Cameron B. select Send Message

Another not-technically-sipdown note. I only have one more sample packet of this one, and I’ll be sending it to an Instagram friend as part of an Obubu sampler. Spread the Obubu love!

I haven’t been drinking many sencha or Japanese teas in general lately, so this just blew my mind when I took a sip. I guess I forgot how much I love sencha and its depth of flavor. This is so rich and buttery, making me think of kabocha or butternut squash as well as nuttier notes of edamame. Umami is there of course, but somewhat subdued. There’s a lot of vegetal sweetness here, and even as the tea cools not much bitter to speak of. Also some dry grass and hay, but in a sweet and comforting way, like lying in a pile of fresh, clean hay. Spinach lends depth and a nice, rich bottom note alongside the buttery squash.

Second steep has a touch more astringency and is a bit more refreshing with grass and nori notes. Still scrumptious!

So much nom. And there was much rejoicing.

Okay, last new tea for the night. “New” meaning I’ve had it for nine months and never tried it, LOL! I don’t know what I’m thinking when I buy all of these chocolate teas… Although to be fair, this one has a fairly misleading name.

This is a much better chocolate tea (IMO) than the last though. It’s a darker chocolate with a bit of bitterness that helps sell it. It actually does remind me a little of the way the cake tastes in a Hostess cupcake, so I guess it’s spot-on. It is a touch artificial, but so are snack cakes, so it makes sense to me. The strawberry is there as well, as more of a supporting flavor. It does taste like a strawberry flavor you would expect to find in a snack cake, not like a fresh strawberry. There’s a touch of creaminess as well.

I’m highly impressed, to be honest. Chocolate teas aren’t generally my thing but this really does taste like a chocolate and strawberry cupcake. I bet it would be wonderful as a latte too. Nice job, Simpson & Vail!

A random impulse purchase from Harney! Don’t ask me what I was thinking, I don’t even like most chocolate teas…

It’s pretty bland really? Or at least it’s more subdued than I expected. The base is fairly strong, and has an odd musty note to it. I definitely get some chocolate, though it tastes like artificial chocolate flavoring, not the real thing. Nuttiness, maybe a hint?

Not a fan.

Another one that I picked up on a whim in my last order.

Hmm… Yeah I’m not loving this. The lemon and honey together are giving me strong throat lozenge vibes… I don’t remember which brand it is that makes that flavor, but this tastes exactly like it.

It’s not for me. If there was just a bit more lemon I think I would like it. But I don’t want to feel like I’m drinking a cough drop, ha ha… XD

I thought I would take a little break from sipdown progress and steep up a few of these poor neglected teas that I’ve yet to try! This is one that I picked up in my last order in the spring, because I enjoy Lupicia’s grape teas and I had never tried it.

When I opened the package, the scent was all grape Hi-Chew! And I happen to love Japanese grape candy, plus I was expecting it, so I was excited for it. It’s extremely similar to Jingle Bells, maybe almost exactly the same. They’re both grape-candy-flavored black teas. I think the base is slightly different, but I’d have to try them side-by-side to compare.

Anyway, it’s what I expected, so I’m happy with it! It’s obviously not a natural-tasting grape, but that’s part of the fun.

First time trying this even though I’ve had it for almost a year. Whoops.

I saw the base look quite fine, so I knocked 30 seconds off of the steep. Tasting it, I think it might be the same base as Jingle Bells?

Anyway, I’m a bit underwhelmed. This has a fairly strong syrupy blueberry aroma that reminds me of their Cassis & Blueberry, but the flavor is actually very light. The base makes itself known with woody and earthy notes, but the blueberry itself is a bit too subtle to stand up to it. It’s a deep jammy blueberry, but there’s not enough of it.

It’s not bad per se, but not my favorite from Lupicia. Too bad the US website no longer carries Cassis & Blueberry…

So not technically a sipdown just yet, but I’m setting aside the rest of this pouch to send to an Instagram friend who is interested in banana teas. So, future shipdown! Or swapdown? :P

The banana here is nice, I like the banana flavoring that Deb uses as it tastes like actual bananas instead of Runts. But there’s not a whole lot else going on, other than the sweetness of the maple. And I don’t really like the black tea that Deb uses, I find it a bit bland but also tannic, sort of the worst of both worlds ha ha. It’s not overly tannic, but enough to dry my mouth out a bit, and it just doesn’t have the strength of flavor to balance that out.

So meh, nice banana but otherwise not my favorite. Slightly too sweet for me as well.

Sipdown! (7 | 416)

This one reminds me more of a snickerdoodle than anything – it’s quite heavy on the cinnamon. And even though I saw a lot of cacao nibs and a few chocolate pieces in the steeper, I’m not really getting any chocolate. So mostly it’s the woody, slightly nutty honeybush with cinnamon and quite a bit of maple sweetness.

A bit too sweet, but otherwise perfectly pleasant. But there’s definitely a disconnect between the name and the flavor for me.

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So after making a somewhat successful hot latte with this tea yesterday, I thought I would try cold steeping my remaining pouch in some water and milk overnight. I’ve never tried this approach before, but I’ve heard of other people doing it and figured I would give it a go.

Well, after steeping for almost a day, the tea didn’t have much color. I tasted a bit and it had some of the flavor of the spices but not much else. So I ended up dumping everything into a saucepan and heating it on the stovetop for a few minutes to allow the tea and coffee beans to properly infuse.

It came out tasty! The ginger and cardamom are more prominent than usual, probably because they had ample time to infuse in the refrigerator. I do get a bit of the coffee and chocolate, though they are outweighed by the spices. But it’s a lovely mug of stovetop chai in the end!

If I were more of a chai lover, I would consider ordering this one. As it stands, I almost never drink chai, so I’m not likely to buy more of this for now.

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I steeped this one up in a glass teapot so I could see all of the pretty flowers blooming and floating around. It’s a mix of rose, calendula, and jasmine.

We all know I’m not a rose lover, but I actually find it much more palatable when it’s actual roses instead of flavoring. It’s light and fresh instead of perfumey, and has an almost creamy quality. The jasmine is milder, but adds a nice lush and exotic quality. There’s a light, clear sweetness like cool spring water and honeysuckle nectar.

Overall, it’s a soft and sweet floral infusion, and I’m enjoying it much more than I expected. It’s not something I could see myself purchasing though, as rose still isn’t a favorite for me. But I’m impressed by how much more I like this compared to other rose teas.

(Please note that my rating is only in regard to the taste of this tisane, I can’t comment on any potential health benefits.)