2291 Tasting Notes
SSTTB #5.
Oh, this is good. This tastes like really good quality vanilla extract smells. Almost. A bit less vanilla-y, though, and a bit more oak-barrel-y. :) A really nice black base that takes cream well (I picked up some organic cream because it doesn’t have thickeners in it, and it’s SO MUCH NICER in tea! I didn’t think cream could get nicer, but it did.). Doesn’t need sweetening, although I bet it would take sweetener well too.
Tempting to keep this one, or some of it at least…
(PS. The toads are squacking. I REALLY hope this doesn’t mean that they’re gonna start breeding. I do not want babies. Nope. Not at all.)
Flavors: Oak, Vanilla
Preparation
SSTTB #4. (Just watch and laugh, Sil. Watch and laugh.)
This one smells divine. Lemony candy with a hint of cinnamon. Sadly, it doesn’t taste that way at all. It’s really drying and unpleasant, and the lemon turns into a mere wisp of taste although I can still smell it in the hot tea. I even added some sugar to help smooth everything out, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to hit a sweet spot.
This smells like it would make such a good iced tea, but doesn’t come through flavour wise. :(
Flavors: Astringent, Drying, Lemon
Preparation
SSTTB #3.
This is the last bag, so I thought I would save it from loneliness.
Dry it smells really weak. Steeped it smells and tastes really weak. But I think that fresh, this might be pretty good. I have the faintest raspberry-lemon-orange taste coming through. The base is pretty mild, not overly bitter or astringent. It’s just too bad it’s so weak tasting.
Flavors: Bergamot, Raspberry
Preparation
SSTTB #2.
Dry, this smells SO GOOD. And also comes in the CUTEST tin. http://instagram.com/p/qNXgDdR5FA/
Unfortunately, steeping it at 85C as recommended has resulted in a bitter mess. There are some neat flavours there, floral and herbaceous/spicy. Maybe it would be better as a mini cold brew? I’ll have to try. (Maybe. If my bladder can handle it.)
Flavors: Floral, Spicy, Wood
Preparation
There are SO MANY TEAS in this one. O.o I’m not sure how long I have it for, as I’m not entirely sure where I’m sending it next. :) Hopefully long enough to make a good dent, and also rummage through my cupboard for a bunch of additions.
Yeah, it sounds so exciting! Plus I’m getting to the point where I have a few teas that I don’t love and that other people might enjoy. :)
SSTTB #1.
I am so overwhelmed, tea friends. There are SO MANY teas in here and I want to try almost all of them. I have all the 8 oz mason jars out, and all my strainers are clean. :)
So this one. You know, except for the base, this is pretty good! Definitely butterscotch, although the banana is hard for me to find.
Not a tea I ever would have asked to try, but it was at the bottom of the box (which of course I opened) and I saw it first, so… yeah. It’s interesting. I think I’m done with these blends though, as the base tea just isn’t a favourite.
Thank you, whomever put it in there! And thanks, Roswell Strange, for sending the box on to me.
Flavors: Butterscotch, Fruity
Preparation
Yum. Fruity plummy tea. Another that I’m trying to finish.
I think my favourite H&S teas are the soba cha (yay buckwheat!) and Paris. So while it’d be pretty silly to order just for that, if anyone is interested in sharing an order I might be up for that.
Preparation
First tea of the day. So amazing. I really need to get some more. (1 tsp in 12 oz, over ice to make 1 L. Steeped twice. So delish.)
So yeah. Today was interesting. Slept 4 hours last night because I was warm and uncomfortable. Went to work. None of my stuff came in because Friday was a US holiday, so you can imagine how much actual work got done. I tried. I organized and prepped and etc. But there’s nothing to report.
And then a friend called and asked if I would mind fostering some toads. Yeah. So after a huge mess of tanks breaking and having to go buy crickets (because I cannot with the meal worms UGH) and dropping all the rocks and everything… I am now the proud foster parent of 4 fire-bellied toads. Yep.
That took forever. But now I’m home, sipping on this iced, thinking of a shower before bed, just to cool down and get comfy.
Bonus is my cat really likes Toad TV.
Flavors: Floral, Green, Melon
Preparation
HOLY MACKEREL.
This is CHOCOLAAAAATTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously in your FACE chocolate. Ahem.
It is ground cocoa beans, so I’d expect that. However, I hadn’t actually made this as recommended. 4 tbsp (yes, 1/4 CUP of the grounds) of this, 12 oz water. Steeped 12 minutes.
WOW.
Just. Wow.
I don’t think you NEED to do this to get the chocolate delicious flavours, but it certainly is fun. It’s super bitter because duh, it’s cocoa beans, so I added 1 tsp honey. It’s also a bit of an oil slick because duh, it’s cocoa beans with all the cocoa butter still inside, so I added some cream to make it luxe instead of icky.
Yes. Thank you. I will be making this with coffee in the morning.
Flavors: Chocolate, Dark Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate
Preparation
I think I might be in a chocolate coma now. Chocolate… http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/15092/847047-drooling_homer_mzy5cnunepk4_1_.gif
Iced with sweetened condensed milk. Again. :)
I decided to have this tea after helping my BFF with her snakes and then going dress shopping with her. I’m been chugging Cranberry Orange Chili Pepper by Bayswater since I got home, but I needed something a little different. :) There’s so little black tea in here I’m considering it decaf. :D
So it’s good. I still like it. I’ll tear through my 100g pretty quick, but I don’t think I’ll get more once I’m done. Teas I have iced are usually only consumed in the evening, so Butiki’s honeybush root beer will do me fine. I like that one hot as well, while this one hot is just. No.
(Diluted to 16oz with ice.)
Flavors: Cinnamon, Fennel, Root Beer
Preparation
Florence, you are almost gone. I’m sort of sad about this, but not completely sad. I probably won’t buy more of you for a long time.
I’m starting to be “over” the chocolate flavouring that H&S uses. So while the tea is good, it’s not quite right. It’d be better if I added some cacao shells or something to up the chocolateyness.
Still, it’s pretty good. Thank you for sharing with me, CrowKettle. I do appreciate it. :)
Flavors: Chocolate, Nutty
Wishlisted! And the toads are clearly telling you that they want tea, too!
It’s interesting that I would normally call this a winter tea, but it was so good even though it’s way too warm outside.
I love all things vanilla, and I’m always drawn in by the bourbon/Madagascar/Tahitian descriptor. Such a sucker! :P
Well, this is a nice vanilla-oak tea. :)
Are those your own toads…or the outdoor ones in the wild?
haha, I just saw your note below…foster-parenting toads. :)
Yeah. Fostering them because they weren’t getting cleaned and fed. Idk. I have to buy fresh food for them weekly, which. :/
Yeah…I similarly took in a lizard many years ago…the feeding part was not great at all! Eventually I gave it to a local pet shop though.
This is easy: dump crickets in tank. Close tank. Wait. :) I don’t mind crickets, but I can’t stand wormy things.