16780 Tasting Notes
Sipdown (2664)!
This was a fine cup of tea, though not one that will be missed as I’ve definitely had much better maple and french toast blends. I found the top notes almost a little bit apple-y and fruit heavy, but the rest was a very rich and round feeling on the palate maple flavour. Not true or authentic maple, but more like the maple flavoured syrup you’d get from the grocery store for super cheap. There is something just a bit nostalgic about that to me, though of course like most Canadians I much prefer the real stuff.
This is not as crisp and cooling as it once was, but it’s reasonable the peppermint has lost some edge given then age of this sample. Still a very delicious cuppa, though! I have such a soft spot for both cranberry black tea and blueberry ones, and this is just a really nice jammy but full-bodied and brisk medley of the two.
Cold Brew!
I thought, since this is marketed as an iced tea, this might be better cold brewed but I found the infusion really underwhelming. Mostly a very, very oolong forward infusion and though I did appreciate those smooth floral notes I found myself missing in the indulgence promised by a name/concept like blueberry cheesecake. It was a bit creamy in the finish and I got a touch of blueberry as well but it was so very mild despite the fact I’d used frankly a ton of tea leaf.
Cold Brew Sipdown (2656)!
This is my last tasting note for the night. I just strained this cold brew, so it’ll be what I wind down with tonight as I watch Youtube or catch up on the latest show I’ve been binge watching. Keeping it low key, anyway.
You’d think based on the super saturated, blood red liquor of the tea and ingredients list that this would be HELLA tart but it’s actually much less intense than the appearance it gives off. Don’t get me wrong, it is tart with distinct hibiscus notes but in a way that feels more in line for a citrus/blood orange tea. It’s not giving me squelching sour pucker face. More so it makes me think of Tang? But, like, so much less sweet and artificial. Unsweetened orange kool-aid might also be an okay comparison. Deeper and more dense orange notes, though.
I don’t think its Brutaliteas’ strongest blend and, in a world of citrus teas, there are so many more memorable. However, not all of them are memorable for good reasons so this blend at least has that going for it! It’s perfectly averagely orange-y.
#mugtober
Today’s theme was blue! I’ve been waiting for this one for a while so I could show off one of my favourite mugs in my collection – a blue cupid mug from Joro Studios. It took me almost a year of stalking her collection drops to manage to snag one. She sells out SO DAMN FAST.
For tea, it was no question at all that I’d be picking something blueberry flavoured. I just love blueberry teas so much. Truthfully, this one really is more like a straight black tea since the blueberry is so light – just a hint of dried blueberries in the finish and aftertaste. Otherwise it’s highly malty and floral with some woody and honey-like undertones to it. Very nice, especially when you want just that sliver of something extra on top of a brisk morning cuppa.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5LvLcDfpBs
#mugtober cold brew!
I’m very close to finishing off this blend which makes me sad, but I have had it for a while so I guess it’s about time. Anyway, this was my selection for the beautifully open ended “fruity” prompt for a few days ago.
I could have picked a ton of different teas, but I liked that I had a matching mug to go with this one. It was great, too! A little top note tartness that was equal parts sour watermelon and hibiscus before mellowing out into a lightly sweet and very refreshing “true watermelon” type of flavour with the subtlest apple undertones. Reminded me why I fell in love with this particular watermelon flavour – it’s not too candy like or intense. Really captures the balance of cool, juicy sweetness that the real fruit has.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDtlDmsE08k
#mugtober
Do you consider ice cream a picnic food? I know that, practically speaking, it’s challenging to bring ice cream on a picnic but I’ve always thought it’s a really nice way to cap off a picnic at the park – whether it’s grabbing something from a passing by ice cream van or stopping by a local store on the walk home.
Anyway, that was my logic when I chose this tea for the picnic theme this month. As I’ve said in the past, this is more a very milky and buttery tasting milk oolong with just a hint of vanilla than a true ice cream flavour, but as the liquor cooled some more sweetness came out and it did feel a little closer to the namesake. Regardless, it’s a tea I’m enjoying more and more each time I steep it up.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN5bqIkWYR8
#mugtober
Drank this on a day where the theme was “popcorn”. Obviously it’s pretty spot on thematically, but I especially liked this choice because with Brutaliteas’ branding it has a very Halloween-esque late night horrot flick sorta vibe.
The taste was nicer than I remembered from the past mug I’ve had. Just a smidge smoky with a burnt sugar kind of note and some notable woodiness from the rooibos in the blend, but aside from those more particular and unique-to-this-tea flavour I thought it was a nice and fairly classic caramel corn flavour. Not too sweet or heavy, but not weak either.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDuIL_XjXXg
