Ice Cream Royale

This is such an infamous blend from Steven Smith Teamaker, and I’ve wanted to try it for like five years now. So, when I placed this recent order, it was a MUST TRY for me. Even though that meant blindly getting 4oz of it.

I will say it was a little different than expected. I knew it wasn’t going to be sweet the way a lot of ice cream inspired blends are because that’s not really SST’s style when it comes to blending. However, I will say I thought it would have a more discernible vanilla flavour or, at the very least, more of a custard-like creaminess. Instead I would say that the primary flavour was butter. Not as fake-y tasting as so many flavoured/scented milk oolongs are, but with the added salt in the blend it really did read more like a very freshly churned salted butter over anything ice cream like.

I still enjoyed the mug a lot – especially the floral undertones of the oolong. I think I’ll enjoy it more the next time I have it, since my expectations will be much more inline with how the blend actually tastes. Ice cream feels like a misrepresentation, though. Especially with all the imagery SST uses to market this blend. It’s more accurate, IMO, to call it just a really nice interpretation of a buttery milk oolong. A little more classic.

Always a sucker for a dessert flavored tea, I initially balked at the price, but went for it in the last iteration because this flavor seems to sell out and isn’t always available. The scent of the dry leaf (and even while brewing) is very butter-forward. Like, seriously butter. A little vanilla sweetness is detectible as well. But upon tasing the brew, it’s very underwhelming. Heavy butter scent, super mild butter and vanilla taste. Really subtle. I may try brewing longer next time, because I feel confident that I did not underleaf.

Here’s the weird thing: I decided to have this tea after dinner with a couple of gingersnap cookies leftover from when I made a peach tart earlier in the summer. For whatever reason, taking a small bite of the cookie and then a sip of tea made it really delicious! Odd, since I didn’t think it would go together, but there’s an almost toffee-like aspect to the cookie that not only compliments but greatly enhances the dessert flavor of this tea. Go figure. So, a win, I guess? It was very enjoyable with the cookies, but the milky oolong base of this tea is a no-show.

I had been wanting to try out this blend for quite some time, and finally decided to take the plunge.

I ordered the sachets, as I know from past Smith Teamaker experiences that I really like their little box of neatly organized sachets. I was very annoyed to have received a box of 15 teabags, not individually packaged (the other box I ordered came in the traditional packaging and the website doesn’t state that they aren’t individually packaged like the rest of their products). This is a first world problem, I realize. But, having such a large collection makes it hard to drink through things quickly, and having a bunch of unwrapped teabags isn’t ideal for longterm flavor preservation.

That annoyance aside- this tea is good. Really good. Annoyingly good.

This is the creamiest, most delicious bowl of vanilla ice cream you’ve ever had. It’s a milk oolong cranked to 1000.

Ugh, it’s been a long time that I drank a new tea that I got this excited about.

I’m still into this one, and there’s finally an ice cream taste to it from the combo of vanilla, salt, amaretto, and milky jin xuan. I wish it were a regular instead of an overpriced limited edition.

But I’m going to go on a little gleeful ramble. I finally got to see Evanescence and Halestorm live in concert, in the flesh, and was thrilled. I’ve been obsessed with them since I was nine and have had a huge crush on Amy Lee for years, and yet, I have never been to their concerts. I had an opportunity to see them at the Machine Shop up close at a bar, but the kicker was that I was 18, not 21, and therefore not old enough to be there. This particular event was special because I have not gone out to do something for myself or with friend in three years, even before the pandemic, and I finally got to and see two of my favorite bands in person. I also got to see two of Lzzy Hale’s and Amy Lee’s duets, and both gave me goosebumps.

“Yeah, it’s perfectly reckless
Damn, you leave me defenseless
So break in
Break in”

My best friend went with me, and we both belted out the Evanescence lyrics by sheer impulse and after grueling weeks of teaching in December. Of course we were off key. Of course we got some glances, but of course, we weren’t the only ones singing our hearts out. Also, so many people broke out crying when singing My Immortal. Both my mom and I cried at the exact same time of the song, and both of us recorded our voices breaking “And I held your hand through all of these years, but you’ll still have all of me” in sobs.

So yeah, I had a cathartic weekend. I actually like Evanescence’s new album a lot. I know it won’t rival Fallen for many, yet I like that the lyrics have actually matured a little bit from stereotypical angst. The lyrics are still steeped in themes of loss, but they’ve moved in a direction towards coping. I’m going to cherish this memory as one of the most emotional one’s I’ve had in a while.