New Tasting Notes

Sipdown! (5 | 166)

This is another tea that I added to my swap advent calendar, and then had just one serving left to finish. Yay easy sipdowns!

This last cup is a bit stronger than normal ha ha, there must have been some fir or spruce dust at the bottom of the bag. It’s heavier on those resinous, sappy notes, so I’m having a more difficult time picking out the blueberry or the more delicate Labrador tea flavor.

But regardless, this one is delightful and I would definitely pick it up again. Honestly, I think I enjoyed all of the Québec-foraged infusions that I got from Camellia Sinensis. It’s been ages since I ordered from them, I’ll have to take a look at their site and see what’s new!

This is technically supposed to be an iced tea, and the leaf was quite broken, so I only steeped it for two minutes instead of my usual three.

It’s okay. In my opinion, there’s not enough passionfruit flavoring here. It mostly tastes like a fairly brisk black tea with just a hint of some kind of stonefruit (I think I would guess apricot?). It’s subtle enough that it could be a natural note of the tea itself. Not really getting the coconut at all, but since there is no coconut flavoring and only a few shreds of coconut in the bag, I’m not surprised.

Sipdown #27

Focusing on sipdowns as I prepare for the advent onslaught! And actually writing a note for this one, because apparently I didn’t review it during last year’s 52teas advent. (Or was it the 2023 advent…?)

I really love the fluffy, soft profile of Graveyard Mist, and Holiday Mist is a nice play on it. It’s funny because I don’t know that the additional fruity note screams “mandarin” to me — it’s more a generically tropical flavor, in my opinion. But it’s super tasty and bright. I think I still prefer Graveyard Mist, but this is a fun alternative!

Sipdown! (4 | 165)

This one is quite enjoyable. I like the balance of the black tea with the puerh and lapsang, all are present but none of them overwhelms the others. There’s just enough smokiness to call it a smoky tea, without being a pure smoked lapsang, which are often too much for me. The puerh adds earthiness and depth. The bergamot is subtle, but noticeable, and adds a nice citrus counterpoint to the heavier puerh and lapsang teas. I don’t think I can taste the beetroot, but it does make for a more reddish tinge.

I’m undecided on whether I would order this one, as I don’t typically reach for smoky teas. I also already have a somewhat similar tea from Murchie’s (Queen Victoria), and a smoky Earl from Lupicia (EG Grand Classic).

TTB! It’s a pretty standard herbaceous tea, but there’s something in there that tastes a little dirty. I wouldn’t want another cup, but it wasn’t terrible cold.

I am on a sip down roll lately and this one needed it as its almost 2 years old. And even with its age, the scent is still so wonderful.

Enjoyable though it suffers from my on again off again thing with flavored teas.

Not restocking at this time as I still have so much flavored tea that need to be sipped down.

Chai spiced apple juice! I last made this a few years ago, but now the cold weather is here I was really craving it. It’s pretty simple; a glass of cloudy apple juice heated in a pan with 4 chai teabags. It doesn’t have to be this specific chai, of course, but I find this to be a good one.

Got to say, it’s delicious! The apple pairs perfectly with the chai spices, giving it mulled cider or hot toddy kinda vibes. The ideal afternoon/early evening cup for a crisp autumn day.

Tart and jammy, as you might expect from a blend with hibiscus and rosehip as its main ingredients. The raspberry is just about there, but by no means a prominent flavour. The blackcurrant comes off quite nicely, however, and gives a taste akin to hot ribena. It’s very smooth, more so with a spoonful of honey. Probably not a blend I’d actively seek our for its flavour, but I do appreciate the wellness aspect (added echinacea & vitamin D) at the moment with this killer cold.

This came to me as a free sample with my recent Adagio order, and as it’s bonfire night here in the UK it seemed the perfect moment to try it.

Bonfire is a honeybush/lapsang blend with lots of apple and spices that smells totally different to how I imagined. It’s not smoky in the least, but very sweet, and reminiscent of dried fruit and Christmas pudding. Once brewed it takes on a smokier character, with a background of orange, hazelnut, cinnamon, and aniseed. Great for a cold day, and definitely one I’m pleased to have tried. Would be great in a travel mug in front of an actual bonfire, maybe with some toasted marshmallows to complement!

This came to me as a sample with my recent Dammann order. It’s pretty perfect for a gunpowder green; smooth and deliciously nutty with just the slightest hint of smoke. Green tea isn’t my go-to choice generally, but I enjoyed this one immensely.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – November 2025 Tea #2 - A sample from an order

I was okay finishing this sample from a long ago order, as I only found it a Just Okay blend.  I miss ordering from B&B!   If only they had my favorites all at once, I might be able to justify shipping, but finding Easter Egg Nests and Pumpkin available at the same time is probably never going to happen…

Back in August (2025), I went to Ohio for the Ohio Tea Festival. With almost a full day there before the actual event, I decided to hit up some tea shops. But there was only one within walking distance. ZC Teahouse is a nice place with a unique selection of tea.

Wet Leaf: Floral. Gardenia.

The first infusion was the best. I’m on the third now, and it’s still good, but the floral and mineral notes are dissipating more quickly than expected. It’s a good oolong but not as good as other Japanese oolong I’ve had. I will revisit this note later…

Sipdown! (3 | 164)

I added this to a swap advent calendar I’m working on, and had just a little bit leftover to have one small cup. It’s a nice blend, I like how the green tea mellows out the lemon fruit infusion just a bit, but it’s still bright and citrusy. Definitely fitting for the name, and the inspiration!

This is another of the hibiscus teas I took from my coworker’s decupboarding stash left in the breakroom. I prepared it as a coldbrew, and it’s okay, but nothing I’d be wowed by. Mostly it just tastes a little thin of flavor… there were two teabags available and I took both and steeped in 500ml water, but I’m guessing this is a tea that would do better to be overleafed a bit… a third teabag probably would’ve made a world of difference. The flavoring isn’t bad though… I can taste both blackberry and raspberry, with the blackberry being a bit stronger at the front of the sip and a tart raspberry note popping toward the end of the sip. The hibiscus is rightfully tangy, and though there are some sweeter ingredients in the blend, it retains more of a berry tartness. It’s likely too much for those that already don’t like hibiscus, but it isn’t as potent as the “Hibiscus Sangria” from Republic of Tea I tried the other day.

Summer 2025 Herbal TTB!

Cold steeped! This one has a bit more flavor to it than the passion fruit orange did. Hibiscusy, but not overly sour. There’s a little stevia in it, which is giving a sort of mustiness, but it’s not overbearing. I wouldn’t know specifically what flavor this was, but it has a nice, tangy red fruits sort of flavor. Pleasant and refreshing.

Sipdown! (2 | 163)

I was dreading this one a bit since it has rose in it, but since it’s just rose petals and not flavoring, I don’t notice it. Mostly it’s a pleasant jasmine green tea. Sweet and smooth, and it tastes naturally scented to me. The base is a touch earthy but quite mellow, and creates a nice foundation for the jasmine without being too strong.

It’s nice, but I have other jasmine teas that I like more. And seems a bit boring compared to a lot of the other literary blends…

2025 sipdown no. 48

This is like a pumpernickel bread with hints of caraway. Absolutely delightful, smooth, and no atsringency — one I would happily order. Thanks Cameron!

TTB! This is a little plain and boring for me! I didn’t notice any additional flavors here. I would have guessed there weren’t any. Green/black blends are confusing to me.

I ordered several Apolis samples a few months back, and tried a couple but then proceeded to neglect the rest for some reason. I saw them sitting in the samples section of my tea counter this morning and thought, “I should really drink those…” So, here we are.

This is nice! It does taste like peach pie – predominantly peachy in a canned peach sort of way, with just a touch of cinnamon. The base is a nice balance of smooth with a hint of bite, maybe a blend of Chinese and Ceylon teas? Tasty, and it’s definitely giving me peach pie filling vibes. I’m sure it would be delightful with additions, if I were so inclined.

Sipdown! I haven’t been drinking much black tea over the last couple of days thanks to my cold, but when I have fancied a cup this is what I’ve been drinking. And now it’s gone! I have really appreciated having this fabulous assam in my cupboard over the last couple of weeks, it’s definitely scratched my itch for something sweet, malty, and seriously robust.

Another sip down of a Christmas gifted tea from last year.

The orange has really faded over time and I found it a lot more tolerable this way. Still its a tea I want to like more than I actually do. Glad I was able to make use of it however.

Drinking this on an autumn morning while sitting in front of the fire while nibbling on a ginger cake I made. It pairs very well with the cake. I’m not typically the biggest fan of greener oolongs but this a nice one with hints of the lightest roast. Mild on the sharp green taste with very little bitterness when done using 20 second steeps and adding ten to twenty more with each additional steep in my gaiwan.

Another sore throat/cold relief saviour, great for helping to ease stuffiness and congestion. A little more basic than my tea tastes usually allow for perhaps, but definitely a classic for a reason! I tend to leave the bag in so it becomes quite strong by the end of the cup, and inhaling the steam whilst it’s still hot helps too. I shall survive this thing, with tea to help!