Silencio

TTB Review #26: Really enjoyed this one! The sweetness of the pineapple and chocolate juxtaposed with the tartness of pepper and spices made this full of complex and rich flavors. Very very enjoyable.

Anyone else have ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’ stuck in their head? Ai, well, anyway this one sounds interesting so here we go. The dry aroma starts off chocolate-like chocolate milk and then switches to Irish Cream and then if you leave your wiffer in there too long you end up with a spicy nose. Also reminds me of chocolate rum balls that my mom makes. The flavor begins with chocolate, mainly. Not very spicy, a hint here and there but you could add some true Masala chai and that would spice it up nicely. To be honest I don’t taste the pineapple unless I really think about it. The Assam makes a nice base. Slightly woody and earthy. It was interesting to try but not one I would buy.

I absolutely love the pineapple flavor that August Uncommon uses in their Big Easy tea, and I taste a similar flavor here. Unfortunately, it’s overshadowed by tons of black pepper flavor. This blend is supposed to be spicy, but the spice element here comes really just from the black pepper. So I wish there could be more pineapple, less black pepper, or maybe just more complexity here. Pineapple plus pepper isn’t great for me. It’s like eating a stir fry with pineapple in it or something. I actually enjoyed the resteep more because the super fruity sweetness had faded and it was just the savory pepper with a more savory cooked pineapple remnant. The second time I had this, I tasted mostly pepper with only a hint of pineapple, which was just too savory for me. This tea is definitely interesting, but it’s not really for me.

2022 Spring Tea Swap – Day 4
From Emilie!

This is so unique! I couldn’t place the aroma at first, but after cheating and looking at the ingredient list I definitely get tropical fruit vibes. I still have a bit more of this one to play around with, but if the rest is as good as this cup then I think I’ll pick some up with my next AU order.

I have an August tasting box and am excited to go through each of the teas. Trying to remember to make notes so I know which ones to repurchase!

Silencio is interesting. The smell is a strong pineapple; I actually noticed the pineapple smell several rooms over in my house while it was steeping! It didn’t give the same pineapple taste, however. The original sip is fairly bitter, but the cacao smooths it out a bit in the aftertaste. I cannot begin to explain why it reminds me of a coffee cocktail – maybe just the combo of bitter and cacao?
The spice is there, but much more subtle than the packaging implies. I notice the pineapple flavor only really as it cools.

Bold, different, and kind of a warm & cozy tea, but ultimately not one I think I’d seek out for repurchase.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Saturday, November 13th: National Hug a Musician Day – Tame Impala

Sipdown! I’m partially giving this tea to Neo-Psychedelia Aussie artist Tame Impala because, flavour-wise, I largely feel like I’m in surfer’s territory with this one, and the “there but not really there” coconut thing that’s going on (also, as mentioned in another note, I’m stuck in 2012 today). However, the name and concept of this tea just as easily make me think of artists I’m less familiar with – like the Red Hot Chili Peppers or an ensemble like the Buena Vista Social Club.

I reaaallly like the aroma of the loose leaf and the steeped mug. Pineapple is apparently an easy win for me and I should bump it up on the priorities list when looking for flavoured blends.

The main flavours I get out of this are fruity pineapple and tobacco flower (a secretly good combo, even with the cocoa). I liked this one much more than August Uncommon’s other tea with tobacco notes. I don’t get too much chili from it except as an element that makes the cocoa pop a bit – kind of a pleasant finish/aftertaste component.

“Apocalypse Dreams” – again, I blame the fruity pineapple, the flowery veneer, the trippy “not-coconut”, and the black pepper that really comes across as more of a texture – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQH2Kq1QXaI

Taken with milk.

I honestly did not expect to like this one. I have a pretty low tolerance for spice, so “spicy” worried me and pineapple, chocolate, and pepper just sounded like an odd combination. But somehow it works! The pineapple comes out strongly in the aroma, but is more muted in the flavor, coming in behind rich dark chocolate, a bit of smoke, and just a hint of peppery warmth. The base tea is strong enough to support all these intense flavors without overpowering them and it actually resteeps surprisingly well for a flavored tea. Since I finally got brave enough to try it, I’ve found myself reaching for this one more often than almost anything else in this sampler pack and definitely plan to order more when I run out!

Homemade Advent day 6

This is such a cool dessert tea. I finished off my sample of it by brewing the remaining 2 tsp of leaf with 450 mL boiling water and then adding a generous portion of soy milk. It was a great combo. The tea is quite strong (bold) and would have bitter tendencies if not for the milk to round it out. What is neat if the thick cocoa and vanilla flavour. I wouldn’t say I can make out pepper, but in the aftertaste is a strong pineapple flavour (similar to dried or candied pineapple). [EDIT: I stand corrected. I let this cool and now I’m getting a lot of spicey pepper in the after taste. Sooooo goood]

When I take a sip, the cup smells like a latte – almost coffee-like and very intense in the chocolate and cream notes. Then, I taste a very thick tea with smooth, thick cream and cocoa and a strong chocolately black tea. The aftertaste is when the pineapple comes out. It isn’t a fruity tea, much more desserty.

I was happy to get another sipdown, however I really wish I had more of this. This is one of the best cups I’ve ever had. It isn’t even smoky (I’m not interested in smoky teas) but it has such a rich flavour.

LPT: Brew this strong and add milk

I really don’t understand…

I get a strong coconut flavor from this. I do taste pepper, and milk chocolate, and maybe a hint of pineapple at the end of the sip. But the strongest note is coconut.

I feel like I’m crazy, because not a single tasting note mentions coconut at all. But I can’t imagine how this would’ve gotten contaminated, it’s in a sealed sample pouch in a drawer with other sealed sample pouches…

Clearly I am losing my mind. And clearly this tea is not for me!

Very glad I have more of this on hand, because I love it. The aroma vs. flavor is so drastically different, and I love the experience of enjoying a mug.