A Quarter to Tea
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I is for… Irish Rock Shandy!
First tasting note on a years-old tea? Ok!
Really had to dig through my stash for “I” teas for today – the only DavidsTea one I had I finished off last month (Irish Breakfast). Definitely a theme with the names here, though!
This was not ever a favourite tea of mine; I didn’t really care for the citrus – it’s just edging toward a cleaner sort of flavour, and there’s also a flavour in this tea that I can’t place but don’t really care for. It’s not a terrible tea, but just not matched to my preferences, which generally don’t include orange-flavoured teas.
2021 Sipdown 44/365!
One-day hiatus from the alphabetical Ode to Tea, mostly because a) I was not prepared enough for it and b) it was a very very busy day, spent mostly at my MIL’s house, and the teas at her house, again, did not begin with the correct letter.
I guess I hadn’t reviewed this before (but do have an unopened or nearly full pouch somewhere else too) – it’s nice enough. Rooibos without some of the less appealing, medicinal qualities; no scratchy throat either. The maple is also pretty good. I drank it alongside another “sweet-flavoured” tea so can’t be sure which was the source of the delicious aroma, but it also could have been both. I’d have this again as a nice caffeine-free treat.
Sipdown 63-2021
A very kind share from Shae that I have been holding onto. This is the type of flavor profile that I really miss from A Quarter to Tea- sticky sweet honeyed fruits. The almond is reading as maraschino cherry to me, which I’m not mad at. Just a touch of apricot. Definitely something I would purchase if I were able. cries in tea
Cold Brew!
Love the combo of pistachio and red fruit, so I was excited to revisit this tea after waaayyyy too long since I last had it. Seriously, why did I sit on this sample so long!? It wasn’t bad, but it does have a more chemical tasting flavouring in it than I had remembered. Very aromatic pistachio that’s sweet and nutty but also a little alcoholic and weirdly floral? I don’t think drinking it cold was the wisest decision.
Worth saying, though, that the tea is like at least four years old at this point. All things considered, it’s aged pretty damn gracefully.
Cold Brew!
So I don’t really feel like this tasted like biscotti to me, nor did the cranberry in it actually particularly stand out – but it was a really nice cup with some truly great focus on the pistachio. The best I can think to describe it is if you took pistachios and made a cream of them and then used that pistachio cream to make a thick fresh “whipped cream”. Very sweet and fatty/buttery tasting pistachio but with an airiness to it that I love and which, I believe, the white tea base helps to support greatly. There’s also a little bit of a boozy quality to the tea, and I’m wondering if maybe it’s just part of the carrier of the flavour as it was very much the kind of alcoholic note that really stands out in things like chocolate flavouring with an alcohol based carrier. Regardless, I thought it only complimented this whipped pistachio taste and all in all it was a refreshing and flavourful nutty profile I liked.
Most of my old AQ2T samples are opened and that’s why so many have lost their flavor. While cleaning out my tea, I found this one that was still sealed. I opened it up and made myself a cup, hoping the flavor had held up better in this one. Luckily it had! After that cup, I made a pot to share with my partner and we both really enjoyed it.
My first cup was very tart raspberry/strawberry heavy without any creamy custardiness. The pot that we shared had more of a strawberry and blueberry flavor, and much more of the vanilla cream-type flavor that I was expecting. We have a few more cups of this one left and I don’t plan on letting it sit around and get old(er)!
2021 Sipdown #8!
This was a tiny sample size from quite a while ago. I was hoping since this one hadn’t been opened, it would still be good. Unfortunately, it looks like that isn’t the case :(
This one smelled nice but overall it just tasted kinda funky and I ended up pouring out the rest of the cup. After looking over the other reviews, I’m not sure if this one was off because it was old or because of the raspberry flavoring. I’m happy to have cleared this one out, but sad I didn’t get to taste it at its best.
I saw this in a friend’s cupboard and asked to swap – glad she had some left! This tea snarls great. I never heard of the jobs if tea it was, so I had to Google it. I didn’t know it was a white tea, so was worried when the color was not that deep. I frothed up some half and half and added a teaspoon of erythritol and made it as a large. I enjoyed it. I’m glad I have more than one cup’s worth! The little snowflake sprinkles were a fun addition.
2021 Sipdown #6
Finished this one off last night with my fiance. Dry, this smelled AMAZING. Tons of pistachio and cream scent. Unfortunately, as with many of my old teas, nearly all of that was gone once steeped. I didn’t get any pistachio. The tea base was weak but still present, and there was probably a tiny bit of creaminess (or just wishful thinking).
I’m really enjoying being a part of this sipdown. I wasn’t as into tea for a while and let a lot of samples go old and didn’t have them properly stored. A lot of the ones that went old were the ones I really liked and that I was worried about not having more of, so I “saved” them. Participating in this sipdown has really taught me about enjoying them when I have them, since so many have gone to waste!
2021 Sipdown #16
I hope to find something similar to this soon! I really enjoyed the lemon flavor in this. I’m not normally a lemon fan but this one was sort of a creamy vanilla lemon with the nice breadiness from the muffin. This last cup still had enough flavor to be a satisfying farewell!
I don’t know how this one has held up as well as it has but I still get some lemony flavor and some breadiness from this! Of course not as much as it originally was but it’s still enjoyable enough to finish off what’s left in the bag with no problem!
Sipdown 4
This was one of those where I was saving the last little bit because I was too sad to see it go! Luckily it still had some flavor left even though it was a little too old. I love coconut black teas and this was no exception!
Instead of being super coconut-y today, it was more of a subtle marshmallow. Still tasty but not at its best. Now I just have to figure out what my next coconut tea should be
I’m honestly not sure I can say I was a fan of this one – I think the cinnamon was a bit overkill. I liked the concept and love the smell of raisins – I thought this might remind me of a Thanksgiving dinner kind of drink. I was excited to receive it in a swap, though – my roommate loved it and she finished the pot.
Holy moly, I had a tablespoon of this left. I had it after supper. I was not wowed. I recall this wasn’t one of my faves from A Quarter 2 Tea. It was heavy on the tannins without any sweetness. I didn’t get any ginger from it either. It is quite old, so not too surprising.
It’s been snowing for around 36 hours so far and is expected to continue to snow through Friday. We’ve gotten 7 inches so far and may have another 10. Trying to be positive. So … Good tea drinking weather!
Had this in the afternoon today. It is quite old, like maybe two years old. I miss A Quarter to Tea.
This one sounded wonderful. Maybe it was the age, but Ididn’t get a lot of flavor out of it. Some gonger and cinnamon, but no bready pancake goodness. That aid, it was a pleasant cup. Not one I would rush out and buy more of (fortunate, then, that Q2T is not selling right now) but I’ll enjoy the remaining 20 ounces of this.
This has a dusty, bitter flavor before sweetening. I could maybe guess fennel seed but only because I know it’s in there. After adding some maple syrup (seemed right), it’s taken on a deep caramel flavor. I don’t really love it, to be honest, and the more I drink it the less I like it. I ended up dumping the rest of this down the drain.
Flavors: Bitter, Caramel, Dust
Preparation
This one was awful. I should probably toss it. It’s old. I didn’t like it. James didn’t like it. It’s well past its prime, but who knows if I would have liked it even when it was fresh. Green teas are a struggle for me.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Jasmine
