3986 Tasting Notes
Sipdown! (28 | 389)
Another sample from Bitterleaf. I really like their sample packets, they’re this soft, textured white paper but then they’re lined on the inside. The white background just looks so nice with their artistic labels too.
Anyway, this tea. It’s very nice, super smooth and soft with a mellow earthy hay flavor and tart dried apricot notes. Based on the name I would expect to find more floral notes, but maybe they just don’t show up with my heathen Western steep ha ha.
A very smooth and easy-drinking white tea for sure, not sure I would choose this one specifically since it doesn’t really stand out to me, but would happily drink it.
Flavors: Apricot, Barnyard, Creamy, Hay, Oats, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tart, Thick
Preparation
Sipdown! (27 | 388)
So lately I’ve been panicking and trying to get in more sipdowns, because of the amount of tea that has come in lately… Oops? Been on a bit of an Old Barrel Tea Co kick, and then there was the 700g of tea that I got with my Compagnie & Co advent. XP
I purchased this one from Dammann without trying it, and found it quite underwhelming. I love maté, and that part of it is tasty enough, quite smooth with a subtle sweetness and mellow earthy-grassy flavor. But the clementine actually tastes a bit like a Vitamin C chewable to me, it has that very sharp sort of tart orange-y flavor to it. And I guess to me, the two flavors just don’t meld together all that well? It’s not bad per se, just meh?
A shame, because I found out shortly after, in the advent last year, that I actually really love their Maté Citron Cerise, and should’ve gotten that one instead. Oops ha ha. Next time!
Flavors: Acidic, Artificial, Candy, Dry Grass, Earthy, Honey, Orange, Smooth, Sweet, Tangerine, Tangy, Tart
Preparation
Sipdown! (26 | 387)
Another old favorite from 3 Leaf, and possibly my all-time favorite of their flavors. Such a lovely creamy banana flavor that tastes much more like actual bananas than Runts. Maybe we’ll settle on banana-flavored pudding. Prepared iced, shaken with oat milk and a bit of maple syrup, it’s a morning treat that feels a bit decadent but isn’t.
I probably won’t be buying more flavored matcha, at least for a while, as I haven’t been drinking matcha lately, and I also tend to prefer a nicer plain matcha when I do. Tastes change I guess ha ha.
Flavors: Banana, Creamy, Grass, Smooth, Sweet, Umami
Preparation
Sipdown! (25 | 386)
This one was pretty nice. It’s a mix of Foxtrot (chamomile & mint tisane with vanilla), peppermint, and a decaf vanilla black tea. Plus then there are cute little candy cane pieces!
As you might expect, it has a soft peppermint and vanilla flavor with some mellow herbal notes. I actually like the combination of the more herbaceous peppermint with the sweeter candy cane, and also the gentle pollen notes of the chamomile make it very soothing as an evening tea.
Not sure I would order more of it, since I already have some other candy cane and similar teas. I do like that this one is caffeine-free though. We’ll see!
Flavors: Candy Cane, Chamomile, Creamy, Herbaceous, Mint, Peppermint, Pollen, Sweet, Vanilla
Preparation
Another Studio sampler blend. This one is inspired by Nausicäa, one of my favorites. Although, to be honest, I feel like I say that about all of them… XD
This one is just a bit meh. Very musty and herbal, and mostly tastes like tulsi with a bit of chrysanthemum pepperiness mixed in. The pea flower makes it steep up a dark, murky blue color. I assume that was added because of the color of Nausicäa’s outfit, but it’s a gimmick I could really do without, as it only adds to the musty notes.
Not a fan. I do like herbal tisanes, and tulsi, and chrysanthemum, but this one just tastes a bit muddled and musty to me.
Flavors: Chrysanthemum, Dry Grass, Herbaceous, Herbal, Musty, Pepper, Tulsi
Preparation
Sipdown! (23 | 384)
One of my older Dammann teas, but a good one. Dammann is maybe the only company I’ve found that really nails their plum flavoring. It actually tastes like fresh, tart plums, and I’m here for it. Apparently this also has apple, pear, and peach, but I’m mostly just tasting the stonefruits. Then again, it is about three years old, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a bit of the nuance is gone.
A lovely plummy tea. I don’t need to reorder it at the moment, as I have their plum green tea in my cupboard. But would definitely consider it for the future!
Flavors: Earthy, Fruity, Mineral, Plum, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
Sipdown! (22 | 383)
The last tea from my fall sampler tin. It’s fine, very similar to all of the other mulled hibiscus tisanes I’ve had in the past. Quite tart with subtle spicing from clove and cinnamon.
I tend to prefer hibiscus-forward blends cold steeped, but I find spiced blends weird that way so I would never order this type of tea.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Hibiscus, Spices, Tart
Preparation
Sipdown! (21 | 382)
Tasty Japanese grape flavored black tea. I will say I don’t think it tastes much like muscat grapes, at least not the ones I’ve had. Those are usually more sweet-tart and fresh, and this tastes like a darker and more concord-esque grape flavor. A lot of times Japanese candies and sweets come in both a purple (Kyoho) grape and a green (Muscat) grape flavor, and this tea is more purple grape to me.
That being said, still juicy and tasty. I think I prefer Jingle Bells a bit to this one, must be the extra sparkling wine flavor? So I don’t think I would reorder this particular tea because of that, I would just wait until the holidays to restock on Jingle Bells.
Flavors: Artificial, Astringent, Candy, Floral, Grapes, Sweet, Syrupy, Tannic
Preparation
Next up from the Studio sampler is this Spirited Away-inspired blend.
It’s an herbal tisane, a mix of lemongrass, apple, sage, and rose. The lemongrass is definitely the strongest flavor to my tastebuds, and somehow over it ends up tasting a bit like cucumber. I do taste a touch of sweet-tart apple, and then an undertone of savory sage. The rose comes in in the finish, and fortunately for me it’s quite light and fresh.
It’s nice enough, just not super exciting.
Flavors: Apple, Cucumber, Floral, Hay, Herbaceous, Lemon, Lemongrass, Musty, Rose, Sage, Savory, Smooth, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
I got my Compagnie & Co advent calendar today, yay! It’s so very pretty, a stack of 12 boxes that you can rotate individually, and each box has two numbers on different sides, and has two numbered wrapped sachets inside. Can’t wait to open it this December! Anyway, of course I couldn’t resist also ordering several teas while I was at it… When I opened the box, everything smelled like grapefruit, so of course I had to try that tea first.
It’s a really lovely grapefruit flavor, bright and zingy and fresh but without being too pithy or bitter. I do wish I could taste the lychee (this is a grapefruit & lychee black tea), I don’t notice it at all because the grapefruit flavor is quite strong. The base is very smooth but has a nice, almost biscuity flavor to it. There’s a little baby hint of bitterness in the finish, not sure if it’s from the black tea or the grapefruit flavor, but I actually find it fitting for this blend.
A very refreshing grapefruit tea! Looking forward to trying another of their teas tomorrow. :)
Flavors: Acidic, Biscuit, Bitter, Bright, Citrus, Citrus Zest, Fruity, Grapefruit, Malt, Tart
