Happy Turtle Tea

I bought a larger package of this tea solely because it was named after Gizmo the Gremlin, who I named a dog after since they looked alike. It has banana and berries and walnuts and has a strong banana runt smell so I am hoping it tastes good but if not, I bought it for the name and that’s on me.

Actually, its not bad. Thankfully. It’s mostly banana runts so if you like that flavor, this could work for you. It’s a green tea and I maybe get a touch umami but there really isn’t much green tea flavor while its hot. There also isn’t as much berry as you would expect from a tea that lists strawberries and raspberries as ingredients. Mostly just banana runts.

Sipdown (284)

It’s Pi Day. Today I had a banana cream pie eclair (an early birthday treat for me since the bakery isn’t open on Mondays) and now this tea.

This is cherry pie again today but with less crumble/crust and a touch kore astringency from the base. Perhaps it was just near the bottom of the package and so the broken bits are having that effect.

I asked my sister what tea I should have an her immediate reaction was “Cotton Candy”. It was very quick and took me by surprise. However, I usually prefer that cold and I wanted a hot tea so I asked her to pick again. Her next response was “Apple Pie” but since I don’t have an apple pie tea right now, I went with this tea instead.

This weirdly had something that was smelling lotion-y to me. There is no coconut though or anything that should have given me that so I just ignored it and hoped for the best. After one quick sip, I can say no lotion. In fact, its got a pretty nice pie flavor to it. Warm, cozy, sweet and jammy red fruit notes. The cinnamon and red fruit aspects are actually reminding me of Strawberry Pie Honeybush by 52 Teas, just less strawberry and more generic red fruit.

sipdown! THis one is pretty tasty and makes me want to try a few others from turtle tea at some point.

Sipdown 29-2021
Just a sample simp down…but it still counts! Another tea I finished a few days ago. It was a perfectly nice lavender earl grey, but didn’t really stand out for me. The lavender was really dominant, which I like. But, the lavender used wasn’t my favorite.

sample from VariaTEA. I don’t love green teas, so wasn’t expecting much from this one. OVerall, it brews up to this murky greenish water which isn’t wholly appealing …and then taste wise it’s very much a green tea…with a little sweetness and a bit of generic “fruit” taste to me. not a win.

had this the other day and really enjoyed it. Today i revisited and had a really enjoyable cup. sadly that’s about all i remember because i was in an all day session for work. lol

Sipdown (335)

This was a free sample with my Happy Turtle Tea order and I’m quite enjoying it. It’s a great mix of smoke and I’m getting fruit. With that said, this is supposed to be smoke and chocolate and nut brittle. Now that I know that’s what I’m supposed to have, I can smell a nut brittle and get a caramelized sweetness. Either way, I’m enjoying it. I’m not getting chocolate though and I’m okay with that.

Latte Sipdown (337)

This had cute little mint chips in the mix and I guess that led me to believe this would be a silky/creamy mint flavor. Instead, there is a lot more menthol and a lot less chocolate and a lot less creaminess than I expected or wanted. So, as far as mint chocolate teas go, this is cute but not the best flavorwise.

This tea is so far my favorite of the ones I’ve tried from Happy Turtle Tea. It’s really an odd lovely little blend. There is a rich earthy aroma that you pick up whenever you sip on the tea but that flavor does not translate over. The flavor itself is literally fresh pineapple juice with the ever so slight earthy note towards the end of the sip.

I’m trying to figure out if its a blend I will need more of or not and I’m still undecided but I’m just happy the candied pineapple and the friggin adorable pineapple sprinkles don’t cause this blend to be a sugar overload.

I so wanted to love this one. Banana, Blueberries, Walnuts with a green tea base. . .it sounds amazing however I’m starting to see a theme with the Happy Turtle Teas where there is a lot of sugar or candied elements that overpower the blends. The first few sips are really lovely and you get this delightful banana blueberry flavor but as you continue to sip the sweetness really takes over. The green tea flavor is very slight too.

Truly not a bad blend, just think the sugar level is a bit high for me. I do really love how the banana blueberry flavor mingles.

Just got my Happy Turtle Tea order. . . And because this one is an “IT” fandom blend, I had to try it. (I’m a big horror fan and Stephen King fan)

Being a flavored puerh, I was a bit worried about how this blend was going to come together. I haven’t really liked flavored puerhs so far. The added marshmallows and sprinkles added even a bit more worry but also added intrigue. So I went ahead and placed a small sample order to try a few blends.

This is truly a weird tea-puerh, strawberry & hazelnut flavoring, marshmallows, and sprinkles. The puerh is pretty muted and the sugar from the marshmallows and sprinkles is the star of the blend. I am picking up the strawberry which I do like and wish was a bit stronger. The sugary up front flavor is a bit much for me but I’m hoping the second infusion the spotlight will be more strawberry hazelnut puerh.

Can’t decide if I’m a fan or not. . .on the fence about this one. . .

I asked my sister to pick a tea for me and this is what she pulled out. Not sure what drew her to this but I am happy with it. It’s generically fruity with some rose notes. I like that the green tea base hasn’t made much of an appearance in the first couple of sips. It’s a nice enough tea but not one I need a lot of in my life. The last little bit I will either have iced or pass on if I think of someone who needs to try this.

And since its a fandom tea, the other questions is whether it suit its namesake? I feel like no. It has dragonfruit, which is a nice nod to the khaleesi but dragonfruit is such a subtle flavor that its easy to forget its in there. So that aside, nothing else really says Dany. Roses is definitely more the Tyrells and green tea seems too light for such a powerful person. I guess in my mind I would have thought more smoke. Maybe that’s too on the nose. One cool thing I will note is it steeps up an interesting neon-ish, almost green color. It reminded me of the wildfire in the show but even that is not really connected to this character (her dad, yes…not her).

This was significantly better while still hot. As it cools, it’s not great tbh. It’s a spiced tea and while hot the spices were an alright balance, but are becoming more and more muddied as the temperature drops. With that said, this tea may not be the best flavorwise but it’s incredibly pretty both as a dry leaf and steeped. Check out the sparkle here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKZtcTdgnoZ/?igshid=1i1x9we8yk7n3

Sipdown in honor of National Superhero Day!

Bye Cap! Definitely better as a latte. Also, this cup was mostly actual tea leaves and no marshmallows so this was not as sweet as usual. Made the cup a little boring.

S is for…Super Soldier Serum

Made this one as a latte. It’s nothing special but its named for Captain America (the original, not John Walker) so it makes me happy. Also marshmallows and sprinkles!

Made this as a latte and something about this tea screams Della Terra to me. I guess its the sprinkles and the gimmick and mostly it just seems like a tea that Della Terra would have made. It almost reminds me of my beloved Eight Candles, with a bit more nuttiness. It makes a nice enough latte though isn’t a favorite. Points for its namesake though.

Marshmallows. Sprinkles. Caramel. Captain America. I might have bought a larger package of this because of those things. Wish I drank it while it was hot though because cold it is caramelized almond. Hot, I think it might have had more to it. It’s not bad and I could see this being a decent latte. Plain and cold like this, it’s a little underwhelming.