4382 Tasting Notes
Sipdown! (4 | 43)
This is fine. Very earthy and herb-y tasting, with no flavor in particular jumping out at me. Definitely tasting roots, so that must be the ashwagandha. Maybe a bit of oatstraw and tulsi as well, but mostly it tastes generically “herbal”. I don’t notice the mango flavoring.
Flavors: Dry Leaves, Earthy, Grassy, Herbaceous, Herbs, Lavender, Musty, Roots, Tulsi
Preparation
Sipdown! (3 | 42)
This was pleasant enough, as breakfast blends go. Not typically my type of tea, but this one had enough Chinese black tea in it to smooth things out. Not something I would order, but far more enjoyable than the plain Ceylon from the same month.
Sadly, this month there are two breakfast-type blends in the box…
Flavors: Acidic, Earthy, Smooth, Tannic
Preparation
Sipdown! (5 | 39)
From the February subscription. I’m not technically sipping this down, but setting the rest aside to send to a friend who is a Ceylon enjoyer (unlike me, lol).
To me, this just tastes like a generic Ceylon. Sharp, tannic, with a high acidity and subtle grass-straw flavor. Not really sure what else to say about it, maybe there’s a hint of dried fruit if I squint? Not the tea for me. XP
Flavors: Acidic, Astringent, Dry Grass, Metallic, Sharp, Straw, Tannic
Preparation
Sipdown! (3 | 37)
The last one from the January subscription! Just in time, too, as my February shipment is currently sitting in the mailbox… XD
At first, I was dreading this one because of the stevia, but it’s actually not noticeable (thank goodness!). It’s a very mellow herbal infusion, even the tulsi doesn’t stand out strongly. Soft with a subtle mintiness from the tulsi and peppermint, as well as a gentle lemony note from lemon myrtle. There’s a slight ginger warmth, and the other “immunity-boosting” botanicals contribute a pleasant earthy quality. The texture in particular is very nice, it feels soft and pillowy on the tongue.
A pleasant and mellow infusion, but not something I would feel the need to order. I love tulsi so would prefer more of it to shine through! I will recommend it though, as I feel it’s very well-balanced and enjoyable overall.
Flavors: Citrus, Earthy, Ginger, Herbaceous, Herbs, Lemon, Mint, Roots, Round, Smooth, Soft, Sweet, Tulsi
Preparation
This is nice! The pineapple is definitely on the sweet/candied side vs. the tangy/fresh one. Apparently it has passion fruit, which I think I’m tasting as mango for some reason. It’s very mellow and subtly sweet, but the combo of the sweet candied pineapple with the toasted rice is giving it a sort of subdued pineapple cake vibe.
Speaking of which, I recently ordered a pineapple cake cashew butter as part of a trio from Rooted Fare and I’m so excited for all of them! :3
Flavors: Candied Fruit, Dry Grass, Jam, Mango, Pineapple, Smooth, Sweet, Toasted Rice, Toasty, Tropical
Preparation
Finding this one slightly difficult to describe. I haven’t had a lot of GABA teas, and I think they’ve all been oolongs?
I’m definitely getting a tanginess, which the Internet tells me is common for GABA teas. It actually reminds me a bit of a mango yogurt drink or lassi, but perhaps a bit tangier. But then there’s also the earthy-woody black tea flavor, with a bit of musty hay as well. It makes for an interesting combo, and once again does not taste at all like I would expect for Assam. Closer to a second flush Darjeeling really, with those hay notes, but it does have some briskness to it, and a touch of raisin in the finish. An interesting experience to be sure!
Flavors: Acidic, Brisk, Earthy, Fruity, Hay, Malty, Mango, Raisins, Tangy, Tannic, Woody, Yogurt
Preparation
Another Indian tea that tastes remarkably similar to hongcha! It’s the golden needle-ness of it all ha ha, it’s giving Yunnan vibes. It does have a bit of that sort of malty sweet potato note to it, though not as thick and rich as a Yunnan tea. Very honeyed and bready, with a stonefruity finish. No bitterness or astringency at all to my palate, which is very interesting for an Assam. I think if you told me this tea was from Yunnan, I would believe you!
Flavors: Apricot, Bread, Creamy, Dried Fruit, Earthy, Grain, Honey, Malty, Mineral, Oats, Raisins, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet
Preparation
I figured I would try another of these Lupicia Japan teas since the last one didn’t really count ha ha…
This one is nice enough. It pretty much tastes the same as their Tochiotome Black to me, and has a similar CTC base as well. Nice sweet-tart strawberry flavor that reminds me of freeze-dried strawberries. The base is brisk but not overly tannic, and I think they probably intend for this to be prepared as a milk tea anyway. Ooh, that sounds good… Might have to make one later! XD
Flavors: Acidic, Brisk, Metallic, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy, Tart
Preparation
Sipdown! (1 | 35)
Was excited to try this one (passion fruit, lime, grapefruit black tea) but I could tell from the smell of the dry leaf that something was off. They have some teas where they use essential oils or something for citrus flavors (their Grapefruit Green and Kumquat come to mind) and they tend to have a much shorter shelf life, and in less than a year they get this weird soapy flavor to them, I’m assuming because the oil degrades or goes rancid in some way.
Anyway, this has that soapy flavor so I’m assuming maybe the grapefruit here is the same one in Grapefruit Green. So sadly, tossing the rest of this… :(
