Bird & Blend Tea Co.

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Recent Tasting Notes

I bought a 150g tin of this because I was hopeful that it’d be a suitable replacement for the long discontinued Fantasy Island. I must say that this is everything I was hoping for and more. In fact, I think I prefer this blend to DT’s Fantasy Island. That’s saying a lot because Fantasy Island is one of my all-time favorite teas from DT.

I didn’t think I’d be crazy about the raspberry leaf in this blend but, thankfully, it doesn’t bother me. The black tea base is really nice and smooth. It reminds me of the 52 Teas black tea base(s). If anything I wish there was a bit more coconut flavor, but the berry/raspberry flavor is just so delightful. I don’t know that I distinguish any cake notes, but that’s fine by me. It’s quite decadent and jammy regardless. I added a few drops of stevia to sweeten it a bit. It also takes (almond) milk well.

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Cococabana Coola + Main Squeeze (1:1), lightly sweetened with stevia, iced.

I just finished off my 20g sampler bag of Cococabana Coola this morning. Truthfully, it’s like a tropical vacation in my mouth. Of the fruity herbal blends I’ve tried from Bluebird Tea Co, this one is my favorite. It’s really flavorful so it masks the flavor of Main Squeeze, which I don’t mind. I’m drinking Main Squeeze for the stimulant boost more than the flavor. I’m holding out until the summer collection is released, but I’ll definitely be adding a tin of this to my next Bluebird order.

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This is another yummy blend that I did not like hot (as expected) but really enjoy over ice. It’s fruity, very fruity – mango, pineapple, passion fruit, orange and papaya. It’s like a lovely tropical cocktail without the alcohol. I love hibiscus, but I don’t find that it’s so overwhelming that it overpowers the fruitiness. It does have a very tart aftertaste, but I don’t mind. I will be repurchasing this one to sip on this summer. All that’s missing is the rum!

Flavors: Tropical

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This tea. This tea caught me off guard. I expected to like it (chocolate teas seem to be my thing lately), but I didn’t think I’d like it THIS much. Truthfully, I had no idea what easter egg nests were until I googled the phrase. Apparently easter egg nests in the US typically contain coconut. Easter egg nests in the UK seem to contain cereal, usually popped rice. This tea tastes like a chocolate covered Rice Krispie treat. It’s really quite delicious – great chocolate flavor, slightly sweet, and a lovely toasted rice note. I sampled it hot and straight, but I imagine it would be even tastier with milk and sweetener. I’ll be stocking up on this as well.

Flavors: Chocolate, Marshmallow, Sweet, Toasted Rice

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I cold-steeped this for two days (forgot it was in the fridge!) to see if I’d like it just as much cold-steeped as I do iced. I think I like it more. Score! Cold-steeping is my new favorite way to steep herbal teas because I can use half the tea and still get all the awesome flavor. Nevermind the fact that they’re still tasty even if they’ve been in the fridge for over 24 hours. Yum! This is delicious. I wanted to try it a few different ways to be sure that I wanted to spend the money to stock up on it (another LE tea! grrrr!). It looks like I’ll have to bite the bullet after all.

Flavors: Fruity

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This was one of the first teas I tried in my order, as I realized that the spring collection would soon be gone. As suspected. I was not a fan of this blend hot, but it’s lovely over ice. The dry leaf smells like a candy shop – sort of like Starburst and gummi bears combined. I’m not a Brit and I’ve never had a chance to try these fruit salad chews, but to me the tea tastes like raspberry and pineapple gummi bears (Haribo) in one bite. That’s the only way I can describe it. I will be stocking up on this one. I think it’ll be very refreshing in the summer.

Flavors: Candy, Fruity, Pineapple, Raspberry

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Cold-steeped this for 24 hours. The flavor is better but still quite light. I would’ve liked more hibiscus or something to give it a little more OOMPH. Cold-steeping seemed to tone down the lemongrass quite a bit, so at least it was more pleasant and palatable this go around.

Note to self: If you want a piña colada just have the real thing. Piña colada tea is not your jam.

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I’m glad I had an opportunity to sample this without committing to a large quantity. It sounds like something I’d enjoy, but I’m quickly learning that lemongrass (along with pineapple) in tea is really hit or miss for me. I think it’s safe to say that any tea that combines pineapple and coconut is not for me. I enjoy piña coladas but, to my taste buds, those flavors just don’t translate well in tea. Pity.

Flavors: Coconut, Lemongrass, Pineapple

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I used up the last of my sample pack this past weekend. I steeped the tea and then used the tea to cook a small portion of steel cut oats. Yum. What a comforting, chocolaty, slightly spiced bowl of deliciousness. I don’t know that I’ll miss it over the next few months because it’s blazing hot outside, but I might repurchase it when the weather starts to cool down at the tail end of fall.

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Weekend sipping…

Mocha Chai + a sprinkle of Bluebird’s Great British Cuppa + cocoa powder and vanilla powder (Wild Foods Co), steeped in almond milk.

I’m not usually a fan of chai teas but I wanted something warm and caffeinated to help me wake up early Saturday morning. Holy smokes! This really hit the spot. I had the first cup warm and I enjoyed the remainder over ice in my mason jar mug. Warm it tasted a bit like a Mexican hot chocolate – the spicy (not hot) chocolate flavor accented with vanilla. Iced it tasted like melted chocolate ice cream with very subtle spiciness. Spicy teas aren’t my thing, but this is one of the better chai blends I’ve tried.

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This tea is a total surprise for me. Honestly, I added it to my sampler pack because of the word mocha in the name of the tea. Truth be told, I didn’t even read the ingredient list beforehand – how unlike me! I sampled it this weekend, along with a few other teas that I thought I might want to reorder just based on the sniff test. It was delicious! Very complex coffee flavor, nice body from the black tea base and the melted chocolate, and lovely spice notes (words I never thought I’d say). I will be repurchasing this. I think it’d make an outstanding latte.

Flavors: Chocolate, Coffee, Mocha, Spices

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I cold-steeped a few teaspoons over the weekend. I think it was the promise of papaya that prompted me to add this blend to my pick ‘n mix. I’m not a fan of Earl Grey blends and, once again, I’m not getting much (read: any) papaya or lime in my cold-steep either. Bummer.

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I’m not a huge fan of Earl Grey blends, but the strawberry and papaya notes in this tea sounded intriguing. The tea reminded me of The Earl’s Garden by DAVIDsTEA. The strawberry note was dominant in this cuppa. The papaya was detectable but only just. I don’t taste lime at all. It’s very fragrant and very floral, and, thankfully the floral quality subsides once steeped. The black tea base isn’t harsh or bold. Altogether it’s a pleasant tea, but it’s not one that I’ll be repurchasing.

Flavors: Strawberry

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There isn’t a ton of white tea flavor coming through, but I’m okay with that. This blend is primarily cherries and marzipan to my taste buds. I’m not sure what’s contributing to the baked goods note/flavor, but it adds a bit of depth that’s, quite frankly, a surprise considering the short steep time. It’s really quite a nice little blend, and it’s making me wish I had some cherry bakewell tarts to accompany my cuppa.

Flavors: Almond, Cherry, Marzipan

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I had this blend over ice this morning and definitely prefer it iced over hot. It tastes like flat Coca-Cola with lime, only not sickeningly sweet. I’m still toying with the idea of making this as a teapop. If I happen upon a sparkling water that I actually enjoy drinking I’ll give it a go. Until then I’ll be enjoying this over ice or chilled.

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Weekend backlog —

What a surprisingly wonderful blend. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting much. I added it to my sampler pack because I enjoy guayusa and maté blends. If lime cola were tea this is what it’d taste like. You can definitely taste the guayusa but the lime and cola flavors compliment it so nicely. I’m having a hot cuppa this morning but I imagine it’d be very tasty over ice and/or as a teapop.

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85

First day back at work (boo!) and I really, really needed a strong, no-nonsense tea to get me going. Having said that, I’ve been here for 40 minutes now and I’m still not properly awake. Nearly two weeks of lie-ins have made the early start and the whole work thing in general really rather difficult to re-adapt to. Clearly I need to win the lottery, but until then I have this tea.

It’s a CTC, first off. Those wonderful pellets of pure strength that I often overlook when I’m feeling more normal. It brewed up super quickly to a deep red-brown, so I added a decent splash of milk and crawled back to my desk. Here I discovered that it’s strong (very strong) yet flavourful – a good combination if ever there was one. It’s malty in a very thick-tasting, almost chewable way, with some deeper molasses-like notes lurking in the background. It’s very sweet, smooth, and not as tannic as I feared. There’s a hint of caramel and baked bread towards the end of the sip (particularly as it cools), but this one is mostly all about the malt.

It’s not a tea I’d want all the time. It’s not subtle, and there are characteristics I enjoy in black tea that just aren’t present here. For a day like today, though, it’s perfect. Maybe when I wake up, I can see what else I’ve got in my drawer. Until then, this’ll do nicely.

1 tsp, 2 minutes, boiling water. Milk, lots of.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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80

212/365

I picked up a sample of this one with my last Bird & Blend order, specifically for cold-brewing. Apparently I’ve tried it before, but I don’t remember it at all.

It’s actually pretty refreshing – a nice strong, sweet hit of pineapple at the beginning of the sip, then a touch of coconut, before the mint comes in and lingers well into the aftertaste. I tasted the mint more prominently in the first few sips – after that, it’s like I almost become acclimatised to it, and I taste the pineapple/coconut more. It’s a nice contrast; I probably wouldn’t have put tropical flavours with mint, but it works pretty well.

I’d repurchase this one, but probably only in summer. I have tried it hot in the past, but I think in flavour terms it’s probably better suited to cold brewing.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 1 tsp

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80

Today’s cold brew. I used 1.5 tbsp of leaf in just over 1 litre of cold water, and left it in the fridge for around 12 hours overnight. The initial flavour is pineapple, and it’s pretty sweet and intense – more so than when brewed hot. The mint comes out second, but it’s not as strong or as cooling as I expected it to be. I’m sure it’s actually mostly spearmint I can taste, because it’s sweeter and gentler than peppermint even though it’s further down the ingredient list. There’s also a hint of coconut at the end of the sip, and it’s just a little soapy-tasting, but that’s the only real bum-note here for me.

It feels wrong to say it, but I preferred this one hot. It’s just a little too sweet cold, and I felt that I lost the pineapple after the initial sip. It was worth trying, though, and I still have a couple of tsp left for some hot cups before my sample is gone.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more

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80

This seemed like an odd choice to start the morning with, even to me and I’m drinking it. It was there, though, and it’s a lovely warm spring day, so I decided to throw caution to the wind. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 4 minutes in boiling water. When I returned, the liquor was a deep pinky-red (hello, hibi!), but the scent was sweet and tropical.

The first sip shows that you shouldn’t judge by appearances, because this one actually tastes exactly as it should. I get pineapple immediately, sweet and true to life, followed quickly by coconut. There’s a slightly odd floral in the midsip, but it’s not too heavy or thick tasting so I’m choosing to ignore it. The mint comes our pretty well in the aftertaste, the sweetness of the spearmint most prominently, but with the deeper, cooler resonance of the peppermint lurking in the background.

I’m more impressed with this one than I expected to be. Pineapple mint seemed like an odd flavour combination to me, but it really does work. The mint isn’t strong, so the sweeter fruit flavours are allowed their time to shine, but it does add a refreshing cleanness that’s actually very welcome after the sweet tropical fruit flavours.

What I really want now is to try this one cold brewed in the summer. A definite repurchase in the warmer months ahead.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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85

158/365

Finally getting to the third (and final) blend from this year’s Easter collection. I’ve tried this one many, many times before, but for the first time as a latte this year. The scent of the dry leaf seems sweeter to me than I remember – like there might be more vanilla than there was previously, perhaps. I remember it being a fruity/juicy blend with a hint of smoke and spice…

I followed Bluebird’s recipe for this one, except that I used whole milk rather than almond. For some reason, almond milk (or at least the one I can get at my local store) tastes really bitter to me. I can see why almond milk would work here, but in practice it’s not really for me.

The result is pretty delicious. It’s not quite hot cross bun, but close. The milk drowns out any and all smokiness, so the “toasted” aspect of the flavour I’ve noticed in previous years (and loved!) isn’t really a feature here. I wouldn’t expect it in a latte, though, s I’m okay with that. Instead, the vanilla and spice are brought to the fore – I get lots of cinnamon, lots of sweet creamy vanilla, and a pretty excellent dried fruit (specifically raisin) flavour. There’s even a hint of breadiness, which I’d maybe have expected from a black base (or certain kinds, anyway) but not so much from a rooibos.

I’m really impressed with how this one turned out. I was worried about drowning all of the flavours in milk (that’s an ever present latte concern of mine), but happily it stands up well. I’m glad to have found a new way with this one, although I think I enjoy it straight most of all.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML
Arby

I find some nut milks have a bitter flavour if the manufacturer doesn’t take off the brown casing on the nut. The thin papery brown part is quite bitter on its own, but the white inner part is not. Although some manufactures don’t blanch and roast the nuts either. The best almond milk comes from de-husked blanched and roasted almonds, but the package normally doesn’t specify. Cashew or soy milk tend to be more palatable, but may not be available in your area.

Mastress Alita

I like my almond milk very sweet and creamy, so usually I go for the Vanilla Almond Milk, and not the “unsweetened” variety… blech! I accidentally grabbed a carton of the “unsweetened” stuff once and had to dump it, but I’m find with the “sweetened” varieties of almond milk. The Vanilla kind has a little extra sweetness and just has a nice creaminess that I really enjoy in tea.

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85

I’m glad to be drinking this one again – it’s certainly been a while! For the record, this pouch is the 2016 version (I know, I’m so behind). As usual, I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup. As with the 2015 version, it appears to be predominantly rooibos, with some ceylon leaves – about 70:30 to my mind. Dry, the scent is very orangey, with an undercurrent of almond. I gave it 3 minutes in boiling water, no additions.

To taste, it’s more or less hot cross bun. There’s a lot of orange, some dried fruit (raisin, cranberry), and a big hit of vanilla. There’s a whisper of cinnamon, but it’s fairly fleeting. Lapsang Souchong is listed in the ingerdients, but it’s fairly well down the list, and to be honest I can’t taste it. I’d have liked a touch of smoke – I remember last year’s (2015) sample had just a little, and that was perfect.

Ultimately, I’d have really liked more of a “bread” flavour – maybe if the Ceylon was a Yunnan? As it stands, it’s not quite hot cross bun for me, but it’s close enough. It’s certainly a pleasantly creamy, fruity cup, and great for spring! Next year, if I’m caught up with my cupboard, I’ll definitely try again.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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85

I’m starting Easter early with this tea. There are only three days of work this week, so that’s more than enough reason to celebrate. Also, I just realised that I still have my sample of this tea from 2015, so I’m catching up with that before I start the 2016 version I got with my recent Bluebird order. So, anyway. The tea.

I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup. It looks predominantly rooibos based to me, although there are a decent amount of ceylon leaves also present – maybe 70:30. The scent of the dry leaf is massively fruity, mostly orange. It reminds me a lot of undiluted cordial. I left this one for around 3 minutes before I added a splash of milk.

To taste, it’s actually more flavour accurate than I was expecting given the scent. It does remind me of hot cross buns, particularly when you first open a packet of fresh ones. I can taste orange (lots!), a pithy kind of taste that could be citrus zest, apple, cranberry, and currants. There’s also a hint of cinnamon lurking around in the mid-sip, but it’s not particularly prominent.

The vanilla is more of a scent than a flavour for me, but it does translate as a mild creamy flavour that’s very reminiscent of the white cross and maybe melted butter at a push. I’d like that to have been a bit stronger, but it’s there and I’m happy for that. I’m aware that this blend contains some Lapsang Souchong, but again it’s not a big part of the overall flavour. I get flashes of it every now and then, and they make me think of toast – or toasted hot cross buns, maybe. Love.

What I’d have liked here is more of a “bread” flavour, to go with the fruit and spice, creaminess and smokiness. That would really have set this one apart for me. As it is, it’s just a bit too fruity (orangey) to really capture the true flavour of hot cross buns. It’s close, though – so close.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp
Christina / BooksandTea

Sounds lovely! Bluebird is a company I’d love to try, but I’m scared of the prospect of UK shipping to Canada.

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78

Steeped this one up yesterday but it just tasted incredibly off. Very acrid and sour orange notes mixed with smoke that just felt really cacophonous and so distant from what I remember it normally tasting like.

AJRimmer

Ha this description is what I remember this blend tasting like!

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