6444 Tasting Notes
Sipdown (243)
I got a small packet of this stuffed with matcha and powdered coconut milk from Sipsby probably about a year ago. I finally decided to brew it up and was shocked to learn this stuffed package was actually a single serving. I thought I must be confused so I checked their site and they recommend 5 tsps of the mix for a serving so I guess not. I was unsettled though so instead of following the directions and using an 8 oz glass, I used a 12 oz glass to make myself feel better.
This brewed up looks very milky, which is promising. It also smells very coconutty, which is also promising. While I have had coconut milk before, my exposure to coconut has predominantly been to the sweetened shredded coconut used in baking so I was taken aback when this was not as sweet as I had anticipated. It definitely has coconut flavor, natural coconut flavor, and it is creamy/has a thick mouth feel like coconut milk but the matcha adds grassiness and keeps it from being overtly sweet. For those that like matcha or matcha lattes, that could be a good thing. But I am not a huge matcha fan (unless it is flavored) so for me I would want more coconut and less matcha. Not bad though.
The snow brought cold air and since my window was open, that cold air has filled my apartment. So a hot tea was needed. However, I got distracted so a warm tea is what I am actually drinking.
This tea is smoky but with age has lot a lot of its lush peach and butterscotch notes. There is still a sweetness to balance the smoke and the peach gently lingers on your tongue but while drinking it is more malt black tea and smoke. Good but it has seen better days. I have one serving left and I should probably enjoy that sooner rather than later.
Sipdown (244)
These smoothies have me flying through these matchas. And my greek yogurt which is sadly gone now so no more smoothies until I do the groceries. Also, thankfully I have the giant thing of honey b/c I have been rather heavy-handed with it in these smoothies as of late…as evidenced by the distinct honey flavor in the last couple of smoothies. I guess that happens when you don’t really measure.
What’s interesting is that with each different matcha, the smoothies have been distinctly different. However, the flavor of the matcha doesn’t come through clearly. Like, if I gave someone all three in a blind taste test, I think it would be clear that there were 3 different flavors but not entirely clear that those flavors were mocha, berries and cream, and blueberry. For instance, this matcha doesn’t immediately scream blueberry to me but it is definitely not as sweet as the berries and cream. Every now and then I get pops of berry, leaning to blueberry but tbh that might just be because I knew I used blueberry matcha. Nevertheless, all three have been delicious and given these matchas are like 3 years old, I am happy that they are contributing anything at all.
In other news, a week ago, one of my uber drivers asked me if I thought winter was over. I thought he was just making small talk so I was like I doubt it b/c this is Canada and there is always a snowfall or storm after the weather warms up. And his response was “when is the snow coming?” as if I were a weather reporter who had this information readily available. And then he started telling me how he wanted to get his winter tires off and when did I think he should do that? Uhhhh…I’m a passenger in an uber…what makes you think I would know? Anyways, I basically told him I didn’t really know but if it were me I would wait a little longer. That ended up being solid advice b/c yesterday somehow went from 7 degrees and raining to my entire apartment complex just being covered in snow in like an hour. So that was weird but also typical of London/Ontario/Canada.
Roswell Strange shared this blend with me b/c I am pretty sure I asked to try it and I didn’t realize until now how much she disliked it. When I brewed it, the dry leaf smelled familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it smelled like. Nevertheless, I was intrigued.
Then I took my first sip. I did not like it. I came here to review it and learned of RS’s aversion.
The tea is smooth but has a terrible artificial cream flavor that sticks on your tongue. And it could be peach but not a real peach by any means. Plus, there is a zing of either metallic or chemical that just bursts at the end of my tongue, specifically on the right side. I don’t like it. Though, thank you Roswell Strange for sharing! Clearly I was intrigued but I know better now.
Sipdown (247)
Another tea from Cameron B. Thank you so much for sharing!
I was worried this would have the same issue was the Tochiotome Black that I drank yesterday. Namely the very distracting brassiness of the base tea. While there is a slight brassiness here, either I started drinking this while it was hotter and it hasn’t come through yet or this tea doesn’t have as much of an issue with that metallic quality. Either way, yay!
No overwhelming brassiness means I can try the actual flavors of this tea and they are quite nice. The apple jumped out at me immediately. It is not a dried apple flavor though. More like a slightly tart concentrated apple flavor…like a fresh pressed granny apple juice. I get slight apricot in the aftertaste, a lingering flavor that just sort of sits on the tip of your tongue. Also a little bit of a leafy vibe which makes sense given the autumn inspirations for this blend.
All in all, it is a nice tea. I don’t think it is a favorite b/c while the flavors are lovely, they are not ones I reach for often. Plus, the more I drink, the more of that brassiness comes through. I think I just don’t get along with Lupicia’s fruity black teas. I got the book of teas from them a couple years back and I don’t recall really loving any of their fruity blacks b/c of the base. Nevertheless, I am grateful to Cameron B for the opportunity to try something new!
Sipdown (248)
Thank you Cameron B for sharing this with me, especially now that Lupicia is not as available as it once was. I love strawberry flavoring so I was super interested in this tea. Unfortunately I don’t love the black tea bases Lupicia uses. This is less offensive as some of their other bases since it is quite malty but that maltiness is also combined with a slightly drying brassiness. That brassiness interferes with the jammy strawberry notes that could be quite good if not for the base. It was still fun to try and made for a nice enough cup of tea, though I think the one cup is enough for me.
In other news, I got the KFC and it was terrible. So much build up for such a shit meal. Now I am debating if I want to go visit my sister this weekend or if I should stay in my apartment. The issue is I need to study, in theory, and it is a matter whether I would get work done there or not. With that said, I should probably get back to work.
Smoothie Sipdown (249)
I store my matchas in the freezer except the last time I made a smoothie with this (Wednesday, I think) I forgot it on the counter. When I got home from class I was craving a smoothie and with this just sitting there staring at me, it got tossed in.
I didn’t actually measure anything so I don’t know how much of this I used other than I know I finished the package. I also didn’t measure the honey I added and so today this is less berry and more honey. Still good. Sweet. Creamy. Soft berry notes. Honey. Yum!
In other news, I have been craving KFC for like 4 days. I don’t even like KFC! But I have been thinking about it forever it feels like and I am debating if I should order it but I have food here and should probably eat that.
I found it super weird that KFC, in Montreal, is PFK. It’s such a small, arbitrary thing but that and a few of the other businesses with names that are different from the rest of Canada (like Shoppers/Pharmaprix) really tripped me out when I moved. It was just something I had never even considered might be different.
Loblaws and Provigo was a hard one for me. Also I forgot about PFK. That is how the French sneaks up on you.
Sipdown (250)
Thank you Cameron B for the share but the spices in this make it really muddy. It’s not pumpkin spice, its ginger and honey Bush and then a mess.
