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First to review! I should come out and say right now that I put Cool Whip on top of this, so I’m going to be getting more vanilla and creamy sweetness than someone who made this the traditional way.

This smells rich with gingerbready spices and warm chocolate. However, it already comes across as artificial chocolate, like a Tootsie Roll. Why is it so hard for tea companies to do chocolate right?? Is cacao too expensive?

Anyway, the flavor is less chocolatey than the aroma, as expected. This basically tastes like a ginger-heavy regular chai, with some odd spice notes I’m having trouble separating out. It almost tastes like rooibos. I only really get the chocolate notes on the exhale. This isn’t bad in any way, just not what I had hoped it would be. I need to learn to avoid Harney & Sons’s attempts at chocolate.

This one is from my March Sips By box.

Heavenly Tea Leaves’s website lists lemon peel as an ingredient, but I don’t see any in my sample. All I see are black tea leaves and lemongrass. But I certainly smell lemon peel! There is a very distinct, realistic lemon aroma, as opposed to lemon verbena or lemongrass. Mmm.

I was brushing my teeth while this steeped and didn’t hear the timer ding. So I think I steeped this somewhere between 3.5 and 4 minutes. Even with a little extra time, it comes out pretty light in color compared to other black teas. Steeped, the lemon fragrance is SO strong! Almost like I’m smelling the fresh cut fruit.

The flavor is not exactly what was promised by the aroma. The lemongrass is bright and present, but there’s also some weird note. It kind of reminds me of those chalky Valentines Day heart candies with the phrases on them. Like if those were lemon flavor. Or PEZ! Yes, lemon Pez. And even with 3 teaspoons of tea for 24 ounces, this is a little weak. I’d go with 4 next time for sure. All around, I am not impressed. Ajiri’s lemon black tea is much, much better.

Finishing up Black Assam by Mana Organics. Didn’t have enough for a tumbler, so it’s two parts Assam and one part Golden Orchid by Whispering Pines.

The Golden Orchid overpowers the Assam, even though I used a smaller portion. It’s lovely.

Sipdowns in 2019: 23

This was a sample in my last Lupicia order. I got a pretty good handful of them, actually. It’s sad in a way. I get to try all these once, then never again.

From the moment I opened the foil, I got the feeling this was one of the teas I’d miss. The strawberry aroma was mouthwatering. Like strawberry shortcake. The chocolate smell was more subtle, but there. Sort of like milk chocolate. Now, I’m not really a fan of puerh these days. It was interesting to explore, but I never found myself thinking “oh, a cup of puerh sounds good” when browsing my tea collection. Something about the mustiness. I should note that I don’t smell any of the more off-putting puerh notes.

At three and a half minutes, it is very dark. And bitter. Should have looked at the directions. I tried to just deal with it for a few sips, then gave up and added a splash of 2% milk. That improved the bitterness a lot, and sort of played up the chocolate flavor, which is still mild. I’m also tasting a good amount of vanilla, which I hadn’t expected, but I love. But strawberry is still the star of this tea. Realistic, happy strawberry. It’s a real shame I won’t be able to order it.

I think this has awakened something in me. I want to find a good replacement for this now.

Made my last tumbler ever today. Rest in peace. I guess this means I’m going to have to find another good caramel tea. Any suggestions?

Sipdowns in 2019: 22

This came in my March Sips By box. I was kinda underwhelmed with mine this month (ugh, more turmeric — I should retake my quiz), but we’ll see how I like what I got.

The leaves are tiny and most are broken. They are very dark and fine. Teas like this are often very strong, so I was conservative with my teaspoon and my steep time.

The flavor is lighter than I expected, which is kind of a good thing. I’m getting notes of cocoa and toast. Well, maybe more like a honey biscuit than toast. While there is some astringency, I’m kind of surprised at how mild this tastes. Easy sipping first thing in the morning. All around, though, this is pretty middle-of-the-road. Nothing really stands out about it to me. But I’m happy to have it.

Sipdown! Working my way through some plain black teas that probably would not appreciate being iced.

I didn’t have quite enough of this for my tumbler, so it’s got a scoop of Golden Orchid mixed in. You can’t really tell, though.

Sipdowns in 2019: 21

It’s warming up here. Spring is beginning. So, around the house at least, I’ve made the switch to iced tea. It’s still chilly in the mornings, though, so I’m still bringing hot tea to work.

Over the weekend I made a pretty good amount of tea. Twice I’ve made an iced concoction that is 2 parts Lupicia’s Golden Honey Dew, one part Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme, and one part Tazo’s Cucumber White. It’s very refreshing, but the coconut adds a desserty, cakey note that doesn’t quite work with the cucumber. After two big glasses of this, I think I’ll leave it out of the next one.

This was a freebie in my last Whispering Pines order. I was really excited to see it in the box!

The leaves are long, whole, and dark. They smell faintly toasted and sweet. Instructions said to scoop with a half tablespoon, so I did. The resulting tea is a warm, welcoming amber.

Flavorwise, this does taste pleasantly toasted. Almost like brown sugar or burnt sugar. The notes remind me of leather and sweet potato. It’s smooth and hearty and perfect for a breakfast tea. Whispering Pines never fails to impress with their quality and the complexity of their teas.

Finished up Yaupon Brothers’ Lavender Coconut today! I used three parts of that plus one part Pinky Up’s Coconut Creme. Just wanted a little more coconut flavor in my last tumbler of the yaupon.

I also wanted to get this out of my collection because the container was kinda bulky. I had a bad day on Monday and placed a small spring order with Harney & Sons. So I need the space, haha.

Sipdowns in 2019: 20