Simpson & Vail

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!

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.

Advent Day 18

Smells slightly medicinal, which thankfully doesn’t translate to the flavor. Kind of a generic fruity, candy, spiced flavor.

Advent Day 16

Love the aroma of this tea. It’s such a lovely, subtle creamy vanilla mint. The flavor is also quite subtle, and I wish I was getting more of that creamy mint flavor. The black base is quite mild.

Advent Day 20

It’s been a busy week, so I have a lot of tasting notes to catch up on!

This is a bit disappointing. Chestnut blends so often have a mapley flavor that just doesn’t read as chestnut to me. This does have a slightly starchy chestnut quality, but it’s drowned out by the maple.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 18

Clooooves ahoy!

My partner tried this one blind and instantly detected apples and clove; he pegged it as a mulled apple cider-inspired tea. I can see that, although I get more of an apple juice vibe than a cider one.

I don’t really notice anything too plummy, though. It’s more generic fruit juice with a little hibiscus tang and a lotta clove. It’s OK but not really something I need to drink again!

(Re: the cloves, it probably doesn’t help that I’ve simultaneously got a simmer pot going on the stove, and it’s very clove-forward! I love cloves as a scent far more than cloves as a flavor.)

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – December 2024 Tea #4 – A smokey tea 

As a Sherlock fan, I really wanted to try this one!  I guess the PBS show led me to eventually read some of the books.  I really should read the others at some point (I have a big ol edition of all the Sherlock novels in one.)  To the tea! I was intrigued by a smoky cherry tea.  I would say the dry leaf smells more cherry than smoke.  But then the flavor is more smoke than cherry.  But what cherry here is pretty good.  I’d say it most reminds me of maraschino cherry, which certainly could be interesting with smoke.  It’s not a LOT of smoke.  Just enough to be hinting at it.  My main problem with this blend is that the black tea is too light for me.  Doyle really deserves a nice murky black tea with some depth to it.  Needs that caffeine to solve those mysteries (or write them anyway).  The second steep, really just seemed like a plain mild black tea… somehow even the smoke notes were gone, definitely the cherry.  Maybe a hint of smoke when it cooled. That’s a shame, as the first cup was enjoyable. I entirely forgot that hibiscus was included in EITHER steep, so that’s nice.  I guess with this one, I won’t have to resteep, which I usually don’t miss on most other teas.  Overall, the flavor of the first steep is enjoyable and unique. 
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 21 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

S&V Advent Day 17! This tea is a bit smoky, and it steeped up pink from some fruit that’s in the mix, but I don’t taste too much of that. I’m drinking this at room temperature with milk and sugar, and it’s a bit different, but not something I’d seek out. At the very end of the sip, I might catch a hint of fruit.

Sipdown! (31)

From the January subscription.

I had the pleasure of trying this in the advent calendar, so I already knew I liked it. It was nice to have a chance to try it a few more times, though! A very mellow and well-balanced blend, with a nice amount of smoke that isn’t overwhelming. The bergamot is subtle but adds a welcome brightness to the earthy base. I’m not sure I would order the full size, just because I have a somewhat similar blend in my cupboard already. But really enjoyed my three cups!

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 17

Two literary black teas in a row? Interesting choice. Sometimes I wonder how much thought tea companies really put into the order of their advent teas ha ha. But we haven’t seen many holiday teas yet, so they must be saving them for the end, which does imply they thought about it…

Anyway, I wasn’t sure what to make of the ingredients for this one, but it’s actually quite nice! I was a bit afraid of the puerh, but luckily it’s quite mild and blends well with the black tea. The balance of black tea, puerh, and lapsang is very good – a nice mix of smooth, satisfying, earthy, and savory smoke without anything overpowering the other elements. I do think it needs a touch more bergamot, as all that is a lot to compete with ha ha. I can taste some bergamot, especially in the finish, but would like more to better offset the hefty base. My sample must have not had enough beet pieces in it, because my cup is a reddish brown at best.

Still, quite a nice one! Would happily sip again.

The jam today is… strawberry and strawberry ha ha. It’s Strawberry-Wild Strawberry Spread. I don’t have a concept of what wild strawberries taste like, the ones I tried when I was young mostly tasted like water. This was delicious though, very punchy and intense strawberry flavor and not too sweet.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 16

Someone over at S&V must’ve been so pleased to realize that Jane Austen’s birthday is in December!

I’m a huge Austen fan and reread the canon every few years, and I was also lucky enough to take an Austen-centric class during undergrad (English major reporting for duty!). Her dry, understated humor and boundless wit always delight me, and I love how keenly (and often mercilessly) she captures the foibles of human nature.

Anyway, I was happy to see this one yesterday, although I only steeped it up this morning (while reading some Ursula K. Le Guin, haha). It’s a pretty sedate black base with bright, cooling spearmint predominating, and then some and creamy, pillowy notes from the vanilla — it’s more marshmallow-y than vanilla-y, in my opinion! I get a smidge of lavender on the back of a sip, but I could honestly do with more.

This is somehow refreshing and cozy, which I appreciate. I might consider purchasing it and adding some additional lavender from my own garden.

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 15

I’m getting behind on my advents… I blame my long internship days without a kettle, plus the surfeit of caffeinated teas that have popped up lately. But I’ve got a home day tomorrow, and I plan to be VERY well caffeinated as I work through the backlog (which isn’t actually THAT large, but we all know how these things snowball).

Anyway, this was yesterday’s S&V tea, but I had it this morning on my commute. I really enjoy both this one and its French toast counterpart. I stocked up on the latter when I purchased the advent, but now I’m kind of wishing I’d bought some of this one, too! I think a blend of both teas would actually be lovely… you’d get the maple sweetness of the French toast blend with the pastry, cake-y notes of this one.

All to say that this blend is solid as hell! It’s true to its name and is just so tasty.

S&V Advent Day 16! I quite enjoyed this! The floral flavors go super well with the smooth black base, and the mint is an interesting addition. I’m having it room temperature with sugar and milk, and it’s one I wouldn’t mind having again! That bright hit of mint makes this one stand out to me, and of course I’m a big Jane Austen fan, so I definitely came into this wanting to like it.

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 16

Yay, more literary tea! Not sure if it’s just the distribution of ingredients in my sample, but I’m not getting the lavender at all here. I think I could smell it in the packet, but didn’t pay that much attention ha ha. Mostly I taste spearmint and the earthy/woody/musty black tea base. I smell a lot of vanilla, but only taste a little bit, and it’s more of a smoothness/creaminess than specifically vanilla.

Not bad, but I wanted more of everything ha ha. I’m sure this one is in the literary sampler, so hopefully I’ll get around to ordering that one of these days, and then I can try it again. :P

Today’s jam is White Nectarine-Peach Spread. To me, it’s like why even add the peach at all when those two things are so similar ha ha, but I digress. It’s a very tasty stonefruit jam, and delicious with a bit of butter as well. Nectarine is a nice variation on the usual apricot!

Advent Day 15

Another okay blend. Mostly getting cinnamon, not getting any apple. Slightly cakey.