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Today’s sipdown is an easy one since things are still a bit chaotic around here but I don’t want to lose my sipdown streak. I drank a very old teabag of Wissotzky’s Amaretto Dream. I’m not sure they even make it anymore – a quick search for info to add it to the database didn’t yield results and I did not have it in me to dig further. I’ve never had amaretto but I like this herbal blend. Dominant flavors at this point are apple sweetness and a touch of hibiscus tartness, along with a touch of apricot. I don’t remember anymore what it tasted like when it was new, but I’m glad this last cup is still enjoyable!

Yesterday’s sipdown, sample courtesy of Cameron B. I made this according to brewing guidelines (205f, 6oz, 2 min), but somehow both steeps had an unpleasant bitterness to them. I don’t think it’s supposed to be bitter so I assume that I screwed this up somehow. Alas.

Didn’t get much sleep after spending the night in the hospital because my SO has a kidney stone, so I just reached for something caffeinated that wouldn’t hurt my stomach.
I learned a while ago that the trick to enjoying DavidsTea’s flavored matchas is to set expectations. I initially expected them to be just flavored matcha with no additives, so the sugar would really throw me off. But once I started approaching them expecting something more like a chain-coffee-shop matcha latte drink, I found them much more enjoyable. With that in mind, this did the trick. It’s sweet, it tastes like honey with some lightly grassy matcha undertones, and I found that it was most enjoyable as a latte rather than with just water.

tbh I don’t have much in the way of a substantive review of this sipdown of a sample that came my way courtesy of Cameron B.. I had enough for two cups. I remember enjoying the first and thinking that the roastiness of the hojicha combined well with the nuttiness of the rice. But then we spent the night in the hospital because it turns out my SO has a kidney stone and everything is kind of a blur. I made the second cup when we got home so I could finish it off but I wasn’t really in any kind of shape to be thoughtful about it – I just wanted the sipdown, something that wouldn’t keep me awake, and something that I knew I would enjoy.

Continuing my September sipdown efforts by finishing off this one. It’s…ok. I don’t mind it, but don’t love it either. I steeped it for exactly two minutes at 180f to avoid oversteeping per directions, so it’s not a matter of bad preparation. I haven’t had this all that long either, so it’s not a matter of the tea being too old. I’m just not all that impressed with the quality of the base tea or the flavoring. The base tea is fine, it’s a basic pan-fired green tea that’s slightly on the dry side. The flavoring is sort of generically “sweet tropical fruit” but isn’t really distinctly mango. It’s missing a certain fresh brightness that’s promised in the name and description but not quite delivered in the final product.

ETA: Bonus, this counts as a tropical tea for Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge this month!

Sipdown September is off to a strong (albeit easy) start with a sipdown of this tea. We had to get this when we both had a bad case of covid, were too weak to make anything else, but really needed tea to help with the coughing and sore throat. We plowed through whatever bagged ginger tea we had on hand very quickly, so we added this to a grocery order to replenish. I held on to a handful of bags after we got better because it’s convenient for sick days, but at this point there’s only one left and I’m trying to make a dent in my stash so it was time to say goodbye.
I actually chose this tonight because a) I was craving something lemony and b) I’ve got a migraine, which the ginger helps with. So this was a perfect send-off for this tea, whose purpose in this household has largely been dedicated to health and recovery. That said, I really like the flavor too! It’s very heavy on the lemon, a bit sweet, and not especially tart. At first I thought the sweetness came from hibiscus, but there isn’t any in this blend – I’m probably tasting the licorice root. The ginger is gentle, mostly at the end of the sip, and lingers long after. I would enjoy this as a refreshing blend even if I didn’t need a get-well boost.

Decided to break this open for some leisurely weekend sipping. I knew this was expensive when I bought it, but I didn’t realize that one packet only makes three pots (each resteepable). From aroma to mouthfeel to flavor, though, I can see why. The moment I opened it, the most wonderfully intense grassy smell wafted out of the bag. It brews up a deceptively light color, but I got three steeps out of the same leaves in a kyusu and each time the flavor was so robustly grassy and umami that I actually had to go get a piece of cheese to pair it with to help balance it out. I went with a slice of gouda, in case you’re wondering. The mouthfeel was so thick, it was incredible. Between that and the intense umami, it was downright brothy.

I made a salad with the spent leaves. I only had plain sesame oil, not toasted, and didn’t have any sesame seeds to garnish with, but it still came out really tasty! I found it most enjoyable mixed in with the rice, so that the dressing and leaves were well-distributed within the rice. The leaves still had a fair amount of savoriness in them, and the texture was like tiny pieces of cooked spinach, so I’d call this recipe one of the few times I somehow didn’t screw up cooking!

https://www.saveur.com/japanese-green-tea-leaf-salad-recipe/

I love Taiwanese teas, and Ruby teas, so I was excited to find this Taiwanese Ruby White in the TTB. I’ve never had a Ruby White before! I’m a little worn out today, so I made this Western-style to minimize trips back and forth to the kettle. Made exactly per instructions, it brewed up pretty pale but flavorful. The first steep had notes of honey, vanilla, and florals, plus that almost savory, light bready note that white tea can have sometimes. Steeps 2 and 3 had more of that not-quite-bready note, stronger vanilla, and some mild astringency. I paired those steeps with a Te Company butter cookie topped with rose jelly, and it was a perfect match, with the snack mirroring and highlighting those same notes in the tea.

I needed something unassuming yet enjoyable on Friday while working and doing chores, so I grabbed this out of the TTB (which I’m wrapping up with and sending on its way soon, thank you all for your patience!). It did the trick. It’s not the absolute best jasmine green I’ve ever had, but it’s a solid entrant in the category. The jasmine flavor is present but not overpowering, floral but not chemical or artificial-tasting, and generally exactly what you’d want from a jasmine green. I’d consider this a reliable daily drinker if you enjoy jasmine/florals.

I didn’t remember that I had tried this before until I came here to enter this note, and funnily enough I said something pretty similar 9 years ago – neither the best nor the worst jasmine green I’d had then, and I think that assessment still holds true.

Such a treat out of the TTB! Easily one of my favorites. It’s like a forest cookie, but… not gross like that sounds. It’s got a spicy, cookie vibe that evokes fall, walks through the trees, and the changing colors of the leaves. So more “cookie one might eat before/after/while spending time in the woods in the fall” than “cookie made out of forest materials.” If this was an actual cookie, I can totally picture pairing it with a mug of hot apple cider.