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Sipdown! (34 | 381)

From derk, of course!

This is a really lovely hojicha. It has such a sweet and nutty flavor, with a roastiness that’s light and not overpowering. There’s a nice richness to it as well, which really helps play up the nutty notes.

If I didn’t already have a ton of hojicha, I would definitely consider ordering some of this. I’ll have to keep it in mind for the future though!

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Another derk sample, this is “Mulberry Tea from Istanbul”. It’s a pretty pink powder that seems similar to instant Turkish apple tea, which I’ve had before and enjoy.

Yum, this is tasty! It does remind me of the apple version, and it’s quite sweet. But it has a different flavor, more berry-like as the name implies, but still with a nice tartness. I don’t actually know what mulberry tastes like, but this tea reminds me of pomegranate, maybe with a hint of raspberry and grape.

Really nice as a treat, and I bet it would be delicious with some mulling spices!

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Another one from derk, thank you!

This has been on my wishlist for a while now, but I just haven’t gotten around to ordering it. Since Dammann only sells in 100g bags, I tend to restrict myself to only getting a few teas when I order from them, which doesn’t happen more than once a year. Plus this tea is quite a bit more expensive than usual, which probably deterred me a bit as well.

But my god, this tea is so good! You can smell the tantalizing fruity aroma immediately upon opening the package, and it just smells so juicy and intense that it makes my mouth water. And the taste is exactly the same! A juicy sweet-tart pow of fruity goodness over a bed of thick, buttery, slightly grassy sencha. Dammann uses a more conventional Chinese sencha for most of their flavored greens, but this has an actual Japanese sencha base and I’m loving it. It has a much deeper flavor, and a hint of savoriness to it that really adds a nice bit of dimension here.

The fruit though… I’m trying to decide what it reminds me of, because it’s not kiwi. I want to say a plum of some kind, maybe with some apricot as well? But not a fresh one, more of a concentrated and intense flavor, like those thick fruit leathers that come in bar form. I’m not sure what those are called, but hopefully you know what I’m talking about…

Anyway, this is definitely going on my to-order list for next time. Thanks derk! :)

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A well-travelled sample, from Kawaii (I miss you!) by way of derk. Derk was kind enough to share with me some of the massive box of Persian Earl Grey she ordered (12 ounces?! How is that the only available size?) and she also sweetly sent along a few samples for my drinking pleasure. And they were all teas from my wishlist or teas that I’m sure to enjoy, thank you derk! QQ

I’ve never gotten around to ordering from Arthur Dove, despite hearing some good things about them both here and on Instagram. This is a yummy tea though! It actually reminds me of B&B’s Monkey Chops, which I suppose makes sense given they’re both a Sri Lankan black tea base with banana. The flavor reminds me of banana pudding, and there’s something a bit caramelized about it. I don’t get fudge at all, but it sounds like from the description that there isn’t any chocolate here anyway.

I do feel like the slightly tannic, metallic base sort of works against the creaminess that the banana is adding. But I’m also drinking this stone cold, so the base may have been a bit smoother when it was warm. Also I’m sure this would be scrumptious with milk. Yummy banana tea, thanks Kawaii and derk! :3

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Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge (November) – “A ginger tea”

A bit sad to finish this one off, it’s one of the teas I bought at a Lupicia store in Osaka, Japan. Plus it’s a very tasty combination of hojicha and a bit of dried ginger. The ginger’s not too sharp, and it’s just the right amount to add a zesty earthy quality to the cozy toasted hojicha.

Excellent for any time of year, but I really feel like it shines in the cooler weather of autumn and winter. I might have to try recreating something similar by adding some dried ginger to a hojicha myself… :)

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Don’t ask me why I ordered this one, I don’t even like pumpkin spice teas in general. I think I was intrigued by the sheer amount of pumpkin pieces included in this tea… Pumpkin is actually the first ingredient.

But I think it’s the large amount of pumpkin that makes this a bit weird. First off, I felt like I needed to use a ton of leaf because of the relatively small amount of black tea in the mix. It’s sort of fruity-tasting, but there’s an odd sour note that really doesn’t pair well with the clove and other spices. The sourness almost reminds me of rancid coconut, which is not a pleasant connotation to have. I still don’t really taste the black tea, even with using almost double the amount of tea for my cuppa.

Adding a bit of oatmilk smooths it out a bit, but then I mostly just taste clove. I guess this one just wasn’t for me!

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This was an okay chai, but not my favorite.

It’s a bit strong on the clove, and there’s also a lot of fennel. I don’t mind fennel and anise flavors, but here it’s just a bit too much. And for some reason it comes off a bit soapy to me? I’m not sure why, there are a few rose petals but I can’t imagine that’s enough to make a difference. There’s also not enough black tea here for me, I can’t really taste it under the spices.

Anyway, it’s not terrible or anything, just not the chai for me I guess.

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Another frequent steeper redemption. I was intrigued by the concept of scenting tea with something other than flowers, and it’s an oxidized rolled oolong which is one of my favorite types.

I enjoyed this one, it has a nice cinnamon raisin toast vibe to it. It actually does remind me a bit of Deb’s hojicha version, though without the sugar obviously. The oolong has a nice dried fruity sweetness to it, and a comforting, slightly toasty note. Then of course, there’s the cinnamon. It tastes natural and it’s just the right amount to complement the oolong without overpowering it. So it comes out tasting like toasted cinnamon raisin bread, maybe with a tiny drizzle of honey on top.

Quite yummy. I’m not sure whether I’ll reorder this one or not, to be honest I don’t find myself reaching for oolongs at the moment. Plus I have a tin of Deb’s cinnamon raisin hojicha and they are somewhat similar.

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Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge (November) – “A weird tea”

Okay, so this doesn’t sound weird from the name. When it showed up on Obubu’s website last year, it sounded like something I would love, so I ordered two bags of it. It’s a combination of sakura blossoms, sakura leaves, and mint.

However… What I didn’t realize or expect is that the sakura blossoms in this blend are actually roasted. I don’t know if this is a thing in Japan and I’ve just never heard of it, or if Obubu just decided to try something different.

In any case, I wasn’t sure what I thought about this tisane. It almost tasted a bit… plasticky? chemical? at first. Or at least the combination of flavors came off that way to me for some reason. But I found as I kept trying it, it grew on me. It’s an interesting mix of gentle roastiness with that savory-fruity-floral sakura note and a little bit of mint. Surprisingly the mint isn’t very strong, the roasted sakura definitely takes center stage.

Anyway, I enjoyed this by the end, which is good because I have another bag to sip through eventually. :)

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Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge (November) – “A tea you are thankful for”

So this made its way into my sipdown teas by virtue of its age – it was one of my oldest teas, from November of 2018. But I found as I was sipping through the (mostly full) tin, I really enjoyed this tea and began looking forward to it as a sort of sweet mid-morning pick-me-up. So then it became a tea I was thankful for – thank you tea, for helping me get through the workday these past couple of weeks.

It’s weird to me that I enjoyed this tea so much. I’m the type of person who never sweetens their tea, and yet I find this essentially pre-sweetened tea that tastes just like Red Hots to be quite tasty. I will say I don’t really think I taste the apple here, so not sure how different it is from the original version? Maybe I would have to try them side-by-side to notice a difference.

Anyway, it’s a bestseller and a classic for a reason! :P