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Thanks again, Cameron B! I had to read the description again while drinking this - and then realized the problem might be a muddling of too many flavors. There is a lot going on, which kind of leaves my tastebuds confused. This has some rose flavor. Then some fruit, which I didn’t figure out was raspberry until I read the description. It’s an okay raspberry flavor- not the best. Then there should be some bergamot which I think is hiding behind the rose and fruit. The flavoring might be acceptable if I liked the base black tea, but of course the base is hiding behind all the flavor too. Maybe this blend isn’t working for me because I don’t think I ever described myself as “a princess”. :D

Another from Cameron B!  Thanks again!  Lupicia never fails — the scent of the leaf here was very faint, but of course steeping it, the Lupicia magic happens and it’s full red apple!  Also a hint of champagne.  So good.  (And of course, Lupicia also has a fantastic GREEN apple flavor…)

Thanks very much again for the awesome box of teas, Cameron B! I was wondering what this one was reminding me of…. and it suddenly dawned on me that it’s those orange flavored cinnamon rolls! But mainly the frosting and not the actual roll. I do really like that flavor of frosting, even if those aren’t really my favorite base of cinnamon rolls. Anyway, there is also a hint of floral flavor on a lighter black tea base. This would definitely be a flavor I would occasionally crave, and when it’s good, it’s good! But if you aren’t really in the mood for this type of flavor, I can see how it might be cloying. The tea flavor this is closest to would be Della Terra’s Orange Brulee. (Not to say these are the same teas at all — they have different bases.) I like it!

Thanks very much, Cameron B!  I had this one a few days ago, so… here comes a short note.  I always thought this one sounded interesting and unique.  An odd mix of ingredients to represent ‘cereal’.  There is only a hint of sweetness in the first steep and then the second steep gets really REALLY medicinal tasting, or like something way too strongly plant-like.  A plant in a field.  Mustard? Something very yellow. hmm… It’s VERY odd the difference between the two steeps.  But either one, I wouldn’t call caramel cereal flavored.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – August 2024 Tea #4 – Your biggest leaf tea

I don’t know if I’m cheating with this prompt, but when they unroll is when the leaf gets quite big!  They don’t start out very big.  I can’t believe these pearls still have flavor.  And flavorful enough that I’m glad I waited until now to finally finish these.   I miss Zen teas!  I have a LITTLE bit of jasmine pearls from other sources.  It’s a cupboard staple for me.
2024 sipdowns: 60

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – August 2024 Tea #3 – A calming tea

This sure is calming!  Though I have finished one pouch from ONE tea shop, I have the same blend from another shop.  (Tealyra’s Un Momento) It’s always been a delightful dessert tea. A perfectly flavored rooibos is usually calming to me. The description says “The light Irish coffee taste, complemented by a hint of sweet caramel pieces, is refined by mascarpone.” I mean… come on now. Delicious
2024 sipdowns: 59

Thanks again, Cameron B! I love when a strawberry tea actually has flavor, and this one does! It’s strawberries and cream for sure. It surprises me that this black tea consists of Ceylon and Keemun… it must be only a few tiny leaves of Keemun in the entire pouch, as I’m not noticing any keemun qualities at all. But I’m fine with such a light black tea being a bit disappointing in this case, because the strawberry cream flavor is so spot on and so delicious. Yuuum. I think my short, tame steep time really works on this one.

This was a sample from NM Tea co!  Thanks!  It went along with a small order.  I had been meaning to try this for a WHILE and have since forgotten which tea I specifically wanted to compare this to.  It might have been Lupicia’s Earl Grey Chocolat, but the ingredients are not the same, so I’m not sure if it was that one.  I also know I have tried NM’s Cream Earl in the past and I was not a fan. However, that WAS a sample from a swap, so I didn’t get to try it at its freshest.  So who knows how I would really feel about it.   THIS tea is pretty good!  It really does somehow taste like Lupicia’s Chocolate Earl… I could swear the bergamot tastes like the bergamot that Lupicia uses.  This one has big chocolate chips and rose petals that Lupicia’s does not have. But searching for a current ingredient list on Lupicia, I’m not seeing it.  I don’t really notice the rose here.  The chocolate is a bit.. only a HINT.. bordering on that alcohol flavor that chocolate tea sometimes has.  The black tea might be a LITTLE thinner than I would wish, which is why I like that Lupicia’s uses some CTC. But otherwise the flavors melding here are great and what I wanted and expected… I would say it is an acceptable replacement for Lupicia’s when I run out of it. I forgot to check if the chocolate chips actually melted before tossing the leaves…

additional notes: Finishing up this sample — this time just whisked in a mug of cold water with a fork. It disperses quite well, even with just a fork! Yet still no peanut butter flavor here for me at all. More hojicha flavor here now in the water, rather than the milk. It’s mighty good chocolate hojicha though, if you can forgive the missing peanut butter aspect. I would definitely drink this again. It’s gone from the site at the moment though.
2024 sipdowns: 57

I think I have like two teaspoons left of ANY sort of milk oolong, so this was a welcome addition to my collection at just the right time! Thanks so much, Cameron B! If this is just a super flavored milk oolong, then I am happy with that! Sometimes I crave that custardy type of flavor. BUTTER. YES. Over the top butter, but sometimes that is what I want. I can’t really tell there is maple flavoring/sweetener here, so that means it’s the perfect amount in the blend. As it cools, I notice a bit more sweetness. I probably didn’t stir up the bag enough this time around. I will be sure to do that next time. By the fourth steep, it has slightly moved towards a more traditional milk oolong. But I love this!