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I’m getting used to a new kettle and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I had the glass Breville kettle with variable temp settings and it was on the counter with a bar of hanging ceramic mugs behind it. I’ve had that set up for years, but the other morning I managed to tap the spout of the kettle into one of the mugs when picking it up and it broke off the lip of the kettle. Those kettles are not cheap! I decided to go for some random $35 kettle off Amazon that is mostly doing the trick, but I’m still mourning the loss of my Breville and wondering what to do with the base. It seems like a waste to trash it. I’ll get over it some day!

This smells intoxicatingly fruity in the bag! It looses a little bit of that punch when steeped. I added oat milk to my cup which made it a creamy strawberry dessert tea. Strawberry is the most present and identifiable flavor. It’s a mellow strawberry as opposed to some of the really bright and bold strawberry teas they have. I’m finding this to be a comforting cup this morning!

This might be one of the oldest teas in my cupboard at this point! I’ve had it a few times and wasn’t impressed. It tasted flat and alkaline beneath the fruit flavors. I couldn’t get back to sleep at 3am this morning and while cleaning the kitchen decided to dump the rest of the tea in a mason jar and cold steep a concentrate overnight. This morning I’m mixing it with oat milk and it’s delightful! It’s so interesting how finding the right preparation can make an otherwise unenjoyable tea! It’s bright and fruity… I’m getting a mango apricot flavor. The oak milk is making it sweet and creamy. It’s so bright and refreshing! I’m really glad I found a way to enjoy this tea, but it isn’t one I’d buy again knowing how little I’d turn to it over a 10 year period.

I’ve tried so hard to love this tea, but I just can’t. Been on a quest to find a replacement for an old teavana tea and ran across this. It’s just meh. I steeped a cup this morning and added some creamer in it. I recall that other tea becoming this delicious creamy mint chocolate cup, but this one was so disappointing that I dumped the cup. I’ve used it for feeding my kombucha scoby, but I’m dumping the rest of this tin. I’m tired of trying to find a good use for it and given it a first, second and fifth chance, but it’s no use.

Wait a minute… I’m not getting much flavor out of this Sipsby tea either! What’s going on here? Is there something wrong with my water or kettle or steeping basket. This should have more to it, but it’s just bland. I’m going to need to investigate.

Made my first Sipsby order while they were having a sale. When I got the teas, two of them are branded with what seems to be a Sipsby sub brand, Tea Head and Cookie Tea. I’m guessing they are catalog brands repackaged? On the back of the bag was an address, 1300 Anderson Lane Building D in Austin. Do they have a store there? I know Austin, so Anderson lane seems odd. It’s always either East or West Anderson. West is some random little building, but East is PREPATX, a ghost kitchen space. I’ve never heard of a tea company running out of a ghost kitchen, but that’s a clever way to acquire the space needed for packaging tea! No retail location, mystery solved.

Unfortunately, the location mystery was the best part about this tea. I’m a sucker for almond tea, so I had to try this, but it tastes like a hot cup of nothing. There is the lightest of flavors ever in my cup. The front of the sip has a slight sour note to it that makes me suspect the coconut is thinking about turning. It leaves my mouth sour and dry in the finish like a rooibos. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a tea go straight to the get rid of bin after one cup, but here I am!

I don’t recall who sent me a sample of this, but I had one serving left hidden in the depths of my cupboard. I wasn’t expecting to like this much and I find I’m enjoying it. It was the rooibos part that made me wary. I get almond mixed with some mellow spices. Maybe not enough to call chai, but a mix that works. There is also something bringing a slight sweetness to it. I think I can pick out some dried apple notes that mix well with cinnamon. Apple almond strudel? I think I’ve had it for a few years now and the flavors hold up well. I don’t think this is a tea I’d run out and buy, but I’d drink another cup of it for sure! Thank you forgotten steepster for sending me this sample! You have lovely handwriting!

Trying hard to enjoy this cup of tea while listening to the loud droning of an industrial sized carpet cleaner being run out of a van in the driveway of the apartment next door. There is no escape from the sound inside my house and it’s been running off and on all day. I hope the memory of irritation doesn’t imprint on this tea!

This is one of the Ette teas that I like the most, but it is predominantly a lapsang. There is a little more nuance to it than a plain lapsang, but not by much. I do get a barbeque flavor from it, likely do to the pepper and spice, but I’m not getting orange peel in there. Either way, totally drinkable.

Pistachio is such a strange nut flavor. I love it, but it’s not as common as almonds or cashews and it seems like different parts of it are prominent in different uses for it. This tea for example tastes way different than pistachio baklava or pudding, but they all still have flavors of the nut. I feel like I need more pistachio in my life to feel this theory out.

This tea smells delicious. The pu isn’t as murky and wet tasting as some that I’ve had and that works well in not overpowering the other flavors. The pistachio is nice and light, but present here and holds it’s own with the pu. The flavor is well rounded and has depth. It’s a good tea, fun to try, but probably won’t be a reorder.

Have you ever placed an order for tea, received your order and wondered why you ordered a particular tea? Something that doesn’t fit your usual flavor preferences or sound exciting in any way? Maybe you wonder if it was a mistake, check your email and see it was indeed on your order? That is this tea for me. Wild berry chai doesn’t sound like something I’d be drawn to. Did I think I was selecting a different tea and didn’t pay attention? I have zero recollection on finding this tea interesting or adding it to my cart. Weird.
ANYWAYS… The flavors in this are very light. I do taste some fruitiness in there and the fruit seems well balanced. The spices are really faint for a chai. The flavors are not bold enough to have this with milk and have much come through. It isn’t a bad tea, it’s just not something I’m into contrary to what 5pm January 24th 2024 me thought. I need to have a talk with that version of me before ordering more tea.

Sipdown!
Finished the last of this tea in the past two days. I’ve somewhat mindlessly sipped on my cups while commuting and going about my day. Sitting down with a resteep right now. This tea has grown on me, but not enough that I feel like it needs to be restocked. It would likely be a fine tea if I wasn’t hoping for a replacement for discontinued favorites. The search for the perfect almond tea continues…