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Preparation: Western with oatly
Tasting Note: I wanted to try this one as a latte as Deb notes her preferred brewing method for some of her teas. The first time around, I had it straight and I thought it was really nice like that.

So looking at the dry leaf of my current blend, the matcha looks a little dull (I may have waited on opening this bag a little long- about 4 months). The are slices of lime in the blend so that bodes well for the lime flavor. Coconut chips are large which I like.

Brewed as a latte. Matcha and sencha gives the tea a little grassy flavor. The lime is very much present as a flavor but I think that it is the lime flavoring that is giving it that sweet sort of taste as opposed to a pithy lime bitterness. The coconut feels a little lost this way as it competes with the oatly. I don’t know if I am getting key lime pie from this blend as there isn’t really a nutty pie crust element that I am getting with these flavors. I am definitely getting like a matcha key lime ice cream or yogurt though . I definitely prefer this tea brewed with out the oatly though.

Two side notes: 1) The Necessiteas just restocked a bunch of her teas if you were looking to restock from her and were holding off, now is the time. I think she restocked 5-6 ones that had been out and had some others she still had it stock. I think she has been my favorite on sweeter fruit herbal blends so far.

2) Less of a sidenote and more of a random update from me: Just added a desktop standing-sitting desk converter to my work from home setup. It feels so strange working while standing, its like my days working back in the Walgreens as a Pharmacy Tech. I keep want to stand like a flamingo as soon as my feet or legs get tired.

Preparation: Western (no additives)
Tasting Note: I have noticed that I don’t love Necessiteas black tea base, and I am not sure if that is just how I brew it or if it truly is pretty mild. Also, the blueberry in this blend is a little more mild than the pancakes blend. I like oats added to blends because it gives the slightest bit of creaminess and nuttiness. This blend is interesting and good but I think it could be improved.

Enjoying this one in the AC in the basement… in sweater when it is 90F outside. I am feeling indulgent. Lol.

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: So the dry blend does have tiny meringues in it and I definitely pick them out and eat them before steeping the tea. There isn’t alot but it’s worth it when you find one. I don’t typically see a lot of lime blends on the market so it is nice that this one uses dried lime pieces in the blend. To taste it is tangy and tinsy bit creamy and sweet kinda like a really tart key lime pie(like the ones in key west florida). (It probably would be sweeter if I stopped eatting all the meringues out before the steep). Anyways, yum! Would buy again.

Sipdown theme: Tea you’ve forgotten about
Got a lot to go to sip this one down. I have a little less than 50 g in a tin and then another unopened 50 g bag. So I definitely know that I wasn’t in the best place last year so I am not going to dwell too much on my tea buying habits of last year and focus on enjoying and sharing the stuff I have this one. So those of you involved in the TTB this year may see some of this in there. :)

Preparation: Western
Tasting note: I like the the grassy, rich notes of this oolong with the sweet creamy coconut. It has a tiny bit of oil but just little specks. It is a nice rich tea that kind of reminds me of a spinach creamy soup. My own drawback with the tea is that sometimes the flavoring can be a bit much. Noy sure if its the smell or strong flavor but it isnt always easy on the stomach.

Sipdown theme: Pineapple
Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: I don’t exactly know why but this tastes like a craft beer or flight that I have had but I cannot remember which ones. The pineapple brings this juicy sweet note and the cocoa and black tea brings this malty/coffee like notes. This is a really interesting pairing and I like how it keeps you thinking about it. It is an excellent distraction from stress. lol.

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: This one kind of reminds me of a light sparkling strawberry raspberry fruit punch without all the sweetness.

That being said, the adagio teas that were added to this blend were named pina colada and kona pineapple so I was expecting it to be more yellow and orange tropical fruit tasting. So this isn’t really that at all. Even at a small amount the rose hips and hibiscus give this more of strawberry raspberry taste. Not bad but not quite what was expecting after being away from it for so long.

I was drinking this for my mango sip down theme for July and I am almost tempted to label it “fruit punch or sparkling rose” and stick it back in my cupboard for a little more time and find something that has a stronger mango flavor… TBD

Finally got to trying this tea. So far the Fairy Tale Teas I have tried aren’t big on flavor, which is a bummer, which is why this one sat in the back of my cupboard for so long. They definitely have great packaging and steep up prettily if the blend has edible glitter.

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: This is a really delicate tea which I wasn’t expected with the thai ginger. The green base is pretty standard, maybe a bit boring but I think the other flavors play a stronger role here. Hot this doesn’t taste really interesting but after a few minutes (3-5) it really turns around and is nice. The pear and ginger pair really well here both make this tea slightly juicy and refreshing, even warm. It has a nice light sweetness and the jasmine is the right amount that provides that sort of floral melon-y nuance.

I think that at the quantity I have I probably won’t go through this tea quickly enough to justify keeping it all so I think I will be sharing some of it but it is nicer than I expected.

Sipdown theme: Oceanic flavored tea
Sipdowns and tasting notes have been much slower and less lately. The packages are larger and I have been drinking an older matcha and the nozomi a lot lately. For herbals, I have been enjoying this one, Peach Parfait, Keylime Sublime from TeBella and a couple 52teas. All have been nice so far and are lasting longer than expected especially the herbals. (Maybe because John isnt asking for tea as frequently?)

Anyways, I chose this one for the sea buckthorn in it. I don’t really know if it is a Oceanic flavor but it has sea in the name so the reminds me of an ocean… haha :)

Prep: Western
Tasting Note: Hot this one has that sour taste of chokeberry. Not as intense but definitely there. I think all the other ingredients work to mellow it out. The package reccommends this tea as iced but I have yet to try it like thst. I kind of like this sourness, it reminds me of a sour soup and that it soothing somehow.

When I bought this tea though, I thought it would taste more like P.O.G. which is heavy on the sweet pineapple orange which it definitely does not taste like that. I think I have come to terms that the ingredients are definitely doing something different.

After finishing my sample from @skysamurai, I was still thinking about this tea for a few weeks after so I finally decided to get it. It’s honestly really refreshing, sweet and nice in the summer even as a hot tea. I think it is the first kabusecha I have had before, so i feel pretty lucky to enjoy it so much. It’s also such a brillant bright green liquor. It kind of makes me chuckle how the hue reminds of the color of cartoon green acid or cartoon radioactive waste.

Feeling a little unwell today and its helping me relax in the right way- listening to ghibli sound tracks and working at relaxing pace (at home).

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: Waited for this one to cool off before I started sipping. The oolong has a little tiny bit of roasty notes but it is mostly pretty mild. It almost reminds me of a light black tea but without the astringency or heavy body. There isn’t a significant amount of creaminess or mango, I am getting as a flavor so I think this tea is stronger than those flavors and they may be doing more to mild out the base.

I think I will have to try some different brew methods and see what I get.