Glazed Lemon Loaf

I’ve finally tried this bagged grail that everyone seems to adore, and I feel a certain sense of accomplishment. The nose is absolutely insane on this… how do they manage that without adding flavoring?! It made me want to check my fingers for crusty little bits of white icing. The entire scent profile is spot-on without holes or extras.

The mouthfeel and taste certainly, certainly don’t keep up with the nose, but that cakey waft sorta makes up for everything else. A bit thin and empty in the middle. I think this is why I tend to not ever really dig herbal teas — there is something so special in what camellia sinensis does in the mouth, in myriad iterations, that herbs and fruits and spices and most other concocted brews just can’t. It’s not their fault.

This was my first experience with green rooibos, recommended by ashmanra. I can’t say I have big opinions about it, as I think its job here was to blend in and support everything else (which it does admirably).

February Sipdown Prompt – a grocery store tea

No note from me? And I am about to finish our second box of this tea.

We normally drink this hot. We drink it without sweetener, but I needed a caffeine free evening beverage and since it was around 80F today, I decided to get wild and make this sweet and iced. It has a really strong vanilla aroma, so very very cake-like which is what they were aiming for, so BINGO!

I think as a sweet iced tisane, the vanilla comes much more forward and maybe even steps on the lemon a bit, but it is still quite good. I think I do prefer it hot. Next time we drink it will probably be a sipdown, although I may repurchase in the future after the cupboard gets a bit smaller. (I still haven’t added my puerh teas to the cupboard, partly because there is no hurry to drink them down.)

I love this blend! It was recommended by a friend on Instagram and it took me a while to track down. While I have had it in m stash for a little while, I forgot to add it to my cupboard but it’s too late now because I have two bags left. It’s sweet, citrusy, and buttery with a hint of creamy glaze. A new favorite herbal blend for sure!

I was a little cautious about trying this tea because I’m not a big fan of rooibos and this has a green rooibos base. After tasting it, I have to conclude that it’s red rooibus that I don’t like because this tea was delicious!

I didn’t bring the water to a full boil, but probably about 205°. And I steeped it for around 3 minutes. Then I added a little bit of sweetener and let it cool before taking a sip. It really does taste like a glazed lemon pound cake. I’m addicted! What makes it even more appealing is that it’s caffeine free, so this is a great way to have a warm, sweet treat that won’t keep me up just before bedtime.

Sipdown! (22 | 425)

Another gifted sample, two teabags of this tisane from Instagram friend Tiana. I actually have a box of this one in my cupboard, but each “package” (in this case, not an actual package, but in general) of tea gets its own entry in my cupboard spreadsheet, and therefore counts as a separate sipdown. And there’s nothing you can do about it, nyah! XD

This is a nice tisane, especially for a grocery store teabag. But it doesn’t quite live up to the hype for me. It has a good candylike, desserty lemon flavor to it, and there’s a butteriness, but instead of reminding me of cake, it reminds me a bit of artificial butter-flavored popcorn. With some kind of lemon glaze on top, ha ha. Honestly, that sounds delicious…

It’s a tasty blend, but it won’t be a reorder for me. If I want something lemony in the evening, I’d rather just have lemongrass.

I just went to an in-person conference for the first time since the pandemic hit, which was more than a little stressful. (I had to staff a one-day conference for work a few months ago, but I didn’t have to leave town for it and I was not even there for the whole day. This was a full-on, multi-day, out-of-town affair.) Thankfully they had this tea. Since Kelmishka had included this in my Steepster homemade advent calendar, I already knew that it is absolutely delicious. Plus they had almond milk out a couple of times, which gave it added creaminess and strengthened the vanilla flavor. I even cold brewed a bag in a water bottle, and honestly it turned out better than I expected. I was concerned that the soft, cozy vibe of this blend wouldn’t translate as a cold brew. But the core flavor notes – vanilla, lemon, and glaze – actually translated really well into something still soft but maybe more spring-like than cozy. Basically I was downing variations of this every time I was alone or outside. I may have also liberated a couple of bags to take home.

Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | February 2023 | A grocery store tea

A very sad sipdown indeed! This tea punches so far above its weight. It’s been a very comforting evening sipper this winter and I’m sad to see it go.

Leaving my rating the same.

2023 sipdown count: 22/75

Thanks, getanzt!!
Preparation: Western
Tasting note: This is the closest thing, I have had to a glazed lemon cake. And its not overly sweet and really nice night cap. Lemony and has a creaminess. Also, its not too expensive. I will be finding more of this soon.

A mug of sunshine. Quite the mood lifter <3

How does this actually smell like cake?! And taste like vanilla frosting?? I’ve heard a lot about this tea, and I’ve been looking forward to trying it since Michelle sent a bag in her tea box. If I weren’t selfish, I would have let James have it since he loves lemon and herbals. Instead, I let him smell the inside of the tea wrapper after I drank it. Yeah, I’m not exactly winning any awards for wife of the year. Oh well.

I added some cream for World Milk Day and it really seems to bring out more of the lemon flavor. That surprised me. I would have thought it would encourage the creamy frosting to shine, but it didn’t. I have to give this one a good rating, if only for the fact that Tazo nailed the flavor here. But I also really, really liked it.

I almost forgot – Happy Pride, everyone! <3