Simpson & Vail

Sipdown! (26)

Last one from the December subscription. It’s fine, as turmeric infusions go. Mostly turmeric with a slight kick from the ginger and black pepper. I don’t taste a lot of the other spices over the earthy ones, perhaps a bit of anise and cinnamon. A bit too turmeric-heavy for me, and I wish I could taste the lemongrass.

I really enjoy this tea, it’s fruity with a hit of syrup and marzipan. It’s light and sweet and refreshing. I think this will be a rebuy eventually… just have a sample for now.

Sipdown

This is one of the many teas given to me in December by my daughter in my advents. I am surprised to see that I haven’t reviewed it yet and here we are at the Sipdown.

This is exactly as advertised. Cinnamon first, chocolate second. The black tea base and the color of the steeped tea and medium light and let the flavors show off. Since brownies and chocolate are hard for me to separate, I will say that I don’t know if I taste brownie or if I am tasting chocolate that clearly isn’t intended to imitate a bar of chocolate, so either way I would have to say it is spot on to its name.

Sipdown

I had topped this off on the New Year, but noted that it didn’t remind me much of Apple Pie, as much as it had lemongrass with chai spices added. I hadn’t loved the cuppa.

Advent Day 14

Not a fan. Really buttery, with a very mild generic berry flavor.

Advent Day 19

Still catching up on advent notes. I enjoyed the scent of this more than the flavor- marshmallowy mint. Flavor was a bit lackluster.

I picked up some of this tea in an order last fall and have been enjoying it. I have a tendency to brew it quite strong, and it doesn’t turn bitter or astringent. Smooth and malty, this is quite the nice blend. I’d be tempted to add this to an order again.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 24

I actually ordered 4 oz. of this tea when I purchased the S&V advent, so I’d tried it before it showed up in the calendar. I really enjoyed it! There’s something very satisfying and cozy about it, like a big messy chocolate cupcake with gobs of buttercream frosting and berry swirls. I could do with a bit more tang from the cranberry, but overall it’s a fun one!

This tea was a Christmas gift, and we have been working in Fortnum Advent sipdowns so hard that I didn’t try my newest tea yet!

This is described as having a light aftertaste of blackcurrant, and the description is 100% accurate. I chose this partly because I thought Ashman would like it a lot, and he did. He likes Paris okay, but I think the flavoring is a little strong for him and he isn’t the world’s biggest fan of bergamot. It is safe to say he only tolerates small amounts of bergamot.

I thought he would like this because it has black and oolong teas (like Paris) but no bergamot and the flavoring level is dialed waaaaay back. I found it quite nice, and can see it being a good tea for a quiet morning or even more – a lovely afternoon tea with a good book and a wee snack like fancy chocolates or nice biscuits.

Advent Day 22

Ooh I like this a lot. Not like a figgy pudding at all. Just a lot of vanilla with a slightly earthy, peppery finish. I’d actually probably purchase some of this.

Advent Day 21

Nice balance of spices. Slight cookie quality. Would probably be good with a touch milk.

Advent Day 23

Catching up on a lot of advent notes! This is nice, pure candy cane. No weird sock flavor like the white chocolate mint from the S&V advent. This is nice and completely unoffensive.

I had topped this off roughly two weeks ago toward the end of the workday. Unfortunately, I hadn’t made many notes regarding my session, but was kind enough to leave myself with this: Bubble Tape bubble gum. 6.8/10.

Yay, time for non-advent teas again! XD I really enjoyed my tea advent calendars (and still have a couple of swap and DIY teas to drink) but also excited to get back to sipping down, as I’ve been feeling overwhelmed this month by the amount of tea I have. (Plus my tea count went up instead of down this year, oops!) :P

This is from the S&V subscription. For some reason I felt compelled to sign up when I saw it was four teas a month for $16 or so with free shipping. Plus they tell you ahead of time what the teas are going to be, so I figured I could skip if I wasn’t interested. I’ve never tried any of their unflavored teas, and they seem to include at least one every month, so I figured it would be fun. Anyway!

This is lovely, and a great start to the subscription. Very rich and flavorful, with that concentrated fruity character that I assume is what people mean when they call Qimen “winey”. There’s also a savoriness to it, and a heft like a dark whole-grain loaf of bread. And then in the background is that waffle-y flavor, sweet and a bit maple-y. Usually something I find in Taiwanese black teas but happy to find it here! All in all, just a really tasty hongcha to start the day with. And makes me excited to try some of their other unflavored teas in the future!

Sipdown! (1 | 1)

Happy 2025, tea friends! So happy to have a blank slate for sipdowns, as I did horribly last year ha ha. Starting things off with this holiday tea from the December S&V subscription!

I enjoyed this one a lot actually, even if it wasn’t really what I expected. It’s very creamy and has a buttercream frosting-like richness to it. The red fruit is there as well, and I wouldn’t call it subtle but it’s more in the background than the cream. Does have a nice tang to it though. The cocoa is subtle but it’s there, just adding a bit more depth and a slightly toasty bottom note.

I will say, I feel like the base in this is different vs. some of their other teas? It feels more Assam-y to me or something, rather than the earthy Chinese base I’m used to. Nice for this tea though, because of all the rich notes. Not sure I would order a tin of this, just because I don’t tend to reach for desserty teas these days, but would recommend!

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 24

I found it a bit silly that they saved this tea for last (vs. Holiday Blend for example) but it is new this year, so I can see why they did it. I actually really enjoyed it! The cream element reminded me of buttercream frosting, but it wasn’t as cloying as that sounds. Cranberry was definitely a bit nondescript but still read as a red berry, with a slight tang. There was a hint of cocoa as well, which surprised me as I often find cocoa nibs difficult to detect. I actually have a small bag of this from the December subscription, and looking forward to sipping it again!

S&V Advent Day 22! I love British puddings, so I’ve been eager to try this one for years. Unfortunately, the flavor is mostly floral. There might be a bit of vanilla in the aftertaste, which is nice. Nothing about it tastes like any pudding I’ve ever had. The base is decent, but the strong floral flavor is so out of place for the name of the tea.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 22

Gah, I got distracted doing some holiday baking and oversteeped this one! And unfortunately it’s now quite bitter. But I don’t think I’d love it anyway… there’s an artificial vanilla custard-y note that is a bit jarring alongside the fruitiness. It kind of smells like a hand lotion, actually…

Not gonna rate it since I massacred the steep!

S&V Advent Day 21! This one was on my wishlist, so I was excited to see it! Hmm this is a little bitter and meh. I don’t taste a lot of gingerbread flavor in there. It’s just black tea and slight bitterness. I taste some really light spices, but this needs a whole lot more molasses and ginger.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 21

I’d definitely peg this as chai rather than gingerbread! The clove is stronger than the ginger, and I don’t really get any gingerbread-adjacent flavors… no sweetness evocative of molasses or even brown sugar. Meh!

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 19

Light, fluffy, gently creamy vanilla with a hint of peppermint. Maybe this is trying to evoke a candy cane? Or those pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth peppermints?

It’s not bad at all, but it’s not super exciting. 52Teas does this marshmallow-y, minty flavor profile so much better, with a lot more nuance.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 17

Okay, that red color is impressive! The tea itself… eh. It’s mostly flat smokiness with a whisper of bergamot on an unobtrusive base. Fine enough, but nothing too exciting! Although I do think a smoky Earl Grey is one I can get behind.

S&V Advent Day 19! I really couldn’t be sure what flavor this is supposed to be. Maybe I would say creaminess/nuts with a hint of mint? But it could be anything. I’m drinking it cool with milk and sugar, and it tastes desserty and nice, but not super special.

Advent Day 17

Love that it steeps up red. Slightly smoky. I get a pu-erh earthiness in the aroma.