Louisa May Alcott

Sipdown! (11 | 152)

I honestly enjoyed this one more than I expected, since I am generally not a fan of marzipan-type almond flavors in tea. But here it pairs well with the jammy strawberry to add some richness without being cloying. However, the base ruins it for me. It’s just so sharp and dry-grassy and overly earthy/mineral to me. I struggle a lot with cheaper/more generic green teas, and this is one of those. Just tastes a bit like dried-out grass clippings to me.

I really enjoy this tea, it’s fruity with a hit of syrup and marzipan. It’s light and sweet and refreshing. I think this will be a rebuy eventually… just have a sample for now.

Louisa landed at my house a while back courtesy of Michelle; she’s just been huddling in a dark corner waiting for spring-like weather to appear. Sun’s out, temps are temporarily up, so I invited her for my morning cuppa. She approved of the untidiness of my desk.

OK, enough with the cutesie metaphors.

I think there are more flaws in my steeping equipment than flaws in the tea. The drawstring filter bags I use for convenience are great for stronger flavors, but the fiber is a little thick for more subtle teas to make their way through. So…what I ended up with was a really nicely almond-scented cup of chunmee without any distinguishable fruit elements.

Even so, it was a pleasant diversion from my usual mid-morning club-you-over-the-head caffeine breaks.

Local author who I actually enjoy. I’ve toured her home, visited her gravesite, read her works, and watched almost every adaptation on film. The most recent film adaptation (2019) is one of my most favorite movies.

The berry scent off the leaves is very strong. Steeped for 3 minutes at 175. I found it to be a light and summer worthy tea. There is a fruity taste to it that I can’t define- even though I know the ingredient list included strawberries and apples. There is also a slight floral taste as well. My packet doesn’t include the amaretto ingredient but I do get a bit of a nutty taste and I see that it’s listed on the S&V website. I enjoyed this one. Think I’m going to put it in the back of the cabinet for a few months until spring arrives!

Advent Tea: Day 1 from Michelle!
I did drink this yesterday but I am posting the note today because I couldn’t find my computer charger the other day. I love to read so I was excited to see that this is an author-inspired tea blend. I liked this one overall. I could taste the strawberry in it and maybe some of the almond or amaretto flavoring. It was hard to pick out too many specific flavors, but they worked well with the green tea base. Thanks again, Michelle. (:

This tea seemed like a good tea to have around the holidays. I haven’t read Little Women yet (it’s around here somewhere) but it seems like a wintery book to me? At least what I know of the book suggests winter. Anyway, this tea is more summer than winter. It is fruity and fresh. The base is a Chunmee green with additional rose petals, apples and strawberries. I noticed many pieces of fruit in my infuser! I wouldn’t say the flavors stand out with strictly apple or strawberry… it’s more of a general fruit flavor. The rose notes are very light… more in the background. The description mentions an almond flavor and I wish it would have been more noticeable. But I’m very glad for the green base in this one. This is a delicious blend but I think it needs adjustments to make it a fantastic blend.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 30 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 25 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep