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additional notes: A tasty cup with adorable flamingo sprinkles. Not unnatural tasting sweetner… really this note is just to say I might not be on Steepster much as I will be out of town for a couple weeks (as hesitant as I am due to Covid. BUT my grandma survived Covid recently, so I guess it’sagoodatime as any to go for a visit). AND I am SO FAR BEHIND on reading everyones tasting notes. wooboy. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your June!

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #9: – A lemon tea

I didn’t really want to finish this one!  But I guess I have a little bit left of Moondrop Dreams  and Tealyra’s Lavender Lemon Potion — I like both of them more.   The dregs of this sample seem like mostly stevia and I’m sure the lemon myrtle profile is not helping that.  But I just love lavender and lemon as a combination, the more blends the merrier.
2022 sipdowns: 66

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #8:- A tea with a creative blend of ingredients

Anne’s blends are usually creative but it seemed this blend was even more so, that even MORE care and thought than usual was put into creating it.  So I think of this blend for this prompt & it was time for a sipdown!  An interesting mix of flavors, though a bit faded now.  NOW I’m on to a cup of Frank’s Cranberry Salad… it’s still tasty and so so good.  It should probably be reblended!
2022 sipdowns: 65

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #7:- A “geeky” tea

So not only is ‘Anderson’ a geeky Sherlock tea, but I feel Anderson as a character was a bit geeky… geeky about following Sherlock’s antics so much that he ended up being the person that was adamant that Sherlock was still alive after his fall.  So this tea is double geeky.  I’m glad it’s finished, as it was a little faded there at the end… basically tasted like a plain strong Ceylon without flavoring.  That means a wrap for the four Sherlock tins that MissB sent me back in the day!  I will of course keep the adorable tins.
2022 sipdowns: 64

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #6:- A soda tea

Still distinctly cola! Maybe less vanilla, but either way it’s another sipdown I’m a little sad about.  If I were to say my favorite soda, it would probably be Vanilla Coke or Dr Pepper, so I’m glad Frank made a Vanilla cola tea back in the day.    I’m so glad the flavor lasted to the last drop — two steeps!
2022 sipdowns: 63

Another from Kawaii433! Thanks so much! I was curious why ‘Duck’ happens to be in the name for this, and it looks like the description says that ducks like this rice? hmm. So it’s a decent genmaicha then, with a memorable name. :D A balance of popped rice and green tea. It was never astringent for me, but I was really being careful with the parameters. Everything here that I love about a great genmaicha. I wanted that toasty comfort yesterday, on probably one of the last cooler days of the spring. And for my no caff choice today, Bird & Blend’s Figgy Pud for that same reason. Now it will be hot out today!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 50 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – May Tea #5:- A cupboard staple

It always surprises me a bit when I think of Laoshan black tea being related to Laoshan green tea.  I know there are some fans of the Laoshan black out there, but the black version has always been so much flatter in complexity for me than the Laoshan green.  Which for me is a Cupboard Staple.  I wouldn’t even think to put Laoshan black in my list of favorite teas… I just forget about it completely.  But I’m so glad I know about Laoshan green!  I have a few older pouches remaining… and I love how Laoshan green in particular has different seasonal harvests.
2022 sipdowns:  62

From Kawaii433 a couple months ago now.  From my wishlist!  Thank you so much!  The first of the new ones that Kawaii sent over that I’m trying. I hope both you and Pachinko are doing okay, Kawaii… 
I love a good banana tea and this is that.  However, I was wondering about the fudge part of the name… I can’t really taste any chocolate, so I started to wonder if they meant not a chocolate fudge, but like a fudge that only tastes like banana… you know, how sometimes a fudge isn’t actually chocolate and there are different flavors, for example: maple fudge.   The only time I really experienced fudge was during a vacation in the Adirondacks, and tried many odd flavors of fudge, so I know different flavors are a real thing!  So maybe this is just straight BANANA fudge… but no.  After reading the description, Arthur Dove does mean chocolate.  ANYWAY, who needs chocolate flavor when this banana flavor is so so good?  Not quite candy banana, but also not quite plain natural banana. But this is one of the great banana teas if I’m not aiming for also chocolate!
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for full mug // 29 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 2-3 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

This mini from the Mandala sampler looks like this photo and the only English on the wrapper says “Lao Cang”.  So I will post this here.  Another tasty puerh, though not as strong to me as the two that I have previously and recently tried from the sampler.  If I need a ripe puerh to be one thing, it needs to be Strong.  But there aren’t any negative puerh qualities here either, so that’s fine with me. Not bad, not great.  To be honest, the water might have been a bit cool on that first steep anyway.  Notes of cocoa, berries. Looking at the leaves, they also look like large quality leaves. Seems to be the standard for Mandala.  This one is a little light for me and sadly there are the most of these in the sampler.  oooo… what if I steeped two at once in a big mug?!?!  I will have to try that.  
Steep #1 // 29 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 //   3 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 6 min

So I have no idea the name of this mini puerh, so I will file any Mandala mini I can’t identify by Steepster photo under the Mandala sampler. I forgot to mention in the previous note, JakeB sent the sampler! Thank you, JakeB! Keep in mind this sampler is at least probably eight years old and is NOT the current Mandala variety of mini tuochas they have available. The white wrapping has a big brown circle and drawings of clouds at the sides. I can tell when the leaves unravel, this is another mini made with higher quality leaves, as they are quite big. The flavor is also rich for a mini – biscuity, bready. Second steep, the same plus cocoa. Third, a little weaker but still very delicious! I like this one a lot. Rating: 93 (I don’t want to rate the entire sampler based on one of the types in the sampler.)
Steep #1 // 29 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 17 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // many minute steep