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Sipdown! (31 | 128)

Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge (August) – “A tea that reminds you of a family member”

I chose this tea because the cute pumpkin sprinkles remind me of my sister, who loves fall and especially Halloween, her favorite holiday. :)

This is quite a yummy pumpkin spice tisane. I admit, I’m not a pumpkin spice lover, I find they are generally just overhyped chai with little or no actual pumpkin flavor. But this one does actually taste somewhat like pumpkin pie, with a nice sweet creaminess to match. There’s a bit of a caramel note to it as well, so maybe pumpkin cheesecake with caramel drizzle. I made that once for Thanksgiving, with a gingersnap crust, and it was scrumptious. Now I’m hungry…

I will say after having a couple of cups that were a bit too heavy on the clove, and made my tongue numb, I started removing most of the cloves before steeping. And that did help make it taste more balanced, but still with a bit of clove in there. I’m not sure whether I’ll reorder this, because I felt like I only got half a dozen servings out the of the whole 50g bag. We’ll see how I feel about it if/when the opportunity to order from B&B arises…

Flavors: Caramel, Cinnamon, Clove, Creamy, Ginger, Pumpkin, Spices, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Skysamurai

Baby spice do do do do do. Baby spice do do do do do. Daddy spice… okay ill stop. XD

Cameron B.

Explain yourself, ha ha ha!

ashmanra

It’s the dreaded dratted Baby Shark song, but with Baby Spice!

Cameron B.

Lol OMG, I didn’t know this existed. Thank you for sharing! XD

This name is pure Spice Girls to me. :P

Skysamurai

×D “If you wanna be my chai spice, you gotta stick with this blend. You can make it last forever, it will never endddd”
Okay that wasn’t my best but now spice girls is stuck in my head _

Cameron B.

I thought you should both know, the baby shark song was in my head all of last night. I was singing it to my dogs like “cutie pug do do do do do do…” XD

ashmanra

If you think Baby Shark gets stuck, try listening to “Owl Pellets”. You can find it on youTube. I have given you a powerful weapon against your enemies. You’re welcome.

Skysamurai

O-o If I go to YouTube how long will it be stuck in my head?

ashmanra

You’ll have to let us know! Heehee!

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Comments

Skysamurai

Baby spice do do do do do. Baby spice do do do do do. Daddy spice… okay ill stop. XD

Cameron B.

Explain yourself, ha ha ha!

ashmanra

It’s the dreaded dratted Baby Shark song, but with Baby Spice!

Cameron B.

Lol OMG, I didn’t know this existed. Thank you for sharing! XD

This name is pure Spice Girls to me. :P

Skysamurai

×D “If you wanna be my chai spice, you gotta stick with this blend. You can make it last forever, it will never endddd”
Okay that wasn’t my best but now spice girls is stuck in my head _

Cameron B.

I thought you should both know, the baby shark song was in my head all of last night. I was singing it to my dogs like “cutie pug do do do do do do…” XD

ashmanra

If you think Baby Shark gets stuck, try listening to “Owl Pellets”. You can find it on youTube. I have given you a powerful weapon against your enemies. You’re welcome.

Skysamurai

O-o If I go to YouTube how long will it be stuck in my head?

ashmanra

You’ll have to let us know! Heehee!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

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. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

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 also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

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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