee teas so I will sip down first. The honeys on the website sound really good too.

Cameron B.

I was interested in the honeys too! But they’re a bit pricey for me, and I rarely even use honey, so I abstained ha ha… :P

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Comments

Courtney

New tea companies are so fun!

Cameron B.

For sure, especially when they’re a bit different than other companies in my cupboard. :D

Courtney

Absolutely — and when the tea ends up being lovely. :)

Sil

oh man i miss “new” tea companies

AJRimmer

My favorite of their teas is lavender creme brulee!

Jean027

I really want to try this tea. I heard the reviews on “As the tea brews”. I will order from them this year. Right now I have a lot of banana and coffee teas so I will sip down first. The honeys on the website sound really good too.

Cameron B.

I was interested in the honeys too! But they’re a bit pricey for me, and I rarely even use honey, so I abstained ha ha… :P

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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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