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Backlog and Sip Down

I had this as an evening tea a few weeks ago. I’ve been backlogged on tea logs for a few weeks due to the shift change and various other life events. I barely remember this one, so thankfully I made notes.

Notes: Unsweetened chocolate, cocoa dust, & sunflower seeds.

Backlog and Sip Down

This was a regular nightcap while I was adjusting to the new shift. I wanted to stay up later in the evening despite moving to an earlier start time. I picked this up since Terry (OTC owner) recommended it a long while ago. It did the job allowing me to get into a deep slumber.

Tasting notes: Chamomile-esq, bay leaves, basil, and thyme.

Backlog and Sip Down

I brewed this earlier last week during the workday. I noted, “A nice malty and bold black tea with a lot of energy attached similar to Assam blends. Great for the morning and/or for a final push through the workday!”

68/100 – A good tea when you’re in the mood for it, but not enough to be listed as a daily drinker or often enough to buy in bulk.

A friend gave me two teabags of this blend. I didn’t realize that Meijer carried their own tea blends. I wanted to check their tea selections out while I was there on Sunday during grocery shopping, but the tea wasn’t so amazing that I felt the drive to look…or I forgot…likely both. Lol. Anyway, this wasn’t good whatsoever. Not only was the “sugar cookie” missing, but the tea tasted like stale anise. I didn’t have the heart to let my friend know, however, I’m grateful that they thought of me, nonetheless.

Sip Down

I had a belated birthday celebration on Saturday with friends. We had them over for a board game night and tea. I had enough of this to make a batch of lightly sweetened tea for our friends. I would typically drink this one without sweetener since I find that the vanilla flavoring cuts the tartness from the hibiscus, however, adding a touch of honey made the world of difference! There was a bit more creamsicle than previous experiences. I guess I’ve learned that to make this blend work, the sweetener is necessary.

Sample

I’ll note that I’m not too impressed with Darjeeling too often due to poor experiences in the past. However, Seven Essence has changed my mind completely. I sipped on this yesterday in the mid-afternoon. The tea lasted 4-5 infusions + Western brewed for 20 minutes after the gongfu session was finished. I thought that this tea was extremely complex and layered, beyond any Darjeeling tasted in the past! There were strong florals on the nose (lilacs & lavender) and a little touch of vanilla in the flavor. While these flavors remained throughout the session, I felt that it gave more uniqueness to the tea than previous experiences. The Western brewed method was muddled and not as fully flavored, but there was a slight taste of the florals in the mug.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-RHV1Zuz8k/?img_index=1

Sip Down

It took me too long to sip this tea down. I had purchased it at a local shop roughly a year ago and tried it several times since grabbing 2oz. I disregarded it since I had noted that it was underwhelming. Jump to this morning and I had decided to make one last cup on the account there was hardly any leftover. Again, it wasn’t anything special. I tasted the maltiness of the black tea and the nuttiness (?) from the red rooibos, but the caramel and butterscotch weren’t present. Purely meh.

Sip Down

I topped this off as an iced tea for the start of today’s work shift. The strawberry flavoring is adding this artificial and oddly strange aftertaste. I don’t mind if a company adds “natural” or “flavoring” to their blends, but the strawberry is too fake; otherwise, I don’t think the blend would be bad at all.

I almost made a coffee early this morning, but went to my sip down pile, instead. This was sitting on the top and it was leftovers from Advent season. I over brewed this with the intention of it having some age and likely losing strength. The aroma had some mild marshmallow and chocolate notes. The tea itself was like a watered-down hot cocoa. I understand that the sample is older, so I shall forgo a rating.

This will be the last mug for the evening. I’ve had an incredibly busy shift and should’ve had the day off, but that’s past now. I haven’t been sleeping as well as I’d like due to changes in my work schedule and upcoming changes within the homestead. I feel like I’ve been scrambling around at home and at work (at least the home scrambling is ideal; work is work).

Anyway, I noticed that this had stevia on the list of ingredients, which threw me off a little. Stevia is hit or miss, especially if the other components of a blend are lacking and/or there’s too much stevia. The peppermint hit my nose with such intensity that I nearly sneezed myself silly. My nose was running, and my eyes were watering a bit. That’s when I knew I was in for a treat. I love a peppermint tea that delivers the menthol.

Initially, I hadn’t enjoyed the mug. There was TOO much stevia in the cup…however, as I kept reading Steepster reviews and adding tidbits of my own here and there, I began to feel the presence of the tea. I’d’ve sworn there were bits of eucalyptus in this blend! The inside of my throat and chest were warming and cooling at the same time (like having Vick’s vapor rub on your chest/throat, but on the inside instead of out). I find that this blend will be swell in the Winter! The “Christmas in July” sale has a few more days to go, if I don’t get to take advantage of the sale before the end of the month, I’ll make sure to have more of this around during the holidays! It could be a household favorite or at least a favorite for board game nights. Or both. : )