Bohemian Tea Peddler

Sipdown! (13 | 328)

This one sounded more interesting than it is. There are a lot of savory herbs and things, but mostly I end up tasting a bit of mint, a bit of tulsi, and a bit of hibiscus. I feel like the hibiscus is covering up a lot of the more subtle flavors, which is a shame.

Sipdown! (10 | 325)

This was a bit of a sleeper hit for me, and probably my favorite of the whole bunch.

I’m not even sure why, but it just strikes a lovely balance of mellow, sweet, and herby flavors. Love the tulsi, but then there’s a gentle sweetness (the fennel maybe?) and a hint of cinnamon, and an almost creamy quality. It’s smooth and calming and just tasty. Almost the teensiest bit carrot cakey somehow?

Will definitely consider ordering some more of this one.

Sipdown! (9 | 324)

So this one sounded intriguing to me, it’s a mix of roots (dandelion, burdock, ginger, and turmeric) with cinnamon and peppercorns. So I expected it to be a bit like a rooty herbal chai, if you will.

However, in practice I feel like I’m only tasting the burdock root and the turmeric, along with a bit of a tongue tingling sensation from (I assume) the ginger. And I do love burdock root (in fact, I named one of my dogs after it), it has such a nice mellow earthy flavor to it and a very firm texture, and is great in stir fries. But I guess I was hoping for more of a chai vibe here, or at least more cinnamon.

Still a very pleasant tisane, but ends up tasting more like turmeric with a burdock foundation. Will have to jot down the idea for my own future creations though, ha ha…

Sipdown! (8 | 323)

So this is mostly your standard hibiscusy mulled wine sort of tisane, the type that seem to pop up everywhere around the holidays. Not a favorite of mine, but they can be enjoyable in a seasonal sense. This one is slightly different though, in that I taste quite a bit of the star anise. It ends up being mostly tart hibiscus with an interesting black licorice note to it. Unusual combination for sure.

Not bad, just not something I would buy. I tend to only enjoy hibiscus-heavy tisanes iced, and these spiced iterations are always a bit odd that way IMO.

Sipdown! (7 | 322)

The last Wizard’s Tea, this one being for Gryffindor.

Nice enough chai. A bit strong on the ginger, as advertised, but also tasting the clove and allspice, and perhaps a touch of cardamom. Certainly nothing special as chai goes, but makes for an enjoyable fall cuppa for ginger lovers.

Sipdown! (6 | 321)

Another Wizard’s Tea, this time for Ravenclaw (I presume).

This has a lot going on – Earl Grey, lapsang, lavender, sage, rosemary, peppermint, and cardamom. Or at least it would, if I could taste all of those things.

Mostly I taste lapsang, mint, and those savory herbs. Maybe a hint of bergamot? It’s hard to say under the other, stronger flavors. The smoky lapsang predominates, with the mint coming in second for an interesting “fire + ice” sort of combo. The rosemary is especially noticeable in the finish, where it gives a piney, savory note.

Pleasant enough tea. The cardamom might as well just have been for looks, because I didn’t taste it at all. Though honestly, I feel I’ve had a similar experience with her other teas with cardamom? Maybe her stock is just old or something…

Sipdown! (2 | 317)

A pleasant enough pumpkin spice chai. I honestly don’t notice the vanilla, honey, or stevia in this. It tastes unflavored and unsweetened to me. The allspice and nutmeg definitely dominate, which I think makes sense given those are sort of the pumpkin pie spice specific ingredients. Also tasting the clove and a little cinnamon, and some ginger/pepper heat at the very end of the sip.

Only real complaint I have on this one is there’s a lot of allspice, and I think that’s what’s giving it a slight bitter note in the finish. It lingers on my tongue, which isn’t pleasant. So probably not one I would purchase because of that.

Sipdown! (1 | 316)

This… tasted like soap and I’m not sure why. I thought maybe it was lavender I was tasting, but there isn’t any in this blend. There are rose petals, but I can’t see that translating into this strong soap flavor.

Not sure what skullcap tastes like or if that could be the culprit, or my only other thought would be maybe the Earl Grey base is a lavender Earl Grey? Anyway, not for me.

Sipdown! (63 | 315)

This is interesting, the hibiscus does give sour cherry vibes. However, the black base is already a bit tannic, and the acidity really brings out the astringency in a puckery way. It also overpowers the cacao a bit, though I taste a touch in the finish. They recommend adding sugar to bring out the chocolate, but I find sweetening hot tea never fails to make me like it less.

Interesting cherry tea, but I don’t find the hibiscus and cacao go together very well.

Sipdown! (62 | 314)

Another Wizard’s Tea, this one must be for Hufflepuff.

Sadly, doesn’t taste like a whole lot other than a bland and somewhat tannic black tea. There’s a touch of coconut and a hint of sweetness, but nothing that reminds me of butterscotch or toffee.

Sipdown! (61 | 313)

So this is an interesting one. It’s from her Wizard’s Tea collection, and I assume it’s inspired by Slytherin house. It’s a black tea with basil, peppermint, ginseng, cacao nibs, and a few other bits and bobs.

I’m happy that I can taste the basil here, more than in the similar Wishing Tea. It still melds together with the mint, but I can more easily pick out those savory notes and it gives the tea overall a more savory slant. Next is the cacao nibs, which add a light toastiness and a subtle cocoa flavor. I don’t think I know what ginseng tastes like, so can’t really comment on that one. I do taste hints of clove and peppercorn.

I will say, I think I like this Irish Breakfast base better than her Assam, it has a stronger flavor that doesn’t get as overpowered by all the other ingredients. Not sure if I would go out of my way to purchase this tea, but it’s certainly one of my favorites from Bohemian Tea Peddler so far.

Sipdown! (60 | 312)

So this is a tasty enough chai, but I don’t get any orange. The cacao is somewhat subtle, but I often find that to be the case when cacao nibs are used. Can taste most of the spices, with cardamom and ginger being at the forefront. Something actually tastes a bit clove-y to me, is it the allspice? I think a bit more cinnamon would be nice.

Pleasant tea, very drinkable, but might as well be a plain chai.

Sipdown! (59 | 311)

So this is meant to be an Earl Grey with orange, cardamom, and vanilla.

Sadly, I just taste a plain Earl Grey. The bergamot is nice enough, it’s a bit lemony and not floral at all. I perhaps get a teeny weeny hint of cardamom and a subtle suggestion of vanilla? Black tea base is fairly smooth but lacks flavor.

A shame, this sounded so good to me. I keep finding with her “tea infused with _” blends that I can’t taste whatever flavoring or oil the tea is supposedly infused with. Not sure if that’s a Ziploc sample bag problem or what.

Sipdown! (58 | 310)

I think this one sounded more interesting than it actually is – Assam and lapsang mixed with honeybush, roasted dandelion root, mint, and orange peel.

In reality though, it mostly just tastes like a light lapsang with a subtle undercurrent of peppermint. It’s pleasant, but I wish I tasted more of the other ingredients, like the roasty notes of the dandelion root or the sweet orange peel. Ah well, can’t love them all!

Sipdown! (56 | 308)

This one is quite subtle, but nice. Malty, slightly tannic black tea with mellow notes of clove and allspice. I don’t really taste the orange? Maybe a tiny hint, but it sort of melds into the acidic black base.

Nice enough, but not one I would feel compelled to purchase.

Sipdown! (53 | 305)

I was intrigued by the basil in this blend. But I find the peppermint pretty much takes over, as it tends to do. I can taste a little bit of something savory, but I think I would probably guess pepper before basil. Definitely not getting lemon, ginger, or even much of the black tea base.

So mostly tastes like a peppermint tisane lol. Womp womp…

Sipdown! (45 | 297)

This one was quite nice. I’ve had several iterations of this type of tea, and usually I find the mint completely takes over and drowns out the other ingredients. This is mint-forward but I can still taste the roasty, toasty cacao nibs underneath, and it makes for a lovely combination. The beginning of the sip tastes like a candy cane, and then I get those deep cocoa notes in the middle, and the end has more of an herbaceous note from the peppermint (but not a wet rag note) and overall it’s just very cozy.

I will say I don’t taste a lot of the tea, but I found the Assam she uses to be a bit bland in another tea too, so that’s probably why. There are pink peppercorns sprinkled throughout, but I think those are mostly for aesthetic purposes. And they do make the blend look very festive and pretty!

Would consider ordering more of this one if I wanted a nice chocolate mint tea.

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So I’ve been going tea purchase crazy lately, I think because I’m already feeling fallish and it’s making me crave cozy autumnal teas. Fall and winter tend to be my really bad tea buying seasons ha ha. So anyway, I ordered from a couple of Etsy-based companies and this is one of them.

In retrospect, I don’t know why I ordered this tea in particular. I was mostly intrigued by her unflavored blended teas, but this one is very flavored and also has honey crystals.

That being said, it’s pretty good, albeit a bit oily. The banana tastes like banana chips, not at all like Runts, and the other flavors add a creamy desserty note that’s pleasant. The base itself (Assam apparently) isn’t great, it doesn’t have a ton of flavor and is a bit tannic at a 3-minute steep.

So probably not the best one to start on LOL, but I figured I would get it finished up.