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January 20 Sipdown Prompt – National Coffee Break Day

This is the only flavor of Teeccino I have left, and I have about one a half bags. I thought this was my favorite flavor but I also love Vanilla Nut, which I just finished, and Hazelnut. Wwhen I run out entirely I plan to be sensible and buy only one flavor, but which???

Delicious, coffee-like but still tastes great to this coffee hater, and enjoyed in true coffee break fashion during a brief few moments alone today with two Vienna Fingers cookies.

Wow.

I got this tea for Christmas and I was good and did not sneak a sample before Christmas. Today is my second time drinking it.

Big surprise to see a black breakfast recommend 176F but I did it and kept the steep short as they recommended. I have tasted single steeps and combined steeps.

This tea comes out slightly light in color like Darjeeling and some Ruby 18’s do, but the body. Oh wow, the body. This is creamy and thick with smooth sweetness, not a hint of astringency, no briskness. Layers of lovely notes ranging from an almost minty high note that flits by to woody notes reminiscent of a super creamy and utterly non-fishy shu. Fall leaves. Maple. Fall sun. So nice.

If you are looking for builders tea to get you going, this isn’t it. If you want a cup of tea to accompany a mindfulness session, here you are. Lots to think about in this cup. I got three lovely steeps off one teaspoon this time and combined them after tasting individually to make sure it did t lose much flavor in the resteeps.

Would definitely purchase again.

This is one of the teas that Superanna gave me from her trip to Japan! Thank you, Superanna!

The tin is adorable. Lupicia’s tins are so pretty! This is only available at Disney Tokyo if I understand correctly.

There is a prominent berry scent and I would say it is recognizably raspberry and not generic berry. The white chocolate notes are similar to the yogurt notes in Anna’s Blend but less tangy, of course. They have the same milky richness, though.

I drank it without milk or sugar but I think it would be stellar with both. I did not find it overly sweet as another taster did. I did combine two steeps so that may have decreased the sweetness but it was certainly still very flavorful. The berry is not overpowering but decidely present.

Delicious!

Sipdown!

This was a great breakfast tea for me. I don’t remember if I ever tried it gong fu and I probably should have.

I would love to repurchase it one day, and I see that amandastory516 says it is her least favorite of Verdant’s Laoshan options, so when it is time to reorder I may add a couple of their others to the order to compare!

Sipdown

And it looks like we had it with biscuits the other two times I posted a note, just as we did tonight. I promise we are not eating biscuits every single day, but we tend to have them at night and this tea is a good, caffeine free accompaniment.

Also, I am below 100 teas (as long as we don’t count samples or tea that came in really small amounts to begin with) but I expect it won’t stay that way long. I have to get 35 sipdowns without any replenishing or new purchases in order to meet my goal for the year. The sipdowns won’t be a problem. But I am not making any rash promises about tea coming in…

This one will almost certainly be a repurchase, so I am keeping the tin to refill it this fall from the more affordable packaging option.

January Sipdown Challenge Prompt – National Hot Tea Day: drink a tea that is close to a sipdown

Next pot is a sipdown and I have never made a tasting note on this one. I will miss it. I will probably order this or something close to it once I life my buying ban.

This is a breakfast tea for me. I am now out of Premium Keemun Hao Ya from Teavivre and will finish this by next week. I have Queen Catherine for those mornings when I want an unflavored black tea with a little heft, and now I have a couple of teas from Rare Tea Company that will do well for breakfast but they are in somewhat small amounts.

I liked this one, and found it delicious without milk or sugar, having that lovely raspy cocoa feel (though not chocolate in taste) that I think of as a breakfast tea that gets my attention and is somewhat palate cleansing without being brisk.

I am having another evening tea from Martin – many thanks!

The name translates to blueberry jug, I believe, but I thought it tasted a bit more like light cranberry! It does not taste like a hibiscus hammer hitting me in the head.

I have had bilberry flavored matcha before and I think the hibiscus is making this a bit more tart, but not too tart for me. Enjoyed with the last two Marks & Spencer chocolates that I bought before Christmas and a small cup of Chex Mix, for the ultimate taste extravaganza of sweet, then salty, then tart, then sweet…and so on.

A lovely evening snack. Thank you, Martin!

Sipdown!

This tea was actually in a pouch within a pouch and was mislabeled. I took it out thinking I was going to have 2007 Loose and Luscious from Mandala but found this inside, fortunately before steeping. It was a happy discovery as this tea is perfect with my lunch of miso soup on a gray, chilly day with tomorrow looking like high winds and pretty bad storms.

There is absolutely no bite in this tea. It is a really easy drinker.

Another evening tea from Martin! Thank you!

I usually prefer rosehips to hibiscus and I like ginger as long as it isn’t too hot. This tea hit the spot really well. It is tart enough to be interesting without being insufferable and making me throw in sugar and stick it in the fridge, and the ginger warmth JUST warms and doesn’t burn. I am hoping the ginger keeps us from having any issues tonight from the pizza we ate!

Thank you, Martin! I think this makes sample sipdown number 5 for the year so my sample box is looking really good!

Sipdown!

Although I have had quite a few sample sipdowns this year, this is my first official sipdown. Maybe, just maybe, if I don’t buy any tea myself, I will reach my goal of 65 teas in my cupboard this year. I am thrilled that all of my oldest teas that were past or near their “best by” dates are gone.

This was my first Teeccino, I think, and it was sent by gmathis. My little grandsons love it as well as several other flavors. My DIL had tried the reverse psychology thing of giving one of them a sip of coffee because they would clutch at her travel mug so and it backfired. They loved coffee and once stole a WHOLE fresh travel mug, downed it, cried for more, and spent the next few hours running in caffeine crazed circles while also crying that they were not being given more coffee. This was when my son reached out in desperation and asked me to please order the coffee flavored drink I had brought for them to sample.

I am definitely not a coffee lover but I really, really, like this. I think Mocha is my favorite with Vanilla Nut and Hazelnut tied for a close second. Thankfully I have a pouch and a half of Mocha left.