Courtney Send Message

2023 sipdown no. 57

I really came to love this tea once I figured out the best steeping parameters. The orange had a bite to it – a slight bitterness, which was expected with the orange peel pieces in the blend. However, the orange flavour itself was really lovely and truly orange. The orange slightly edged out the bergamot, but the bergamot was still present. The base tea was smooth with a lower temperature and shorter steep. I would add this one to my cupboard.

My lovely coworker had this tea and I thought why not? There was a strong fruity smell when I opened the wee foil which did translate to the taste. I was fully expecting astringency and/or bitter but the base turned out to be incredibly smooth.

2023 sipdown no. 56

Martin kindly sent me a generous sample of this tea. I recall this having some floral and stewed red fruit aspects — quite intertwined and neither overtaking the other. I didn’t get much in the way of maltiness and no astringency. It was a unique cuppa overall — I truly can’t think of a tea that’s similar to it. Thanks for sharing Martin. :)

My last cup this morning I steeped twice and both steeps were very flavourful.

2023 sipdown no. 55

This one was tasty, but I found the almond too much. In fairness, it is an almond tea. I prefer the A.C. Perch Almond tea with the bitter almond for a bit more complexity.

2023 sipdown no. 54

The last 52Teas blend from Kelmishka! Thank you so much for sending so many along!

I loved the cherry pieces in this blend — such a vibrant red. The cherry and almond both came through in a straightforward and delightful way. I really enjoyed them against a genmaicha base as well. A great tea!

2023 sipdown no. 53

Thank you for sharing Kelmishka :)

This one smelled very true to the name dry. The dried strawberry pieces in the blend were lovely. I noticed the recommendations said to wait for 10 minutes before drinking, which I did. The taste was okay. The strawberry was there, but very mellowed out by the cream flavour. However, the cream flavour came off weirdly to me — almost like a lotion? There was a very smooth astringency to the whole cup.

2023 sipdown no. 52

The cacao itself is present with some mellowing from the vanilla. The bergamot peaks out toward the middle/end of the sip. If I really focus on each sip, I can get the ingredients clearly, but I drank most of this sample half hot/half cold as I tried to catch up on a few things and it came across more muddled than anything.

Thanks for sharing such a generous sample Kelmishka! :)

2023 sipdown no. 51

This one has a perfume-y quality, though it doesn’t translate fully to the taste. Otherwise, the almond is hidden a bit but can be picked up. I appreciate the variation in a holiday tea.

Thanks for sharing Kelmishka!

2023 sipdown no. 50

This tea is fine. The peach flavour is certainly there and not really candy-like. I think the grapes add some sweetness, which could translate to a perfectly ripe peach as well — certainly an interesting addition. The base tea is nothing to write home about.

2023 sipdown no. 49

This tea is great quality and very unique, but ultimately not my favourite. The orange blossom is very apparent and mixes well with the oolong base. I would say neither take over one another and they meld nicely together. There’s a yeasty flavour to it as well.