Cameron B. select Send Message

349 Followers / 247 Following

Cameron B. drank Milk & Honey by Bird & Blend Tea Co.

4310 tasting notes

Home – 7:30 PM

So today was EPIC TEA MAIL DAY!

I got my Lupicia order, which I wasn’t planning on making but I didn’t want to miss out on Kumquat and Yuzu, and then have to wait a whole year for them to come back. I also got a couple more teas, a packet of strawberry matcha au lait, and a teabag set for a Christmas gift.

I got my David’s Tea order, which was a bunch of holiday tins, a cute holiday latte mug with deer on it, and a packet of Sticky Rice Oolong with my frequent steeper credit. I may not generally like David’s teas, but they do always have really cute teaware, and their tins are both nice and cheap.

But the big arrival was my giant Bird & Blend order! It contained both advent calendars (tea & matcha) along with no fewer than 28 packets of tea. To be fair, most of them are 20g sample sizes. And I got 3 50g packets for free because I had emailed them about there not being a free shipping threshold for international orders, and they offered to add some freebies to my order to compensate. Lovely people. ❤

So I now have all of the tea.

I chose this one to try first (after promptly sniffing all of my new teas) because it smells like honey graham crackers in the packet.

To be honest, this is quite underwhelming. It’s perfectly nice as a breakfast tea, but I wouldn’t know there was added flavoring. It’s quite strong, with some bitterness and astringency, which makes sense as this has both Assam and Kenyan black teas (both of which I would associate with being quite tannic). There is some malt and raisin as well, but I don’t taste honey or milk. I think next time I would steep it a bit less.

I don’t mind, as I don’t actually have a breakfast blend in my cupboard at the moment. So this would be one to go for if I’m feeling like adding milk, which is becoming more and more likely as the weather cools. But it definitely doesn’t live up to its name.

ETA: I’m starting to taste a little bit of creaminess and perhaps a hint of honey in the aftertaste as this cools more…

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Bread, Cream, Honey, Malt, Raisins, Tannic

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

I Like This

10 likes

0 comments

People who liked this

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, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January sipdowns: 27
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 27

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.

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

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

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