Sip Herbals

Not unpleasant, but definitely my least favourite of the Faux Joe blends so far. In part that’s probably because I’m just not personally a big Pumpkin Spice person. I mean, I don’t dislike it but I will very rarely go out of my way for it either. Mostly the ginger came through for me, but also the clove and cinnamon to lesser extents. I thought it just brought out more of the earthiness of the blend though and the sharper/more bitter dandelion root notes making for a more savory leaning cup without some of the sweeter, dense undertones I typically enjoy.

That said, I bet with some milk and sweetener this would be pretty dang similar to a PSL.

After starting with one of the more “fun” flavours from this company I thought it was only fair to try their Signature Roast next to get a sense of what their baseline product they use for the different blends is like…

Honestly, it was very similar to the Salted Maple Blondie which does make a lot of sense. They have a regular formula that, for their other teas, they just add things into or “blend on top of”. It’s very much like Teeccino in that regard. Small differences that I do notice (other than, obviously, the lack of maple flavour) was that this was a little more bitter and overtly woody and “sharp” tasting in its top notes. Perhaps a little more chicory or dandelion in the formulation? Also, in general, just less sweet but not by a super large amount. I kind of like that because it makes this more true to black coffee where people can then make whatever customization best suits their tastes. Milk, creamer, sugar, and that sort of thing.

Two more to try – but so far I’m a fan.

A coworker who was recently travelling brought be back a bunch of these “Faux Joe” loose leaf blends since she knows how much I love the darker, roasty flavours they often have. Plus, no mushrooms in this line which is a big bonus for me since it’s becoming increasingly tough to find good coffee replacement teas that don’t have them.

(Nothing against mushroom coffees – I just personally can’t have them since I’m allergic.)

The smartest thing probably would have been to try their “original” first but the idea of this one was just too damn appealing, so I’m starting with one of the fun flavour variations. Firstly, the herbal base which is mostly roasted chicory dandelion roots is really nice. There’s a bit of that initial coffee-like acidity/sharpness to the top notes emulated from the chicory, but it’s not aggressive or unpleasant as chicory is sometimes want to do. I found this very, very rich and earthy with a lot of very pleasantly thick, grizzly roasted flavours that were immediately comforting to me. Just a bit bitter in the way you’d want a coffee replacement tea to be, but balanced by some dense “brown sweetness.”

Now, since this is maple flavoured, it’s a little tough to tell how much of that sweetness balance is coming from the date inclusion and how much is the maple. I taste both though neither are aggressively present. I could maybe use just a hint more maple as I find the flavour really brief on the palate before being blanketed with that roasty, earthy root taste. My biggest question mark is whether I would be happy with the sweetness level were there no maple since, with both inclusions, this does feel well balanced. Would they up the date to account for the loss of maple flavour? Guess I need to taste more of their blends to see…

The salt I could take or leave. It mostly comes through right at the end of the sip, but it’s modest. I wouldn’t want more of it because I think that would be distinctively saline tasting, but I also wonder if the tea even needs any salt in the first place? I guess, since salt is a flavour carrier, it might be modestly lifting some of those flavours up a bit but it’s such a tiny amount that I can’t imagine it’s significant?? But, there is something very appetizing sounding about Salted Maple Blondies. Like the new “salted caramel”. So I guess I get it.

Overall, I liked this a lot and I’m excited to see their other flavours.