Cameron B. select Send Message

Sipdown! (41 | 257)

Last one from my September Sips by!

Really, a plain rooibos? Sigh… Needless to say, I was not thrilled to see this in my box this month.

It’s not bad, it’s actually quite pleasant. Smooth, woody, almost a tiny bit creamy? Not medicinal in the slightest, and there are some nice deep caramelized notes and a hint of honey.

It’s fine to have a couple of cups, but not something I would ever crave or buy.

Sipdown! (40 | 256)

Another Sips by tea.

This one smells nice enough but is a bit flat-tasting? It’s not bad, not by a long shot, but I feel like the lemon needs a bit of tartness to lift it up. Even though there are multiple flavors, they’re all sort of one note… if that makes any sense. The green base is earthy and mineral, but smooth. Lemon is somewhere between lemon peel and lemon drop.

A pleasant enough tea, but I think a bit of tartness would add some much-needed dimension here.

Sipdown! (39 | 255)

Another swap sample from Gabby, who I saw is here on Steepster now. Hi Gabby! o/

This is a tasty tea! I like that it’s an oxidized oolong base instead of black tea, it gives it a bit more smoothness while still having enough body to carry the flavors. There’s apparently some roasted maté here as well, I’m not sure I taste it though.

It’s very sweet, with a strong maple character – makes sense, given its namesake. I’m not picking up on a lot of cream, which is a shame as that would make it taste more like French toast. There’s also (IMO) a bit too much cinnamon for French toast, it’s almost as strong as the maple here. It tastes good, but it veers more into coffee or crumb cake territory for me because of the strong cinnamon presence.

Super tasty, but I think I still prefer my Apple Cinnamon French Toast from S&V because of the addition of the apple! The oolong is a nice idea though.

Also, the name… 10/10

Sipdown! (38 | 254)

From my Sips by box this month!

This one is is an interesting combination, though I will say I don’t feel like the name is representative of the flavors. I don’t taste the dandelion (I assume root?) at all, it’s mostly a super mild black tea with elderflower and strawberry jam flavors. The first time I steeped it, I used my normal ratio of 8 ounces of water per sachet, but it was a bit weak. I noticed the wrapper recommends only 200ml per sachet, so I tried that for the second pot, and it’s a bit better. But it’s still a very light/subtle tea. The black tea adds some body, but not much in the way of flavor other than a vague woodiness.

I do like the combination of elderflower with strawberry, but I can’t help but feel it would make a bit more sense on a white, green, or oolong base. And perhaps a hint of lemon would be nice, too! :)

(P.S. – Am I the only one who didn’t realize that elderflower and elderberry are from the same tree? Now I just feel dumb… ^^’)

Sipdown! (37 | 253)

I think I heard about this tea on Tea Leaf Project? It sounded interesting and they offer samples for $0.99 so I figured I would give it a try.

I actually had it hot yesterday, and while I enjoyed the flavor, the ginseng made it too sweet for me, so I decided to cold brew the last teabag overnight. The flavor reminds me of that bottled Brisk iced tea with lemon, but with ginseng sweetness instead of sugar. It has a sweet lemony note with a bit of tea in the background (a mix of black, green, and maté). The ginseng adds a licorice root-esque sweetness at the end of the sip, and a refreshing minerality.

I’m glad to have tried it, but it’s still a bit sweet for me, even when diluted to one teabag per 16 ounces of water.

Sipdown! (35 | 251)

This is quite tasty for a generic bagged genmaicha. It’s pretty heavy on the rice, and it has a lovely strong nutty tone to it that reminds me of soba cha, with hints of Rice Krispies. I can barely taste the green tea, but it’s very smooth and mellow. There’s a nice long-lasting toasty aftertaste as well. Obviously I already have genmaicha in my cupboard so I don’t feel the need to go out and order this, but I’m enjoying it on this early fall evening. :)

Sipdown! (34 | 250)

Another swap sample down! I must say, I’m highly impressed by the amount of tea in these sachets. It’s actually enough for at least a 12-ounce mug, if not a 16-ounce. Good job, Fortnum!

Anyway, this tea is nice even if it’s not my favorite flavor combination. The lavender is very apparent, and since I don’t love lavender, it’s a lot for me. But it does have a nice creaminess and nectarous honey flavor to it as well, and the whole combination is just very smooth and cozy.

So not something I would order, but can definitely recommend it for lavender and bergamot lovers! A very nice, multilayered cuppa.

Sipdown! (33 | 249)

This was a tea that I picked up at my local Japanese market on a whim, because I love apple things! When I was filling a ziploc bag with some wrapped teabags to take with me on vacation, I noticed there were only a few of these left, so now I’m finishing them off!

I find it interesting how in these sachets, the flavoring is actually little round beads that are separate from the tea. Bird & Blend does something similar with their flavored matcha (which makes it really annoying to cold brew), but I think this is the first time I’ve seen that in a teabag. Not that it matters one way or the other, just interesting!

This has a strong and crisp green apple flavor that definitely leans into candy territory. The green base is über mellow and smooth, and the matcha adds a bit of sweetness and gives a more substantial texture. I could see this base being tasty on its own or as a foundation for any number of flavors. I’ll have to see what else is available the next time I visit the grocery!

Really a lovely strong apple tea for this time of year. :3

Sipdown! (32 | 248)

Oof, this is really not my thing at all.

The rose is fairly strong, and the pomegranate is tasting very chalky to me, which is an issue I often have with berry flavorings. So it tastes a bit like one of those powdery violet candies, but rose? Which may sound good to some ha ha, but I’m just thankful I only have one serving of this… ^^’

Nope, nope, nope.

Sipdown! (31 | 247)

A melon green tea? Sign me up! :P

This is a very pleasant bagged tea. The honeydew tastes like it’s on the underripe side to me, so it has more of a refreshing cucumber-esque note to it, rather than a syrupy and juicy ripe melon like Lupicia’s. The green base is mellow and grassy, which goes well with the lighter, more crisp melon flavor.

Not one I would order, just because I always have Lupicia’s Melon Oolong in my cupboard and I think one melon tea is enough. But if I wanted a convenient bagged version, I would consider picking this up. I bet it would be lovely for cold brew too, and much more cost-effective.