Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa

2021 Sipdown 101/365!

A sample of a tea that I never purchased a full size of. Which is fine, because honestly it was too spicy for me, without enough strawberry. Probably a novel tea for someone who likes spice, though.

I’m really liking this tea. Started sipping my cup hot and was getting a nice comforting burn down my throat. Now that it has cooled, I get cinnamon and a hint of clove on top of the spice which is on top of muted strawberry. There is a slight flatness that appears as it cools, but it isn’t too distracting.

Another one from variaTEA trying to get some sipdowns in today while i’ve got a spare moment that’s dog free thanks to my other half taking her on an adventure while i clean the house haha. this one is SPICY! not sure if i just let is brew for too long but mostly all i got with this one was a cup of KICK. I think if this one were a little more balanced and the strawberry a little more present, i could get behind it more. Didn’t dislike it, but given the spiciness, couldn’t drink it often.

I found the title and description of this tea interesting, so in it went, even though I am not a fan of sweet and spicy.

While I’m not opposed to having a few samples of this hanging around for days where an odder tea is needed, I don’t think I would want a full ounce of this…it would surely go stale before I could drink all of it.

Whoa! Hello jalapeno! Usually I find teas with these spicy ingredients tend to disappoint when it comes to the spice department but it is present here. Yet, the tomato, or salsa, also registers giving the whole thing some sweetness. I think there may be strawberry along with the tomato but it’s hard to tell once the jalapeno kicks in. Definitely an interesting blend and worth a try but this is also not something I would reach for often.

Damn, spicy! The combo is freakin’ awesome. The strawberry, lime, sencha, and chinese green tea are great together. The jalapeno is an unexpected compliment, then a boast. This is for people who like spicy things. I am one of those people who likes spicy and sweet. Like teasipper said in his review, I think a little bit less jalapeno would let the other flavors play more. A lot of people would probably be turned off by the spiciness and savory nature of this tea, but I also think that a lot of people would appreciate and enjoy it. Most of the Quarter to Tea’s blends are guiltless deserts: this is a guiltless snack.

Cold Brew Sipdown (120)!

The name and unique ingredients drew me into this one and I’m not sure what I expected from it taste wise; I guess more like a strawberry tea with spicy jalepeno finish? If I’m being honest with myself; I think I knew I wouldn’t like it. I never like this kind of more intense spicy teas because I just don’t like spicy things in general. And yet I keep buying them…

But no, this is very jalepeno without flavour from much else. I don’t taste strawberry, and hell I barely taste green tea either. It’s just this very specifically jalepeno pepper flavoured kind of ‘burning’. Way too much jalepeno for my tastes, that’s for sure. That said I do like it more than the most recent spicy pepper based tea I’ve tried, which is the Devil’s Mate from McQuarries that had chili loops in it. And it’s better than the spicy tisane that RiverTea used to carry (can’t remember the name right now). Though, I do think Frank ere 52Teas Napalm Ferret is the best one, thus far.

Not rating because my bias towards excessively spicy teas would clearly be a factor in how I’d be scoring this; even though I probably wont touch this tea again in the future I’m happy with the experience though.

Must try all the spicy fruity teas! Yet another sample from A Quarter to Tea. I must be honest: I’m attempting to try all my samples ASAP since they are in thinner baggies. That would be my only complaint about A Quarter to Tea: the packaging. I don’t like thin baggies for the samples or the pouches that just fold over. (I had the same problem with Butiki’s packaging – also my only complaint with Butiki.) I love the resealable pouches I put all of my teas in — completely scent proof as well. Anyway, I HAD to try this one! I love spicy fruity anything. (My favorite Pizza Hut combination is ham, pineapple and sriracha.) What is interesting here is this is JALAPENO PEPPER and not cayenne or chili. I haven’t seen that before in a tea! I made sure to get a big piece of strawberry in the infuser and there is also something lime in the blend! Sadly, however I steeped this one, it wasn’t the awesome balance of flavors that I was hoping for, that Lauren is usually so good at getting done! I get plenty of spicy from the jalapeno and it’s really the perfect kick (yet somehow doesn’t seem all that different from cayenne or chili to me). But I think the jalapeno might drown all of the strawberry or lime flavors. That’s too bad, as this one sounded pretty unique. I’d buy it as a delicious spicy green tea, though this might not be accurate on the overall flavors it’s supposed to represent. http://www.etsy.com/shop/AQuarterToTea
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 25 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep