Vicky's Sponge Cake

I’m happy that I’m finally getting around to tasting this tea! This was one of the blends that I most wanted to try. I have been a bit preoccupied with some other black tea blends that I’ve been having in the morning with a splash of milk. I also placed an order with Serendipitea for some caffeine-free blends as I’m running out of choices for my evening/nighttime cuppa.

This tea is a very nice, smooth raspberry blend. What I mostly taste is the lovely black tea base. It’s not bitter at all and is awfully tasty! I’ve found that Bluebird Tea Co. uses very nice bases for their blends. The raspberry comes next and is not terribly prominent, but it’s there. I’m missing the whole cake aspect of this tea, though. I thought that there would be some kind of hint at a sponge cake… but unfortunately there is just the raspberry jam! It’s still yummy, sweet and almost a little bit floral. Would I purchase some of this tea? Maybe if it had more cake flavor, but this was a nice cup to have this afternoon!

Lots of raspberries in this! It was good, too. I am going to resteep it later and see how that goes ;)

I didn’t really get the sponge cake part?

I got a generous sample of this from CrowKettle earlier this week, and decided to make it my morning tea…I do a double steep for two mugs. Sometimes I cold steep in one and hot tea in the other, but with the colder weather, I get lazy and just double steep and split each steep between the two vessels. Occasionally, I bag up something separate in one and steep simultaneously if I have the extra time.

Anyway, my morning steep of this was astringent and strong, and I was grateful I under-filled my steeper on the second go, as I had room to fill in my timolino, and I added milk to top it off. I was able to mix it into my other mug to make it milder, but I found that I had used too much milk because I lost some flavour.

I did a shorter steep with new leaves at home and it was better. I did add the tiniest drop of milk (what was left in a measuring cup used for dinner) and that made it a bit creamier. I found that the shorter time was better for me, and it was not so astringent, but it was still a little tart.

I wouldn’t say this is a favourite tea, but it isn’t too bad, especially with the lower steep. What makes me thing of getting some is the raspberry leaves, since they’re healthy. I might also cold steep. I don’t drink much cold liquid i the winter, except water (at room temp) so cold steeping probably won’t be for 6 more months.

I’m glad to try this, and will use the last of my sample soon, I think.

[Thank goodness I thought to copy and save this note before trying to post. Don’t need any more frustration to this day. Here goes second try…]

Made this for Cara and me in the middle of yesterday’s fun times </ sarcasm>, and was very disappointed. Packaging was cute as could be, and everyone else had such positive reactions to it. Hard as I tried, all I could get was a faint tang of raspberry, which does not a Victoria sponge cake make. Cara didn’t even get the raspberry, but said “If it’s got CAKE in the name, it should taste of CAKE. Because — CAKE” We didn’t even get enough vanilla to let imaginations supply the cake. I tried it without milk, then with Cara’s almond milk (mine is the unsweetened), and Cara drank it with regular milk, so no almondy flavour would interfere. I’d give it another try, but think it makes more sense to send it off to someone who might like it much more.

(Steeped exactly as per instructions – can’t get those right now.)

Thanks Mike Turner for the sample!

I really liked how this smelled out of the packet – a distinct fruity tang from the dried raspberries without being overpowering. The creamy coconut scent came out during brewing.

I initially steeped it for 4 minutes in about 200mL water, but found it a bit weak for my liking. I let it brew for a total of about 6 and a half minutes, but it still didn’t get as strong as I would have liked, which just means I’ll have to order a bag of it so I can overleaf it :)

No rating at this time, but I liked the not-too-powerful, not-too-subtle raspberry flavor and the hint of creaminess. Will be trying this one again!

This tasted good, but not exactly what I was expecting. The raspberry taste really comes out and there’s a vanilla smoothness. I cold brewed a bit too and that was even better at bringing the vanilla-y taste out to match the raspberry. The raspberry pieces are visible in the dry mix and the smell is enticing. Thanks to moraiwe for swapping! I wanted to make an order but wasn’t sure so getting to try this one out first is great.

MMmm, this is a nice comforting cup on a rainy afternoon. Mild black tea with berry and vanilla flavoring. I’m drinking it sweetened, and am getting just a tiny bit of pleasant tartness from the raspberry. Very tasty, but I’m not getting any “cake” flavor from it. Smells WONDERFUL.

Thanks BrewTEAlly Sweet!

I’m not a huge fan of coconut, but decided to put this tea on my first Bluebird Tea Co. order as it has attracted lots of great reviews. I also wanted to see if a tea actually could taste like a cake!

However, having tried the tea I think it’s the wrong approach for judging a flavour of a tea. I don’t really expect to feel like I’m drinking a sponge cake but expect some of those flavours to come through as inspiration – I still want to feel like I’m drinking a cup of tea after all!

The smell of this tea was just as enticing as the other bluebird teas I have tried – very raspberry (unsurprisingly) and made me excited to pop my leaves in the breville tea kettle and get them brewing:

Method – Breville Tea Kettle
Water – 750ml
Tea – 2.5 tsp
Time – 4 mins
Milk – YES!

I felt the colour of the tea was a bit weaker than I expected – but it’s not all about looks. I also chose to add milk despite the package recommendation not to (I’ll add milk to all black teas).

On the first few sips the raspberry certainly comes through predominantly – and it is a great, natural taste. Not at all artificial – and quite jammy. As the cup progressed the coconut started coming through as the initial taste, before the raspberry kicked in. I was pleased at the sweet / tart balance – it wasn’t sickly at all.

To me it’s a raspberry tea with a nice hint of coconut to make it that little bit different, and quite delicious.

Advent tea 4
Tea from Lexie has been awesome so far, and this one is great too. I’m more of a hot tea drinker, so I might not be tempted to purchase this one, but I’m glad I got to try it. As the first steep cooled it became more tart and raspberry in flavor. I’m not getting much of the black base or a ‘cake’ vibe to it, I’m guessing they were going for a fruity taste on a sponge cake. Interesting tea, yummy for an advent!

Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | October 2023 | A tea that makes you feel posh

OK, maybe I’m blurring the line between “British” and “posh,” because I’m not sure a Victoria sponge is a particularly posh cake — more of a British classic. Still, close enough!

As always, I’m sad to see this one go. It’s such a satisfying cuppa, so rich and creamy. I brewed it extra strong today and very much enjoyed it.

2023 sipdown count: 52