Cameron B. select Send Message

351 Followers / 247 Following

88
drank Earl Grey Grand Classic by Lupicia
4366 tasting notes

This is from the “sipdown-in-progress” box. To be honest, I was hesitant to try this one, as I find myself not enjoying smoky teas as much lately as I used to…

But I actually really like the smoke here, it pairs so nicely with the bergamot. The overall taste is a bit light, I think this would be ideal for afternoon tea. The bergamot is not overpowering, and has a nice citrusy zing. The smoke is fairly light as well, a nice savory smoked food sort of note. I’ve never had a longan fruit, but to me the fruit here tastes quite a bit like lychee, with that unique juicy sort of floral tropical flavor. It seems an odd pairing with the other two flavors but goes over well, happily I am a fan of lychee in general.

Raising the rating a bit here because I like this one more than I remember. Happily, I see that the US website still offers it, in the case that I find I need it in my cupboard later on.

In other news, I seem to be amassing quite a stockpile of freeze-dried miso soup. I fell in love with it a few months ago after I think discovering it through Kickstarter? So now I’ve ordered some alternate brands through Amazon and am in miso heaven. The freeze-dried variety is so much better than the instant kind I’ve had in the past, with actual big chonks of veggies and such. And the flavor variety is amazing! Today I had an eggplant version that was delish… (drool)

Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Floral, Lychee, Smoked, Smooth, Tropical

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
10 comments
Show 8 previous comments...
Courtney 5 years ago

Haha the soup collection — love that!

Cameron B. 5 years ago

I’m a soup lover, I’ll have to start breaking out the Instant Pot & dutch oven recipes soon… ❤

Courtney 5 years ago

The winter is perfect for soups! We actually picked up some vegan gruyère to make French onion soup in the Instant Pot today!

gmathis 5 years ago

Thank you for helping me decide what’s for supper tonight!

Cameron B. 5 years ago

Yasss French onion! I’m thinking something with beans and greens this weekend…

ashmanra 5 years ago

We practically live on soup. I am loving chickpea lemon orzo right now. Where do you get freeze dried miso?

Cameron B. 5 years ago

I’ve been ordering it through Amazon. This is an example:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVGB18M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ashmanra 5 years ago

Thank you! I like the variety pack. I had looked at some others but they were ten of the same thing.

Courtney 5 years ago

Chickpea lemon orzo sounds amazing! I’ll be looking up that recipe stat!

AJRimmer 5 years ago

Oh yeah we have 20 pounds of green chile in the freezer, ready for green chile stew all winter long (:

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Comments

Courtney 5 years ago

Haha the soup collection — love that!

Cameron B. 5 years ago

I’m a soup lover, I’ll have to start breaking out the Instant Pot & dutch oven recipes soon… ❤

Courtney 5 years ago

The winter is perfect for soups! We actually picked up some vegan gruyère to make French onion soup in the Instant Pot today!

gmathis 5 years ago

Thank you for helping me decide what’s for supper tonight!

Cameron B. 5 years ago

Yasss French onion! I’m thinking something with beans and greens this weekend…

ashmanra 5 years ago

We practically live on soup. I am loving chickpea lemon orzo right now. Where do you get freeze dried miso?

Cameron B. 5 years ago

I’ve been ordering it through Amazon. This is an example:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVGB18M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ashmanra 5 years ago

Thank you! I like the variety pack. I had looked at some others but they were ten of the same thing.

Courtney 5 years ago

Chickpea lemon orzo sounds amazing! I’ll be looking up that recipe stat!

AJRimmer 5 years ago

Oh yeah we have 20 pounds of green chile in the freezer, ready for green chile stew all winter long (:

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- May sipdowns: 16
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 93

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

Following These People

See More