75
drank Yosemite by Simpson & Vail
4367 tasting notes

I’d only tried one of these National Park Collection teas, and really enjoyed it, so I figured it was time to sample some of the other ones. So I picked this one out at random to try. Pineapple and spearmint sounds good!

It’s tasty, but I would like more pineapple! The pineapple here is very soft and is more of an accent to the spearmint flavor. I do like the spearmint, and it’s not too strong. Sometimes spearmint can taste like chewing gum, but it’s just soft and refreshing here. The base tea is a little musty with some hay notes, which actually goes rather well with the herbaceous spearmint.

This probably isn’t one that I would reorder, just because there’s not quite enough pineapple here for me. But I’ll happily finish off the rest of the sample pouch! :)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMaIRQiAgWO/

Flavors: Hay, Herbaceous, Mint, Musty, Pineapple, Smooth, Spearmint, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Show 5 previous comments...
Jen vB 4 years ago

Ohhhh you had me at National Park… and now I’ve placed an order. I’m such a sucker for packaging

Cameron B. 4 years ago

These have the prettiest labels ever!

Mastress Alita 4 years ago

Wait, did they start making these in sampler sizes?

Cameron B. 4 years ago

I think you can only get the smaller size if you buy the whole gift set of 8 teas…

Mastress Alita 4 years ago

Ah. My problem with the gift sets is that, at least with the author’s collection, many of the blends are “missing” from the set and they don’t offer small sizes separately, not even for the missing ones. :-(

Cameron B. 4 years ago

In this case, there are only 8 teas so it is all of them, but you’re right that that’s not the case for some of the other ones.

Martin Bednář 4 years ago

I would place the order for their national park series, if only the shipping… I am afraid it being approximately same price as for the tea! Their labels rocks!

Too bad they offer mostly 4 oz of each (if not gift set)… that’s a bit too much for trying out.

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Comments

Jen vB 4 years ago

Ohhhh you had me at National Park… and now I’ve placed an order. I’m such a sucker for packaging

Cameron B. 4 years ago

These have the prettiest labels ever!

Mastress Alita 4 years ago

Wait, did they start making these in sampler sizes?

Cameron B. 4 years ago

I think you can only get the smaller size if you buy the whole gift set of 8 teas…

Mastress Alita 4 years ago

Ah. My problem with the gift sets is that, at least with the author’s collection, many of the blends are “missing” from the set and they don’t offer small sizes separately, not even for the missing ones. :-(

Cameron B. 4 years ago

In this case, there are only 8 teas so it is all of them, but you’re right that that’s not the case for some of the other ones.

Martin Bednář 4 years ago

I would place the order for their national park series, if only the shipping… I am afraid it being approximately same price as for the tea! Their labels rocks!

Too bad they offer mostly 4 oz of each (if not gift set)… that’s a bit too much for trying out.

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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! ~
- June sipdowns: 1
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 94

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...

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