6444 Tasting Notes
Sipdown (290)
So this is my tea in today’s March Madness sipdown tournament and it is going up against Fantasy Island by DAVIDsTEA. Alas, it seems I had less of this than I thought so I guess Fantasy Island is winning by default before I even try the teas.
I got a bit distracted before drinking these cups so they have both cooled to a luke warm temperature. Unfortunately, that seems to not be the best temperature for this particular tea as it has brought out a slight astringency. It’s like a sharp and drying metallic note from the black base tea. The top note is strawberry/berry, sort of like strawberry gummies, but it is getting drowned out by the base.
Check out the tasting note for Fantasy Island here: https://steepster.com/rachel12610/posts/416278
Sipdown (291)
I had one serving of this left and it was caffeine free and spicy and cozy and thus an easy pick for a tea to enjoy while I watch the new season of the Masked Singer. I do enjoy the fruity-spice combination of this blend but the best before date on this is March 31, 2021 so I am okay saying good bye. I imagine I may repurchase in the future but maybe not for a while.
Latte Sipdown (292)
After the battle, I realized there was just enough for a latte and rather than putting this back in the drawer and forgetting about it, I figured I would get in a Sipdown.
Made this way, it’s creamy and minty but it’s not the sweet and festive vanilla mint that should be with a candy cane tea. It’s different and maybe like someone tried to make a fancy and sophisticated candy cane. However, do you really want fancy and sophisticated when you are looking for candy cane?!
This tea is up against Cereal Milk by Dessert by Deb. Check out that tasting note here: https://steepster.com/rachel12610/posts/416249
I have actually had this one before and I recall being confused by the use of strawberry leaf in it. I still am drinking it now. It’s a weird tea because it is Candy Cane but there is more depth to it than just the regular vanilla and peppermint. It is darker somehow, which is a weird way to describe flavour but somehow apt. Like there is more briskness here than I think there should be in a Candy Cane tea but it manages to not be astringent. I just don’t know about this one whereas Cereal Milk is pretty yum so that tea wins!
Yesterday I woke up and felt so shitty. I had a migraine and nausea and I don’t even think I drank 2L of water, let alone tea. That means my tea battle from yesterday got delayed until today. This tea is going up against Candy Cane by My Tea Box. You can check out the tasting note for that tea here: https://steepster.com/rachel12610/posts/416250
I know cereal milk from (1) eating cereal and then drinking the milk and (2) Milk Bar’s Cereal Milk ice cream, which is awesome. I am not sure if Deb was aiming to recreate the latter but honestly, she’s close. Just with more coconut – as to be expected with Deb. I am enjoying this a bunch. It’s super creamy and somehow has a touch of like Corn Flakes flavor to it, to imply that the milk touched cereal. I am pretty impressed and pretty happy with it. This tea wins!
I tried this one today and I didn’t really get it. Hopefully it’ll grow on me with a few more tries. :P
I drank it after it cooled slightly so maybe it helped. I suppose cereal milk is a weird flavor to try and capture though.
I once tried a cereal milk ice cream (pre being vegan) and it was incredible!
I got it at Momofuku Milk Bar and it’s awesome!
I hope this nite means that the migraine is gone and you are feeling better! Sorry you felt bad yesterday.
Note*
@ashmanra, feeling much better! I think it either was my mouthguard or the weather so it passed by the next day
This is the second iced tea in today’s sipdown battle. The other tea is Tie-Dye Butterfly by DAVIDsTEA and the tasting note for that tea can be found here: https://steepster.com/rachel12610/posts/416185
I have never had this iced and I personally haven’t loved it hot so I thought I would give it a try this way. This iced tea suffers from the same issues as the hot tea unfortunately though – no scone, no lemon, some berry and black tea base. It maybe is not as flat as the hot tea tends to be but it’s also just a mediocre berry black tea iced. Preferable to it as the hot tea but still not a tea I care for that much. As such, Tie-Dye Butterfly is taking the win.
My preference is to drink this as a cold brew. However, I didn’t think of that early enough and it is part of my sipdown battle today along with Lemon Berry Scone by Dessert by Deb. So, I decided to ice both teas instead. I don’t think I have had either that way so we shall see how it goes.
When not cold brewed, this can be a touch on the sweeter side. I blame the blackberry leaf for that. Iced, it has that sweeter note which I don’t love. However, it’s not terrible. It’s prominently sweet apple and then some passion fruit top notes. And, as expected, this is the winner.
Check out the tasting note for Lemon Berry Scone here: https://steepster.com/rachel12610/posts/416187
I made this as a latte and while I can see where Deb was trying to go with the caramel and the custard, the apple and coconut flavors come through too much and sort of undermine the caramel and custard top notes. The apple especially since the backend is sort of tart because of it.
I’ve been so curious about this! I noticed it the last time I bought from her website! I might get it next time just to try it.
I ended up letting it sit for a little while and that seemed to help bring out the caramel and custard. It still was more apple and coconut than I would have like but not terrible and worth a try.
Will be sure to order next time :) Thank you!
One thing I want to say is I used the mini matcha maker for this and my goodness is this a small amount of matcha. It is like a tiny shot of it. I guess I normally make 16 oz mugs and the mini matcha maker holds 8 oz but where the line is, it just seems like such a small amount.
Anyways, I am drinking this plain today so I can compare it to the NecessiTeas Chocolate Pear Cake in my March sipdown tournament inspired by Mastress Alita! I am calling this battle the battle of the chocolate-ish green teas (sorta). Fitting that I am having matcha today also since it is Matcha Monday. That was an unplanned but happy coincidence if I am being honest.
Like Chocolate Pear Cake, there is stuff I like and don’t like here. When the matcha first hit my mouth, it was almost like drinking a hot chocolate because it was creamy and milk chocolate-y and nice, especially since there is no milk added. As the sip continued though, this started to get a touch more bitter. I don’t know if I should blame the matcha for this or the coffee component of the inspiration but it sort of leaves a chicory type vibe on the tongue – toasted, bitter, chocolate adjacent. Unfortunately that seems to build as I continue to drink and it is drowning out the chocolate note I enjoyed so much. As a result, I am not only declaring Chocolate Pear Cake the winner, I am also dropping the rating of this one from 78.
Check out the review for Chocolate Pear Cake here: https://steepster.com/rachel12610/posts/416152
