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Sipdown and I may need to reorder it again at some point. Lovely lemony bergamot goodness, though admittedly I did add just a touch of Harney’s vanilla black as I was a teeny bit short on the last of this. A little odd for me, but I prefer this with a touch of whole milk to add a creamy note. Goodbye for now Earl Grey Supreme!

Dry: First of all, I love organic teas. I try to buy organic and fair-trade foods whenever possible, but some of my very favorite teas just don’t come with the organic certification. Always glad to try an organic tea that I like. Anyhow, the black tea leaves in this blend are literally loaded with dried blueberries that look coated in sugar (stevia?). My heaping tablespoon for the infuser had at least 10-15+ blueberries. There are also various flower petals stained by the fruit and the whole lot is a pretty natural purple-violet and smells heavenly. Almost like a blueberry muffin, but very rich and sweet for sure.

Steeped: My whole kitchen smells like sweetened blueberries. The steeped tea is a very light brown with an unusual hint of purple. It looks even more bizarre if you add a dash of milk (which I tried on one teacup seeking a creamy note, but don’t recommend for this tea overall). I tried this at 208 for 5 min and at 212 for 4 min. I definitely prefer the longer steep at the lower temp.

Taste: This is a tasty, if a bit watery, blueberry tea. I am not really getting much in the way of the sugar-sweet tang from jam, but it is still fruity and has a nice flavor. I was craving blueberry muffins or scones and this was a nice alternative since I am trying to get back in shape after vacation. It is only 39 degrees right now, but it is expected to be 75 and sunny this afternoon so I might need to break out the iced tea jug and give cold-steeping a go. Have a nice day everyone!

Sipdown and I will be sad to see this one go. Might need to reorder a larger bag at some point. I overleafed to use up the dregs and it was so caramel-y and sweet with nothing added. Perfect cup as I was craving sugary goodness. Yum!

I’m back from our ski trip in body today, though mind is another matter entirely. Sipping the Queen to prepare for the day. I’m liking it, but not finding much in the way of the bold or complex. Just subtle-sweet malty notes for the most part. Maybe my batch is getting older, but I remember loving it more than this when I had it previously. Not bad in any way, just a bit meh.

Sipdown of the morning. I will not be sad to see this one go. I had it with a dash of whole milk and it makes the somewhat artificial (to me) honey notes more subtle. Really more like bee pollen and powdered honey maybe. The base of this tea seems pleasant enough, but I just can’t get past the flavouring or whatever additives are in this. There are a number of other H & S teas that I enjoy more so I will just need to focus on them for my next order. Goodbye Elyse’s Blend!

In other news, sorry I haven’t been around as much as usual. Been busy with work and preparing for our upcoming ski trip. Woo hoo! :)

I’ve been obsessed with this tea all week. I have a ton of flavored teas to choose from, but I’ve gone to this one at least the last three mornings or more. Each one steeps just a teeny bit different with a little more honey here, a little more baked bread there, or a touch more malt or raisin. Yummy yum yum. Less than 2 weeks until Colorado vacation, too. Yay!

Sipdown and one that I am sad to see go. I am bumping the rating up for this one because I brewed it stronger tonight and new and fragrant notes came through that were light, savory, fresh, and mineral all together. It was particularly purifying after an afternoon of sampling craft beers from Colorado and Georgia both. I am headed to Colorado in a couple of weeks so we wanted to try some from there before we arrive. It was fun, but I was really looking forward to a mild green tea afterwards with nothing added and this fit the bill perfectly. Resteeps nicely also. I am moving on to my third and it is still quite lovely, if a touch watery. Goodbye for now, Liu An Gua Pian!

I am sad the Wildstar beta is over for me! I was in over the weekend and it was pretty fun. I thought I would play Dominion, but it turns out I liked Exiles better. They reminded me of Firefly- kind of had the space Western thing going that I love. I am torn between Spellslinger or Esper, too.

Anyhow, this tea makes a nice morning or dessert cup. Just basic caramel flavor and a mild black tea. I added a dash of whole milk this morning and it was very enjoyable. The only part I didn’t really like is that I must have received the dregs or something from the batch as there is still a fair bit left in the bag but it looks like tons of tea specs and bits are mixed in and they are getting through my infuser. My other Della Terra teas are not like this, so I am just guessing it is just a fluke.

I only had a little bit of this, so it is my first review of it and a sipdown. :)

Dry: This tea is made up of small to medium black tea leaves. The fragrance from the bag is divine and reminds me of a fruity bakery concoction for some reason. Fresh with black currants and is that a touch of citrus and honey?

Steeped: Dark brown clear liquor. I used a heaping tablespoon for the 24 oz teapot, so it was roughly 1.5 tsp per 8oz. The fragrance of the tea coming through in the steeped tea blends nicely with the fruity notes from the dry leaf.

Taste: This is a great fruit tea and a very nice blend. H & S has these kinds of teas down for sure. Reminiscent of Paris with a stronger stonefruit and honey base, it is very flavorful and has complex nuances. I can’t tell if I am getting a touch of vanilla in this or if I am imagining it. I am getting that bergamot-y background that I enjoy so much with Paris though. I added a touch of honey after drinking it straight and it was a delightful addition for sure. I might try a little agave with the next cup. If I ever tire of Paris, this would probably be my fallback blend from H & S. I wish they offered smaller tins of the loose leaf though- who wants 1lb of tea to start after the sampler? It has been like that for a whole on their website now, too. If you like black currants and honey in a nice medium-bodied black tea base though, then this is for you.

Another sipdown. I must have liked it enough because I finished off 50g without too much difficulty. Sweet and flavorful without being too heavy-bodied, it is a nice morning or afternoon cuppa. It might be my favorite unflavored black from DT, but the only thing is that I have other unflavored blacks from elsewhere that I love just so much more. I’m thinking of Laoshan Black and Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black in particular. <3