Tea Forte

Sipdown (1953)!

Look, I get why it was done. However, the inclusion of so much chamomile in this blend was an unpleasant discovery for me. It totally tainted the otherwise nice balance of floral and soothing lavender with simple, bright lemon. I hate chamomile so much. Hard, hard pass. If you’re putting that much of it in a blend you should indicate something to allude to it in the name.

Sipdown (1947)!

As someone who dislikes jasmine green tea, I liked this much more than I thought I would. Still tastes very much like a classic jasmine green in its delivery of perfume-y florals on a grassier green tea base, but the soft orange notes added a playful twist and more dimension to the cup. Not tart/acidic or even sweet, really. Kind of like that way that most people think orange blossoms should taste. A bit floral and aromatic but still like orange in a delicate way. I’d drink again if served, but wouldn’t seek this out.

Sipdown (1912)!

I feel like this is definitely on me for assuming and not checking before brewing this one up, but I really thought this was going to be a straight oolong. Something like a Four Seasons Oolong. Instead, I was surprised by the fact this is flavoured. Once I got over the initial shock I found myself enjoying this quite a bit. It’s simply flavoured; seems like just an addition of juicy sweet peach flavour. It works well with the greener oolong base which adds a layer of floral flavour and creates these lovely peaks and valleys of dimension to this mono-flavoured blend. Soothing while also being, like, lush.

I wouldn’t buy it again because it’s a little simple and not especially unique, but if you wanted a reliable and just nicely executed peach tea this would be a pretty solid option.

Sipdown (1903)!

I find the pear flavour really pleasant in this tea. It’s pretty bold but not bolder than the white tea itself, and it’s sweet lush orchard fruit flavour with a hint of creaminess and a bit of a floral undertone really compliment the natural floral character and warmth of the white tea itself. I don’t particularly taste the “vanilla” half of “vanilla pear” but the pear is the more important part anyway so I guess I’m pleased enough since that element is so well executed.

Sipdown (1883)!

This is interesting. I’m not sure I totally get the point of flavouring a Darjeeling since their inherent astringency doesn’t usually lend itself in a complimentary way to blended tea but I’m trying to be open minded about it.

There is astringency here though, especially as the tea cools. I don’t really mind it, but it feels like more than the average flavoured tea drinker would probably expect. It’s not quite quince to me, though it has that pear-like orchard fruit element. Lacking the aromatics and florals I think of as part of quince, though. Unless you count the hibiscus and the floral element, but I don’t think I do.

Overall though, I actually love the flavour direction here. It’s got a really strong “juicy fruit” vibe to it, sort of like the gum that I feel like so many of us grew up with but fruitier and less sugary/cloying. I get notes of pear, banana, and grapefruit as I drink this. It feels lush. So even though it’s not quince it’s shockingly complex yet cohesive and distinct from other fruity blacks I’ve had in recent memory. A bit sad I only had the small sample of this since Tea Forte isn’t actually terribly convenient to get here in Canada, and I would probably buy more of this if it was.

I was thinking I really enjoyed this one the last time I had it, but this cup was pretty mediocre. Not one I’ll restock, I think.

Sipdown 62

This was not great. The ginger was a bit stale and dusty tasting. The lemongrass was muted.

Sipdown 61

Meh, not impressed by this. Had a vaguely fruity flavor, and tasted mildly like licorice root.

Sipdown 60

I would’ve sworn this was a peach cobbler tea. Definitely tasted way more like a stone fruit than a pear.

Sipdown 59

The dry leaf smells like blue cheese. Luckily, once brewed the blue cheese smell goes away, and there is no blue cheese flavor to be found. There is also no ginger or pear. This tastes like bananas. Like banana runts, not a fresh banana. It’s actually not bad for a banana tea….but it’s a pear tea, so I’m confused.