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Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – July 2025 Tea #2 - July 7 – International Chocolate Day – drink a chocolate tea or have chocolate with your tea

Inadvertently followed the prompt again today, without checking.  Had this tea!  Which seems like an odd choice for a hot day but I wanted to see what a spicy lemonade would taste like, and this tea is the only one I have on hand at the moment that has cayenne pepper in it. (Oh but I also have Mowgli’s chai! So I should try that too.) So I went with brewing a half mug of tea, sticking it in the fridge, and adding half a mug of lemonade later in the day.  I wasn’t sure how the chocolate notes would work in lemonade… I admit the chocolate notes are mild at this point, but the resulting odd mix of flavors isn’t that bad!   OH and of course, I had just had a York peppermint before seeing this prompt. :D

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – July 2025 Tea #1 -July 3 – Air Conditioning Appreciation Day – drink a cold tea

oh goodie — I popped a hot tea in the fridge this morning to have later when it’s cold, without even remembering that was the prompt for today. :)  And that tea happens to be this one.  Such a pleasant tea to have cold.  It’s like the flavor is simply sweet, without any sweeteners.  On a strong base.  I have a couple steep sessions left with this and then I will miss it.  

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – June 2025 Tea #6 - An unflavored black tea

I wanted to finish this today, as it wasn’t very good the other day anyway… ANNNNNDDD of course, it is a completely different tea today and much better.  Not sure what I did differently!  I didn’t even think there was much leaf left.  It is a deeper tea this time around, very much like a keemun, as previously stated.  But also a little different.  Still some squash and sweetness.  Kind of like maple syrup. So I will raise the rating this time around, as I must have done something wrong last time, maybe water that was too cool? But this is why I don’t like to give teas just ONE chance to impress me. At least the sipdown send-off was nice!
2025 Sipdown total: 41
2025 unique tea sipdowns: 34

From Cameron B!  Thanks very much!  I think it’s the last of these cute little Moomin teabags.  This is vanilla and pear on a black tea base.  Definitely something I should like.  The black tea is rich enough for such a small amount of leaf here.  The vanilla pear almost reminds me of Harney’s Paris flavoring.  I have to remind myself that this isn’t Harney’s Paris as I’m sipping.  But then there is a lingering flavor of earthy pear skin.   The second steep was also flavorful — but mostly sweet.  A quite enjoyable little teabag!
Steep #1 // 22 minutes after boiling // 1 minute – 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – June 2025 Tea #5 - June 22 – World Rainforest Day – drink a green tea!

This is the one today!  Fitting for a hot day.  Not a sipdown yet…

This was a sample provided by Teavivre with an order. So I only had 5 grams to work with. Luckily, Teavivre suggests 2.5 grams so I get to have this sample in two sessions. 2.5 grams looks to me like 1 1/3 teaspoons. I sometimes use two teaspoons for Teavivre, so we shall see how this works. The leaves are dusty grey in color, which is unusual. The flavor is just not very strong. I would say it most resembles a Premium Taiwanese Assam, but not a flavorful one. The flavor is so mild! Teavivre says it could seem like a Keemun in flavor, and I can see that, but a very mild Keemun. I would say flavor notes for me are mostly just squash and sweetness. The second steep was the same: very mild. This is not the tea for me, but I’m always happy to try anything from Teavivre.
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – June 2025 Tea #4 - A single origin tea

Someone gave this tea a 100 rating eleven years ago. High praise.  I imagine past harvests must have been better.  This is… OKAY.  It’s keemun, it tastes like a keemun, but it isn’t going above and beyond that.  It only mildly reminds me that is should be keemun and really is too mild for me altogether.  The second steep was a little stronger, but also was mostly astringent.  How can it be astringent AND mild?  hmm.  I’m glad I gave this one a chance, but once it’s gone, I won’t purchase it again.  Not a sipdown!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 16 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

additional notes: I haven’t had this one in so long, I forgot how much I loved it. I forgot how rich it could be with only a base of dark oolong and houjicha! Truly one of my favorite blends of all time. The flavor is holding strong. FOUR solid steeps this session. Amazing.

I was hoping this was a deeper, darker tea!  This gets fairly high rating from other tea fans, so I gave a sample a chance.  Maybe the harvests have changed it.  The leaves are fairly small, but the brew is so light.  The scent from the mug is very brassy though.  The flavor mostly reminds me of Ceylon — grassy hay.  Not something I want to reach for…
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling //  >3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 min steep

I wanted to try this one as it reminded me a few of my fave no-caff blends from 52Teas in the past.  And really, the inclusion of the marshmallow root made it a sure thing buy.  It’s great!  Exactly what I expected it to taste like.  Citrusy!  With a pillowy marshmallow sweetness, if that makes sense.  Then a hint of lavender.  Not as good as my beloved ‘Peachy Keen’ but that is a high high bar that I will never shut up about.  Also, now that I think of it, not really trying to be the same thing… Also, I got super sleepy, super quick, so I think this works as a sleeper tea.
Steep #1 // 1 1/4 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep