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“Got this tea in a swap with an IG tea friend and I was excited to finally brew it up because I haven’t actually tried a ton of teas from Simpson & Veil (since they don’t ship to Canada). I...” Read full tasting note
“I put off tasting this one because I’m not fond of prickly pear flavoring (tried to use the fruit to make juice once and all I did was get lots of little pricklies all over the place and not a...” Read full tasting note
“I thought I would try another of my remaining National Parks teas today! I had a couple that I was holding off on because I felt like I should post them on Instagram, but now that I’m not doing...” Read full tasting note
“With plans to go to two Nation Parks next year, this tea was on my list to try first out of the collection box as reservations for Yellowstone are made. I’ve traveled there twice before and it’s a...” Read full tasting note
“However orderly your excursions or aimless, again and again amid the calmest, stillest scenery you will be brought to a standstill hushed and awe-stricken before phenomena wholly new to you” -John Muir on Yellowstone.
After multiple explorations, it was decided that the unique geothermal properties of the area, now known as Yellowstone National Park, needed to be preserved. In 1872, President Grant signed a protection act in order to begin the preservation process, making Yellowstone the first official US national park. The National Park Service was not yet created, so the US Army took over responsibility of Yellowstone in order to strengthen and enforce regulations. Unfortunately, the Army was unable to effectively prevent poaching, especially of the nation’s now oldest and largest public bison herd, and they also lacked the knowledge of the area that visitors craved. With the help of some influential conservationists, such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Woodrow Wilson, and many others, the National Park Service was created in 1916 with the top priority being preservation and appreciation for nature. In 1929, the same year Simpson & Vail was incorporated, Yellowstone received a boundary adjustment made to include a significant area of petrified trees (fossilized vegetation). Followed by a final boundary adjustment, in 1932, creating the final borders of the first US National Park that millions of people visit today.
I found this a challenging blend to create. Not only is Yellowstone widely known, but Wyoming itself is one of my favorite places. So, representing my love for this area and the beauty of this famous park gave me pause. Ultimately, I decided to not only represent flora in the park, but also the visual delights found here. The multitude of colors of the Grand Prismatic Spring are shown within the blend, along with prickly pear flavoring for the cacti that grow in and around the park. To top it off I added a hint of bergamot to represent the “wild bergamot” flowers in the park. The resulting cup is fruity and flavorful with a sweet, creamy, prickly pear flavor and an underlying bergamot taste.
Ingredients: Black teas, prickly pear flavor, safflower, blue cornflower petals, strawberry pieces, oatstraw, and natural bergamot oil.
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Got this tea in a swap with an IG tea friend and I was excited to finally brew it up because I haven’t actually tried a ton of teas from Simpson & Veil (since they don’t ship to Canada). I think it’s supposed to be strawberry and prickly pear, which is a fun combination. I found it pretty inoffensive with a smooth, medium bodied black tea base that tasted like a more generic blending-style of black tea. That is, to say, neutral aside from its body. The strawberry note was nice: fresh and sweet but not jammy/cloying and lacking in any particular acidity. I appreciate that there’s not any hibiscus in the blend to bolster the strawberry.
I didn’t really taste the prickly pear, but I wasn’t surprised by that either. It’s a hard flavour to convey, and I think it just felt into the background alongside the mellow, floral undertones of the blend. In some ways this reminded me of the DAVIDsTEA blend The Earl’s Garden, but a smidge softer overall. It’ll be easy to finish off, but I don’t think there’s anything to write home about with this tea either. Strawberry black tea blends are easy enough to find, and without a distinct prickly pear note I don’t think this tea has much of an edge among the sea of comparable teas.
I put off tasting this one because I’m not fond of prickly pear flavoring (tried to use the fruit to make juice once and all I did was get lots of little pricklies all over the place and not a whole lot of juice) and there just seemed to be too much going on here. Strawberry and prickly pear and bergamont? How uninspired. The opportiunites to capture Yellowstone are endless: bright colors as many of Yellowstone’s geologic features are vividly colored; candy like for the flowstone by Mammoth; or wooly like a bison covered in snow. It’s a good thing S&V have lots of other yummy teas or I might give up on them!
Flavors: Astringent, Prickly Pear, Strawberry
I thought I would try another of my remaining National Parks teas today! I had a couple that I was holding off on because I felt like I should post them on Instagram, but now that I’m not doing that anymore I’m free to try them whenever I like! It’s funny how we impose such restrictions on ourselves for no real reason…
Anyway, this is another prickly pear black tea – similar to Grand Canyon (I think it was). The package mentions strawberry pieces but only prickly pear flavoring, so I’m expecting to mostly get prickly pear, bergamot, and perhaps something from the oatstraw.
Welp. It actually is quite similar to Grand Canyon, because I barely taste bergamot at all. The prickly pear is present, and is giving me the usual tart rhubarb sort of vibes. I do feel like there are some strawberry notes, but not sure if that’s just because of the expectation or just an association with strawberry-rhubarb pie. The base is quite earthy and woody, which actually makes a rather nice foundation for the fruity and tart elements. The bergamot is barely there, and I don’t think I would have even noticed it if I hadn’t read the ingredients…
I think I slightly prefer Grand Canyon to this one, but I’m not sure either of them makes my skirt fly up enough to warrant an order. It’s a bit odd to me that they made such similar teas in the same collection… I think I just have one National Parks tea left to try from the sampler!
Flavors: Bergamot, Earth, Jam, Prickly Pear, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Sweet, Tart, Wood
I don’t think it’s new or trendy, but all of a sudden I’m seeing lots of teas with oats or oatstraw. Didn’t pick it up at the time, but Celestial Seasonings had a wellness tea with cinnamon and oats that made me curious.
That’s so interesting that’s it seems to be sort of a thing now. I guess maybe it makes sense since oatmilk is very popular? I didn’t really notice the oatstraw in this blend, but there was one of the other National Park teas where I remember it giving an oat-y note that I enjoyed.
With plans to go to two Nation Parks next year, this tea was on my list to try first out of the collection box as reservations for Yellowstone are made. I’ve traveled there twice before and it’s a magical place. I’m not sure this tea lives up to the name but The tea leaves were pretty with red and blue coloring from strawberries and cornflower. I found it to be a rather fruity tasting tea strong on the strawberry. The tea has a good lingering scent and for those who like fruit teas, I do recommend.
Flavors: Strawberry
It’s a good day to start reviewing some of the teas I have while rewatching Harry Potter movies.
Don’t see too many prickly pear teas around other than herbal ones (and those will usually have hibiscus, which is the biggest NO ever for me), so this had me curious. Plus, 10% of all sales in the National Parks tea line go to charities supporting those parks.
The first thing that hit me when I opened the package was a strong fruity scent that reminded me of gum or candy. That carries over to the brewed tea as well, to the point that I could still smell it from the other room over. I mainly tasted prickly pear and strawberry. The bergamot, not so much. If you were expecting something like a prickly pear Earl Grey, you’d be disappointed. If you like fruity teas, strawberry, or prickly pear, I’d give it a shot.
