3986 Tasting Notes
Sipdown! (3 | 76)
Despite butterscotch being one of my favorite flavors, I found this one just a little disappointing?
I think it’s because I don’t really taste the rice much, if at all. The rooibos base and the strong flavoring are just overpowering it, I think. So it ends up being sort of a one-note butterscotch rooibos tisane. And don’t get me wrong, it’s still perfectly tasty, but I guess I was hoping for a bit more?
I had ordered a 50g bag of this, but that order still hasn’t moved from the UK and it’s been over six weeks now. So mostly likely it’ll need to be replaced and I’m sure they don’t have any of this one left by now. Oh well.
Flavors: Butter, Butterscotch, Caramel, Rooibos, Smooth, Sweet, Wood
Preparation
Sipdown! (2 | 75)
Okay B&B, this one is pretty lame.
It’s supposed to be a white tea but mostly it just tastes like chamomile with a hint of citrus. And maybe I get the linden as well?
Anyway, this is quite boring. And also I don’t understand the thought behind adding chamomile and valerian to a non-herbal tea… Especially when I can’t taste the tea here anyway.
Flavors: Citrus, Floral, Hay, Herbaceous, Lemon, Musty, Sweet
Preparation
Sipdown! (1 | 74)
Yay, first sipdown of February! ❤
This month was a bit of a bust for the Bird & Blend subscription, but this was my favorite of the three teas. It’s a lemon-ginger tisane, but the lemon is so nice and strong, with a good balance of sweet and tart. The rosehip helps bring out the zing of the lemon, and the lemon myrtle adds a nice soft herbal note. I mostly taste the ginger at the end of the sip, where is adds a nice spicy warmth and tickles my throat a little bit.
It’s tasty! Very enjoyable zippy lemon tisane for the evening. I’m glad at least one of these teas spoke to me!
Flavors: Candy, Ginger, Herbaceous, Lemon, Rosehips, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
It looks like their February box has some pancake teas, and I’m slightly considering subscribing for just one month to get them.
I got an email yesterday that they’re revamping their subscription system starting in March, and adding stuff like skipping/pausing and adding other teas to save on shipping.
Sipdown! (74)
Oh no, I’m almost out of jasmine samples from Teavivre! Hopefully the jasmine teas in my stash are still decent, because I’ve been enjoying sipping on these in the evening…
This is lovely as usual – sweet, creamy jasmine with some lovely light peach notes over a smooth and mineral, slightly vegetal base. The creaminess is really quite lovely – it tastes as though some milk has been added to my cup. Very slight pleasant astringency at the end that reminds me of a peach’s fuzzy skin.
Quite scrumptious. I’m not sure I would be able to distinguish it from their other jasmine pearls… Maybe sometime in the future I’ll have to order a sample of each and do a tasting. Although really, if there’s no noticeable difference I should just order the cheapest ones I suppose! :P
Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Creamy, Floral, Grass, Jasmine, Milk, Mineral, Peach, Smooth, Sweet, Vegetal
Preparation
Sipdown! (73)
This came from Courtney, I believe by way of VariaTEA.
So I tried this straight the first time around, and it’s just not my thing. A bit generic with malt and metallic notes. Only a slight bitterness with a short steep time, and a tiny bit of astringency. It’s not bad by any means, and someone who likes more standard breakfast-type or builder’s blends would probably enjoy it. I don’t happen to be that person, so it’s just okay for me.
So for my second pot, I pulled out a little baby creamer jug that was at the back of one of the cupboard, and sipped this tea with milk. It’s not something I often do, but it made it quite fun and tea party-like, which I really enjoyed. I didn’t go so far as to add sugar, because the thought actually grossed me out a bit. (And yet it doesn’t in lattes? Clearly I make no sense…)
So thanks, ladies, for the fun lazy Sunday morning tea time! :)
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Grain, Malt, Metallic, Tannic
Preparation
So many sipdowns! Well done!
Also this wasn’t my thing either. Thank goodness for Courtney having different tastes then us which meant finding someone to enjoy this!
Sipdown! (72)
I felt like opening one of my Harney samples yesterday and this happened to be the one that sounded best at the time. And the little packets make about two pots of tea for me, so I’m finishing it off tonight!
This one is just okay. I wish the flavoring was stronger, as I mostly taste the base tea with just a hint of cranberry. I don’t really get orange at all. The base here is quite earthy and woody but smooth and pleasant enough.
So all-in-all, it’s a decent tea, but nothing great. It’s too bad, as I love cranberry and it would be nice to have a yummy cranberry black tea.
Flavors: Cranberry, Dried Fruit, Earth, Smooth, Tart, Wood
Preparation
Sipdown! (71)
Another one from Courtney!
This is a fairly tasty one. I love dark fruit-flavored black teas, especially with blueberry. And this has a nice dark, syrupy-sweet berry flavor to it with a lot of rich jamminess.
I will say, the blackcurrant is definitely the strongest one here and it comes off a little bit candylike? It reminds me of these powdery sort of cassis candies that I’ve tried before. I do enjoy blackcurrant, but I find it nicer when there’s some tartness to it, like in blackcurrant jam.
So I wish there was more blueberry and blackberry here. But still enjoyable! Still searching for the perfect blueberry black tea… ;)
Flavors: Black Currant, Blueberry, Candy, Earth, Jam, Powdered Sugar, Sweet, Wood
Preparation
Sipdown! (70)
I admit to being a bit nonplussed by some of the super low ratings for this tea.
It’s not my favorite from Teavivre and it does taste a bit like a Ceylon which is interesting. It’s like a Ceylon with a bit of an earthy undercurrent that brings it back to China. Somewhat astringent on the tail end which is also unusual for a Chinese black tea. There’s a touch of bread in there somewhere as well. I’m also getting a note that reminds me of fennel or anise?
It’s certainly not their best tea in my opinion, but it’s still high quality and perfectly tasty tea. :)
Flavors: Anise, Astringent, Bread, Earth, Fennel, Floral, Malt, Smooth, Tannic
Preparation
Sipdown! (69)
I think I’m ready to give up on this one.
I’ve tried it several times, because it’s so highly rated and so many people seem to love it so I always felt like I should give it another chance because I was missing something.
But really, I just find it bland. The base is somewhat earthy and woody, which is fine, but then there’s not much else here? I get a hint of marzipan and a light powdery taste. Not sure if that’s meant to be floral or berry or what?
Oh well. More for everyone else! ;) And thanks to Courtney for the share!
ETA: I am getting some buttery biscuit in the aftertaste as it cools more. But I want MOAR!
Flavors: Almond, Butter, Cookie, Earth, Marzipan, Musty, Smooth, Wood
Preparation
Sipdown! (68)
Since I wasn’t keen on the thought of sipping down all of these turmeric blends, I thought I would experiment with cold-brewing one of them to use it up more quickly.
And actually, it’s not bad! The turmeric is fairly mellow and I’m getting a nice cucumber-esque note, I assume from the moringa? I was feeling overfull after polishing off a slice of French Silk pie from Thanksgiving that I had defrosted. And it’s always nice to have something not sweet and a bit “healthy” tasting when you feel that way…
I’m not sure this tactic will work for some of the other turmeric blends (namely the black pepper one) but it’s certainly an improvement on this tisane! Very refreshing.
Flavors: Cucumber, Earth, Ginger, Spices
oh no, I hope B&B fixes your order for you!
I’m sure they will! I had the same issue with a previous order around the holiday season, and they ended up replacing it and adding freebie samples! :)