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Made this as a latte and some times it was amazing banana runts flavor and other times it was woody rooibos with banana as an after-thought.

Sipdown except this wasn’t in my cupboard so no drop in numbers…boo!

This is an older blend though so yay for finishing it off! Alas, this doesn’t have much flavor to it. I could maybe call it nutty and perhaps cakey but that’s if I stretch my mind. I can also say there maybe is stone fruit to the black tea here but again, it’s because I am searching for it and trying to make it out. Realistically, without the name, I don’t think I would ever place what this is meant to be and that’s likely because I let it get so old.

It’s a fine black tea but it’s not really much of anything.

This smelled so good and really got my hopes up because it smelled distinctly like a really good chocolate treat I’ve had before (though I couldn’t quite place what exactly). My guess is a chocolate truffle or one of the gourmet chocolate bars I’ve had in my life. It just smelled rich, chocolate-y and sophisticated…as in not your average grocery store chocolate bar.

Of course this is like every other cacao tea and always disappointing for me, even as a latte. It’s better than most I have had but cacao teas always seem like they should taste like hot chocolate to me and they are never quite thick enough. This is very rich and maybe would have been better served with a touch of sweetener and a milk with more fat than 1%. I definitely get cardamom and I get cocoa but it falls bit flat without having a sweet point. I want milk chocolate and cardamom, not cocoa powder and cardamom.

Sipdown (334)

This is a generic red fruit tea. Strong hibiscus flavor. Hint of waxiness. It is something I have had before numerous times and its never impressive or exciting. It’s fine and it’s caffeine free thus hydrating. While I will have no problem drinking this tumbler full of this iced, I also am totally fine with not having this again as well.

In completely other news, sometimes I get stressed with the “would you recommend this tea?” question. This particular tea I would not recommend since it really is nothing special, but I wouldn’t actively say not to have it. So sometimes I feel bad in this situation saddling a tea with the big red “Not recommended” box or whatever it says on a note since that box seems like it would turn people away. So would I recommend this tea? No, because I likely wouldn’t think about it and I wouldn’t claim it was that great if asked but it’s not so bad that if someone finds themselves in possession of this, they should throw it out or try to get rid of it. Alright…that’s my rant.

Cold Brew Sipdown (332)

Last time I made this, it was way too concentrated. This time I used 1 teabag for 16 ounces but I think I steeped it too long. That, and I think I just don’t love this tea.

It is a bit like coffee to me in light of the roastiness. The plum actually starts the sip so it has a bit of a dense syrup quality to it. Unfortunately, that denseness is grounded in the stronger roasted flavor of the barley which is what takes over and lingers on your tongue.

I could see this being great for some people but for me, I am not too happy. However, despite not enjoying this tea all that much, I am very grateful to Cameron B for giving me the chance to try it. Thank you!

Made a matcha smoothie with a banana, greek yogurt, milk, and a whole lot of this matcha and it tastes awesome. Blueberries and bananas are both coming through in a deliciously sweet and creamy drink. Yum!!

I have 50 grams of this and I am not sure I am happy with that or not. At times, it is just sweet rooibos. At other times it has caramelized banana all over it. However, caramelized banana runts which is a bit odd. It’s good-ish, I think. Mostly I am confused but will be exploring a bit more. Perhaps a latte would be good?

Sipdown (334)

So I remembered liking this so I even added it to my advent but I probably should have looked at my steepster reviews since I gave this a rating of 10. So that’s some incorrect remembering if I’ve ever seen it.

I don’t love it but it’s not disgusting thus not deserving of a 10 so we will be raising that. It’s actually not bad. It’s got rhubarb but not much custard. A slight egginess perhaps. I blame the base because it comes through for me which adds warmth but distracts from everything else. At least it is better.