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I was sorting my teas and came across this packet with… maybe a serving left in it. Sara and I went to The American House in 2017 during a vacation in San Diego, and I must have picked it up then. I’ll bet they source it from somewhere else, but I have no idea where.

The bancha and puffed rice have a nice toasty flavor. I know what looks like popcorn is puffed rice, but I’m getting a hint of popcorn flavor here. I love the balance of flavors in this.

Oh wow, I’ve had this however long and never opened it.

The brewed tea smells of plum and maple syrup, mmm.

It tastes of plum and maple syrup and sitting by the fireplace with friends. I love it!

Sara told me that the tea shop we usually go to in Boise on Memorial Day weekend, Snake River Tea, has closed and is only doing online orders. I ordered this tea because I remembered drinking it there. Looks like I never got around to reviewing it.

There’s something almost sparkly-tasting about it. So I can see calling it a “champagne” flavor. But it’s more like grape soda… which isn’t bad. I like grape soda pop. Ooh, I’ll bet this would be good with one of those carbonating devices.

There’s also a nice raspberry note. I could see drinking this out of a champagne glass. Or having another pot at a tea shop that’s now gone. Bittersweet memory tea. I hope they manage to reopen in another location.

Mmm, the bag and the brewed tea smell fruity.

I taste fruit punch! And apricot. It’s a little sweet and rather fun. I can see why they call it Happiness!

I had to look up what kind of tea it was, cause this is another Lupicia sample bag, and all it said was 8508 Happiness, lol.

This would probably be lovely iced as well.

This was a sample from a Lupicia order. The bag didn’t smell like much.

I don’t know if it’s because Darjeeling teas are used so much in breakfast blends, but this reminds me a bit of a breakfast tea. It’s a little astringent with citrus notes, very mild, compared to what I was expecting anyway.

I don’t remember where I bought this. The bag has “Ichigo Trading and Travel Company” on the front and “Ikkyu” on the back, each with a different website that lists this tea. It was made in March 2019 and should have been consumed the same year, even sealed. I whisked 3 grams into 100ml of 175 F water.

It has a mild bitterness with grassy notes. It’s really good. It’s like the flavor of green tea, but bolder and more mild at the same time. There’s a bit of sweetness to it also.

I also tried adding some to a smoothie with frozen bananas and strawberries and fresh kiwi. This was my first time trying matcha in a smoothie, and it’s amazing. I’ll have to find some cheaper matcha for smoothies!

If you like piña coladas, and getting sung to a rocky death by sirens…

The brewed tea smells fruity. This tastes very tropical, fruity, and a little sweet. The blending balance is excellent, as I’ve come to expect from 52teas. Thanks!

I got this as a sampler with some other Lupicia teas. Oh wow, it’s like a grape Martinelli’s sparkling cider! It also has a candy flavor. I can see why they call it Jingle Bells, has a fun, holiday vibe.

There’s not much else to say about it, pretty simple and fun flavor combination.

This was a freebie with a Bird & Blend order.

The brewed tea smells like nice holiday spices. Wow, there are a lot of flavors vying for my attention here. It’s kind of like a mulled wine flavor. I’m hit with a wine/fruit punch kind of flavor with some rooibos, then lots of spices I can’t seem to pick out individually beyond the cinnamon.

Beyond the cinnamon, I don’t understand the name. It doesn’t taste at all like bread or a bun to me.

I got this as a freebie, probably at some tea festival or another. I did a count of my teas today and got 117, but I could be a bit off. Like, some of my Bird and Blend teas I have multiple bags of the same flavor. So I’m probably a little off. But anyway, I decided to start sipping down some of my samples.

This came as a single tea bag in a bag. I read the instructions and steeped it in boiling water, covered, for 15 minutes. The turmeric really stands out, and the ginger hides behind it somewhat faintly. I don’t know what meadowsweet tastes like, but I only pick out these two flavors. It’s mildly spicy, but not as spicy as some turmeric teas I’ve had.

Okay, I read about meadowsweet, and it has a minty flavor, and now I pick up a tiny minty note at the end of the sip. Interestingly, it contains aspirin and was the first source of it.

This is pretty good, could actually use more turmeric flavor.