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Finishing up Kusmi’s Prince Vladimir. One part of that, two parts Constant Comment. Clovey, orangey, with a little bit of cinnamon. Perfect for the day before Thanksgiving.

Two parts Teapigs’s Darjeeling Earl Grey and one part Harney & Sons’s Earl Grey Supreme. Made this just to use up the Teapigs EG, the last of my Pick ‘N’ Mix.

I just noticed I reviewed the Teapigs EG seven years ago and had completely forgotten about it. Not that that really says anything about it — I’ve tried hundreds of teas and I’m sure to forget some along the way.

Anyway, I can just barely taste the darjeeling notes over all this bergamot. But that doesn’t really matter to me. This is still a very satisfying, restorative cup.

Ooh, smells like Vlad is a spicy boy.
Got this from Cameron B.! Thanks again!

Going to have to keep this short since Mondays are so busy. Anyway, bright citrusy notes of orange peel, spices, and something earthy. Something about the earthy note puts me off and makes me wish this was Constant Comment. Others are saying they taste popcorn? I kinda get that.

This is the first Kusmi tea I wasn’t impressed with.

HEADS UP! THIS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED!

I just grabbed one of the last boxes on Amazon after speaking with a Kusmi rep. I asked when they were going to restock the loose leaf tins, and she told me this blend is about to be gone forever. So, if you love this tea like I do, you better stock up! Go now!

Yay, another Kusmi sample from Cameron B.! Thank you! I love Kusmi but have never really dug into their catalog.

So, I needed something powerful this morning and the dense, tiny leaves of this tea promised to pick me up. They’re nearly black and smell lovely, fruity in a way I can’t really place, but also bright with bergamot. Of course it brews up very dark and makes me question my three and a half minute steep time. That’s something Young Tabby would have never said… Adagio had taught her black teas need five minutes. Five minutes! WTF?!

Anyway, once steeped, this smells very sweet. Like dessert. The flavor reminds me of a raspberry earl grey, with notes of caramel and vanilla. Mmmm, this is lovely. Just the thing I needed today. The black tea base is smooth and malty with surprisingly little bitterness considering the way it looks. This is a real pleasure – a combination of so many flavors I love. Glad I have a little more left!

Trying again with a shorter steep time. It still comes out very dark and bold. The smokiness is more in the aroma than the taste now. The bitterness has calmed, but it still stands up for itself. I bet I could get a second cup from these tea bags and have it come out even stronger than the first.

I wish the amounts of tea we fill in weren’t just in tsp or g. There should be a button for bags and tablespoons.

EDIT: Y’all, the caffeine in this is outta control. It’s going to be an herbal-only evening for me. Bzzzzz!

This one is from Sips By. It’s my first pure white tea in a long time. Still getting used to the whole using a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon thing. It feels wrong!

The leaves are long and pretty, with stems attached and a good amount of fuzz. So much that a little collects on top of the water as it steeps. The flavor is very light despite the healthy yellowy tan color. I taste a faint, unexpected tartness. There is also a faint fruity note. Otherwise, this tea might be a little subtle for me. I’m afraid I’m mostly just tasting my stevia. I have enough to try again, so maybe I will use less sweetener and see what happens.

For now, I can’t really taste anything… Maybe when it cools some flavor will appear.

Ron Howard Voice: It didn’t.

I forgot that Kusmi’s cloth tea bags look like little pillows. So cute. I got this one from Cameron B.! Thank you very much! I have been meaning to try this one for a few years now. Very excited.

The smell both dry and steeped is heavenly. Straight up caramel. Not caramel syrup, more like the actual old fashioned cubes. They have used a hearty black tea as their base, and it goes dark quickly. It adds a layer of bitterness (that I kinda like) to the tea that makes me think I’ll go with a shorter steep time on my next cup. The caramel flavor is toasty and creamy, with notes of marshmallow and honey. Definitely has a burnt sugar vibe, in a good way, especially on the exhale. No notes of butter or vanilla like some caramel teas. No, this is one for the caramel purists.

I really appreciate the change from all the fruity tea I’ve been drinking lately. Comforting and yet energizing.

I made this with 1 part White Tea With Apple and Holiday Spice by The Steeping Room, 2 parts Harney & Son’s Cranberry Autumn. I had bought Cranberry Autumn recently for nostalgia’s sake. I haven’t had it in a few years and wanted to see if I still liked it.

I used the white tea’s parameters and the result is just kinda ok. It’s lighter than a black tea, with notes of raspberry leaf. The apple is faint, mostly hiding behind the cranberry. There is the tiniest bit of cinnamon warmth. All around, this is weak and smells a lot better than it tastes.

My original plan was to blend the white tea with Constant Comment. I should have done that.

I got this as a freebie in my order a good while ago. I decided I’d finally give it a go.

The instructions say to steep it for 15 minutes. I definitely made a face when I saw that, but I went along with it. 2 cups of boiling water, 15 minutes, raw sugar, 6 cups of cold water. The result is pretty much just your standard iced tea. The instructions say to serve it over ice, but you don’t necessarily have to. It is a bit smoother and more savory than your average Lipton or whatever. Would probably benefit from a slice of lemon. Eh.

Unrelated: Just so y’all know, Joy’s Teaspoon is going out of business and all their teas are on sale. I feel kinda bad for never placing an order until now, but…