80
drank Golden Blend by Harney & Sons
4126 tasting notes

Sipdown! (143)

I was around here much yesterday! I wrote that note on Troika in the morning, and then we went to lunch. I had a yummy peanut butter burger (burger with peanut butter, honey, bacon, and tomato jam). Then we came home and took a nap, hah! After that the roommate and his girlfriend were taking up the whole couch so I was at my desktop and I got distracted playing Wildstar. :P Most of the teas I drank yesterday weren’t sipdowns and weren’t new teas anyway so I suppose I wouldn’t have felt the need to write about them regardless. I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to neglect you, Steepster! :P

So, this tea. I used about a teaspoon and a half because I didn’t want to have a random half teaspoon left over. So unfortunately it came out a bit bitter, as some teas do when overleafed. I added a little bit of sugar, which I never do with straight teas, and now it’s better with just the tiniest hint of bitterness near the end. I’m getting some very lovely fruit notes from this tea today, yum! Still probably not something I would purchase, but it’s pretty good. :)

It’s getting harder to get sipdowns just because a lot of the teas I still have are samples from TeaVivre, and you guys know what their sample size is like… So I foresee it becoming harder for me to stick to just the sipdown teas soon. :(

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- October sipdowns: 3
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 132

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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