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100/365

I still think spearmint and jasmine is an odd combination, which is probably what’s stopped me revisiting this blend before. This bag came as a sample with my last Bluebird order, though, so I figured I’d give it a go since it’s been literally placed in front of me.

There’s more jasmine here than I remember there being, to the extent that I can’t really taste the spearmint at all. You can find it in the aftertaste a little, and it adds a background sweetness, but in truth it’s barely discernible.

Which leaves jasmine. It’s floral and perfumey, as you might expect. It’s interesting to try it on a white/green base, rather than just a green base as is more usual, but it’s still not something I’d enjoy drinking every day. It’s not even overpowering, as jasmine goes, just…not for me.

Glad to have had the chance to try it again, though, because you never know!

099/365

Getting towards the end of my Dark Matter teas now, but still a few treats (including this one!) to go. The initial steep initially tastes like wet raw wood, but that gives way very quickly to a fairly intense sweetness. There’s a fruitiness (stone fruit?) that lingers in the aftertaste. It reminds me, at this stage, of a roasted oolong – although a really good one!

Second steep is woodier and earthier, more approaching shou pu’erh levels of flavour. I’d say it’s also slightly less sweet, although there’s still an element of sweetness that keeps the other flavours from becoming too overpowering or savoury. The initial fruitiness has disappeared.

Third steep is similar, although less intense overall. The raw wood flavour is still most prominent, along with a subdued earthiness. The sweetness is diminishing rapidly.

I’ll probably give this one another few steeps, at least until I go home for the day. I don’t mind it, but it’s not making my soul sing in the way some of the other Dark Matter teas have done. It’s fairly middle of the road, in my estimation.

098/365

So many cake teas are a disappointment, but fortunately this isn’t one of them. To me, though, this is less cake batter and more cake frosting. It’s super-sweet and deliciously creamy, with a lot of vanilla flavour. Cake batter always seems less intense to me, unless that’s just the way I make my cakes, but it absolutely nails frosting. I drank today’s cup without additions, but I may try the remainder of my sample with milk and sugar. It doesn’t need either, but I’m interested to see what happens!

The dry leaf contains red and white sprinkles, and pieced of toasted coconut. I can’t actually taste coconut in practice, and nor can I taste strawberry although that’s also listed as a component. In all honesty, I’m not sure I’d want to taste either of those things, because to me this blend is spot-on perfect as it is. The rooibos base is slightly woody in the background, but the flavouring is so strong and punchy that it doesn’t become an issue. I’m thinking milk might sort that out completely.

I’m really enjoying this one, and I’d buy more (lots more!) with a future order.

097/365

This is one of the most interesting teas I’ve seen in a while, with its clumps of creamy coloured jasmine rice, scattered pieces of wild rice, and copious cocoa nibs. I’m also intrigued by the fact that it uses both Laoshan gongfu black and Laoshan roasted oolong – this clearly isn’t your typical genmaicha!

That’s borne out in the flavour, most of all. Whereas the roastiness in a “normal” genmaicha comes from the rice, here it’s clearly a result of the oolong. It’s roasty in the best possible way, with just an edge of almost-bitter toastiness amongst a lot of retained sweetness. I imagine a significant amount of the sweetness is coming from the strong malty backbone provided by the Laoshan black, but some of it is the oolong.

Underneath the roastiness is a pretty significant chocolate flavour – to my tastes, it’s milk tending towards dark; creamy, with a hint of deeper, richer cocoa. The rice itself doesn’t appear to be contributing a lot, other than a very light starchiness. It adds to the mouthfeel, though, so I guess that’s something.

This is one of the best genmaicha blends I’ve tried, even though it’s not particularly traditional. The quality is undeniable; it just shines through, and I’m enjoying the chocolate twist. It’s a shame LP doesn’t blend anymore because he had a hand for this kind of thing.

Returned to an old favourite last night, brewed (of course!) as a latte. This is what Bluebird serve at festivals, as far as I’m aware, so even though it’s kind of wintery in flavour terms it actually reminds me a lot of summer. As ever, it was perfect; spicy, gingerbread awesomeness! I may always have to keep this one around.

Finished this one off last night with a splash of milk. I’ve been having a bit of trouble sleeping (too much black tea…?) so I stuck with rooibis/herbal blends last night and felt much better for it. The downside is that I have a headache this morning (not enough black tea…?) but I guess I can remedy that.

Other than the flavoured green blends, which were brilliant on the whole bar one or two notable exceptions, this was one of my favourites from the PostTea advent. It nails cherry bakewell, right down to the icing, and I’m sad to see this one leave my cupboard. The milk, if anything, makes this one better – and I didn’t know that was possible!

096/365

This was the second of Bluebird’s Valentine’s Day teas for this year. I missed this the first time round, because I think it was released during my time in the wilderness when I wasn’t really drinking/buying much/any tea. I’m still not quite sure what I was thinking, to be honest, but I’m certainly glad it’s over!

Anyway, I’m really glad to have had the opportunity to try this one, and it’s definitely my favourite of the two. Initially, it smells very much like Love Potion – there’s a strong, artificial strawberry scent that’s quite overpowering. Brewed, though, it’s a different story. Firstly, it’s pink! I know colour shouldn’t be a factor, but I can certainly get behind a pink tea. It’s a cheering thing just to look at. I made this one as a latte, because that’s very much my thing at the moment, and it was Bluebird’s recommended preparation method. I went with their suggestions, only adjusted for a smaller glass – something like 3tsp tea in 100ml water, with 150ml milk, 1/2 tsp honey, and 1/4 tsp vanilla essence. I’m really pleased with how it came out!

To taste, it’s much more in line with my expectations – liquid chocolate cake, and very creamy. It’s very reminiscent of its namesake, although obviously without the cream cheese icing. This one turns out pink because it contains beetroot, but that’s not much of a presence in flavour terms. I think it perhaps would be if I brewed it straight rather than as a latte, but here it’s just pure, perfect chocolate.

It definitely cheered up an irritating work week!

095/365

Sticking with the valentine’s theme. The first thing that strikes me is that it’s a lot more artificial in terms of scent than I remember it being, although granted that was four years ago at least. This one used to be part of Bluebird’s main range, but it’s now a limited edition seasonal. I picked it up this year for old time’s sake, and because I like to revisit things from time to time…

I made this one up as a latte, using 2 tsp of tea in 200ml water, 200ml milk, 1 tsp of honey and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence. Brewed, it’s less artificial and more syrupy, although it still doesn’t resemble anything in nature.

The main flavour is artificial strawberry, and it’s pretty strong and overpowering. There’s an undertone of cocoa, which adds a light bitterness and slightly drying quality. It’s not really chocolate which is how it was billed, but it’s cocoa shells contributing the flavour so that’s hardly a surprise. The rose is pretty much non-existent, but in fairness that’s okay with me. It probably would have been a step too far in flavour terms.

I’m finding this one rich and fairly cloying, even as a latte. I imagine it’s more palatable than it would have been straight, purely because it’s not as concentrated, but it’s still fairly borderline. I don’t mind it, but it’s not my favourite Bluebird.

094/365

Valentine’s Day tea. The scent of this one dry is a little pungent and overpowering – like so many teas of this kind, it reeks of artificial strawberry and rose. In actual fact, though, it’s really nice. The main flavour is a deliciously sweet, slightly sugary, syrupy strawberry. There’s an undercurrent of lychee, which is a little richer and less sweet than the strawberry, and a delicious complement. I can’t really taste rose, but that’s just as well given that it’s not really my thing.

I’m enjoying this one a lot more than I expected to, given the initial scent. It’s not all that unique, as far as valentine’s teas go, but it’s certainly delicious! I’m pleased to have a significant quantity of this one, because it’s a tea I could drink pretty much all year round.

Happy!

093/365

This is the first of the Dreamtime Collection teas I’ve tried (except Dozy Girl, which is part of the standard Bluebird line-up, so I’m not really counting that one.) I like the idea of coconut and cocoa, but lavender has me feeling a little wary. I made this one up as a latte with coconut milk, as per Bluebird’s recommendation and, surprisingly, it’s pretty good. Not my favourite, but good.

Obviously the coconut milk has significantly amplified the coconut flavour here, and it’s also added a creaminess that would otherwise be lacking. The lavender is the second strongest flavour, and is still fairly pungently floral, but not obnoxiously so. The cocoa comes in last; really just a hint of chocolate towards the end of the sip.

I’m happy with how the cocoa and coconut work together – that’s a tried and tested combination. I’m not over sold on the lavender – it’s a little jarring, and it feels like it doesn’t really quite fit in here. As a combination, especially with the milk, it’s a touch rich and cloying – quite difficult to drink in latte quantities (which for me means 500ml plus.) A smaller cup would definitely suffice for me.

On the whole, though, it’s not too bad. I like the coconut/coconut milk, and I got a good night’s sleep so perhaps it helped some. It has a rooibos base, but I wouldn’t have known with it made up this way – it could have been herbal, or even black…there was no taste to give it away. Where rooibos is concerned, that’s probably a good thing.

I doubt I’d buy more of this one, just because lavender isn’t really my thing and I don’t think it works particularly well with coconut and cocoa. Glad to have tried it, though, because you never know!