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Taken with milk.

I wasn’t sure about this one at first- the maple and vanilla cream are decadent and then I the bergamot (and rooibos) step in. The mix of cloying sweetness with floral citrus continues to grow on me though, in the same way that sour cream on pancakes and whipped cream steak grew on me (Czech food is fun). I even like how the rooibos contributes to the blend; it adds extra dimensions to the maple flavour.

The sweet spice of the cinnamon, salty-sweet calendula, and the mouth drying astringency provide additional contrasts and highlights.

This is definitely a contender for repurchase, but it’s a mental hurdle. I want a permanent maple tea and an earl grey but this challenges my (now problematic) binary tea utopia.

Strawberry ice cream with oolong butter icing.

I’m not generally a fan of strawberry flavoured things and wary when it comes to flavoured oolongs, but this has a lovely balance. I can pretend I’m eating strawberry ice cream and actually enjoy it! :P

Steep count: 3

I saw a slight “rawer” mineral green oolong note (touch of floral) and a tangier strawberry flavouring in the additional steeps.

This tastes like a piña colada. It’s all that buttery and creamy coconut goodness mixed with the candied-sweet pineapple flavouring.

Sublime and intoxicating.

I had the bag of loose leaf under my nose for about half an hour. The aroma of the brew is sweet vanilla cream with a hint of bergamot but the loose leaf aroma is the flavour profile’s tell- bergamot first, vanilla second. The second steep switches that up, and is primarily vanilla with light citrus highlights.

I love that it feels like indulgence to drink something that I usually consider so mundane (sorry, Earl Grey). I’ll withhold rating until I figure out if my personal bergamot threshold can handle repeated exposure to this.

Yep. I think this is my official cold brew tea of April-September. It’s also my only cold brew tea, but that’s beside the point! It probably won’t last that long but one can always hope.

(Dear 52Teas, please reblend)

Ok, I guess I’m not entirely off Chinese black teas.

The year I chose to bulk order this was not a particularly great harvest (2013, I think). I remember being disappointed with it and shoving it into the deepest, darkest, unexplored portions of the tea cupboard.

Now, like the orbit of Pluto, it has reappeared once again! And it honestly isn’t bad. It’s actually kind of pleasant..

Most prevalent flavours are cocoa, powdered sugar, barley, light caramel and a squeeze of something citrusy. Possibly lemon. There’s nothing to really find at fault with here, and it’s kind of commendable that it’s held up so well to aging.

I’m still note ceding 2017 to the rediscovery of Chinese black teas though. Maybe in 2018.

Short steep gongfu sessions.

I overleafed this in the past, which created a wonderfully (terrible) flavour profile of sour smoke and bitter tobacco wood.

Then I caught on to my mistake and now my cups are full of tangy apricots and cream with hints of pepper, wood (citrusy-pine, eucalyptus) and smoke (savoury-sweet) notes. The aroma of the broth is floral, sweet-sour, and woody. It paired well with a Cobs cinnamon bun- particularly the cream cheese icing.

This is why I try to give teas many chances: the crowkettle error factor.

Edit: I swear I get jasmine from this as well. I’ve been tasting and smelling jasmine everywhere lately though, so who knows.

Originally from MissB. Steeped it in hot milk for 10 minutes.

The licorice flavours make this one naturally quite sweet. The cinnamon, ginger and coriander adds to the sweetness while also providing a small fiery kick. There’s also a hint of nutty and zesty notes. It’s quite flavourful but still sits lightly on the tongue.

Probably the oldest tea in the cupboard (+6yrs) and regifted to my mother, this tea is finally coming to it’s end. There’s only three more tea bags left!

Initially I found this guy overpowering, but I have to admit it’s grown on me, as has jasmine in general. I sort of wish I could brush my teeth with jasmine. I still would never steep it at the suggested 4min but the tea and I have made some satisfying compromises.

If there were other flavours besides jasmine they have long since faded away or been drowned out.

Sipdown (25)! The last serving was full of so much delicious apple, cinnamon, and potato dusty bits; who says tea dust can’t be delicious?

Although this isn’t an original, and I still have the more favoured Potato Pancakes & Applesauce, it’s still hard to let go of yet another Butiki tea. Like so many of Stacy’s blends, this concept was so unique and artfully blended. Now that I’m in the twilight hours of my Butiki stash I wish I’d ordered so much more (except I did; I just drank them right away).

Also, this totally held up to aging, especially when compared with my batch of With Open Eyes which is definitely getting tired.

You are missed.