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Sipdown! (2 | 404)

Just such a nice, smooth and relaxing, subtly fruity green tea from Dammann. The base has a mellow haylike flavor that I just find so comforting. I feel like I’m tasting honeydew melon, which isn’t listed, so maybe that’s down to the cucumber. Some crisp green apple and a bit of the kiwi as well. The lemongrass is probably contributing to the herbaceous hay flavor.

Quite nice. I really enjoyed this one, but also happy to have it finished, since it was one of my oldest teas. :D

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Haven’t been around much in the last week because my mother-in-law was staying with us. Let’s just say, I’m relieved that she left this morning ha ha… ^^’

Anyway, this tea. It sounded so good to me, but I just don’t love it. I get maple in the smell, but not the taste. The combination of the pumpkin (I think) and the ginger together just comes out so earthy, it’s odd to me. And then there’s a touch of candy cinnamon in the background. Just a strange combination of things to my palate.

Anyway, not a fan. But I’m partially glad about it, since this is yet another tea that is only offered in sachets in a tin…

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Last one from Magic Hour! I chose one gemstone tea to try, and this just sounded so good with the descriptors of plum and spice.

I will say though, I don’t get a lot of either of those things. There’s definitely a quite subtle plum note, that becomes a bit more prominent in the finish. I’m not sure I get spice at all, maybe a teeny hint of cinnamon. Mostly it actually tastes like oats to me, which I assume is from the silver needle. Almost like a very light oat crumble or cookie, with just a touch of butteriness. There’s a hint of a musty or chalky note, and that’s probably down to the butterfly pea flower. Also I do get a light, crisp apple note.

Overall, it’s pleasant but I don’t think I would repurchase it, as I was hoping for more of the fruity notes. Also I feel like the color in the photo is super misleading, mine always looked like some kind of murky mouthwash ha ha.

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I recently ordered the spring and autumn harvests of Laoshan Black (and green) because I wasn’t sure which one to get. I’ve been enjoying both of them and haven’t paid enough attention to notice much of a difference, so I thought with my last servings, I would do a side-by-side comparison to determine which one I want to order.

First up, the spring version! Very smooth and malty with lightly toasted grainy notes. It has a very creamy texture and a slightly creamy taste as well. More woody notes in the middle, and a touch of musty hay. Then the end of the sip brings some subtle floral notes. And underneath it all is a wonderful deep flavor with dark cocoa notes and a touch of burnt sugar.

And then there’s fall! Definitely noticing some differences now that I’m trying them together. This one is rounder with noticeable maple notes. I don’t get the same creamy, full texture, but I do feel that I get more sweetness. Similar toasted grains and wood, but noticing less mustiness and a “cleaner” taste overall. Definitely some autumn leaf vibes going on. The finish is more toasty and less lingering. Does still have those deep cocoa notes.

It’s crazy tasting the spring version after the autumn, it almost seems like it’s had milk added to it. And yet I do love those sweet maple notes from the autumn harvest. Spring is definitely stronger in the finish, with long-lingering toasty notes and gentle florals. Also worth noting, the spring would’ve been a bit fresher as I purchased these in the summer.

Hmm, I feel like I didn’t decide which one I prefer, LOL. Maybe I’ll just order both again… I think as soon as the autumn harvest is available for this year, I’ll just pick up 50g bags of both and see how I feel about them in a few months.

Sipdown! (39 | 400)

I recently ordered the spring and autumn harvests of Laoshan Black (and green) because I wasn’t sure which one to get. I’ve been enjoying both of them and haven’t paid enough attention to notice much of a difference, so I thought with my last servings, I would do a side-by-side comparison to determine which one I want to order.

First up, the spring version! Very smooth and malty with lightly toasted grainy notes. It has a very creamy texture and a slightly creamy taste as well. More woody notes in the middle, and a touch of musty hay. Then the end of the sip brings some subtle floral notes. And underneath it all is a wonderful deep flavor with dark cocoa notes and a touch of burnt sugar.

And then there’s fall! Definitely noticing some differences now that I’m trying them together. This one is rounder with noticeable maple notes. I don’t get the same creamy, full texture, but I do feel that I get more sweetness. Similar toasted grains and wood, but noticing less mustiness and a “cleaner” taste overall. Definitely some autumn leaf vibes going on. The finish is more toasty and less lingering. Does still have those deep cocoa notes.

It’s crazy tasting the spring version after the autumn, it almost seems like it’s had milk added to it. And yet I do love those sweet maple notes from the autumn harvest. Spring is definitely stronger in the finish, with long-lingering toasty notes and gentle florals. Also worth noting, the spring would’ve been a bit fresher as I purchased these in the summer.

Hmm, I feel like I didn’t decide which one I prefer, LOL. Maybe I’ll just order both again… I think as soon as the autumn harvest is available for this year, I’ll just pick up 50g bags of both and see how I feel about them in a few months.

One of several teas I ordered when I purchased their advent calendar!

This one is pretty lovely. The dry smell is so over-the-top delicious juicy raspberry jelly with a tinge of amaretto. Unfortunately the flavor is not quite as upfront when it’s steeped up, but maybe that’s a good thing ha ha. It’s a lovely decadent, sweet swirl of marzipan-esque almond notes (technically it’s pistachio, but they taste the same to me as flavorings) and sweet, concentrated raspberry jelly or pâte de fruit. Worth noting that the first time I tried this, I steeped for my usual 3 minutes and felt like the black tea overwhelmed the flavors, and I find it much better at 2 minutes. Still tasting plenty of black tea, but can taste the yummy raspberry and pistachio much better.

I admit, I don’t often love marzipan sort of notes in tea, but here when it’s more restrained and alongside the yummy raspberry flavor, I’m loving it. And would definitely recommend this one for almond lovers. I can’t wait to try the advent! :)

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The last one from my Nightmare Before Christmas fandom blends!

Another chocolate tea that I was surprised to enjoy. This is a mix of puerh and black tea with chocolate, caramel, and spice. It ends up tasting a bit like a Mexican hot chocolate to me, although without the chili. The spice is probably the strongest flavor, but I wouldn’t call it “strong” per se. And then the chocolate is there adding richness and sweetness, and there’s a hint of caramel as well. I like the mix of black tea and puerh, there’s a nice, deep, earthy quality, but I do feel like it would be too much if it was all puerh.

Happy to say I enjoyed almost all of these teas, even the chocolate ones. My faves were Town Meeting and This is Halloween, but all of them were good. There are a couple that are out of stock that I want to try, so will have to review them at a later date!

The very last one from the Studio sampler! Inspired, of course, by Kiki’s Delivery Service.

I saved this one for last because it sounded good to me – it has barley and toasted rice and other fun things in it. However, I’m finding it mostly tastes like ginger and hojicha. The ginger is quite strong, and has the earthy flavor of dried ginger root. Then behind it I can taste a bit of the roasty hoji-kukicha. Sadly I don’t taste barley or rice, or anything resembling vanilla flavoring.

So a bit disappointed, maybe I just got a lot of ginger in my sample? It’s certainly overwhelming all the other flavors. In general, I haven’t been enamored with any of these Friday Afternoon teas – it seems their teas and my tastes just might not be a good match. Oh well, can’t love them all!

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Been nursing a mug of this all day and just now getting around to writing a note… Way too much work happening today, ha ha.

This was one of my favorites from this series! Nice balance of smoky, savory lapsang with rich hazelnut and a touch of spice. Couldn’t possibly be more autumnal if it tried! The smoke is very present but not overwhelming, and it just makes for a surprisingly tasty combo with the almost creamy hazelnut flavoring. I think the spice and hint of apple helps bridge the gap a little, too.

Very nice, and one that I would consider ordering.

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Picked up a sample of this one with my matcha advent order, because I hadn’t tried it yet and it was sold out the last time I ordered. Super cute with the heart sprinkles!

It actually reminds me of a Dessert by Deb tea, ha ha. The flavor is very buttery and almost caramel-y, and that combined with the toasted rice and the rooibos base is making me think of one of Deb’s many similar caramel or caramel-adjacent teas. Like Salted Caramel Pancakes or that caramel custard rooibos one.

Anyway, it’s decent, but doesn’t necessarily taste like wedding cake to me. I get more of a buttery caramel tea than a cake one. But fun to try!