Simpson & Vail

I have been looking for evening decaf teas that are not always Roobios, which is iffy for me, although I seem to have plenty of blends. I generally adore most of Simpson & Vail tea, and I have had three of their standard similar black blends that are not decaffeinated – for some reason this one is WEAK. I have tried three times and it’s like weak store bag tea. Even the consistency of the leaves is almost a powder type. Very disappointing.

Sipdown! (5 | 39)

From the February subscription. I’m not technically sipping this down, but setting the rest aside to send to a friend who is a Ceylon enjoyer (unlike me, lol).

To me, this just tastes like a generic Ceylon. Sharp, tannic, with a high acidity and subtle grass-straw flavor. Not really sure what else to say about it, maybe there’s a hint of dried fruit if I squint? Not the tea for me. XP

A sample from S&V! I love to try as many Chinese black teas as I can. The leaves here are gorgeous – twisty and equal parts gold and black. The flavor is honey, milk, cream and butter, a bit of black pepper. Obviously lighter notes on the first steep! The brew itself is the color of honey. I love how a second steep of this sort of tea is entirely different, if I baby the first steep and stoke the second one. The brew is much darker and murkier and the flavor is almost like molasses. A bit of chocolate. Still pepper. All things I love about a great Yunnan. Maybe not the best Yunnan I have ever had, but it’s quite good and meets my expectations!
Steep #1 // 2 loose teaspoons for a full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 minute steep

Sipdown! (3 | 37)

The last one from the January subscription! Just in time, too, as my February shipment is currently sitting in the mailbox… XD

At first, I was dreading this one because of the stevia, but it’s actually not noticeable (thank goodness!). It’s a very mellow herbal infusion, even the tulsi doesn’t stand out strongly. Soft with a subtle mintiness from the tulsi and peppermint, as well as a gentle lemony note from lemon myrtle. There’s a slight ginger warmth, and the other “immunity-boosting” botanicals contribute a pleasant earthy quality. The texture in particular is very nice, it feels soft and pillowy on the tongue.

A pleasant and mellow infusion, but not something I would feel the need to order. I love tulsi so would prefer more of it to shine through! I will recommend it though, as I feel it’s very well-balanced and enjoyable overall.

This was a cheap option from S&V, so I figured… why not try? $1.90 for an ounce! The flavor isn’t great, isn’t bad. It initially tastes like a bit of gasoline to me. Maybe oats/cereal… a little like cardboard. Then I read the description and forgot this was black tea but also oolong, and that makes sense for these flavors… if it’s like a formosa oolong. I forgot all about those, as they aren’t my favorite, so I don’t really drink them anymore. The second steep was a bit more charcoal, a little harsher, metallic. I don’t regret TRYING it. Now at least I know it’s just an okay tea. A sad update about S&V: I reached out to S&V and they don’t offer rewards points for reviews anymore…. only rewards points for purchases. boo.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

February Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a spiced tea

My daughter gave me this and I chose it to be the tea for Ashman to have for breakfast and take to work this week, but I hadn’t tried it myself until today.

When I was measuring the leaves into the pot I saw a large whole clove and thought, “OH NO.” I am not a fan of clove except in teeny amounts. Same goes for ginger.

Surprise, surprise! This was delightful! The cinnamon is smooth and easy and the clove and ginger are at a perfect level for me, not too hot. This really tastes like the kind of gingerbread that I like. I drank it plain with lunch and wondered if I would feel differently about it once the sandwich was down the hatch and it was all tea and no food. But no! Even by itself the spices are just right.

If there is any change at all that I would want in this tea, it would be a wish for a slightly stronger base. But I am happy with it as it is, and it certainly isn’t anemic like the base of Harney’s Salted Caramel which was just a cruel blow for me, smelling so good and then tasting so weak.

This is one that would be nice to have around again next winter. I bet if I leaf it on the heavy side it would make a great latte, too.

Sipdown! (32)

From the January subscription. The name of this tea made me laugh because it’s so vague compared to what I’m used to. Going to assume it’s a TGY since that’s the most common, but who knows ha ha.

It’s good though! Definitely on the greener side of things, but still has some nice bake-y sort of notes to it. Silky smooth with a nice balance of fresh green and sweet grainy notes and a touch of floral in the finish. I wouldn’t seek it out again, just because I tend to prefer Taiwanese oolongs, and anyway I generally buy flavored and unflavored teas from separate sources. But enjoyed my 3-ish cups!

Sipdown

Ashman and I have enjoyed this one with meals. I don’t think we ever had it on its own. Warm and cozy spices greet you when you open the package. I don’t like too much clove or too much ginger in spice blends, and this one is juuuuuuust right…for me. If you were looking for a strong chai, this isn’t it.

It smells like I should be drinking it on a rainy day with soft light jazz playing.

I enjoyed this the first few times I had it, but tonight… ick! My partner wanted a cinnamon-y tea, so I made a pot of this one. But neither of us cares for it. It’s got that stevia-like slippery-sweetness from the blackberry leaf that coats my tongue after each sip, and I’m just finding the overall flavor profile on the cloying side. It’s absolutely cookie-like, but it’s just not hitting the right notes for me tonight!

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)

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!