Simpson & Vail

Hmm… I don’t really know how much I really like this one considering I am a bit congested. However, I agree… the only note I am getting is clove. I don’t hate it but it was a little disappointing as I love baklava.

I’ve been loving this blend iced this summer! I have a small tin at work that I drink when I’m here :)

I don’t know how I forgot to add this to my cupboard but oh well! This blend is special to me because the scent reminds me of my Grandfather (he is still with us, it’s not morbid but just nostalgic!). That being said, I have to agree with a lot of the other notes…

This blend is more of a Russian Earl Grey rather than a Russian Caravan. Luckily, I like both. I tend to enjoy smokier teas though I don’t own many at the moment. This blend is a bit bolder than a traditional Earl Grey but I wouldn’t say that it is that smoky. Faintly, yes but it is rather nice.

I still can’t get over the fact that I have never spoken about this tea before! I love this blend and I think that I have been drinking it for around three years now. Yes, because my original start on Instagram and my old blog was back in 2019 and I think I found S&V in January of 2020 so… yeah. Pretty cool. I love it iced, cold brewed, as a latte, or hot with a touch of honey!

Sipdown! (7 | 204)

This one just seemed bland to me, no matter how I prepared it. Very thin and weak-tasting with a bit of apple and clove and a bit of tartness.

Tried the last of it cold-brewed, and I think it’s maybe a bit better, but still quite bland. It’s like a watered-down version of those hibiscusy mulled cider herbal tisanes that you often see around the holidays (from B&B, for example).

Meh!

Sipdown! (33 | 348)

Really enjoyed this one, and it really does taste just like root beer. The woody rooibos base is a perfect choice since root beer has a bit of a woody/earthy note to it as well. It’s a bit naturally sweet, and even tastes a tad effervescent.

Also, it was really good as an iced latte! Very root beer float-y. I’m not sure I’ll reorder this one though, just because it’s quite a niche flavor for me and I don’t see myself reaching for it often. Definitely recommended for root beer and soda lovers though!

Cold steeped this one in oat milk overnight, and then added some vanilla syrup.

I don’t generally love rooibos as a latte, but this is delicious. Spot-on for a root beer float, and the extra creamy oatmilk gives it a thicker, more decadent texture. Yum!

Random tea of the day!

Ordered this one because it just sounded so interesting, and I love root beer.

The flavoring is actually spot-on. It’s sweet and spicy and even has a bit of effervescence to it. The rooibos base makes a lot of sense to me, since root beer has a somewhat earthy flavor to it.

Now I’m going to have to try this iced/cold-brewed, and also as a latte… Although I’m not generally a big fan of rooibos with milk, so we’ll see how the “float” treatment goes ha ha.

I love this tea, this was the perfect wake-up call for a big, busy day ahead.

YUM YUM YUM Only second to Gingerbread Festival by Harney teas… missing the molasses flavor but overall really nice!

Hmmm… this one is rather strange, I’d have to agree with Cameron B, its rather generic and it tastes like… I’d hate to say it but Lipton tea bags? There’s a slight marshmallow note but… eh?

I have to agree with everyone, at first I tried it as an iced latte and adored it, it was pumpkin spice-ish with the burnt sugar element. However, hot it was rather underwhelming. I think the milk and touch of honey certainly brought out the pumpkin flavor.

Hot- 65
Iced/iced latte/latte- 89

Sipdown! (57 | 309)

Finishing off this tea, so I figured I would do a long overdue side-by-side comparison with Apple Cinnamon French Toast. Because, you know, for science! So here we go.

Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake – To me, this one has a much more buttery cake sort of flavor to it, which makes sense given the inspiration. There’s also a strong nutty flavor, reminiscent of walnuts or pecans (though the earthy base makes it veer more walnut to me). I honestly don’t get much of the apple, and the cinnamon is quite light. It does bring to mind a buttery coffeecake with a cinnamon crumb topping, though definitely with some walnuts mixed in as well. “Cinnamon Walnut Coffeecake” would perhaps be more accurate for me.

Apple Cinnamon French Toast – This tea doesn’t taste buttery to me, it’s more on the sweet side, with a noticeable maple-y flavor. I do find a bit more of the apple here, along with a similarly mellow cinnamon note. It doesn’t specifically remind me of French toast, since it lacks that eggy custardy quality. To me, it’s more of an apple-cinnamon-meets-maple-brown-sugar oatmeal tea. Or perhaps even “Maple Apple Crumble”?

Both are tasty. I personally prefer the Apple Cinnamon French Toast, and I think it’s because I don’t find myself loving more heavily desserty teas these days, and the buttery taste of the Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake puts it in that category for me. Would definitely recommend both for dessert tea lovers though! :)

Still have a bunch of S&V teas to get through from my last order. That was in September of last year and there are still several I haven’t tried… Tea hoarder life, amirite? ^^’

So I ordered this one because I was curious how it compares to Apple Cinnamon French Toast (a favorite). That one already kind of tastes like coffee cake IMO, and I find it a bit weird that they have two teas that are so similar. So, you know, for science!

It’s definitely similar, but I feel like maybe the apple is more subtle here? I mostly taste coffee cake, with plenty of cinnamon obviously. It definitely has that buttery quality that reminds me of the crumb topping on a coffee cake. Base tea is a bit musty, which I remember also being a thing in the other tea. A shame that S&V’s black base is so weak, when their flavorings are so good.

I might have to try this and Apple Cinnamon French Toast side-by-side to compare them… :P

In my insomnia induced manic cleaning fit tonight/this morning I’ve been speed drinking my flat teas from my cupboard because if I’m going to recommend them in a series this fall over on instagram, why not try and rate them first lol. Just an excuse to binge new teas before storing them away for a few months.

On to the tea:

This is one of the best rooibos and best blueberry blends that I have ever had. It is definitely blueberry forward with a touch of cakey-ness that is delightful for a night time cuppa. Its got a touch of cinnamon but it’s definitely not spiced or cinnamon forward. It tastes just like blueberry crumble with the yummy brown sugar cinnamon crumb. A definite new favorite!

I agree with what other tea friends are saying about the Terry’s chocolate orange, however I think that the rooibos is more of a Marshmallow like flavor in the mix rather than savory. It’s definitely a darker chocolate flavor but it is rather nice. I know that chocolate flavorings are quite polarizing but this was is worth the try. The orange is on the weaker side but the rooibos makes it like an orange Creamsicle Chocolate orange. It’s a nice blend.

I fell in love with blend last August when CameronB and I did a swap right around the first week of the fall semester. I vividly remember it because I was only a few days in and already swamped with assignments.

As for the tea… it’s just a warm cuppa cozy comfort. I always recommend Simpson and Vail to my friends that are newer to tea because they have so many flavors and types on a college student-friendly budget/price. There’s really a blend for everyone and it’s always so lovely to try something new. I’ve been going there for years and there’s still a ton of blends I haven’t tried yet.

I prefer this blend hot, black, with a touch of honey (usually without it though) just to bring out the maple/french toast flavor a bit more. It’s just so comforting and cozy, it tastes like maple apple crisp to since the apple is the primary flavor. I love it, it’s a stash essential. I’m glad I stocked up on it for the upcoming fall.

Extra info****

My cupboard does not reflect my current sip-down basket. I’m so close to finishing everything that I want to get rid of this summer already. Everything in my cupboard is what I have been gathering (hoarding) for fall. As I go through the summer, there’s a few more teas and essentials I want to grab and all hell will break loose on August 28th (first day of the semester) when I officially break into my fall stash/the currently updated cupboard.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – May 2023 Tea #9 -A tea with a three word name

OKAY.. this tea definitely disappeared from Steepster. Searched Steepster, then my Steepster cupboard in case someone changed the name. Nowhere. Then went to S&V’s site to see if my review was there. Yes, yes it is. And I would not have written an S&V review without first adding it to steepster. So I readded this tea to the database! I don’t like that entire teas are disappearing! Anyway… Threw this in a mug for a prompt/May sipdown.  I like it, but I would like it more without the added sugar.
2023 sipdowns: 50

TeaTiff Traveling Tea Box | No. 6

Almond Sugar Cookie reminds me so much of Harney & Sons’ Vanilla Comoro. I love that tea. So needless to say, I am really enjoying this one as well. I don’t necessarily smell almond, but the aroma is very nutty. The cookie comes through more in the taste. It doesn’t top Vanilla Comoro for me, but I think they are different enough that I could see having them both on hand.

The Steepster TTB arrived yesterday and is a behemoth of a box! My partner was like, “What the heck is this?!” I have a mercifully light week, schoolwork-wise, so I spent yesterday evening watching Netflix and going through the box, pulling out things to sample.

This was my breakfast tea, and it smelled amazing! Apples, cinnamon, maple… what’s not to love? I did think the flavor fell a little short, though — it was a bit thin, without a ton of body, and all those lovely scents didn’t translate to the flavor. I wanted more of everything in my sip. Maybe over-leafing it would help?

Very tasty, like hot chocolate only less sweet which I actually prefer. I know lots of tea-lovers like to add milk to blends like these but I went without and, honestly, I think it tasted great. If you like 90% dark chocolate, then you’ll probably like this tea.

This one is for all your floral black tea lovers out there, because this lilac is BOLD. It’s not a shy afterthought- it’s front and centre. Nice quality, unassuming black tea blend (which is on the astringent side) takes a backseat here. It’s just a vehicle to deliver a floral punch, both to your tastebuds and nose. To me, it’s very spring-like and delightful but I do love flowery tea.

I will say it is not at all “soapy” as some floral blends can be. I have never personally chomped a lilac bush but I’d imagine this comes close. I let my cup cool down and while it wasn’t bad, I’d say this is much better drunk hot. It is much smoother and harmonious that way.