A Quarter to Tea

Loved the concept of this one, and the dry leaf’s aroma was equally enticing! It smelled like robust, sweet oranges and marzipan! I was sure I’d enjoy it. Steeped up there was something quite off about it though and I’m almost positive it’s whatever AQTT is using as the ‘orange’ flavouring because it had the same very harsh, chalky, bitter and artificial orange taste that made Blood Orange Punch so unpleasant/undrinkable. At least this one, for me anyway, wasn’t that bad and I was still about the finish the cup even if I wouldn’t describe it as a ‘good’ flavour – I think the use of black tea base and general sweetness of the almond went a long way to making that happen though. Those parts of the blend were lovely.

I’m like 90% sure that it comes down to that orange flavour though. I can’t speak for others, but I think I’m just personally really not a fan of it.

Delicious…yummy in a cup. A nice balance of flavors. One of the better dessert teas I have tried. It does not have a nutmeg flavor so much as a custardy flavor. I actually made this in my travel press this morning.

Sipdown (382)

I decided to have one more cup of this because when I had it initially it was so bland and I think that may have been because I wasn’t feeling great. So, I steeped up another cup today and though this is far more flavorful than my last, it is still not my favorite. It’s got that sort of generic chocolatey-nut flavor that so many teas have and though there is nothing wrong with that, there is nothing exciting about it either. The rest is off to Sil who will hopefully have more success with it.

I found a tasting note from when steepster was down…

This smelled so strongly of chocolate and nuts and yet drinking it now it has almost no flavor. It basically tastes like warm nutty water. As if someone dropped a couple of hazelnuts into a steeping pot and not much else. Every now and then I get a touch of chocolate but this is so flat that I am wondering if it is me and not the tea.

091/365

This is another I chose to try in sample/taster size, and another almost instant regret. Two cups just isn’t going to be enough…

The first thing that attracted me to this one was the name, for its inevitable Simon & Garfunkel/The Graduate connection. I also like the deeper celtic/pagan resonance, and the inclusion of rosemary and sage. It adds an extra something to an otherwise straightforward raspberry darjeeling blend.

In taste terms, it’s delicious. The raspberry is sweet and tart by turns, juicy, and an accurate representation of an actual raspberry. The rosemary and sage are very delicate background notes, but they add a slightly savoury, herbaceous quality that’s more complementary than I thought it would be. Who knew raspberry would work so well with herbs? Certainly not me!

The darjeeling base is light and very mildly floral, kind of fleeting actually; the raspberry is clearly the main focus here, and remains so throughout.

Overall, I’m really happy with this one. It’s another I’d buy more of next time, perhaps for cold brewing in the summer…

090/365

I picked up a taster/sample size of this one with my first AQTT order (I’m seriously late to this party!), and I’m already wishing I’d bought a bigger bag. I knew straight away, after only one tiny sip, that this would be tea love. I don’t know that I absolutely get pancakes, but as it happens I really don’t care. That’s because there’s banana and nuts in spades, and that’s what I really wanted from this blend. Something to rival Butiki’s Foxy Roxy’s Banana Walnut Treat, which I still miss. Well, this is it. I’ve finally found it!

The banana here isn’t over-strong or artificial, but it’s at a level I consider perfect. It tastes like actual ripe banana, like it’s been somehow smooshed into the tea. It has that sweetness, and that undeniable banana-ness, that you’d get from an actual banana. The nuts play second fiddle, but they’re definitely there. I get mostly walnut, but there’s something richer and more pecan-like in there too, along with a light creaminess.

I adore this, and it’s definitely one I’d buy more of next time.

Sipdown (517)!

Finished this one off last night; it was a free sample I got in my last AQTT package. I’ve looked at it a few times on the site, but since it’s very similar to blends from other vendors I’ve had before, like Jessie’s Tea from DT or Just Lovely from Camellia Tea, I’ve always passed it up in favour of other more unique blends.

It was actually very nice though; certainly like the aforementioned teas but I think this was arguably smoother/more heavy on those vanilla elements and that was a very nice touch for me. It made for a really pleasant evening cup of tea even if it wasn’t a unique profile. I think for those looking for a tea with this kind of profile and who are maybe already considering an order with AQTT that this would certainly fill those needs for you, but since I know there are many other companies that do similar blends I would put it in the camp of ‘good tea, not worth going out your way to make an AQTT order specifically for it’. I’d revisit it if sent it again, but also wouldn’t go out of my way to get more of it either.

Side note – I wish AQTT would do more honeybush blends because I’m always looking for more unique caffeine free options to add to my stash and none of the current offerings really jump out to me…

Sipdown!

A sad one for sure; one of my favourite versions of lemon lavender, and not one I’ve found anything close to yet. Lemon, light lavender, and a delicious buttery cake flavour to round it out.

Sipdown! 279/365!

It was just sitting there on the counter, and I felt like a treat! It was a delicious one, and I enjoyed it immensely. Just the perfect creamy lemony lavender blend.

Got a bit of this from VariaTEA – thank you thank you thank you! So of course I had a cup of it when I was feeling stressed. Downed it super quickly, but it probably helped, and was delicious (but maybe needed more lavender).

I could do with more of this tea…. it’s quite delicious. The lemon-lavender combination is divine; neither overpowers the other but both are quite present, and the white base finishes it off. Upping rating as I’ve been enjoying this so much… I wish it would be reblended!

Big fan, this was delicious. Reminded me of Eggnog Poundcake with a citrus twist. Similar to the 52teas version I just tried, there wasn’t as much lavender as I would have liked, but it was quite tasty.

Drank this in a travel mug recently. It’s a weird tea – tastes a bit like Eggnog Poundcake, but with a bit of a “flavoured” taste, which I believe to be blue raspberry. I’m actually not the biggest fan of the tea on the first day – but it was AMAZING the next day! Creamy, decadent, and the “flavouring” aspect has basically disappeared. Not really sure why this happens, but I’ve had it with a few teas, where it’s just that much better after it has been sitting.

Anyways, nondescript tasting note since I drank this over the weekend – but worth trying for sure!

Sipdown (631)!

Finishing this one off cold brewed, and it’s actually pretty amazing this way. Definitely way more of a dessert tea type of profile over mint, with the strongest note actually being the creamy vanilla/custard “creme brulee” elements and not the peppermint. Also a bit of a frosting (French Vanilla) sort of taste; very high quality, silky/creamy frosting though and not that bullshit that tastes grainy and gross. Not that it doesn’t have mint notes to it – but more of an undertone to the creamy sweetness of it all. Very pure peppermint though; feels like someone has just added in a drop or so of some peppermint oil and stirred it around the cup. I’m not mad at that; as a kid the only way my dad could get me to drink straight water was to add peppermint oil to it. So, in a weird way, it’s a tiny bit nostalgic?

I don’t know, Lauren, if you have any plans yet for Christmas/Winter blends this year, but I’d actually be super interested in seeing this one come back in some form or another…

This mug tasted like Better Crocker creamy French vanilla icing, with peppermint extract mixed into it. Just the faintest bit of floral in the finish after the wave of creaminess. I know that’s a really specific brand of icing, but it was a specific flavour that it reminded me of. So it is what it is. It was almost too sweet for me.

Almost.

I was kind of surprised how much I wound up liking this one; the flavour was totally something I was very skeptical about and initial reviews didn’t seem promising to me. The dry leaf has a fascinating aroma to it – boozey peppermint schnapps with an almost vanilla pudding/tapioca kind of undertone? The taste is similar to the smell in that the mint is strong and very boozey/schnapps tasting but that weird pudding kind of aroma comes off as more of a smooth, vanilla/caramel custard type thing that’s a lot more appealing that minty tapioca pudding. Very accurate to the name, I think.

This sample seems like an appropriate choice for my 666th note (current politics aside, my family also escaped the Soviet Union back in the day so I’ll rarely miss an opportunity to take a dig at Russia – come at me, bots). Unfortunately, I really dislike smoky teas so I’m mostly in this for the pun. I only steeped it for three minutes – the lower end of the recommended time – in hopes of cutting down on the smoky flavor. It didn’t work. All I can taste is the lapsang souchong smokiness. Maybe a hint of berry in the aftertaste? I tried adding a splash of rice milk, which successfully toned down the smokiness to a level that I’m comfortable drinking, but I still can’t make out any other flavors. I just don’t think this tea is for me. It’s not a knock on the tea; I just don’t enjoy smoky teas and can’t get past that here.

084/365

A crostata is an Italian baked fruit tart. I know this, because I checked. The pastry is buttery, and peach is a traditional filling (along with apricot, cherry, and nectarine). So far, so good. I’m wary of peach teas in general, because I’ve tried so many that have failed to live up to any kind of expectation. The fault in these cases, by and large, is with the peach flavouring. Usually, it’s artificial as hell.

Not so here! I can see why there are plenty of rave reviews for this one, because it’s so good. The peach is…peachy. On the sweet side, yes, but juicy and really just tremendously flavour-accurate. It’s even a little fleshy-tasting, like peach pulp rather than just juice. It has some substance to it. The pastry element is equally assured. There’s a buttery background note that’s spot-on freshly baked pie crust. It’s divine.

The base is yunnan, which makes this all the better in my book because I love yunnan. That’s no secret. It has a maltiness and a slight pepperiness that works really well with the peach and pastry flavours, and is metaphorically speaking the icing on the cake as far as this blend is concerned. Or, if you like, just another thing about it that’s perfect.

The sad thing is, I don’t have any more of this one. It came as a sample with my order, and now my cup is gone…

Perhaps not for long, though!

My health problems have been flaring up pretty much everyday for the past week. So I’ve not been sipping down as many of the teas I’ve been trying to focus on as much as just focusing more on drinking gentle teas.

This particular cup was the best I’ve had and unfortunately I only have enough left for one more cup.
I added a capful of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and a bit of honey and agave since my honey container had to be heated to get the last bit out.

It was a nice strong cup, that wasn’t oversteeped or understeeped in the slightest. I leafed it and steeped it just to my liking apparently. Since this is the type of cup I’ve been expecting from this tea since I got the larger bag size of it. Of course with my luck I’m at the end of the bag by now. I wasn’t even trying to steep it perfect this time. If I could get every cup to taste like this I’d definitely repurchase it. I do wonder though if it was also that all the yummy spices were at the bottom of the bag.
Love these flavors together.

So I feel like in my A Quarter To Tea reviews previously I’ve been pretty harsh/Haven’t done a great job of getting my thoughts out correctly. I really like pretty much all of the combinations I’ve tried so far. They are very interesting and leave me craving more. I think it took me awhile to get used to them they have a sort of delicateness. That I can’t explain in the taste that I wasn’t used to. I’m learning that I like really strong flavored teas and delicate ones too. The flavors seamlessly blend together.

I was craving a cup of this one that I actually have a good size bag (whereas all my other cravings were ones that I only had purchased tiny samples of) of even though it’s almost gone. This with the tiniest bit of honey really hit the spot tonight. This company’s teas really are blended beautifully.