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This was the main reason for my Murchie’s order. It’s a summer seasonal tea, and I love orange-flavored things. I will say, I became less excited when I saw that it also has spices in it, because why? They describe it as a transitional tea for late summer and early fall, but I guess I’m confused by that decision when they already have two other orange spice teas? So I hemmed and hawed on whether I even wanted it anymore, but ended up taking the plunge because retail therapy. I did remove all of the whole cloves out of protest! (Ashmanra will understand XD)

It is mostly orange, thankfully. I would describe it as being close to a true orange flavor, with just a touch of gummy orange slice and a bit of that essential oil sort of zestiness. The spices show themselves near the end of the sip, and the finish tastes very similar to their Christmas Tea (which is an orange spice black tea).

It does seem similar to Christmas Tea, though perhaps more orangey. I might have to try them side-by-side to remind myself. In any case, it’s nice, but definitely a fall-to-winter tea for me, and not a summer one.

Let me know if you have any recommendations for a nice, juicy orange tea, preferably without hibiscus or spices!

Just got my Murchie’s order, placed mostly because I was intrigued by the seasonal Tuscany Orange tea. I was in a fruity mood I guess, because I ended up getting three additional fruit-flavored black teas to try, this being one of them.

I have to say though, for something called “Lemon”, this actually just tastes like an Earl Grey. Maybe it’s the combination with the acidic base, but I’m getting more bergamot than lemon. Not that I mind bergamot or Earl Grey, but it’s not what I was expecting from this tea. Oh well! I’ll use it for lattes and milk teas.

Sipdown! (9 | 86)

A lingering mini tin from the spring subscription box.

I remembered enjoying this more previously, I’m not sure if it’s the particular mix in this tin, but it’s more rooibos-y than I recall, and I can’t taste the vanilla cake as much. Also the bee pollen is adding a hint of wet dog, which isn’t ideal ha ha.

I have a full tin of this in my cupboard, maybe I’ll have to make a cup from that one and see if I feel the same way about it. Leaving my previous rating for now.

Sipdown! (8 | 85)

From the April subscription.

It’s okay, mostly tastes like a harsh Chinese green tea. There are some beany and stonefruit notes, but it’s also quite earthy/strawlike, a bit smoky, and somewhat astringent.

Sadly, I am not getting this subscription anymore. For some reason, S&V started making 3 out of 4 teas unflavored in every box, and I am generally only interested in their flavored offerings. Oh well!

Sipdown! (7 | 84)

Woohoo, another 4-ounce tin down! All of my tins from S&V have made it into my box of oldest teas, which just goes to show that I can’t get through 100+ grams of tea in a timely fashion. Sadly, they only offer these national park teas in a 4-ounce size… :|

Anyway, I enjoyed this one! I wouldn’t call it a must-have, but it has such a pleasantly rhubarb-esque tangy fruit flavor to it, along with a touch of earthiness. I love rhubarb, so that probably explains why I enjoy this tea. I don’t know that I’ll reorder it, given the 4-ounce minimum… I really wish they would add 2-ounce bags for this series.

Sipdown! (6 | 83)

Finished off this delightful infusion from Murchie’s, which really does taste like carrot cake IMO. Even though I’m not a rooibos lover, I think the base here works well because of the addition of green rooibos and honeybush. It certainly doesn’t have that traditional rooibos woody/medicinal flavor. It’s sweet but not overly so, and has nice subtle warm spices with a touch of cream cheese creaminess. I’m not a fan of chocolate chips in tea, but there don’t seem to be a ton included here, and they also don’t melt all that well, so it’s not an overly oily cuppa.

I made a Murchie’s order a few days ago, as I want to try their summer orange tea, and another bag of this made the cut!

I am ashamed to admit that I have had this tea in my cupboard since it was released (around December of 2022 I think) and had still never tried it until today… Oops? Nazanin has just released her third tea blend (Joon), and I think that was probably on my mind as I was selecting my first tea of the day.

So obviously, it’s been sitting around for almost 2.5 years, so the flavors are probably more subtle than they originally were. But I can still taste the citrusy bergamot, a touch of rose, and subtle cinnamon. It’s a very nice if somewhat unexpected combination – I don’t know that I’ve had cinnamon with bergamot before, though Prince Vladimir’s clove is pretty close. The cinnamon also gives it a lovely sweet aroma. Thankfully the rose is gentle enough that I still enjoy it, even though it’s not a floral that I generally like.

It’s a very aromatic and refined black tea blend that I could see being lovely for the afternoon. Someday soon I’ll have to order a new bag and actually drink it while it’s fresh, heh!

I recently added a random weekly tea selector to my spreadsheet, which chooses two random teas when I reset it for the week. This is one of the two chosen for this week!

I haven’t had it in ages, so it was fun to see it come up. Full-size teas that I’m not actively trying to sip down tend to get neglected in my cupboard, at least until they’ve become old enough to make it into my oldest teas basket LOL. This is pretty close actually, being from fall 2022.

Anyway, I really enjoy this flavor combination. The oolong has both fresh green and toasty grain notes, and strikes a nice balance of the two. The blueberry reminds me of the dried version that I used to enjoy in Blueberry Morning cereal, and is quite sweet with a syrupy, concentrated quality. I do taste a hint of banana, but it’s mostly adding creaminess. Still reminds me of some kind of blueberry granola!

Sipdown! (5 | 82)

Wasn’t a big fan of this (and it looks like I’m not the only one). I find it a bit harsh as green teas go – it does have some beany/vegetal notes but there’s also a lot of mineral and smoky flavors going on, and a bit of astringency. It’s also a bit bland overall?

Was interesting to try, but it’s not one that I would repurchase.

This reminds me a bit of their Hawaiian tea series in that it’s definitely tropical but a bit difficult to pick out the individual flavors. Apparently it’s supposed to be mango and pineapple with “other fruits”. I do get something mango-esque, though it also leans a bit more toward peach IMO. Not sure I can taste pineapple, but there is a slight tang.

I think this is one that would be nice as a milk tea, as the base is quite strong and has CTC leaves included. I’ll have to try it that way soon!