Simpson & Vail

Dec 2025 TTB, 2nd round.
Floral Nectar Tea; by Simpson & Vail, Inc.
Loose leaf black tea in a mylar zip bag. 2 g. / 8 oz. / 212°F / 3 min. in a stainless micropore infusion basket. Wow, this tea is loaded with lavender! [It doubles as a nasal inhaler! As a rub for roasts! As a bouquet garni for soups & stews!] And the potent lavender fragrance persists from the dry blend, through steeping, onto the tongue and into the nose in a long finish. The base “black teas” were strong enough to withstand the lavender onslaught, giving the impression of a generic black with slight astringency, but no bitterness, tannin, nor any hints of malt or mint or pepperiness to betray its origin. On the tongue, I caught an occasional whisper of fruitiness, probably from the apricot flavoring. But lavender reigns supreme here, so you’d better like it, which I do. However, the mostly one-dimensional character of the tea hurts my rating, which I’ll call at 68.

December Sipdown Challenge Prompt – an unflavored black tea

Homemade Advent Day 7

I bought a 2 ounce pouch of this for our advent as I am trying to match teas to the F&M tons that came in the original advent.

It smells like rich breakfast tea and the scent lingered, making me want MORE TEA PLZ! I think in the future I may buy a sampling of lots of their Assams to taste and compare.

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #7
I thought I had tried this one before, but have not. I guess I had it confused with so many other GREAT floral teas that S&V carries. It also sounded very similar to the Lewis Carroll blend that I love. But it is NOT the same blend. That one has violet. Oh wait, it’s really their William Shakespeare blend. And I HAVE tried that one. I guess I must have realized that at some point and knew I didn’t have to try both blends. ANYWAY, this is a floral bomb. Which I like, personally. But a unique floral bomb! I think all of the components here actually share the stage: bergamot, lavender, rose and rosemary. The black tea base is huskier than some of the others I have been sipping from S&V lately. So I like this! But I guess it’s just good to know that some blends sometimes have two names over at S&V.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

December Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a flavored green

I ordered some tea as Christmas gifts and threw in some small amounts of various teas that are new to me to add to our homemade advent to make it more exciting.

Ashman didn’t what we were drinking and after breakfast I asked if he liked it. He said that he did, and found it an unusual flavor profile for a green tea and felt it tasted like oatmeal cookies. I can see that!

I get mostly creamy vanilla and a boozy flavor. The color is sunshine yellow, which was welcome on this second heavily overcast day in a row.

While I liked it and don’t mind drinking the rest, I don’t think I would repurchase just because it is an unusual profile and not one I prefer on a green base. Glad to have tried and had something a little different for sure!

Herbal and Decaf TTB, Summer 2025

Since my husband was feeding the baby this morning, I had a chance to sit in my rocking chair looking out the front window at yesterday’s snowfall. When I sat down and looked out, I was surprised to see a deer looking back at me! We looked at each other for a bit before she apparently decided I wasn’t a that and went back to nosing around the yard and nibbling at some of the greenery that hadn’t been covered by snow while I sipped my tea. Eventually, she ambled off into the trees.

Looking hereon Steepster, I see that this is a decidedly unpopular tea. I was a little surprised as I really enjoyed it! Hibiscus and orange dominate, which are both flavors I love. There are also notes of lemon and mango. There’s definitely a bit of citrus zest in the flavor as well, but not to much for my tastes. It makes a very pleasant and flavorful cold brew.

Plain, this tea left a bit to be desired. The rooibos itself was a pretty distinct flavor, which I’m perfectly fine with, but I would not recommend this tea to those that dislike red rooibos. The orange flavor was also strong, and I found it enjoyable enough, lacking some of the overly artificial notes I often get in orange flavorings, plus it wasn’t overly orange peel pithy, either. I’m not sure exactly how I felt about the rooibos flavor paired with the orange, though… it just danced a little close to that medicinal edge I sometimes get from fruit flavors (especially berries) paired with red rooibos. I think I more distinct chocolate flavor would have helped, but it wasn’t nearly as chocolately as I would’ve liked… it was there, but far too subtle, and I think if they’d just add some cocoa nibs to the leaf that would’ve helped a lot. It was fine, but not something I’d call a favorite…

Until I made it as a latte. Somehow a bit of warm, sweet vanilla almond milk just ties everything here together. The edges of the red rooibos leaf are smoothed out, the orange is really delicious with that creamy vanilla element, and something about adding a vanilla almond milk just really brings out the chocolate flavor (go fig). It’s really decadent… and delicious! So I will stick with this preparation for the rest of the bag, and will not be disappointed!

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #4
Well I just happen to have a tin of this one.  I am not seeing a tasting note for it, thought for sure I would have written one after all this time of having the tin around and had to add it to my cupboard, so I wonder if Steepster deleted a double tea entry or something.  I like this one!  In this advent sample, I only had 1 1/2 teaspoons in the pouch but usually for this chai I use two teaspoons for a mug.  So it’s interesting that the pouches of advent samples have different amounts in them.  This is a no-caff chai blend that brews up an orange yellow color.  Maybe because there is a LOT of orange peel.    It’s spicy while not being too spicy.  A nice resteep too.  I wish there was a bit more cinnamon though.  And I’m not ENTIRELY convinced the orange needs to be there, or at least this much orange.  It’s a good blend though. Somehow I don’t own any other chai blends without black tea or rooibos.   
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 9 minute steep

Advent swap!
This is warm cozy baked goods wrapped in caramel with a walnut finish. What a nice evening treat and I will add this to my next S&V order. Thanks Kelmishka!

S&V Advent Day 2!
I actually love this tea! I taste spices and baked elements. The black tea is a good base for it. It all tastes nice together, and the resteep was tasty too.

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #1
I am already late on the advents this year! oh no!  I get to join in the advent fun this year, as I WON an advent directly from Simpson and Vail in a lovely giveaway. I really appreciate that. Thanks so much, S&V!  The first tea is one that I have never had before, so that is exciting. (I am such a fan of S&V that I was a bit worried it would be teas that I had previously tried… but luckily they have SO MANY tea options, that can hardly actually happen.)  And to start with a National Park blend!  I don’t think I have tried any of those yet, but definitely have wanted to.  Sadly, this one reminds me a little bit of their Mary Shelley blend, in which the flavoring is blackberry and isn’t really my thing, as it tastes like chalky vitamins to my tastebuds. HOWEVER, the flavor here should be huckleberry with no blackberry in sight.  It almost tastes the same to me though.  Maybe the bearberry leaf tastes like blackberry leaf?  And some of the other ingredients are unique (birch bark, juniper), but I’m not really tasting them under whatever type of berry is here.   Possibly this isn’t as bad as the Mary Shelley blend, but I expected more here…
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep

S&V Advent Day 1! (though I’ll only be recording teas that are new to me here)

This was so fresh with a nice black base supporting. I can taste the berry flavors, but the juniper, birch, and other elements really keep this one interesting! The resteep was almost as good as the first! I liked it best cold with milk and sugar.

Mmm… okay, a tea from that S&V order that is actually quite flavorful! The tea has a rich almond flavor, both on the nose and the tongue. It has a very sweet, nutty note… it reminds me a bit of TeaSource’s “Roasted Chestnut,” though not as toasty as that tea. There is a sweetness to it, but it isn’t that syrupy, marzipan sort of flavor often in almond dessert teas… it’s more of a rich nutty note that lacks some of the earthiness you’d expect with that flavor. So it doesn’t really remind me much of an almond cookie, persay, but it is tasty. It makes a nice latte, but so far my favorite preparation has been warm with just a little honey, which helps bring out the sweetness. It’s tasty as a plain cup, as well, with a little bit of brassiness to the black base that lingers on the tongue. This tea is a good option for hitting a nutty craving without being too cloying.

Well, I feel much the same as Cameron’s review on this one… I’m confused by all the (quite old) glowing reviews on this tea, because I’m finding it pretty meh. The chai spices just come out a bit flat and muted, with a really muddled flavor that is dominated by the clove oil (sigh). Despite smelling the vanilla in the dry leaf, I’m not tasting the vanilla flavoring at all. The best cup of this I made was overleafing it heavily and adding my own sweet vanilla almond milk… which made it a bit astringent due to the overleafing, but at least brought out the chai spices and the milk brought in the missing vanilla element.

I’ve noticed some other S&V teas that I gave absolutely glowing reviews to years ago, but have found the ones from my more recent order just don’t hold a candle to my memory… something must have changed over the years. I’m assuming its either a different type of flavoring or using way less flavoring (or maybe both). I remember “Apple Cinnamon French Toast” blowing me away when I tried it six years ago, but the pouch I had from the same order as this tea just tasted a little mapley and was underwhelming and disappointing compared to what I had in the past.

In any event, this is a pass for me.

This ended up being one of my favorite teas from the TTB! It’s a fruity black tea, but somehow elevated. The black base is really good.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Berry Nice. Simpson & Vail Inc.
Loose-leaf dry blend with a mixed berry aroma. Steeped as directed: 1 tsp. in 8 oz. boiling alpine spring water for 5 min. The first flavor I tasted was the tartness of rose hips, which soon gave way to blackberries, and then the rest of the mixed berry ingredients. I love juicy berries, and this tisane was quite pleasing. Although many ingredients have been sugared, the sweetness of the infusion is understated. Another tsp. of added sugar brought balance to the hot drink and it just filled my mouth with deliciousness! I was able to discern the raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, and rosehip, but not the apple or blueberry, yet I don’t doubt they were rounding out the flavors in the background. Also enjoyable was the long, potent, finish to each mouthful. This really is nice! and I must admit to greedily making a large pot of it to bring cheer to a dull, foggy day (and making this a sipdown for the TTB). Bravo S&V, well done! Highly recommended and I’ll rate this a 95.

I’m not sure why I continually buy cranberry teas, because I am always disappointed in them… they just never taste like cranberry to me, and this is no exception. I don’t even get a hint, a whisper, or any indication this tea is cranberry except for it stating it in the title and seeing dried cranberry pieces in the leaf, which are apparently doing nothing for the flavor. The ingredients states it has natural cranberry flavor, but I find that hard to believe… all I get is an unassuming plain vegetal sencha with a pithy orange citrus note. The flavors are a little stronger prepared as a hot cup, but I was so disappointed in the lack of cranberry flavor that I’ve designated this tea as cold brew to use it up quickly. The cold brew is refreshing but also a bit more subdued (and sometimes it comes out tasting bubblegum-y to me, which is a mystery to me since usually it’s a fruit/citrus plus spices that cause that for me, and there are no spices present here).

Does anyone know if the other S&V “Orange Cranberry” variations on other bases are any different? If any of them actually taste of cranberry, let me know.

I’ll start by mentioning that S&V no longer sells this, so don’t run over to their site to find it. I managed to buy it when it was being discontinued, so I made sure to order. I’m glad I took the gamble, as I REALLY like this one. Strong marzipan on a great rooibos base. The marzipan isn’t cloying. And the occasional almond slice in the blend also lends another level of almond to the flavor (I’m assuming.) It’s a cozy blend though! A great dessert tea. I wonder why it was discontinued, as I think this is a keeper. Two solid steeps. I know there was a similar blend like this… maybe from Zen Tea back in the day.

Herbal TTB! The berry flavor here is pretty nice! I liked this cold. It’s sort of juicy and fresh. The second time I had it, it was much blander.

I think I’ve been going through Earl Grey withdrawal because this is really hitting the spot! The black tea is rich and smooth, the bergamot is strong with a nice grapefruit briskness to the citrus, and the vanilla is subtle but noticably sweetens out the tea and rounds out the edges. The cream note could be a little stronger and creamier but overall I’m enitrely satisfied. It’s a classic tea that just feels right on a sunny fall morning.