5851 Tasting Notes
Sipdown (243)
O is for…Orange Cookie
Between this and Orange Dreamsicle, I think I finished both “O” teas I own. The other “O” teas are because the company put “Organic” first as part of the title but that feels like it counts less.
Anyways, I used the whole sample of this tea to make a large hot cup of tea. I noticed a lot of almond and peppercorn in the rooibos when I poured this out. Honestly, I get a touch of both those flavors and maybe the slightest bit of citrus. It is cookie-ish but I wouldn’t have called this an Orange Cookie. That said, it does have a Christmas tea sort of vibe to it – that classic orange/spice profile so maybe it is Orange Cookie. I don’t know. It’s better than expected but likely not a restock for me.
Cold Brew Sipdown (244)
O is for…Orange Dreamsicle
I’ve had this cold brewed a couple times now. Mostly I gulped down the glass and never paid much attention because I only intended to write this note when I finished it. That implies I really enjoyed it but honestly I think I’ve just been plowing through it because it was caffeine free, cold brewed well, and I wanted to finish it.
Paying attention now I’m conflicted because it starts super orange forward and ends on a pretty accurate creamsicle/creamy vanilla+orange note. That sounds delightful expect the rooibos is so medicinal throughout that it almost seems like someone coated my creamsicle in EmergenC or some other orange medicine. So it had potential but lost me a bit.
N is for…Noel a Venise
This came via Roswell Strange and I need to be honest because she loves it but I have had this multiple times and it always seemed to miss the mark for me. Until today…
Today I took a sip and I guess it was at the perfect temperature for this tea because it was a perfect cookie flavor with a lemon rose glaze. It was so sweet and decadent while still being light and just perfect. Think a cute little petit four. That’s what I got and then it cooled and that flavor dissipated a bit and now the base tea is peeking through and taking away from what this was.
Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing! It’s amazing how finicky some teas can be but at that perfect temperature, this is amazing!
Cold Brew Sipdown (245)
N is for…Nutcracker…again
I figured I didn’t much care for this flavor profile and I have basically the exact same tea by My Tea Box so I could either save one serving or just finish it off. The latter was more appealing.
As a cold brew, its basically the same as the hot tea, though perhaps slightly fruitier. It’s fine.
Sipdown (246)
N is for…No Obligations
Decaf teas almost always have a weirdness to them. This has that weirdness. It’s like the metallic briskness at the end of the sip that mediocre black teas get. Other than that, this has some vanilla but if I want a good decaf vanilla, I’m going with Harney’s Vanilla Comoro.
Sipdown (247)
N is for…Ning’er “Golden Honey Aroma” Yunnan Black Tea
Thank you Sil for this sample. Last time I had this, I remember being surprised it did not have as much honey as expected given the name. Today I am in the same boat. It is more savory (for lack of a better term b/c that isn’t quite right – smoked w/o being overly smokey? I don’t know) than you would anticipate a tea called honey to be. That isn’t bad, just different. That said, its not exactly savory – more bready…maybe like slightly charred crust and malt.
N is for…Nutcracker
This tastes just like Marzipan Yum from yesterday. Makes sense since the ingredients are basically the same except this has some fun snowflake sprinkles and metal balls.
These marzipan rooibos blends have been better than expected. I think because the marzipan flavor is subtle and fruity and overall its just a soft sweet tea. It’s nothing particularly interesting but I am not looking to give them away either. Also, the last of this sample was used for a cold brew that I will have later.
