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additional notes: Drinking this festive fave today. It never lets me down, no matter its age! It always surprises me how tasty it is. (And it DID end up appearing on Bird&Blend’s VIP page this year, along with some other holiday faves some of us were looking for… maybe they will appear in the sale tomorrow?) I hope everyone is having an enjoyable day today. :)

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #22
I am falling behind in the advent as no-caff blends take me two nights to brew so I can have the second steep… This will at least please the green rooibos fans out there.   A little fruity, a hint of spicy from the cloves from this blush pink brew.  I do wish the fruit flavors were stronger, since I don’t think I ever had a tea before that should be plum, strawberry and raspberry all rolled into one.  It sure sounds like a delicious combination.  Luckily, the hibiscus or blackberry leaves don’t take over… maybe they balance each other.  It IS a balanced blend. It’s unique anyway!  
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – December 2025 Tea #4 - A flavored green tea

Not quite a sipdown yet, but I’ve grown to really like this one, so I’d rather it not be a sipdown yet.  It’s flavored! (Peppermint)  It’s green! (Gunpowder)  So I think it fits this prompt.   Strong peppermint, but creamy. I love it. It is very much like a candy cane. Raising the rating from 84.

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #21
I never even considered ordering this one for some reason, maybe because I have no idea what a goldenberry is… but it’s good! It’s a decent fruity tea with NO hibiscus. It’s sweet, but from the candied papaya. The goldenberry is from Peru, which might be why I have never seen it listed in tea before. Though the description said it would brew up a light pink color, mine was yellow. Maybe my sample missed any of the listed hibiscus? I would say the flavor was probably more sweet papaya and candied pineapple, as the goldenberry was only added flavoring. But maybe these fruits taste similar… I would definitely drink this again though.
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – December 2025 Tea #3 - December 21 – Winter Solstice – drink your coziest tea (while comfy if possible!)
Had a LONNGG breezy freezing walk today and this (along with a donut) is my reward. :)  It is certainly cozy — I personally find ripe puerh cozy and comforting.  And then there is the additional flavor of the sticky rice, that just goes so well with the ripe and makes it EXTRA cozy.  I love it.  This is 18 years old and the flavor is still going strong.  (I’m assuming? Unless that just means they added the flavor much later to a puerh from 2008… I dunno.) The puerh seems delicious and agreeable enough that it probably didn’t really need flavoring to begin with, but I’ll take it!  I’m just happy it’s the winter solstice today, so it can darn well stop getting dark at 3:47 pm…  
2025 Sipdown total: 84
2025 unique tea sipdowns: 67 

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #20
I tried this one in the holiday sampler box before. I remember I didn’t love it very much, even though it seemed VERY much like it should be my thing. There is real vanilla bean in this, so the ingredients list tells me, and that should alone make me a fan. It’s okay here today. Not sure why rooibos is ever added to black tea, but it really isn’t that noticeable here. The black tea has enough depth to it. I also love the tiny little flowers they have in the blend. Otherwise it’s vanilla and it’s mint, sharing the stage.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 21 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #19
Another I have never tried before. It was looking like a typhoon out there today, so I could definitely use a cup of whatever “cozy comfort” is. This was just okay and inoffensive. Light on the cinnamon, a little bit nutty, as it’s supposed to be black walnut. I have probably never had a black walnut tea. The cinnamon was enough just to make it slightly noticeable. Not bad, not fantastic. The black tea wasn’t too weak, which leads me to believe they haven’t altered the base on this blend…yet…
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 21 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #18

Another that I have never tried yet. An interesting herbal blend… I do miss fresh tulsi blends. Here it is subtle, but so is the resulting flavor from all the other ingredients. Mildly citrusy and tart. Fruity, naturally sweet. A bit of that green bean flavor from the tulsi. The hibiscus was NOT noticeable, so grateful for that anyway… Not bad, but nothing fantastic. An oddly small amount was in this advent sample, I personally would have used at least half a teaspoon more, so maybe that is why the flavor is lighter here.
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for a full mug // 23 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – December 2025 Tea #2 - A single origin tea

Time for a sipdown of this one!  It was a good green.  That is all.  Really wish I wrote a note when it was fresh.  It deserved a fresher note.  sigh.    I am trying to do a year end crunch time and try to have one sipdown a day, along with enjoying one holiday tea a day (separate from the advent).  We will see how it goes….
2025 Sipdown total: 83
2025 unique tea sipdowns: 66

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #17
YAYYYYY — I was hoping this one would make it into the advent.  It’s one of my favorites.  Always up for steeping up a cup of this.  Except…. it looks like S&V has altered the base of this one again, like they have of so many of my favorite flavored black teas.   It’s much lighter now than it used to be…  the flavors are the same, but the light black tea is just bad bad bad.  No weak black tea for me. Am I just complaining about these teas?
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 19 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep