3513 Tasting Notes

85

Sipdown! (33 | 188)

I’m not big on fruit tisanes, but I actually really enjoyed this one.

It tastes like cherry candy, but specifically like cherry Jolly Ranchers, one of the few cherry-flavored things I actually enjoy. It has a nice tartness to it, but not too much thanks to the lack of hibiscus. Perfect balance of sweet to tart IMO, with the coconut adding a subtle accent.

Tried it hot and cold brewed, and both were scumptious. Would consider buying more of this, shockingly LOL. Now I really want to order more from Trader Nicks, but I’m not doing very well at drinking tea at the moment, so it’ll have to wait heh… :P

Flavors: Apple, Artificial, Candy, Cherry, Coconut, Fruity, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 4 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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82

Sipdown! (32 | 187)

This one was fast-tracked to be sipped down just because I like some of the other Old Barrel blends so much more.

Not that this is bad, it’s not. In fact, it’s quite good. I think my problem with it is that overall it’s just quite sweet. The puerh base is nice, it doesn’t go too earthy/funky like some other flavored puerhs I’ve had. Just the right amount of darkness and depth, and then the cinnamon and pecan remind me of coffee cake. It doesn’t specifically remind me of pecan pie, mostly due to the cinnamon.

Would highly recommend for pecan and dessert tea lovers though! Really, really good example of a flavored puerh.

Flavors: Butter, Cake, Cinnamon, Earthy, Nutty, Pecan, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
gmathis

This one is tasty!

Cameron B.

For sure! I just prefer their Winter Cabin and Banana Bread Coffee for flavored puerhs. :D

beerandbeancurd

I found myself perusing Old Barrel’s website a few weeks back. Intrigued for sure… one of these days I’ll have to check ’em out.

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68
drank Shangri La Green by Monsoon Tea
3513 tasting notes

Sipdown! (31 | 186)

This one was just sort of bland.

I can taste hints of floral notes, mostly the rose (not that I know what lotus tastes like), but not really anything resembling orange or vanilla. The green tea itself is also very mild, maybe I should steep their greens a bit longer than I normally do. Though weirdly, their rolled oolong gets bitter rather quickly.

Anyway, it’s a meh.

Flavors: Floral, Mineral, Rose, Smooth, Stonefruit, Sweet

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Sipdown! (30 | 185)

Finished this one off. It’s a nice enough tea, just not my jam I guess. The lingering honey & oats finish is nice though.

Flavors: Bread, Hay, Honey, Malty, Musty, Oats

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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65

Sipdown! (29 | 184)

The last Moomin tea! So exciting! \o/

This is a lemon cheesecake rooibos. Honestly, the dry scent smelled exactly like a lemon & honey lozenge, which gave me pause. Luckily the taste isn’t quite so medicinal. It doesn’t taste much like cheesecake to me, but I do get a mild lemon candy sort of note. Like their other rooibos blends, the rooibos is too strong IMO, and overpowers the flavoring, even at a one minute steep.

It was fun to try all of these Moomin teas, and the teabag wrappers were very cute, but there aren’t any teas I would reorder.

Flavors: Candy, Lemon, Medicinal, Rooibos, Sweet, Woody

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 1 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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75

Sipdown! (28 | 183)

This one was pleasant enough. The flavoring is on the light side, but I can still detect something apple or pear-ish, and also the sweetness and roundness of the vanilla. I like the combination of the crisper fruit flavor with the slight creaminess.

Is it something I would go out of my way to order? Definitely not. But I did enjoy sipping through my few teabags. :)

Flavors: Apple, Creamy, Crisp, Fruity, Pear, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Sipdown! (27 | 182)

This one is just bland to me. I mostly taste rooibos, even after shortening the steep to one minute. Maybe it’s because rooibos and chocolate flavoring can both have a sort of boozy vibe to me? Regardless, I only get a hint of anything resembling chocolate, and definitely no cake.

¯\_ (ツ) _/¯

Flavors: Alcohol, Chocolate, Rooibos, Woody

Preparation
1 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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78
drank Rooibos Poire by Lupicia
3513 tasting notes

Sipdown! (26 | 181)

Finally finishing this one that I got at the end of 2020. Not its fault, it just got forgotten about in my cupboard heh. This was a holiday release when I got it, but it seems to be a permanent offering on the website now.

Definitely a nice fruity green rooibos, though the flavor reminds me more of apple than pear, and reminds me of the Japanese apple jellies I’ve been eating lately. For some reason I haven’t been drawn to green rooibos in a while, so for that reason I probably wouldn’t reorder this one. But would recommend it for fruity green rooibos fans!

Flavors: Apple, Herbaceous, Red Apple, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Random tea of the day.

This one is actually in my sipdown pile, because for whatever reason, I’m just not a fan of wakocha. Like, it’s fine, but I’m never in a mood to drink it specifically. It actually tastes a bit similar to later flush Darjeeling to me, which I don’t particularly love either. This one has some musty hay notes to it, along with some malty bread and a hint of bai hao-like honeyed fruit. I dunno, I guess I would rather just have a Chinese black tea or a white tea, whereas this falls somewhere in the middle for me?

Anyway, still have a few more packets to go before sipdown!

Flavors: Bread, Dried Fruit, Hay, Honey, Malty, Musty

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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A bit sad to see another floral tea this month, after the cherry blossom one in April. Ah well, not their fault that I don’t like rose.

It’s honestly a bit bland? I do taste rose, but it’s much milder than the dry scent. Not really getting black currant at all though…? Maybe a little hint.

Not loving it, but mostly due to my personal preferences. Going into my rehoming box so someone else can hopefully enjoy the pretty stained glass-themed label art.

Flavors: Rose, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, baking, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2023 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- May Sipdowns: 33
- Total 2023 Sipdowns: 188

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
LUPICIA!
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kusmi
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre
The Chai Box

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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