Almost Tea

Boo to another decaf black tea, but honestly… I kinda liked this one!

Blackberry is a very, very hard flavour to get right but I thought this was pretty solid. Definitely sweet, thick and syrupy in a way that I feel very much fits the evocative imagery on the sachet overwraps. Personally, it reminded me more of the Saskatoon Berry syrup I used to have on pancakes back when I was living in Saskatchewan. I miss that a lot (you can’t get it in Montreal) so it was very nostalgic for me. Flavour level was pretty good overall, and I just thought it was a pretty nice, approachable cuppa.

I’m so confused. The package says green tea as do the leaves in the bag, but green tea isn’t listed as an ingredient and honeybush is. Proofread fail? The instructions for this tea say to steep at just under boiling for 3 minutes, which is a lot for a green. I did two minutes at 175 and probably should have only done one minute. The sip is flat with a hint of alkaline and the start of the finish is the same. Once that initial taste wears off I’m left with a nice caramel brown sugar like taste that was nowhere in the sip. Sometimes flatness will wear off a few sips in for some teas, but I’m not having that luck with this one. There is also something that leaves my throat feeling almost irritated. It feels a little weird. I’m dumping this cup.

I’m liking this less this time. It was too hot, so I let it cool and came back to it when it was too cool. It’s citrusy with a flavor I can’t describe. Feeling pretty eh about this cup.

Huh. I had a cup of Lupicia’s Natsukoi earlier today and this reminds me a bit of that. It has a lemony taste to it with hints of lemongrass. The sip is a little sharp at the start before it mellows out. The finish is nice with lemon lingering. There is an almost gelatin like taste to it which I’m guessing is supposed to add a jello type jelly flavor. It is a totally acceptable inoffensive tea that I can sip in the evening, but isn’t exciting enough to run out and buy.

Does it count as a sipdown when I only had two bags of this to begin with? It smells amazing and rich in the bag. Once steeped the scent and flavor are much lighter. I get a little depth and richness from the sesame, but not as much as I’d hope for. I’d love for the flavors to be more bold. I feel like adding sugar had helped. I think I get more of the bread (what is bao bun bread called?) flavor popping out. The sesame is a little more pronounced, but still not as strong as I’d like. There is something translating to chocolate in the finish. I still get hints of alkaline in the sip and I’m not sure what that is about, but it’s at the front of the sip, not the finish like last time. I’m at a place this weekend that has well water, so I used bottled water for this cup. I do love the idea of this tea, but I’d like to have it with more umph. More umph, please!

This was the one black tea in this month’s Almost subscription. It does have a very light black sesame taste, but I have to search for it a little. I let this cup cool, then reheated it and I’m getting a flat alkaline taste. It was better when it was freshly made, but it still wasn’t amazing. In the finish I can imagine a little of the bao bread flavor. I think this is a really interesting idea for a tea, but the execution needs more work. The flavors need to be more rich and present.

Having conflicting feelings about this one! I’m usually not a huge fan of chamomile. It’s an ingredient that is often times companies don’t think to do much with blending wise. I do have a soft spot for Celestial Seasonings Vanilla Honey Chamomile, probably because the vanilla honey addition makes it more interesting. But onto this tea!
This smelled very boozy when I opened the bag. The first few sips started with various flavors and ended with chamomile, but as I sip on the cup seems to develop and the chamomile chills out. I don’t know that I’d exactly pin this as custard egg tart. It’s almost more of a crème brulee, which is close, but has more caramel flavors behind it. There is something else the flavors make me think of and I can’t put my finger on it. It’s going to bug me! LOL!

This arrived in the mail today! Looks like they gave up on photographing their teas in a different shape for each month. I thought that was a clever way to group the teas. They have three rooibos teas this month and one chamomile which means only two teas that are actual tea. Seems like an odd choice to me, but I am really glad this is a green rooibos tea. I’m actually pretty impressed with this blend. It has a really nice mango flavor to it with a touch of cream. Very dessert like. The flavor seems very clean and true with no weird lingering artificial bite. I happily drank my first cup of this then resteeped for another good cup. I like!

Sipdown (2613)!

As a ginger tea this was nice. It had a bit of a peppery heat to it that warmed from the belly up into the chest and throat, and the flavour level was pretty even-keeled. Not weak, but not too intense either. I could see it with honey on a cold day or if I was feeling a little bit sick. However, as a gingerbread tea I think it fails. It’s missing that iconic sweet molasses-y brown flavour, and it’s not nearly dense and heavy enough.

The picture on the front of the overwrap for this teabag is so far from looking like any typical gingerbread to me, so that was already very concerning as I went to brew this blend. Not surprisingly but, still, disappointingly this blend does not taste anything like gingerbread. What it does taste like it A LOT of star anise. I do love that flavour so when I go to have the last cup of it I think I’ll probably enjoy it more since I’ll be in the right mindset. However, in this moment I was just disappointed by how little ginger and molasses there was in this cup…

I had this tea so long ago at this point. Like, days before the database crash. So all my thoughts about it have sort of been wiped clean at this point, which is frustrating because I definitely had a lot of observations while drinking the tea! I guess for now all I’ll say is that this blend definitely possessed that sort of “sweet brown” sort of molasses-y caramel taste but that’s it’s kindddaaaa perfect for the concept. I do think it’s one of the nicest blends from Almost, and from what I can recall pretty accurate to the name.

Another blend where I love the concept but the execution is sort of just so-so. The oolong base is, I believe, the same as what was used in Amaretto Sweet. It’s actually a very nice base for a sachet, but IMO I think that Almost is using too much of it per sachet. The leaves were practically exploding out of the sachet after steeping and didn’t really look like they’d properly unfurled. Plus, the taste was very overwhelming. Very, very floral and green…

Floral and green isn’t bad, but I did feel like it was a bit intrusive. It was mostly the “green” element; with the type of lemon flavouring that was used I thought it made this read a bit like an under ripe lemon instead of a thick lemon curd. Something that could, I think to some, trigger associations with cleaning products were it more intense. I did really like the creamy finish and it was the element that I thought was most like the namesake – I just wish it were a little stronger.

Still a pretty good blend overall and it’s amazing how much complexity was able to be conveyed through such a simple ingredient list – but there were some small tweaks that could be made to (IMO) make this closer to what I imagine their desired result was.

Pretty agreed with Cameron B. on this one. It’s not quite banana bread, simply because it’s lacking that buttery cake-y quality and the banana is too sweet/candy like and creamy. I mean, no one in their right mind describes banana bread first and foremost as a creamy dessert. However, it’s really delicious when you don’t think about the name!

Totally banana flavoured Laffy Taffy vibes and that’s something I’m really into. I do think it’s a shame that it’s not exactly its namesake, but IMO I think Almost would have needed to use an entirely different type of banana flavouring in order to get closer to what they were going for. I’ve liked all the banana teas so far though! Would love to see their interpretation of something like a Banana Split. It feels like that would be well in their wheelhouse.

Undecided on this one…

The concept is so cool and I feel like it’s a really fun way to twist up a chocolate blend. Lord knows that Almost certainly has a lot of chocolate teas, so anything to make them feel differentiated is welcome in my books. However, Boston Cream Pie (the cake and the donut) seems like a much more complex flavour to execute that I think most people would assume. Primarily because there’s such a separation between the rich chocolate frosting and the creamy custard when you eat/experience them. Creating that separation in a tea? Ooph. Tough to make the flavours hit your palate at different times in different ways…

Anyway, all that to say… this is boozy. I mean, it tastes like chocolate and it tastes like cream and I feel like there’s the right amount of richness to the flavours while having a slightly more thick texture. Promising! But also it’s just such an alcoholic edge to all of that. I’m blaming it on too fresh flavouring that didn’t get the chance to properly air out before being packaged into the overwraps.

So, gonna wait before I make the last sachet and hopefully give the tea some time to settle into itself. We’ll see how the flavours read then…

I’m not usually a fan of oolong. It takes a really special one to not taste like steeped cardboard to me. This one is okay, which is good praise in the oolong department. The leaves expanded a lot in the bag and looked like they needed more room to stretch. There is a touch of licorice root in here to add some sweetness that linger in the finish, but not enough to identify it without reading the ingredients or taste like licorice in the cup. The amaretto is there and distinct, but that’s about all that is happening. Nothing that says cupcake, like what is pictured on the package and it leaves me wishing they developed and built on it more.

I had the bright idea of leaving the sachet in my mug whilst drinking this tea and I think it allowed the brew to get overly potent to the point where the flavours picked up a rather chemical and almost “numbing” quality. It was hard to tell if this was the same raspberry flavouring that’s been used in other Almost blends. If it was then I think a shorter steep time and this sweet lemon flavouring could have the potential to produce a really nice cup of tea. It even had just a bit of a zingy acidity to it, to play into the lemonade elements.

There’s a very nostalgic “instant lemonade” vibe that I got from this which is nostalgic. I want to like it a lot. I think that puts a lot of pressure on my next cup of tea (which I will steep a reasonable length of time) to deliver. The question will be whether it was my preparation or the blend itself that had that fake-y quality…

Have to say that I kind of disagree with Dustin on this one! I suppose the chocolate flavour could have been stronger, but overall I actually found this blend to be pretty cloying. I wasn’t sure why at first, but double checking the ingredients list I’m pretty sure licorice root was the culprit. Plus, the chocolate flavour that is present was very much the sort of artificial chocolate liqueur type that’s just a touch boozy. The mint was the nicest part IMO, and I’d be curious to see Almost tackle a different profile using the same mint.

Last cake tea, but not the least!

In general I’d been a bit unimpressed by the chocolate teas from Almost, but I liked this one a lot. Definitely my favourite of their chocolate blends so far! Here’s the thing though; I actually kind of didn’t think this tasted like cake. I mean, it was definitely chocolate-y but it made me think of marshmallows! I think that’s my brain interpreting the combination of creamy coconut and toasted coconut in a very… interesting way.

‘Cause, fact is, aside from the notes of chocolate this was creamy and toasty but more of the fluffy vanilla note of a marshmallow than coconut. At least to me, anyway. The only thing I didn’t like was that it was a very oily liquor from the coconut pieces, but the taste was great even though I didn’t find it accurate to the name. Fascinated to see if I feel the same way when I drink the last sachet!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxoE_fuAkC/ (5th Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6T_1FJlazY

This has a very rich scent to it when dry! Like many of the Almost teas, this has an oil sheen on the surface of my tea. My first few sips were soapy and I was worried that the coconut may have gone bad. A few more sips in and that lightened up a touch. Each sip is a muddling of flavors that is hard to decipher, but there is something with a slight fruit tang for a second. The finish is nice and has a chocolate cake like feel to it and I wish the sips conveyed the same. I’ve noticed one or two other Almost teas having something that gives a scratchy tickle to my throat. I’m not sure what my body is reacting to. I haven’t been super impressed with most of Almost’s chocolate flavoring and this one falls into the same grouping. I probably won’t even drink my second sachet of this.

Holy flavouring, Batman!

Opening up this sachet I found myself just blasted with an intensely strong alcoholic aroma from the fresh flavourings used in this tea that clearly hadn’t had a moment to air out. I had a coworker who used to make Cinnamon Apple Moonshine, and that’s what this smelled like to me. Just dangerously boozy and bordering on paint thinner…

Thankfully, that alcohol carrier basically ‘burns off’ during the steeping process and the taste gets a lot more reasonable with a much more manageable aroma. In general, I think I liked this cinnamon apple profile more than the “Spiked Apple Cider” from box one which was kind of just a simple and sort of weak apple rooibos. It produces a decently strong tasting cup, with a more sweet and punchy apple note that actually feels more fitting for a Spiked Cider than the actual Cider blend Almost Tea carried…

I will say that, aside from general sweetness, I do think the “Caramelized White Chocolate” component of this blend is missing. It feels like maybe they just bit off one too many elements for the profile than they could chew.

Sipdown (2377)!

All my blends from Almost are sitting in a little cube on my desk, and many only have a single cup left – so I’ve been trying to break the impulse to hoard that last cup of each. Starting with this one.

Like the last time I had it, I find there’s almost too much oolong from the size of the tea bag. As it unfurls, it looks like it’s trying to burst out of the bag itself. The flavour is nice; very floral and woody from the base with a nice, smooth almond note. Not as sweet as amaretto, but definitely very nutty and complimentary with the oolong itself. Though I appreciate it as is, the name does set an expectation for a level of sweetness that I don’t feel the blend lives up to.

I was also really excited for this one in this month’s box. I know Amaretto is mighty polarizing, but I love it! Sadly, this was another blend that I thought was missing a little ‘something something’ to help push it over the edge. There was a lot it got right though! The oolong base itself seemed very pleasantly smooth with a medium body and a great balance of floral lushness and nuttiness. I especially liked that it was a bit of a nuttier oolong with an amaretto inspired blend; it seemed like a great way to bridge those flavours. Is this Almost’s first oolong!?

Simply put, the amaretto just wasn’t strong enough though. It was there, but felt secondary to the oolong. That’s maybe a controversial statement because I know a lot of people want to taste the tea base – and I do too – but for a blend named after amaretto (which has such a stong flavour) that also has sweet in the name I expected the taste to punch me, not just give me a peck on the cheek. I think Almost could have found a happier middle ground, but instead this reads as a little weak/watered down.

(Also, I was worried about the licorice root but I couldn’t taste it!)

Sipdown (2318)!

Finished this one off with a splash of milk. The milk actually made a marked difference in improving this profile. It was still bright and sweetly lime flavoured, but the lime didn’t eclipse the other flavour notes anymore – instead I tasted the creaminess of the filling as well as a distinct graham crust note. It was the graham note that really took this over the edge for me from being not just one in a sea of creamy lime teas but a distinctly key lime pie profile.

Would I buy this again? No, but I’m very satisfied that I ended up getting a cup of it that was pretty close to perfectly aligned with what my initial expectations had been!

Received the most recent Almost Tea box yesterday and immediately dug into some of the flavours! This is the one I was most looking forward to, so I started here! I have to say, the imagery on the overwraps for this month’s box is the most appetizing yet. Every single cupcake looks mouth-wateringly delicious.

As a quick side note, I finally reached out to Almost because I still hadn’t received my second box; the one with the banana bread, lemon meringue, and boston cream – among other flavours. They confirmed that it seems to have gotten lost somewhere in transit. However, they shipped a new one out almost immediately. Kind of a bummer, but just wanted to acknowledge that the customer service was REALLY good!

As for this tea, it’s fine? It tastes mostly like a semi-sweet bright lime with a vague ethereal creaminess. Which is, I guess, kind of Key Lime?? I think Dustin was really spot on in comparing this to Della Terra/East Indie’s Lime Chiffon blend – same notes, just a bit weaker in this case. As it cooled there was a hint of something that gave me the loosest impression of graham cracker though, which I thought was a nice hint to a pie crust.

Anyway, I liked this well enough but I just feel like it was missing something? Body, perhaps? I don’t know, it just didn’t have the “wow factor” that Key Lime Pie should have and it’s hard to say why.