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I’m so happy to have this back in my collection. I’ve never reviewed it, but I believe this is my third time buying it. Anyway, the last time I got a notification that it was in stock, it sold out before my lunch break was even up. I emailed Brenden jokingly, saying something like “Did Golden Orchid really sell out in an hour??” Turns out it had sold out in 3 minutes. 3 MINUTES! But Brenden is amazing, y’all. He had the ingredients to make more and made me a custom three ounces. He is the best!

That said, the vanilla in this batch just isn’t what I remember. My memory of this tea is richer and I can’t figure out if my taster is broken, or if maybe I’m doing something wrong. The black tea base is still incredible. Luxurious and toasty. But the vanilla is lacking. Can any of you give me some advice on how you personally prepare it? I went with 3 rounded teaspoons for 24 ounces of water for 3 minutes.

Still giving it a high rating because I have faith. And because I would love this tea without the vanilla anyway.

EDIT: I see somebody saying the vanilla-ness tends to sink to the bottom of the packet. I’ll give mine a good shake tomorrow.

I got this one from Sips by, too. I’ve reviewed it before, but it was almost eight years ago. My tastes have changed since then, and the tea I tried was a little old. So, this morning it gets a second chance.

The aroma is absolutely wonderful. Lush, dark berries and vanilla. It smells like a decadent dessert, almost like a strawberry shortcake, but with something more sensual and rich. I used 3 sachets for 24 ounces of water, and it came out plenty dark. I’m glad I saved my fourth sachet for a single cup later.

This tea tastes romantic. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s creamy with vanilla and sweet with currant that reminds me of blackberries. Heavy and caramelly. The black tea base is strong but smooth with only a little astringency. Something about this makes me want to put a big dollop of whipped cream on top. I’m going to have to up my rating. 79 was far too low.

This one is from Sips by. I tweeted about it a day or two ago and a couple people said really nice things about it.

First of all, I love the art on the cake. It depicts a lovely woman in 1920’s fashion, with a cute bobbed hairstyle and one of those elegant cigarettes on a stick. Very Alphonse Mucha, but with fewer details.

The instructions on Sips by said that I needed half a cake for 8 ounces of water. That seemed like a lot to me, but I went with it. I crunched it up a bit and smelled it, thankful for no musty, iodine-like puerh notes. No, this just smells like the kind of dian hong black teas I crave.

Since I used so much of the cake, the tea comes out alarmingly dark. But it smells sweet, like fruit and malt. The flavor is so amazingly smooth. I’m getting notes of honeyed apricot. Faint oats or wheat. The honey note really lingers on the exhale. This tastes so much fresher than I expected. Even with the tea coming out this dark, it’s hardly bitter at all. This is a real treat. I will definitely be attempting a re-steep if the caffeine isn’t too much.

EDIT: The caffeine was a lot. I should have gone with a shorter steep time. Oh boy.
EDIT 2: Ok, I’m more than a little inexperienced with tea cakes. I see from other reviewers that I probably shouldn’t have broken the cake up. Oops. Now I know.

Sipdowns in 2019: 16

Wow… Joy’s Teaspoon went out of business without this tea ever being reviewed. That’s kinda sad. Anyway, I got this in their closing sale.

I’m finding a generous amount of dried apple, which reconstitutes in the hot water. As the tea steeps, there is a strong aroma of cinnamon and something bitter mixed with the apple. Something about it smells artificial, and frankly, a bit like pesticide.

The flavor is disappointing. Mostly bitter apple skin and fake cinnamon. Not the sweet apple cinnamon experience I was looking for at all. The tea is kinda spicy, I’ll give it that. But as much as I hate to waste tea, I’m not going to finish the 2 ounces I bought. Nope. Life its too short to suffer through bad tea, and this is certainly bad.

EDIT: I dumped the jar into the trash on my lunch break.

Finished up my sample of Harney & Son’s Diamond Jubilee this morning by mixing it half and half with Earl Grey Supreme. I swear there’s something restorative about these earl greys. It’s like I can feel myself recharging. (It’s probably just the caffeine.)

Oh boy… I’ve gotten my collection down to one page again. Temptation to buy more tea rising…

EDIT: Nevermind, my Sips by box came. It’s two pages again.

Sipdowns in 2019: 15

Alright, sipdown! Made this latte-style because I had a little more than I needed left. I used 2% milk and the results look like coffee. I have to say, this preparation is an improvement. It really brings out the nuttiness and tastes more like a cinnamon roll than just tea with cinnamon in it. Still, I’m pretty pleased to be done with this. There are just so many better teas out there, and life is short, you know?

EDIT: Oh hey, this is my 700th tasting note! Neat!

Sipdowns in 2019: 14

Sips By Sipdown!

Been drinking this after dinner this week. I really appreciate lemony herbals these days, especially on chilly nights. I hope my next Sips by box has something caffeine free in it. They’ve been my main supplier of post-work teas lately.

Sipdowns in 2019: 13

Second time drinking this, first time reviewing it.

This one called my name when I placed my last order. I have yet to find an earl grey better than the ones made by Harney & Sons. The Viennese, the Supreme, the Imperial, the Winter White… all great. And this one is no exception. I love the addition of the fuzzy silver tips mixed throughout.

Now, this is supposed to be a grapefruit earl grey. While I do taste citrus along with the bergamot, I don’t think I’d recognize it as grapefruit. It doesn’t have that sharp bitter/sour note to me. This comes across as clean and perfumey. Kinda like a body spray, haha. And of course, the bergamot notes take the lead. Lemony and bracing. While this is a tasty tea, I find myself kinda feeling like I’m drinking moisturizer. Or a nice bodywash. Not that that’s a bad thing?

Sipdown. Sad to see this one go for… reasons. I may order it again sometime if I foresee a stressful event coming up.

Sipdowns in 2019: 12

Alright, my first experience with CBD tea and CBD in general. This might be the first CBD tea review on Steepster? If so, I am happy to be the guinea pig.

When I open the pouch, I realize there is no way I can take this to work with me. It absolutely reeks of weed. It smells like dank, fancy bud with chai spices. The little square tea bag is stained with yellow, which I can only assume is the oil.

The Brothers Apothecary were kind enough to include a CBD honey stick, too, which I added to this tea with a splash of 2% milk. The instructions recommended coconut oil, but I didn’t have that on hand. Steeped, it comes out a bit dark and cloudy. It still smells unmistakably like weed. The flavor is strangely hoppy and cinnamony. This tastes kinda like a spiced beer, but it also tastes almost exactly like using a vaporizer. I think that’s what I’m mainly tasting. Vaporized weed that also kinda tastes like chai. But I don’t suppose I’m drinking this for the flavor.

I’m going to hop into the shower while I let the CBD do its work. I’ll be back with a rating and updates on how that went.

EDIT: The feeling was actually pretty wonderful. I was relaxed and very happy, the music I was playing sounded extra nice, and it felt like all my muscles were at ease.