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Almost done with this for good now, since Matcha Outlet don’t stock the fun flavours any more ): drinking this hot this morning… with a spoon of coffee in it. Don’t judge me! I need the caffeine hit. My mam was pretty concerned that my coffee was green, but the resulting concoction was actually pretty great. Kind of like a caramel latte, only with a matcha aftertaste! This is too sweet for my tastes now hot, but mixed with the coffee it’s tempered a little bit though still very sweet. I’ll probably finish it off iced, which is how I prefer to drink this.

Even more delicate than it used to be, but this was always a delicate cup even brand new. There’s a whisper of nutty roasted oolong, followed by a sweetness which is present more in the scent than in the taste. Maybe I’m underleafing this. The leaves are long and twisty, and it’s hard to get them into the spoon because they’re quite cumbersome, so it’s possible. I’ll try adding more leaf next time, but for now I’m off to resteep my leaves because that seems to get more flavour out of it.

ETA: Yep, the second steep of this is definitely much better than the first.

This is another old favourite I’ve been hoarding the last of for way longer than I should, but luckily it still tastes great, though the marshmallow sweetness has faded a little. This was the tea that first got me interested in creamy EGs, so it gets bonus points for that. Though the base is a little astringent, it’s not so noticeable I have to add milk (but I distinctly remember this also being delicious with milk). The sweet, creamy marshmallow is actually more noticeable in the scent and in the initial sip than the bergamot, which can be overpowering in some blends, but here it’s a nice background which cuts through the sweetness towards the end of the sip and rounds the whole thing out beautifully. It’s a shame this is only offered seasonally, but since Herbal Infusions ships to the UK I might be tempted to place an order to try their EG creme and see how it compares… I have a job interview in a couple of days (telephone, because of Covid), so let’s all hope I get it because the list of companies I want to place orders with is getting longer than I can keep track of!

Thanks for sharing go again to the ever-generous VariaTEA. Sipdown 186/397.

Sipdown 185/397

I could have sworn I’d written a tasting note on this already. This tea was an early favourite of mine, zingy lime and refreshing mint which really did remind me of a mojito – and I’m a bartender, so I’ve made and drank plenty. Sadly, as this tea has aged, the lime has dissipated to the point where this just tastes like a mint green tea to me. NOT the tea’s fault, I hasten to add, since I’ve had this so long it’s still in Bluebird packaging with ‘I was packed by teabird Mike’ written across the front. I’ve been holding onto the tiniest bit because I loved it so much and I was loathe to throw out original Bluebird packaging (I might be a bit of a hoarder). I’m trying to rethink that outlook and remind myself that tea is a perishable item which can’t be kept indefinitely, so finally saying goodbye for now. I won’t make any promises that I won’t pick up more in the future, though.

Tea latte this morning with 3 heaped spoons of tea, because I didn’t sleep well and I want all of the caffeine. To be honest I chose this tea in part because I thought it would work as a latte, but mostly because I wanted to get rid of a big chunk of it. I had 100g of this, and it’s taken me years to work through the tin because it’s just not that good, and it also reminds me of my worst period of anxiety and depression (which I didn’t realise for a long time). I never normally rate teas down, it’s just not how I rate, but for this I think I’m going to make a special exception. I don’t think this tea has ever been an 85. I think I just rated it that way because of biases which I now have the pleasure of not having any more. That being said, I won’t mark it negatively based on association either – right now I would rate it in the low 50s, but I’m going to be fair to my rating system and score it based on what I would probably have given it at peak enjoyment if it weren’t for unconscious prejudices giving me rose-tinted glasses. I did enjoy it before I was sickened on it, and it is really pretty. But when I think back on drinking it even then, I think I was trying too hard to convince myself I loved it. Funny, that. (:

From the look of this tea, I assumed it was a green oolong and was pretty surprised when I read the description and found out it was a herbal. I don’t think I’ve ever had mulberry leaf tea before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The liquor of the brewed tea is much darker than I’d expected, and I was expecting a similarly strong flavour profile, but what I actually get is pretty mild. The initial sip is very creamy, though I don’t necessarily get pistachio instantly from it, and there’s an almost fruity tartness at the back of the sip which I’m assuming is from the mulberry leaf, alongside a faint note of chamomile. This was a very surprising tea, definitely not what I expected!

Thanks to VariaTEA for letting me try this super interesting tea! Sipdown 184/397.

Ooh I’m treating myself to some old favourites today. I noticed the slightest hint of astringency in this today, for the first time ever, and I wonder if it’s because I overleafed or if Bird & Blend have changed their black tea base. It does seem a lot more present than it used to be. Still delicious as ever, though. Not much chocolate today except in the scent, mostly strawberry and sweet rose in the sip. I hope B&B continue to bring this back every year, because I need it in my permanent cupboard.

Side note – does anyone else still call them Bluebird automatically and have to correct themselves? I know they had to change it for copyright reasons or something like that, but ‘Bird and Blend’ never sits right with me. Poor bird.

I was worried about this tea because the scent of the dry leaf has changed, it’s gone sour where before it used to be so fragrant. Typical, for one of my favourites to be the one to go bad. I brewed it up, holding my breath, but as soon as I took a tentative sniff of the steeping leaves I had a tiny flicker of hope. Brewing, it smells just as it used to! Thankfully, it still tastes good too. The same creamy, fragrant magical tea it always has been. The coconut dominated this cup, so creamy it was as if I’d added a spoonful of rich coconut cream, followed by the lemon and something perfumey (but in the best way) that I can’t quite put my finger on. Phew! I can breathe a sigh of relief, but I might move this into my focus box just to be safe!

Sad sipdown ): I still love this tea as much as ever. Though I do prefer the ‘Nine’ Doctor Who blend by Cara McGee which uses this tea, it’s lovely on its own. I might have to pick up both. Creamy, nutty, mapley, roasty toasty goodness.

183/397

Nice smooth lemon verbena, herbal and lemony with an ever so slight sweetness. Doesn’t get too overpowering if you leave the teabag in the cup as you drink.

Sipdown 182/397