Asheville Tea Company

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Recent Tasting Notes

I have received two tea bags of this tea from derk — thank you!

I generally avoid spicy food, and what is “mildly” spiced is sometimes way too much for me and I can’t imagine what “hot” really means.

I was feeling nothing but cold today early evening, so I decided to brew something that should warm me up. I am sure I would fin many other chais, lovely full bodied teas, or something in between, but I took this one. Afterall, I need to drink it anyway so…

Dry bag was spicy, but somehow okay-level. I have a spicy tea, so naturally it’s spicy; but also a bit sweet and some spices tried to peek out too.

I brewed it and steeped rather short. Afterall, it’s evening already and I would like to sleep; and this blend contains black tea. Aroma left me “just drink me” impression, so I thought it won’t be bad.

I HAVE BEEN SO WRONG! After first sip, still quite hot (by temperature) I had my mouth completely in fire (by habanero) that I almost spit it out. I did not, it left my eyes wide open, habanero fire was slowly going through all the veins and I feel not cold anymore. Not a surprise IMO!
It was cooling down and I was still trying to drink it. And actually, it is getting better. Hard to find any chocolate in this, rather some general sweetness, and some ginger and allspice spices is there beneath heavy blanket of habanero.

Oh dear. No, I am not able to rate this tea and won’t be. But looking forward to sip it down — the second bag.

derk

Oh no, so sorry it lit you on fire! I tried it a few times and found it not very spicy at all. It tasted mostly of cocoa shell and some spices. How wrong I have been! I do not mean to torture you, my friend! Maybe it is unevenly blended so you got to taste the true side of habañero, while I sit here and cry that it is not spicy enough for me :P

Mastress Alita

I’m extremely spice sensitive, too. Someone will tell me “This isn’t very spicy, about a 3 out of 10” and then I try it and scream in agony, “That’s more like a 3,000!” But on the flip side, whenever I seen the thousands of tea reviews saying that hibiscus is “way too tart!” or “so sour!” I scratch my head and go, “No it isn’t, what’s tart about that? I could do with MOAR TART!” Different tongue receptors, I guess…

Martin Bednář

Maybe second one will be milder. Hopefully :D

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75

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Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML

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70

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Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML

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65

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Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML

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70

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Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML

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60

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Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML

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65

Sipdown! (26 | 230)

This one is just a bit blah for me. Which is a shame, because the name sounds so yummy.

But I don’t really get any apple, and only a hint of orange. Mostly this is just a clove rooibos. And I guess the spicing does, in a way, remind me of apple butter, which I guess means apple butter has cloves in it.

But it’s not apple butter, it’s just the “spiced” part ha ha. Bye-bye, tea!

Flavors: Clove, Rooibos, Spices, Wood

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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46

I felt like something herbaceous this morning, and the ingredients in this seemed to fit the bill. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite measure up to what I was hoping for. It’s mostly pretty intense citrus- the lime peel and lemon being most prominent. I was hoping the juniper berries and rosemary would shine, but I can’t taste either.

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80

Received in my SipsBy box last month. An EG sounded nice on this cold and rainy afternoon, so here we are. It’s a very nice earl grey. Quite a smooth black base, with no bitterness or astringency. A perfect amount of bergamot that isn’t sharp or artificial tasting. I added some sweetened condensed milk and it was quite a tasty cup.

Silent Kettle

I love EG too! I need to check this one out soon! :)

ashmanra

I need to try sweetened condensed milk in some of my sharper Earls.

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85

Sipdown! (84 | 181)

I really enjoyed this one, it has such a nice blend of refreshing yet soothing flavors. The wintergreen adds just the right amount of sweetness, while the woodsy fir makes it a bit more interesting than just a mint tea.

Even though I love this one, I’m not sure I’ll reorder it. It looks like Asheville Tea Co. doesn’t even offer loose leaf at the moment unless you buy in bulk. And their teabags are something like $15 for a box of 20. No thanks… I know Camellia Sinensis offers a wintergreen tisane, I might have to try to get my hands on some of that.

Flavors: Evergreen, Fir, Hay, Mint, Peppermint, Smooth, Sweet, Wintergreen

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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85

Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge – “A tea from a US company”

One of three teas I impulse bought from Asheville Tea Co. a couple of years ago, and the only one left in my cupboard. For some reason I thought this was a tisane, but it’s actually a white tea. Good thing I’m not sensitive to caffeine, heh.

This tea is right up my alley. I always love evergreen flavors in tea, and this adds mint and wintergreen to the mix as well. The resulting flavor is soft and refreshing, and really transports me to a winter forest. I mostly taste mint, wintergreen, and the white tea up front, and then the fir sidles its way in at the end of the sip for a lingering fresh aftertaste.

I will say I wish everything were a bit stronger, and I’m not sure how much the white tea is adding here. I feel like this could have easily been an herbal tisane, and focused on all those minty fresh ingredients. But it’s still a lovely, evocative tea as-is, and I’ll have to think about whether I want to reorder it this winter. These Asheville Tea Co. teas tend to be pricey, but this is also a very lightweight tea, which means more volume for the same weight…

Flavors: Earthy, Evergreen, Fir, Hay, Mint, Peppermint, Smooth, Sweet, Wintergreen

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Kelmishka

This sounds really nice!

Cameron B.

Lovely, if perhaps a bit too light. :)

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85

I felt a bit ugh after that oily Butter Toffee Cream tea earlier, so I figured it was the perfect time to try this tea, which is clean and light with refreshing-sounding ingredients. This was one of three seasonal teas that I ordered on a whim from Asheville Tea Company after seeing them on Sips by.

This is definitely a very light tea, in fact I wish the flavors here were just a tad bit stronger. The beginning of the sip is very mint and wintergreen-forward with perhaps a hint of haylike white tea flavor. There’s also a nice sweetness. Then near the end of the sip, the evergreen notes of the fir begin to come out, and they linger into the aftertaste. There’s a lovely cooling sensation as well. Not knowing what birch bark or yarrow flower taste like, I can’t comment on them, but there is a soft herbal note behind the lighter flavors.

I love evergreen in teas, so I really like this one. The wintergreen is a fun addition too, minty but different than the usual choices. The white tea is very light in flavor but I think it goes well with these equally light and airy ingredients.

A lovely wintery tea, perfect for December! ❤

Flavors: Fir, Hay, Herbaceous, Menthol, Mint, Peppermint, Pine, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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86

I am loving this blend. The white tea is indistinguishable, but there are so many interesting flavors going on. The peppermint and wintergreen are at the forefront, but I get a whisper of fir, as well as a melange of herbal/woody notes that I don’t quite recognize (not familiar with the flavor of birch bark or yarrow flowers). Such a unique blend, very glad I picked it up!

Martin Bednář

It just jumped to my wishlist. Why I do love those fir/wintergreen/woody/birch bark… whatever notes? Maybe it just reminds me a great times on far North?

Cameron B.

Yay, I still need to try mine! I love evergreen notes in tea, too. :3

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81

Sipdown 153-2021

Such a tasty mint tea, but time to say goodbye.

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81

This is one of my favorite mint teas. While I generally reserve them for winter time, this just sounded so nice today. Such a nice balance of fresh mint, and dark cocoa.

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81

Working on sipping through this one. It’s nice and and creamy, with a good balance of mint. Added honey to this cup, and I think I prefer it without.

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81

This cup was a bit more chocolatey, which made it even more delicious. Minty, creamy, wonderful.

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81

I go through phases with mint teas, but I find myself craving them a bit more the closer we get to the holidays. Picked up a few blends from this new-to-me brand, including this one. The peppermint is nice and mellow. There’s a bit of chocolate in the aftertaste, that becomes more apparent the cooler the cup gets. The marshmallow root/leaf gives a creaminess to the cup that is really enjoyable. Overall, very pleasantly surprised.

Cameron B.

I have this one, too! I still need to try Winter Wonderland…

Shae

This sounds nice, especially with the marshmallow creaminess. I’m the same with mint; lately, I’ve been enjoying mostly peppermint. Maybe it’s that holiday feeling like you say.

amandastory516

Cameron- I just made Winter Wonderland this morning!
Shae- Definitely recommend this one if you’re in the mood for mint.

Shae

I’ve already added this one to my list. ;)

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82

Sipdown! (6 | 6)

Ooh, getting a really lovely rich cacao flavor in this last cuppa!

I never really got much marshmallow from this, despite there apparently being both leaf and root. But it is a nice mix of peppermint and dark chocolaty notes. Often I can’t really taste cacao much in teas, so I appreciate that it has a strong presence here. So much better than chocolate flavoring!

It’s tasty, but not something I would reorder due to the price ($9 for 1 ounce). I might have to try creating my own version with mint and cacao nibs one of these days.

Flavors: Cacao, Creamy, Dark Chocolate, Mint, Peppermint, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
AJRimmer

Yeah, I’m interested in a few of their teas, but those prices are pretty steep! Maybe as a treat one day!

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82

I thought I would let myself crack open a new tea this evening since I sipped down the sample from Deb that I had opened a few days ago. This is a company that I found through Sips By. I haven’t actually had one of their teas in my box, but I saw them on the page where all of the partner companies are listed. And on their site, I was drawn to the three holiday blends they offer, so I ended up ordering a 1-ounce pouch of each.

So this is the first to be tried. It’s a blend of cacao nibs, peppermint, and marshmallow root and leaf. The combination sounded lovely to me, especially with the cacao listed first in the list. The leaf is also nicely ground, which I appreciate since it makes it easier to measure and get a good mix of all ingredients.

I’m quite happy with this so far. The peppermint is the strongest flavor, which is to be expected. It has a nice bright flavor and doesn’t taste like a wet rag, which can be an issue for me with peppermint. I do taste the cacao nibs as well, or maybe the combination of cacao and marshmallow, and it comes across as more of a milk chocolaty flavor for me. It has a light and creamy chocolate flavor and there’s also a little note of roasted nuts that rounds it out. There’s an overall mellow sweetness.

A very pleasant mint chocolate herbal for the evening. I would like perhaps a little more of the marshmallow flavor to come out, but I am quite happy with the flavor of the cacao. This is a bit expensive at about $9 per ounce, but it’s also a very lightweight mix, so there’s more volume in that ounce than I would get with a heavier tea. I’ll have to see how I feel about it after a few more cups!

Flavors: Chocolate, Herbaceous, Mint, Nuts, Peppermint, Roasted, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Mastress Alita

The tea sounds lovely. The price not so much.

Courtney

This reminds me of the New Moon blend, minus the marshmallow root and leaf. But I have a bag of marshmallow root I’ve yet to open… maybe I’ll mix some in to see how it goes!

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78

A very nice EG. Floral but not astringent or perfume-y, and has a surprisingly bread-y mouthfeel. The bergamot is perfectly balanced with the high quality black base. Held up well to a splash of milk. This is a great company, too. Just an overall very nice experience.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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79

I really enjoyed this tea and was not expecting to – I like a super black tea usually and this brewed to a very light color in the cup. But the flavor was like a warm hug. Very pleased!

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