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Sipdown! (1 | 107)

So this wasn’t my favorite. I like the idea of it, aside from maybe the rose. But something is tasting quite powdery to me, and I assume it’s probably the fruit flavoring. Berry flavors can often taste chalky to me for some reason, so that’s likely the case here.

That being said, I still sipped my way through the bag, and I think the levels of smoke vs. fruit are spot-on. It has a nice raspberry tang to it as well, and I don’t get a ton of rose.

Tried my second sachet of this one cold-steeped, in 16 ounces of water as instructed on their website. I did steep it a bit longer than they specify.

To be honest, I’m not in love with it. The lychee is lovely cold, as I would expect, but for some reason the shou mei is actually giving me red rooibos vibes. A bit woodier than it was warm, and because it’s combined with a fruity note, coming off a little medicinal. I do still taste those nice dried fruit flavors, but the rooibos note is ruining it for me.

At least now I know not to try the other flavors this way ha ha! Perhaps I’ll try a shorter cold steep though, or even iced.

So I couldn’t resist ordering from Seven Teahouse after seeing them recommended by Kelly, and also I love Lupicia’s fruity oolongs, which is a category that Seven seems to specialize in. I got a build-your-own sachet box with one of every fruity oolong they carry, along with some flavored black teas. And then I also picked up their fruity white tea sampler, which has two sachets each of five different varieties.

This is the first one I’m trying, and it’s nice. It’s a shou mei base with lychee flavor, and the shou mei is deep and flavorful without being too woody or autumn leaf-y. Some nice dried fruit notes pop out at the end, something like apricot and maybe a bit of golden raisin. The lychee is a lovely complement, not overpowering and even not noticeable on first sip, but it makes itself apparent midway through, and adds a lovely refreshing sweet and floral top note.

Off to a good start for sure. I think I’ll try the other sachet cold-steeped, I saw that they had instructions for it on the package, and I bet lychee would be the perfect flavor for it!

Picked up some of this when ordering some other seasonal tea (New Year’s teas maybe?) because I couldn’t remember what I thought of it.

Turns out to be a nice enough sweet and fruity black tea. Mango and peach are at the forefront for me, but there’s an interesting creamy note to it that makes me think of a tropical fruit smoothie. Maybe a touch of banana as well? The base is quite dark and strong, with a high proportion of CTC. Not overly bitter, but there is a touch of sharpness at the end of the sip.

It’s tasty, but not one I necessarily need in my cupboard, especially since I’m so fond of their Alphonso Mango. I bet this would be lovely with milk though, I might have to try that next…

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Finished off this tagalong from my Nordqvist Moomin tea order a couple of years ago. I really like sea buckthorn flavored things, so this was a no-brainer. I’ve never actually had sea buckthorn (unsurprisingly, it’s not really a thing here), but the flavoring is quite distinct. It reminds me a bit of passion fruit, but with more of an almost stonefruity lean to it? It’s sweet and tangy and… golden. Maybe with a bit of raspberry in there as well. Raspberry passion fruit?

True to form, the sea buckthorn here is lovely. The Assam base isn’t my favorite, it’s a bit tannic and acidic without having any other redeeming qualities. But as long as I don’t steep it too long, still makes a serviceable base for the yummy sea buckthorn.

Sipdown! (39 | 105)

Not my favorite from this quarter’s box. I like the fruit flavors and the white tea well enough, but the rooibos comes in and ruins it for me. To be fair, I never like fruity and especially berry flavored rooibos, as it tastes so medicinal to me. There’s definitely some of that going on here, though the hibiscus does help to temper it a bit. Interesting that it has a smooth vanilla finish as well, which is an odd pairing with hibiscus.

Not bad, but not a favorite.

Sipdown! (38 | 104)

Not my favorite from Tealyra. I didn’t get any kiwi, mostly this tasted like a combination of pineapple gummy bears and bubblegum. I added a palmful of hibiscus flowers to the last bottleful, which did help it taste a bit less cloying. But still, too artificial and candylike for me.

Sipdown! (37 | 103)

This was the only fruit tisane from Harney that I hadn’t tried, so I figured I’d pick up a tin when I was reordering the other flavors.

Sadly, I don’t enjoy it as much as the others. I think it must be the blueberry flavoring that’s giving me a powdery note, which I sometimes get with mixed berry teas. It reminds me a bit of Smarties, and not in a good way. Not to say it’s bad, as I did finish the whole tin over the course of 4 or 5 cold-steeped bottles, it’s just not as nice as the others (IMO). Pretty tin though!

Sipdown! (36 | 102)

Finished off a 100g pouch of this one, cold-steeped. Definitely high on my list of favorite cold teas, it has a nice sour cherry sort of flavor without being too tart (and with no hibiscus actually). There is coconut, but thankfully I don’t really taste it. Mostly just a nice sweet and tangy Jolly Rancher sort of cherry flavor mixed with apple.

Definitely plan to reorder this one, and a few other winners from Tealyra.

Sipdown! (35 | 101)

Really enjoyed this one, it’s probably my favorite of the teas I ordered from Murchie’s. A bit like Harney’s Paris, except I actually like this one. It has a nice combination of rich and jammy black currant with a swirl of whipped cream and a touch of refreshing bergamot.

Definitely on my list to reorder! I’m sure the loose leaf version will be even better.