72

My first tea from Deb! I figured I would break into the free samples first, since the other packages are completely sealed and I would rather leave them that way until I get some more sipdowns in. Plus it sounded good!

First, let me just say that Deb is amazing. The package she sent me was covered in cute holographic stickers and filled with pretty tissue paper. She included a little paperback notebook with types of tea printed on the cover, and wrote me a sweet (and rather extensive) note in a cute tea-themed card. All this in addition to the free goodies I got because of the weekly special! What a sweet person she clearly is. Thanks, Deb!

Anyway…

I actually mostly followed the (rather shocking) recommended steeping parameters for this tea. I did shorten the time a little bit just because (1) I can’t imagine more time making a difference and (2) I didn’t want to wait that long. I did overleaf this a bit just because there were quite a few large chunky bits of apple in the pouch.

So… I don’t think I would call this pumpkin or tart, really. I do get the pumpkin pie spices, especially the clove (unsurprising, since there were whole cloves in the tea). But I don’t get pumpkin, which honestly makes sense given there is no flavoring here, and no dried pumpkin. I do get a light and pleasant apple flavor, which goes well with the spices. Thankfully, I do not taste any coconut.

I’m not sure how I feel about the added sweetness from the maple sugar (or whatever it is). It’s not overwhelmingly sweet or cloying, but I never add sweetener to my teas so it’s still quite a bit sweeter than my teas would normally be. I will say, I do appreciate that it’s restrained, as I still find it very pleasant and drinkable even with the included sugar.

So, tl;dr? It’s perfectly pleasant to sip on, but it’s not special to me. The flavor overall is quite light, and mostly it’s the pumpkin pie spices that take center stage. Will happily sip down the rest of the sample, but certainly not a reorder for me.

Flavors: Apple, Autumn Leaf Pile, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Creamy, Nutmeg, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Courtney

Autumn leaf pile makes me laugh every time I see it.

Cameron B.

Really I just wanted “leaf”, but that’s the only option! :P

AJRimmer

I’m really considering getting the subscription box, but I haven’t tried her teas before, so I’m eagerly reading all the tasting notes people post to help me make my decision!

Cameron B.

I saw that but am not really interested in the extra stuff so it wouldn’t be very cost-effective for me. :P

AJRimmer

I’m not interested in the other things either, so I should probably just make a regular order instead!

Silent Kettle

Yes! I continue supporting Deb because she is an AMAZING person. Her teas come packaged beautifully!
Also, I loved your review. :) I cannot wait to see what you think of the rest of her teas.

Silent Kettle

@AJRimmer, if you’re not interested in the extra items, then it might be more cost effective to just get a large order and try the 25 gram samples to see what you like. :)

AJRimmer

Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do! I always make too many Black Friday tea orders, so I figured I should probably wait and see how overwhelmed with tea I am before ordering :P

Silent Kettle

Haha! That makes sense! If you are ordering, I would highly recommend fireside s’mores and raisan bread pudding from Deb. Those are some of my favourite tea blends :)

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Comments

Courtney

Autumn leaf pile makes me laugh every time I see it.

Cameron B.

Really I just wanted “leaf”, but that’s the only option! :P

AJRimmer

I’m really considering getting the subscription box, but I haven’t tried her teas before, so I’m eagerly reading all the tasting notes people post to help me make my decision!

Cameron B.

I saw that but am not really interested in the extra stuff so it wouldn’t be very cost-effective for me. :P

AJRimmer

I’m not interested in the other things either, so I should probably just make a regular order instead!

Silent Kettle

Yes! I continue supporting Deb because she is an AMAZING person. Her teas come packaged beautifully!
Also, I loved your review. :) I cannot wait to see what you think of the rest of her teas.

Silent Kettle

@AJRimmer, if you’re not interested in the extra items, then it might be more cost effective to just get a large order and try the 25 gram samples to see what you like. :)

AJRimmer

Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do! I always make too many Black Friday tea orders, so I figured I should probably wait and see how overwhelmed with tea I am before ordering :P

Silent Kettle

Haha! That makes sense! If you are ordering, I would highly recommend fireside s’mores and raisan bread pudding from Deb. Those are some of my favourite tea blends :)

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Profile

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, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

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. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

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 also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

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

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

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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