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Oh, yum. After being disappointed by Bird & Blend’s Birthday Cake tea, I was worried that this one would also fail to impress. Instead, I’m loving it!

Dry, the aroma is actually a bit odd—not particularly fruity, and with a strange, almost chemical after-scent. (Maybe it’s just my bag?) It’s a gorgeous, colorful blend, though, with bright red freeze-dried raspberries, black Ceylon tea leaves, and attractive pale green dried raspberry leaves. I’m not seeing the coconut, but it must be in there somewhere!

Steeped, this tea is just lovely. It smells of creamy raspberry and tastes just the same. I love that it’s not overwhelmingly flavored but instead is light and jammy and smooth. There’s barely any tartness, surprisingly. As it cools, more of the coconut comes through, but as a barely-there note rather than anything overwhelming; I think it just adds a nice background creaminess. I’m also noticing a little more tartness as it cools.

I’m really wishing I bought 50g of this one and not Birthday Cake! I’m just loving this one.

I treated myself to the Bird & Blend Advent calendar and threw in a few other packets of tea when I made the purchase; the brand is new to me and I was excited to try a few things. My order arrived today (yay!), and although I’m obviously waiting until December to open the calendar, I steeped the Birthday Cake blend for my afternoon cuppa.

Color me disappointed. Although the dry leaf smells powerfully (and impressively!) like a rich vanilla cake, the tea itself is just… rooibos and not much else. I truly don’t understand how others taste vanilla, marzipan, almond, etc. Smell, yes; taste, no. If you served me this tea and told me it was plain rooibos, I’d 100% believe you. It’s a shame, too, because it’s such a cute concept, and I love that the sprinkles are vegan—that’s rare! I maaaybe get a little vanilla creaminess as it cools, but that’s pretty much it. :(

(Note: I rated this tea a 60 on my first go-round, but I’ve upped it to a 70 after figuring out a better method for brewing it.)

Sipdown!

Low Country is the one blend I repurchased when I ordered from August a second time. I dig the malty-sugary scent, although I’m glad the steeped cup has more bitter notes to cut through the sweetness. I don’t get much smoke, interestingly, and I’m not sure I’d pinpoint the flavor inspiration as bourbon if the label didn’t tell me to do so. In general, though, it’s a solid breakfast brew.

Unfortunately, I think I’ve ruined this tea for myself by drinking an over-steeped and too-strong cup while feeling sick after getting my covid booster. Now the smell (and thought!) of Low Country makes me faintly nauseated. Good thing I finished the packet this morning. So long, Low Country, and thanks for all the sips.

A friend gifted me four Lord of the Rings-themed loose-leaf blends a couple years back, from a company that no longer seems to offer teas. Ranger Brew (named for Aragorn, of course) features hōjicha blended with whole juniper berries and white pine needles. I suppose the concept is that Strider, during his rambles throughout Middle Earth, might forage for tea ingredients and enjoy a cuppa over a campfire? Sure! Why not.

I think Strider would’ve been better off crushing his juniper berries rather than leaving them whole, because I didn’t get any juniper notes in this cup. Pine? Maaaybe a tiny bit, but the hōjicha is really the dominant flavor. It’s light, earthy, and very smooth, with a back of the throat aftertaste that bizarrely reminds me of pickles?! Not in a strong vinegary way, but more like pickling spices. Maybe it’s the juniper? It’s odd but not unwelcome, and it at least brings a little interest to the cup.

Can I envision Aragorn sipping this tea? Umm… sure? Maybe while hanging out with his beloved in Rivendell.

This is a fine, inoffensive tea, but I’m not sure it really delivers on its flavor promises.

I can’t really decide how I feel about this tea! I got suckered into a purchase thanks in large part to the write-up on the August Uncommon site. (AU hires some fab copywriters!) It’s probably just my pandemic-induced wanderlust exerting its influence, but the description of a gilded café in turn-of-the-century Vienna won me over. Plus, chocolate and cherry! What’s not to love!?

The thing is, I don’t really get much of the cherry flavor. Chocolate, yes, and it’s not a bad chocolate, either — it’s rich and slightly bitter. But the cherry gets a bit lost for me, other than a whiff in the dry leaf. Like many AU teas, this one has almost overwhelmingly powerful scent before steeping, to the point where it’s almost off-putting. Thankfully, the flavor is more subdued.

Hmm… as it cools, the cherry is maybe coming out a little more. But I don’t think I’d identify it as such if I didn’t know it was in there. It’s just a round fruitiness backing up the chocolate and the slightly astringent base.

I’m definitely digging it more as it cools; the flavors come together and make this a satisfying cup. I bet it would make a good nighttime dessert tea if I weren’t sensitive to late-night caffeine.

Worth a try, I’d say, though I don’t imagine I’ll repurchase.

Sipdown!

This tea was included in a Tea for Everyone sampler I was gifted a few years ago; I’m trying to finish up some teas to justify a few online orders for the holidays, so I used the last of this one this morning.

Dry, this tea does smell pleasant (if generically) fruity — I’m not sure I’d identify the fruitiness as passionfruit; I might guess peach? Steeped, the fruitiness isn’t terribly strong, but nor is the green tea — the whole cup is a bit weak and underwhelming, and I don’t get the passionfruit at all. I wouldn’t really mind, but there’s an odd aftertaste that shows up after each swallow, something plasticky and unpleasant. On the plus side, I don’t taste the stevia, which I typically notice and dislike in blends like this!

Anyway… not a big fan; won’t restock.