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I was given a single sachet sample of this, but I would definitely buy it one day if I were placing a Dammann Freres order. I really get burned out on chamomile in the evening pretty easily, so the discovery of green rooibos base teas was a thrill. And now here is a tea with mostly lemongrass base that smells so good in the pouch that you want to eat it like candy. This is sweet a d citrusy with a hont of vanilla and a little licorice scent.

I can’t see any star anise in my sachet but I definitely smell it. I wouldn’t mind the anise being stronger, but this is still so good. I had it with a Fortnum and Mason Raspberry and Rose Florentine because I had a bad case of snackies tonight. I am well satisfied.

Tried this tonight with Superanna. This was so fresh and grassy, vibrant tasting, with salty seaweed aroma and lovely smooth seaweed flavor. One person tasted it and said it smelled like cooked eggs, but I mostly think of brothy and the briny aspect of seaweed.

The resteep is nice and full of flavor as well. Both steeps had a rich, broth-like appearance as well. You can almost feel the antioxidants coursing through your veins…

A sipdown!

I am drinking a huge pot of this tea this morning as clouds and cool breezes have moved in, the windchimes are singing, and all is still.

The Keemun is raspy like cocoa on the tongue, just as it should be, although this one is not particularly chocolate-y in flavor. The maple flavor was so good with breakfast which included waffles with maple syrup. This is one of the few times I pair like with like. I guess the contrast of the toasty, raspy Keemun makes it work.

I don’t think I would like the pairing if I sweetened this tea and added milk, as that would indeed be too little contrast, but as a stand alone cup that might be good for a desserty, satisfying treat for a sweet tooth attack.

For me, this is perfect just as it is when paired with food.

I had been wanting to try this for a very long time and finally did so today!

I loved that this chai didn’t list black peppercorns in the ingredients. I just don’t love them in chai unless there are just a few to add a tiny tiny bit of warmth.

This smelled heavenly but I was shocked that it looked mostly like powder. Maybe I should have stirred the tin up and looked for bigger leaves? But in spite of the amazing aroma, the taste was a bit bland to me. To be fair, I had already had a couple of different Dammann Freres teas first and would have more after. I was so disappointed that I decided to add milk and sugar, because chai typically has both. It really didn’t improve it much. I am sad it wasn’t something to love, and glad I didn’t give in and order myself a tin when I was tempted to do so.

May Sipdown Prompt – National Pick Strawberries Day – drink a strawberry tea!

Somehow, this was not listed in my cupboard? I bought multiple packs last year so maybe I thought I was out at one point. This is the last pack. Maybe three large teapots worth left. Plenty of other tea to tide me over until November when this one comes around again!

Delicious strawberry tea with a hint of coconut and vanilla. Another Lupicia success.

A sipdown! Mostly tastes like a lovely apricot black tea. Served it hot a bit but also a lot of it was iced. I bought it because it was on a huge sale, but would maybe just buy plain Apricot in the future as I don’t taste the hazelnut here a ton and Apricot Black is sold locally. That doesn’t matter much with Harney, though, since they always have free shipping and frequent sales….

One of my Mother’s Day teas from Ashman.

It was hot but the humidity was low enough to enjoy dessert and hot tea outside. Texas brownies made by my daughter who lives with us, homemade ice cream, and tea. I adore ice cream with hot tea.

I can hardly believe this is decaf. It tastes so much like regular Sakurambo which I had a sample of a while back. I absolutely love the savory rosemary in this. Maybe that extra flavor helps cover that this is decaf.

I don’t usually like black pepper in tea. I don’t enjoy it in my chai even. But I do enjoy the pink peppercorns in this. The warmth almost sneaks up on you, and just when you think you have it cornered, it ducks and giggles.

This is awesome. It might be a shelf staple because it has satisfied my black tea craving tonight and I can’t say that of tisanes or very many decaf teas.

I decided to finish first Mother’s Day with this very appropriately named tea. It was a gift from my bestie. Second Mother’s Day is next weekend when we will also be celebrating a family member’s birthday.

It is funny how the mix of ingredients varies from one sachet to the next. Apparently all it takes is a single butterfly pea flower to make this tea wildly purple. Ashman’s cup is purple purple purple, and mine looks very much like a light cup of black tea. Not golden, brownish, but not unattractive.

In spite of the color variations I note with these sachets the taste is pretty much the same every time. Chamomile and fresh orange. It is okay for night time sipping and I guess it helps me sleep and relax, but still there is nothing quite like a cuppa real TEA, whether it is a favorite daily drinker, a flavored black, or a competition grade oolong. But we have to sleep sometime….

A sipdown!

Amazing to see that I received this as a Mother’s Gift and finished it at Mother’s Day breakfast – I think three years have passed? Two?

We had this hot but one reason a 250 gram bag can be polished off so quickly is because it makes really good sweet iced tea in summer. For that reason, I will eventually ask my godson to pick some up at the Russian market he goes to quite a bit. Not now, but when the cupboard gets a bit lower!

It is a very nostalgic tea for me with its berry and currant flavors, reminding me of our trip to Ireland and all the black currant water we drank and black currant in scones and such. I think the price is amazing for this much tea that tastes nice.

May Sipdown Prompt: National Eat What You Want Day – Drink what you really want!

I started the day with this tea and took the holiday seriously. Waffles instead of oatmeal, then a Stouffer’s frozen “emergency” meal instead of making a smoothie or a sandwich, iced pomegranate oolong from Harney for my lunch drink out on the patio, and got takeout instead of cooking supper.

In addition, I made ice cream this morning flavored with rose black tea and jasmine green tea and had it on my afternoon break and gave the rest to a neighbor and Ashman to have for dessert tonight. It has been a day of culinary decadence and throwing caution to the wind! Ha ha!