6444 Tasting Notes
Latte Sipdown (267)
H is for…House Blend
I think this is meant to be a vanilla chai if I remember correctly. It’s not really that interesting as a latte. Mostly a run of the mill chai that is not overly flavorful. It’s mostly warm milk and some spice and I just find I want more.
H is for… Harishpur Estate
I took Sil’s advice and steeped this for 2.5 minutes. My first sip was brisk but also vanilla. So nice? I think. As I keep drinking, I notice the astringency more and the vanilla less. It’s alright but not a favourite. I will try playing around with it since I have one more serving. Thank you for sharing, Sil!
H is for…Hangover Helper
This would have been a sipdown except my April Dollar Tea Club sub arrived and it had this tea in it again. That said, I am counting it as a tea empty for my empties photo on Instagram at the end of the month.
I brewed up a hot cup but also saved a serving to make as a cold brew for later. I will review that when I try it. As for the hot cup, I don’t love this. It’s a tomato tea but with typical chai spices but then also hibiscus. I think the goal is to be like a ceasar and then its the idea of a little hair of the dog. That said, the part that’s offensive here is the hibiscus which seems out of place. The rest isn’t bad. The ginger is strong – which makes sense given a main issue for many with hangovers is nausea and ginger helps settle the stomach. There is actually a distinctly tomato note but the hibiscus distracts from it slightly by being tart against the more sweet/savory elements of the tomato. The pepper also stands out, especially hitting at the back of your throat.
Cold Brew Sipdown (266)
H is for…Happy Tummy
Honestly the visual that came to mind when I tasted this cold brew is an under-ripe strawberry that you are eating but forgot to take the leaves off first. So its strawberry but a little tart and has a sort of extra leafy/earthy/herb quality. As I keep drinking, I am noticing that the strawberry part is smaller than the leaf part since there is more leafiness than strawberry. Did I like it? Not really. Did I finish it? Yes. Why? Because its caffeine free and thus probably hydrating.
Sipdown (267)
G is for…Gizmo’s Midnight Snack
I enjoyed this one while I had it which is also why I shared it with a few. Honestly I was pleasantly surprised seeing as I purchased this one almost strictly because of the name and the fact that my dog when I lived with my mom was named Gizmo.
This to me is predominantly banana chip flavored and I am good with that. That said, I am getting a lot more blueberry in this cup than I have in cups passed. It’s banana chip upfront and that sort of blends into a berry flavor that ends on a more distinct blueberry. The green tea base is mostly hidden. It’s smooth and sweet and fruity and nice. I would maybe grab more of this if I were already placing a Happy Turtle Tea order.
Sipdown (270)
G is for…Genmaicha
These little tubes of tea hold quite a lot. This tea got through a large part of the March sipdown tournament and I was able to pass some along for a friend to try. After all that, I am on my last cup so I decided to finish it off on my day of “G” teas.
I have already said so much about this tea that I don’t think I have much new to say in today’s sipdown note. Being the last of the leaf, I expected the green tea base to come out a bit more and to perhaps be a little bitter but honestly, this is consistent with every other cup I had. It really highlights the roasted rice on a smooth base. It’s comforting and warming and delightful while still managing to stay light. A really nice genmaicha.
Sipdown (271)
F is for…Fall Carnival Apple…again
It’s not a good sign for a tea when I forget about it…twice. As in I made this and brought it upstairs. Got distracted on TikTok. Got up to go wash my face and get ready for bed. Saw the tea on my nightstand, touched the mug to see it was still hot and went I will drink this when I get back. That was hours ago and I looked over to turn off my lamp and saw the mug, completely full. Oops.
It’s cold now. It starts off tasting like a candy apple. It ends with a note that reminds me of Caramel Popcorn by DAVIDsTEA. Maybe that is what throws me about this one…why does it taste like caramel popcorn?! Oh well. It was a fine tea but nothing special which is why I decided to just finish it off.
