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Steepster 2025 TTB Tea

I REALLY enjoyed this sample. There is no way it woiuld be enough for 2 cups, but I used the whole thing (2.5g) and brewed it twice. The honeybush in the blend gave it a super honey-rich flavour with some oaty notes as well. It is very caramel-heavy with lots of sweetness. I get some nuttiness, but I would have expected this to be caramel vanilla instead of chestnut based on the flavour. I will be making a plum deluxe order next time this is in stock so that I can get more.

Steepster TTB 2025

This tastes like a generic black tea in flavour. I smell maple on the looseleaf, but I’m not getting any banana, maple, or pecan from the brew itself. I tried it twice (first steep 5 minutes with boiling water and a dash of soy milk – second steep 8 minutes almost boiling water with a dash of soy milk). There’s a tiny bit of nutty flavour and some tannins, the black itself is slightly malty but not enough for my liking. I do get a honey flavour like from the tea itself, but not as strongly as with Laoshan blacks.

This isn’t bad for a straight tea, but it does not deliver on the French toast flavour or banana at all.

Steepster TTB 2025

I pulled out some teabags to enjoy at work this week and I was excited to try this one. It’s been on my wish list for a while. I don’t want to commit to an entire box of 15 or 16 teabags because of how many other caffeinated teas I have right now.

There is a nice dark cocoa note with cinnamon and something spiced (nutmeg?). I can’t taste the orange, but the brew is a bit acidic. The aftertaste is spicy but warming with a light sweetness from the cinnamon. For once, I think a tea has mastered balancing cinnamon with other ingredients without completely overpowering every else in the blend. There is a dark bittersweet flavour that is probably the puerh and cocoa combined.

Steepster TTB 2025

I was really excited to enjoy this as a latte this morning as I start to break into the caffinated teas. This one is mostly a tannic strong black tea with an aftertaste of blueberry. I steeped it a bit longer than instructed but added unsweetened soy milk. I can’t really make out anything almondly or like marzipan or any buttery pastry notes at all. I think this might be best with a touch of sweetener. I would have liked more dessert essence to give it that streusel pastry taste. If it labelled itself as a strong black tea with blueberry I would not have minded it one bit.

From the 2025 steepster TTB

This is a very lemongrass and mint blend with not much else going on. I can’t taste the ginger at all. I made sure to get some fireweed leaves but couldn’t make out any flavours from it. The mint really takes over. Without being able to taste the other ingredients, it is tough to rate this blend. I think the idea is creative and interesting but I don’t feel inspired by plain peppermint and lemongrass tea.

Trying this tea again as I work my way through older teas. This is really nice iced but I enjoy it hot as well. The green base is fairly light but it gives a bit of vegetal green flavour. The strawberry and fruity notes come through strongly. This tea isn’t sour at all, but also isn’t very sweet. I would have liked more tropical fruits given the name. Maybe some fruits actually grown in the palace gardens in southern Asia like persimmons, citrons, mandarins, or apricots. That being said, there are some fruity notes that could be pineapple and peach. Both are fairly muted but not unwelcome. There is also a very light floral component, but this helping happened to not have any rose petals so the flavour was much less than most cups of this I brew.

I think mine is from 2021, so this was a welcome but bittersweet sipdown. This is a nice chai blend during the winter months or cold mornings of early spring. Now that I’m into later spring I no longer desire it the same way, but I don’t want to leave it for another year. It was a delight while it lasted!