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Sipdown/Backlog

Dear Readers,

Sometimes when I decide to drink tea at work, I hardly make notes on tea bags or scrap paper stuffed inside after it’s completed. With that said, the only note that I had added here was, “Where the heck is the jasmine?” What else did I think of this tea? The world, including myself, will never know.

Backlog/Sipdown

I’m too sad writing this review for this is one tea that I really really really loved. Truly. It was my last bag and it took me way too long to drink it down. If I’ve mentioned my love of cinnamon before, I’m sorry, but this packed that cinnamon candy spice and sweetness with every cup. The worst part is that this is no longer available; if it were to find itself on DT’s virtual shelves again, I’m buying an insane amount.

The run of the mill TGY starter tea that would hook one into the tea game. It reminded me of the first time I sipped on real tea that wasn’t a Lipton bag or can of Arizona…Now, it’s quite a nice green, freshly floral tea, but it’s far from where I am now. Perhaps I’d share with someone new to the craft or wanting to dive deeper into tea, but it’s too green for me.

Backlog/Sipdown

Yikes, it’s November! I completely left these empty tea bags sitting without any reviews for the majority of October! Life got away from me. I still cannot fathom that we’re midway through November already. As much as I’ve been prepared for the holidays, I really wish they’d take their time to get here…

My wife made a batch of iced tea with the Peach Soda. She absolutely loves this tea; which means I’ll need to snag a few 50g bags next time. I don’t think B&B has the 150g bags anymore. This tea is similar to drinking a peach ring, and it’s incredibly sweet in itself; however, my wife enjoys her tea southern sweet, so I cannot drink more than a small sip.

Sip Down

Sometimes with gongfu’d sessions, I get lost in the moment with the tea (or my ADHD kicks in, and I’m simply lost. Ha-ha). I noted that this was a 72/100 (I’m not sure why I added the 2%, on the account I like to rate on the 5% scale (e.g. 70, 75, 80, etc.)…), which means I had enjoyed the tea enough to rate it over 65%.*

I’m giddy that I have 5 days off from work! 2024 has truly blessed me with more time to take off work than any year prior. Sure, I appreciate my job, but I need a better grasp on the work-life balance, you know? I love life way, way, way, way, way more. Ha-Ha.

Wet Leaf: Melon rind, menthol, medicinal (Nyquil cough syrup).

1st thru 8th infusion: Lotus flower, floral, old honey (such as the one that is placed far back into a cupboard, forgotten, and starting to crystalize), black pepper, & medium-to-heavy mouthfeel.

*After attempting to edit my profile, to no avail, anything beyond 70% is superb, and has the likelihood of me obtaining more. No tea will reach 100%. If it did, then I’ll say good-bye to all other teas, and stock up on that one tea alone. 65% is standard; right in the middle of the road. It’s not bad, but nothing I’d purposely try again, unless offered, or pushed to try it again to reconsider my thoughts.

Aroma: Beefy, BBQ sauce, and smoky.
Taste: Smoked meat, teriyaki sauce, BBQ, campfire smoke (on clothes…and if it had a flavor. Lol).

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This is one of the better apple teas out there. It reminds me of those caramel apple lollipops that are perfect, but will stick to your teeth, forcing one to feel as if they have lockjaw, but are worth the struggle. sigh Anyway, I enjoyed this one!

I understand that there’s a massive cult following with this tea due to its appearance every Leap Year. I’ve been sitting on my sample for a long time from the second to last order received from Adagio (I had a few ounces ordered amongst the lost/last order, and Adagio never made it right…I’ve since parted ways after having lost $100 of tea + awards.) Maybe it’s the sample or me, but the tea is okay. It has all the components of a good breakfast tea, but without the 3oz, I’ll never know if it was the uneven portion from the sample or the tea itself.

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I’m typically one for the deeply roasted teas (e.g. Lapsang Souchong, Wuyi, etc.), but this one didn’t make the cut. S&V has had a nearly long streak of luck with my palate and has blown me away with most of their teas. Did I expect to keep that streak running until I’ve managed to get through as many teas in their catalogue? Yes and no. Yes – that’d have been special. No – I know that this idea was only a fantasy. This one bad session doesn’t mean that this is the end of my relationship with S&V though! We’ve a long way to go :)

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The first and second cups of this tea left me satisfied with bursting flavors of cranberry and citrus. However, the last cup was overly medicinal and bitter. One thing I’ve noted on the bag was that this tea’s brewing instructions _must- be followed; otherwise, anything over the recommended 5-minute steeping time will result in the third cup.