Pukka

Sipdown (2584)!

Based on the copy printed on the overwrap of this tea bag I was expecting more of a spiced citrus flavour that could potentially be a little more “mulled” in vibes, but to my surprise the citrus was relatively subtle as were the spices. Mostly I just tasted a smooth and sweet anise flavour tinged with the other aforementioned ingredients. I actually enjoyed it a lot, but mostly just because I like star anise. I feel like it could have been better with either the depth/heat from more spices (like clove) or a brighter orange, though…

So a little weird because it was an enjoyable mug of tea, but not the mug I thought I was going to have so I was still partially let down in some ways!?

Sipdown (2586)!

Not something I’d probably seek out since I have many similar things in my stash already, but I found this to be a pretty in offensive blend of peppermint and other herbs. In particular I like the sweetness and kind of licorice-y depth that the fennel inclusion adds to the cup, and the nettle was very inoffensive. Not spinachy like it could have been. Made for a smooth and soothing cup with a light medicinal sort of feel to it. Medicinal, in this case, in a good way where it felt like it was doing something positive for me.

Sipdown (2579)!

Honestly not bad at all for a bagged lemon/ginger. I thought it had the exact right balance of bright, lively and sweet lemon notes with earthy and warming spices like ginger and turmeric. Very soothing, and healthful feeling and just nice on the throat. The manuka honey addition makes all the sense in the world from both a complimentary flavour perspective and as something you might want built into the tea if you were drinking this while feeling under the weather.

Can’t complaint at all.

Sipdown (2580)!

Hmmm… I’m not totally sure how I feel about this blend.

I guess to start with the “pro” side of things it was much, much less perfume-y and floral than I’d imagined it might be based on the ingredients list. I really latched onto the rose notes and I found those very soothing which, along with the lavender, made for a pretty anti-stress kind of tea. I also didn’t really taste the chamomile too much, and what I did taste was less musty and unpleasant than I find most chamomile to be to my own palate.

On the “con” side, there’s nothing super unique or stand out about the blend. I do feel like I could get something just as good from a ton of other companies. Also, the licorice root was this weird push/pull sensation. I don’t personally like licorice root so I would have preferred the blend without it, but I think the natural sweetness of it was also doing A LOT of heavy lifting in terms of brightening up the floral flavours and without it I think this probably would taste pretty flat/stale. So not sure which would be the better option both for my personal preferences and in a general sense for anyone sensitive to licorice root overall…

Kind of a mid blend overall.

Sipdown (2581)!

I wonder why Pukka decided to rename this tea? They have a lot of “three” blends like their ginger, and I find the naming scheme actually pretty iconic. Also just more clear to the consumer, I would think?

Regardless, I really enjoyed this cup of tea. It’s definitely not something for the tea drinker who dislikes or is on the fence about tulsi though because dang does it taste strong and basil heavy. It’s also surprisingly nuanced though, and if you can taste past the really herbaceous flavour I think there’s a lot of other notes to appreciate like cooling and camphorous mint and tingly spices like clove.

This is probably one of the few Pukka blends that I’d happily buy a full box of. I am on record as being a HUGE tulsi lover though, for whatever that’s worth.

I’ve been working through a bad chest cold all week (I’m suspecting a bad case of bronchitis, but I haven’t had the time or money to get that confirmed) so I’ve been drinking TONS of tea. I went through my entire 100g tin of T2’s “Mulled Wine Magic” over the week and have instant regrets, because they are gone now and I’m too tired and out of it to go looking for a hibiscus chai spice blend replacement that ships from the US. So then I decided to turn to this tea, only to discover I only had a single teabag left. Siiiiiiiigh. Where did all the tea go?!

I always expect elderberry teas to be more like hibiscus teas for some reason… dark and syrupy berry. They never are and then I have to reassess my expectations. I do like this though. The echinacea is the main flavor and it’s such a hard one for me to describe… It’s a little floral, but leans more on the herbaceous side than the flowery side. There is a bit of a minty flavor to the tea but it is not strongly menthol and doesn’t overpower the other flavors. I don’t actually taste anything I’d attribute to “berry” or get any fruity notes from it. It is very licorice root sweet, which I know would be a turn-off for many, but I like licorice root and it is greatly appreciated now while by body is trying to cough my lungs straight out of my ribcage. Sweet, minty, floral, could do a lot worse for a sick tea, but the flavor is probably not for everyone.

January 2024 Steepster Sipdown Challenge — A grocery store tea

Sipdown! (22 for January | 22 for 2024)

I grabbed two teabags of this from the recent round of TeaTiff TTB and steeped with 13-14 oz of boiling water in my Nordic Mug at work. Sat steeping on my work desk for about an hour.

Was hoping for a very fruit forward tea – instead I am tasting licorice? I don’t know, maybe the echinacea? It does have this weird taste similar to DT Pomegranate Echinacea tea which again was a tea I was hoping was fruity but just tasted weird. Echinacea is not an ingredient I have experience with so I suppose I need to taste on its own to isolate if that what I don’t like?

Anyway, it’s not a bad tea I suppose for being a bagged grocery store tea. Wasn’t what I was expecting.

Matcha does not belong in a tea bag. This is most likely a culinary matcha. I wonder if there’s much in there as I don’t really see it. There’s some dust on the bottom but after touching it I don’t believe it is matcha as the texture is too tough. Either that or this is a very poorly ground matcha. And the coloring is fiercely terrible. The liquor color is more akin to black tea. When it first hits your palate it’s not too bad. Grassy notes and wet leaves and some slight vegetal notes. But it changes so quickly. The astringency kicks in like a bucking bronco and before you know it your face first in the wall with a leftover palate of bitterness. The wet leaf has stems and leaves and some of them are so very tiny…

TTB tea! For an herbal chai, this really isn’t bad! It’s a bit too mildly spiced for me to think of it as a chai, but the flavors were pretty tasty with some soy milk.

I have a lot of GI issues related to my chronic migraine condition, so having a ginger tea around is a must. Grabbed this blend from my local grocery and actually preferred it to the brand I’d been buying, Twinings of London’s Lemon Ginger. The lemon flavor doesn’t taste as artificial/cleaner-esque in this tea compared to the Twinings, and while I know most people abhor licorice root, I’m not one of them, and I like the inclusion here because it takes a little bit of edge off ginger spiciness while still allowing a nice amount of healing ginger. Sadly it has been perpetually sold out on every subsequent trip I’ve made to the store, so I had to restock the Twinings that I don’t like as much. This was definitely my first choice, though.

I’m not sure why this is called matcha when it’s really a combination of other green teas. It does taste pretty decent and almost fruity.

I saved this one for after the kids were in bed, when I was supposed to be grading papers but really was online playing games. My phone note just reads “just chamomile and a ton of licorice root – ew.” And I didn’t finish it before bed, so there it is.

sipsby bagged advent, day 7

Right up my alley.

Sipdown! (13 | 360)

I’m not sure when or why I bought this one, but it was a terrible idea. I don’t generally like honey-flavored teas (even though I like honey) and this also has licorice root…

Given all of that though, it’s not bad. I sipped through the whole box without complaining, if that tells you anything. Mostly it tastes like chamomile with some extra sweetness. I do get a touch of that licorice note in the background, and the accompanying sweetness at the end of the sip, but it’s pretty minimal. The honey is quite mild as well, and it’s contributing more of a light clover-y floral note than anything?

So overall, mostly chamomile with a touch of licorice root. Not something I would buy again, but it was fine to sip on as my last tea of the evening each day.

Strange VariaTEA TTB: Tea 24

The box returned and it’s huge. I really wanted to have something from it but it’s late and I’m super tired after leaving the house before 6 am. Plus, I developed a subtle cough at work and now my throat is feeling slightly off which could just be because I’m tired. That said, when my throat feels like this, I don’t necessarily pick up on more nuanced flavours so this tea seemed like the right call. Mint tea. Warm and soothing and I know what to expect. It’s not overwhelming mint, but it’s clearly mint and it’s helping my throat.

a pleasantly soft and floral tea, don’t have a lot to say about it, was a nice sample, won’t seek it out

The berry flavor is pretty pleasant. Unfortunately, I don’t know that I’m as big a fan of the echinacea and other herbs in here. They make it a little too savory and herbal. I’ll always try a new Pukka flavor in a TTB though!

I taste licorice and some mild fruitiness, but it’s not super deep or delicious. It’s really just thin and a little too herbal/savory for me. The fruit isn’t very authentic. I’m glad I only grabbed a single bag from a TTB!

The lemon and honey combine to make a nice gentle tea. It’s not sour at all, and I also don’t taste any ginger. There’s some sweetness from the licorice. It all combines in a really soft, pleasant way. I’m drinking this cold, and I really wouldn’t mind some more if I come across this one again. The reviews for this one are brutal and in my opinion undeserved.