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Cameron B. drank Apple Empanada & Ginger by Old Barrel Tea Co

4218 tasting notes

Another one from the winter subscription, and my first time trying one of Old Barrel’s mixed blends.

At first I thought they hadn’t mixed this, because all I could see through the clear lid was the ginger root. But just due to the difference in size and density, even if I dump it into another container, all of the honeybush immediately falls to the bottom, leaving the dried ginger pieces up top. Makes it a bit annoying to try to portion out a scoop that has a good ratio of ingredients tbh.

To me, this has too much ginger. In my experience, their Apple Empanada doesn’t have a strong apple flavor in the first place, so here I’m mostly tasting a lot of ginger with an undercurrent of rooibos/honeybush and a bit of cinnamon. I’m not surprised, as just looking at the dry leaf, it looked like a lot of ginger to me (which makes sense, if this is a 50/50 mixture). I think next time I’ll try mixing this with plain Apple Empanada, to reduce the amount of ginger overall. 75/25 sounds like more of a reasonable ratio to me.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Earthy, Ginger, Spicy, Woody

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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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… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- December sipdowns: 0
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 156

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