Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Certainly it has got peachy flavour. And rose flavour.

But it was quite weak in flavour. Maybe cold-brewing as suggested would be great idea.

But I am glad that I noticed both flavours; and it worked quite well. But only so light!

From yesterday, for Matcha Monday!

Whisked up hot and straight!! I drink straight matcha often because I’m not big on more oceanic or grassy flavours in tea (vegetal I’m more OK with though), so I was happy that this was more of smooth, creamy flavour with a more vegetal and umami profile; a bit like spinach and fresh garden peas!! Definitely the vibe I prefer from my straight matcha.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAn2R63g1jW/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbiJaEMrQ1Y

(A collaboration I never saw coming, but that I’m living for!)

As an iced tea!

Definitely doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me that this is a raspberry and chocolate profile that incorporates yerba mate that is also called “Choco Rocket”, much like DT’s now retired Chocolate Rocket blend that is a yerba mate base with chocolate and raspberries…

That ‘coincidence’ aside, I thought this was really enjoyable! I often love the flavour of Bird & Blend’s matchas but struggle with the texture so I typically try to hide the texture with my preperation style, and having this iced (and drinking with a straw) really helped with that a lot for me. In terms of taste, this reminds me a little bit of some sort of chocolate filled with a raspberry “filling” like the cherry filled chocolates that come out around Valentine’s Day really prominently. Good, natural tasting cocoa notes but a more artificial and syrupy tasting raspberry note. I’m not anti-artificial flavours in tea, personally, and there’s definitely a different between something tasting like an artificial product in a way where it’s similar to something IRL (like those chocolates) and it tasting “artificial” in a negative way or with an implicating that it’s a poor recreation of an existing thing… if that makes sense!? It’s a more subtle distinction, but an important one.

It’s also my way of saying that even though this tasted like an artificial raspberry flavour to me, it was a flavour I enjoyed.The other thing I liked is that the more herbal and borderline smoky taste of the yerba mate “matcha”/powder in the blend actually comes through in the taste as well!

I think the next way that I want to try this is as a latte.

I am having just the absolute worst time focusing enough tonight to write through tasting notes, which is a real shame because that was basically the whole goal of tonight…

This was from the weekend – I meant to try this much sooner after ordering it but that just never ended up happening. Oops. I liked it though; it has the same sort of cacao and rose profile that I really like in Bird & Blend’s Enchanted Narnia blend but without the lemongrass profile that I personally find so unpleasant. The other key difference is that this is a spiced blend as well; I definitely felt a bit of heat in the back of my throat and I got some of the more earthy notes of the ashwagandha as well. I actually thought the suited the profile really well.

Last received sample from my order…
I am sad that I did not order whole pouch! Hmm, it is really delicious!

That says enough, right?
Okay, I know it doesn’t.

Opening tea bag brought me strong smoke aroma. They say it is pinewood smoked Lapsang Souchong; but although I want a smokehouse, we don’t have it. And I don’t know anyone who have. So I can’t be sure if it is pinewood smoke.

But… Brewed tea!
I expected it bit less smoky but actually almost all smoke flavour is gone. But some remained and that’s just right level of it. It was smooth with flavours, little bit of forest aroma/taste (I know you can’t eat forest, but you know what I mean with forest flavour, right). It!s bit meaty too. But that smooth taste and aftertaste…

Base tea isn’t much pronounced, which is bit sad to be honest. It’s smooth, but some malty or sweet flavours would make it little bit better for sure!

EDIT: Tasting note no. 600 !!!

I’m not getting much coffee from this this morning, which is strange because there were a bunch of beans in my infuser and it’s normally pretty noticeable in this blend. At first, the cup was quite chocolate and cardamom forward, but as it cools the cinnamon and ginger are coming out more. I’ll have to try making this into a latte at some point to see if that brings everything out better – I get the feeling that this would make a great latte. Overall I prefer B&B’s Dark Choc Chilli Chai to this one – very similar, but with a chilli kick instead of the coffee beans, and a more pronounced chocolate note.

I’d love to be more detailed, but I always have a random sneezing fit first thing in the morning and it’s hitting me now, and with a partially-blocked nose I can’t taste as much. The sneezing thing is weird though, right? Maybe it’s hay fever?

Thanks so much for swapping this a while ago, Cameron B!  I’m reviewing this while it’s still available for probably one more day.  Though this tea seems bee themed, and it’s spring, flavorwise this seems like a comforting autumn/winter cup with it’s soothing creamy chocolate flavor.  I love the depth of the black tea – it’s dark enough!  And I love all the cocoa elements.  The licorice doesn’t make the flavor too weird like I seemed to find it did to Bananas & Custard – just a hint of licorice.  I’m not really tasting what makes this  a ‘honeycomb’ tea.  I wouldn’t notice unless it was pointed out, and maybe not even then.  The main flavor profile is a rich deep chocolate tea, with a creaminess that reminds me at times of the cream in my favorite Earl Grey Creams.  I like it! 
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 15 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled //  4 minute steep

Heh. Today morning tea. I don’t remember anything. Probably very boring stuff.

Okay. I remember something. It was somehow fruity. Some blueberries and peaches. Yep, it was there.

But blueberries were nice. And some peaches were there too. It wasn’t something super present, but they kinda were there.

The generic fruit base is not helping much though. Maybe bit tart. Maybe some other base would make it better.

And sorry guys if you were expecting some tasting notes from me… yesterday I failed that exam, and overall I felt somehow tired and drained. I drank some teas, but I did not wanted to write a tasting note even it was SIPDOWN of Duvet Day.

The color of this tea is the darkest, most beautiful blue. The flavor is mostly butterfly pea flower and chamomile. The bitter/weird taste of the flower is pretty difficult to cover up, and this blend definitely doesn’t have enough strong flavors to overpower it. This would probably be good if the fruit flavor were turned up a ton. As it is, I can’t really taste the fruit at all. In subsequent brews, the chamomile was the clearest flavor with the butterfly pea flower not tasting too bad, so maybe a shorter brew is key. But I never get any fruit from this blend.

I switched to this after realising my mam had, once again, thrown out the tea leaves I was planning to resteep. Sigh. It was a Butiki tea, too, so I feel cheated.

The base here can be quite astringent, and it was today as I forgot to set my timer while steeping. I added milk to counteract the astringency, and it does help but also muted the fruity flavours. I’ll have to remember to cold steep this some time, I think it would be an excellent candidate! The strawberry is more dominant than the bergamot, which creeps up behind it, and the papaya lingers last after the strawberry fades, and is the softest. I’d like it to be brought out more, even though I do enjoy the strawberry EG I’m getting for the most part, so I’ll have to play with the steeping parameters and see if I can get it to come out more. Maybe a little sugar would help.

This smelled weird and Roswell Strange who usually finds the good in teas rated this a 21, so I was a bit hesitant about it. Luckily we had apple juice lying around the house so I used a bit of hot water to dissolve some of the powder and then topped it with the juice.

This tastes fine but it mostly tastes like apple juice. A lot of the powder settled to the bottom and that last sip was a whole lot of earthy turmeric nope. So I guess ultimately I’m a fan of apple juice, not this. Going to put the rest into my swap box.

I’m not sure what i expected with this one, but it wasn’t this lol.it’s more sour cherry than anything…sort of reminds me a little of cherry snowcone from davids tea but less sweet. Marscapone? not really. ALso don’t really taste the oolong…which isn’t a bad thing for me today haha

Prepared it in the afternoon; as it is from today received subscription envelope (May 2020).

Honestly, I am somehow puzzled about this tea.
2 1/2 tsp, 80°C water.

Dry it is really floral, awesome peach aroma, looks pretty to brew.

But brewed… it is dismal. I was very cautious about the temperature; leaves were nice and pretty. So, added water to cup, steeping bag in and… started to turn green. Pretty green, as fresh green tea can make, no brown notes or anything.

First sip: hm, nothing phenomenal, it’s not bad, but expected more

Second sip: it is having nice grassy note, but sage making it earthy maybe way too much

Third sip: indeed it is earthy, but I notice green tea notes. Not a big deal, but I miss peaches.

Fourth sip: finally some peachy notes, as it cools down, more of them present.

I mean, okay – it’s herbal-green tea, but… it should be more fruity, especially if it is called like that. I expected earthy taste with refreshing peaches, but this is not it. I am sad, as I used to like B&B teas quite a lot, especially for unique flavours and/or combinations, but recently, it’s something missing. Or is extra :( .

I’d been wanting to try this tea for a while, so thanks to tea-sipper for sharing! It definitely has that bit of a tang that you find in eggnog. The spices are mild, and it’s randomly rather sweet and almost fruity? It tastes better with milk, and I find myself wanting to add extra spices. Cinnamon/nutmeg… I just want some more spices. When I brewed up the last of the bag, there were a lot more spices in that cup. I guess the spices were lurking at the bottom! That cup was pretty delicious. This blend also makes quite the tasty second brew. I actually think I would purchase more of this if it comes back next Christmas.

Pushing through the sipdowns today because I’m impatient to get my cupboard under 300 teas. It’s so close!

This came from the EU TTB and is the old blend with less oolong in it. There is a hint of creaminess from the base, but mostly it’s a peppermint-heavy herbal tasting tea. The mint is more sweet than fresh, probably due to the cocoa which comes through a tiny bit right at the end of the sip, as well as the use of the milk oolong. I’d be interested to try the new version which includes more oolong. I think it would give a more successful overall impression of a peppermint cream.

195/397

This one is quite popular based on the couple of people that rated it and to be honest I can see why. I mixed it into hot frothed milk and there is a lot of sweet peppermint here. However, I think I just don’t like rooibos “matcha” because I’m not loving this one. It’s the flavor beyond peppermint that I am not liking. This got tossed into the swap box.

Got this one in the morning and now it is 6 pm. I guess today was kind of busy. I had a lecture in the morning, then I had to defend my semster thesis.

Hmm, and I supported local tea shop/room in my University thesis. I bought another package of Guria Likhauri and a T-shirt with their motive. Spend so much… but it is still only a little in their rent. I hope they won’t close down! I have spoke quite a lot with the owner, the rent is quite high — owner let them to don’t pay two rents, but now it is getting more serious for him too.

But to this tea from United Kingdom. It is wonderful in my opinion. Fresh apples, strong on cinnamon, as strudel should be! I as well noticed pastry flavour, which was kind of amazing! I miss bit raisins, but as I know there are people who hate them…

And if you are afraid it is a rooibos – no reason for that ! It’s not woody at all and can’t imagine other base than it.

Yummy!

I’m not a fan of Victoria Sponge, but the tea is soooo much better than the cake! I saw Martin’s review earlier and have been thinking about this ever since, so I made one great big mug with the last of my leaf to give it a great British send-off until I’ve finished a minimum of 207 more teas… yeah, it might be a while. Even though it’s overleafed there’s no astringency, but there is plenty of tart raspberriness (sure, that’s a word) and some vanilla cakiness (also a word). This was the first tea that ever blew me away with a ‘cake’ note, and I still think it’s one of the best out there for recreating the flavour of an actual dessert. I added sugar, and the raspberry note is brighter than ever now, while the vanilla cream cake takes a back seat. Perfect cup for this afternoon.

It’s not ‘goodbye’, Vicky, it’s only ‘see you later’. Sipdown 190/397.

I needed a strong and simple flavoured tea.

And what is simplier than an Earl Grey?

Honestly, I am bit sad that it doesn’t contain any citrus pieces. It would make the blend nicer. And only Assam is whole leaf, rest is CTC or BOP tea :(

But blend aroma is wondeful! I notice fresh citrus — bergamot notes. It smells nice and not artificial.

Taste — well the base is indeed well present, quite malty… maybe too much. I noticed as well nice grape notes — similar to Georgian tea. And bergamot flavour? It is just right! Not overpowering, but noticeable in the taste. Could be bit more stronger, or as I wrote before, more citrus notes by zests for example? I don’t know, I am not a tea mixologist. Roswell Strange, could it work?

Sipdown! I am on fire today! (181/397)

This blend is light on the green tea, which if anything is a plus for me since I’m not a big fan, but it’s worth noting for anyone wanting to pick this up because they like green tea. It’s actually pretty accurate to the name, though, with some sourness alongside the herbal lemon which is reminiscent of sherbet, and a sweetness which I didn’t expect. I checked Bird & Blend’s website to see if there was any stevia added, but it’s not listed in the ingredients (though this blend is discontinued on the main site, it’s still available on the VIP site). I was actually planning to add some sugar to make it more reminiscent of the sweet, but there was no need to! Though I wasn’t blown away by this tea, I was pleasantly surprised, and I drank my cup down in a flash. It was just what I needed after an afternoon drinking rich black teas.

Thank you KittyLovesTea (who I don’t think uses Steepster any more, sadly) for sharing this with me.

This blend has been hanging around my cupboard for a really long time, mostly because the lime and cola flavours aren’t prominent enough for it to make a real impression. This blend has now been retired and replaced with a similar tea using a yerba mate base instead of the guayusa, which I’d be interested to compare when I finally place another order. The scent of this one brewing was super off-putting – it smelled like a barn and that’s not something I want to drink – and while it was hot the dirty hay scent did translate to the flavour of the tea a little bit, while the lime was a whisper in the background and the cola nowhere to be found. I fully thought I was going to dump this cup, but after a few minutes as it started to cool, the hay note started to fade, and now the lime is most prominent (but still soft) and the cola is actually coming through in the aftertaste. It’s fairly pleasant, aside from the occasional sip where I can still taste the hay, but I do wish the lime cola impression was just less delicate overall. I plan on trying this one as a cold brew, as several other Steepsterites have recommended, and am pinning my hopes on trying the new blend as I do think the offputting scent and barn flavour is coming from the guayusa. I would have preferred something with a green or white tea base, though, because mate isn’t my favourite either.

Matcha Smoothie Sipdown (262)

Dumped the rest of the sample into today’s strawberry banana smoothie. It adds a nice chocolate note to the flavor, albeit a subtle one.

So a lot of my matcha is in the freezer but for some reason I keep the small sample tins of matcha in my tea drawers. That means when I’m pulling a matcha to add to my smoothies, I forget about the Bird and Blend ones in the other room. However, today I remembered and when deciding what would go with a strawberry and banana smoothie, cocoa matcha seemed like a good choice.

A lot of the time I think I don’t taste the matcha but then I realize the aftertaste is distinctly chocolate. So it’s adding a nice layer to the smoothie where the strawberry banana flavor is tied off with an chocolate milk quality at the end of the sip. Works for me :)