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Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13

Oh, boy. I had tried this blend once before and had a horrible experience ha ha, but I was interested to try it again and see if that was a fluke or a bad batch.

Nope, still horrible! Tastes like a pile of wet rags, and also weirdly sour. There’s a cooling peppermint finish, but mostly sour rags. I’m so perplexed how anyone at Simpson & Vail could ever think that this is good, and equally confused by the positive reviews on their website. It makes me feel like I’m crazy ha ha…

Ah well, just another in a long line of peppermint bark tea failures for me. XD

Flavors: Cooling, Herbaceous, Mint, Musty, Peppermint, Sour

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Courtney

I agree with the puzzlement of anyone at S&V letting this through quality control with this rating (though I did laugh at the score of 1 XD).

Cameron B.

LOL I rarely rate anything under 50, so really I don’t have a good point of reference. But I wasn’t willing to drink a second sip, so might as well be a 1 ha ha.

AJRimmer

Ha I disliked it less this time than when I bought it a few years ago. It still wasn’t good, but I found it drinkable :P

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Courtney

I agree with the puzzlement of anyone at S&V letting this through quality control with this rating (though I did laugh at the score of 1 XD).

Cameron B.

LOL I rarely rate anything under 50, so really I don’t have a good point of reference. But I wasn’t willing to drink a second sip, so might as well be a 1 ha ha.

AJRimmer

Ha I disliked it less this time than when I bought it a few years ago. It still wasn’t good, but I found it drinkable :P

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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! ~
- December sipdowns: 1
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 157

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 (or monkfruit, etc.).

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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