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Sipdown! (13 | 156)

Mostly sipped this with milk and sugar, but finished it off plain. Not a favorite for me, as the herbaceous peppermint and tannic base seemed to bring out the worst in each other. The peppermint wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best either, so it did have a bit of a wet rag note to it as opposed to being super fresh. Also not enough vanilla for me.

Moving this one into my rehoming box.

The tin calls it a mango green tea, but I’m finding the very creamy coconut flavor to be too strong for me. It reminds me a bit of a flavored milk oolong, and those just aren’t my jam. Would love to see more of a tangy mango flavor profile, but that’s just me.

Sipdown! (9 | 152)

This one was enjoyable. Their Banana Bread Coffee Pu Erh is one of my favorites, so no surprise that I like it in a blend as well. I don’t really get a ton of lavender, but I do think I get a sense of creaminess, or at least a richness in the texture. Lovely coffee flavor, as always, though no banana to be found (it’s subtle in the unblended tea as well).

Not something I would order, but it was a nice blend for the fall subscription.

Sipdown! (7 | 150)

From the fall subscription. Trying to finish up these fall teas, as I know the winter box will be coming next month… ^^’

I liked this one more than I expected. I’ve had quite a few iterations of this sort of “mulled wine” flavor with hibiscus and spices, but this might be the best. Maybe it’s because it has some black tea involved, instead of rooibos or pure fruit tisane? The hibiscus is pleasantly tangy without being too much, and the spices are mellow. It’s heavy on the ginger and light on the clove, maybe that’s why I prefer this version. :P

Before-bed cuppa from last night.

I was surprised that the dry leaf smelled like oregano. I haven’t had tarragon enough times to have a distinct idea of what it tastes like, but I think it’s supposed to be more anise-leaning and not really a savory herb.

Steeped up, it wasn’t nearly as savory, and tasted mildly herbaceous/grassy with mellow mint and anise notes. I assume the alfalfa was contributing those greener flavors. A pleasant tisane but nothing memorable IMO.

So when I was looking at Piper & Leaf’s advent calendar, I noticed they had an offer for 3 free weeks of their weekly subscription, so I figured I would give it a go. They send 3 individually-wrapped sachets by snail mail each week, attached to a card with some sort of theme. This one was introducing the subscription, so I guess they must have a special theme for your first week. Which honestly I don’t love, as I was specifically looking forward to seasonal teas, but that’s neither here nor there…

Anyway, this one sounded like it had a bit too much going on to me. Bergamot, spearmint, and jasmine? But in practice, it’s mostly the bergamot that I taste, with a subtle sweet minty note. It’s fine, but plain Earl Grey is not really my thing, especially since this bergamot leans more toward the floral side of things, while I prefer a more citrusy flavor. But hey, it was free!

I have two more to try from this week, one is some sort of berry hibiscus tisane and the other is a citrusy green tea I think. We shall see!

Sipped this last night.

I enjoy elderflower and linden, so I found it quite pleasant. Those two were mostly all I tasted, though I don’t have a clear concept of what the other herbs in the blend (echinacea, plantain leaf, lady’s mantle) taste like, so it’s difficult to say what flavor they contributed. I do think this blend would benefit from a touch of mint or citrus, just to give a bit of a counterpoint in flavor. Still tasty and relaxing though!

Only had a small amount of this tea from a previous swap. Currently trying to use up some lingering samples of things, just to clear space and reduce the clutter.

This is actually quite lovely. I don’t necessarily taste a lot of the Greek mountain tea part, but the peach is so nice and tangy that I don’t even mind. It’s not like a sour peach candy, instead it reminds me of canned peach or apricot nectar.

I think this company mostly just resells wholesale teas, as they have quite a few that I recognize from Dethlefsen & Balk. D&B does carry some other Greek mountain blends, but I don’t see this one at the moment.

Sipdown! (6 | 149)

Since I have some loose leaf of a similar blend now (No. 10), I figured I would finish off this box of teabags. I do notice a slightly papery note from the teabag today, not sure why or what I did differently. Still a nice, easy-drinking blend with a mellow twist of citrus. Will have to revisit this one in loose leaf form if I sip through that No. 10 and still want a restock.

So I have this pile of Rishi samples that I picked up when I ordered another of the glass steeper that I like to use (they call it a “Simple Brew Teapot”, it’s like a French press but the strainer disc doesn’t plunge down). I’ve been trying to just clear out small lingering samples and things lately, so going to try to drink at least one of these a day until they’re gone.

To be honest, this mostly just smells like turmeric. Thankfully, the taste is not nearly as potent as the aroma. It is definitely turmeric-forward, and the ginger is noticeable as well. There’s a mellow fruitiness, but honestly I was hoping for more, given the list of ingredients? It’s not specifically mango to my palate, though I do pick up on the pineapple. Sort of just turmeric and ginger with a mild fruity sweetness to it. Fine and drinkable, but nothing super special. I wish I could taste more mango, the lime, and the jasmine.