Bird & Blend Tea Co.
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TTB
I’m not a fan of rooibos, but the name made me sniff it and the scent made me steep it. It’s not bad! I dare say I might be enjoying this! Definately has a cookie dough flavor to it and it’s a little sweet due to an appropriately small amount of stevia. Not sure I get a honeycomb flavor… maybe a touch of malt. I wouldn’t purchase this, but I would take another cup.
Preparation
Sipdown (2949)!
This was one of two sachets added to my list Bird & Blend order as a free sample. All I ordered was matcha/powders, so part of me does find this a weird free sample selection but, also, beggars can’t be choosers and free is free.
Steeped up it is very minty. Like, to the point where if I wasn’t paying attention I might just think this is a really bold, crisp and cooling cup of straight up peppermint tea. However, there is a fleeting bit of brightness and citrusy flavour that cuts in at the back half of the sip following that initial menthol chill. Would I call it distinctly lime flavoured were it not for name of this blend consciously putting that idea in my head? I don’t know, honestly. I feel like it rides a fine line between lemon and lime. It’s nice though, but I do maybe wish a little stronger.
Iced Latte!
I peppered in a few hojicha powders into my morning matcha rotation this past week. Mostly because, with the change in weather, I was starting to crave more of those roasty and toasty “sweater weather” flavour profiles. But, it’s still hot as balls outside in Montreal so I still drank this iced.
It’s vaguely sweeter than a normal hojicha powder and has a slight chocolate flavour that I enjoy a solid amount. But I’ve had this several times now and it’s still not really giving “cookie” to me fully. It won’t stop me from enjoying it, but I just don’t think it’s fully going to satisfy me the way it might have were it name accurate.
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNv4zrN0lsT/?img_index=1 (Third Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vie2_QG_Yrk&ab_channel=SigridUK
(Yes, I picked this song because it goes with my dope AF jellyfish mug)
Iced Latte!
I think one of the best things to come out of the crazy social media matcha boom and subsequent shortage is the acceleration of hojicha as a mass-adopted flavour/drink. It was already trending upwards, but that growth curve just got a whoooollleeee lot more aggresive. Fantastic news for people like me who adore hojicha and want to have more options readily available…
Now, that said, I did find myself a little bit “whelmed” by this particular hojicha powder. Don’t get me wrong, it was very smooth and nutty and though the roast level was a bit greener than I would have liked/expected it still made for a very pleasant and easy drinking hojicha latte. Was it a cookie flavoured hojicha latte? Eh, that seems like a bit of a stretch. I tasted a little bit of chocolate, but for the most part this seemed more like a lightly sweetened version of a standard hojicha latte. Still delicious, but not quite as fun or innovative tasting as it maybe could have been.
I do very much hope that B&B continued to release more hojicha powders though with different flavours – there’s soooooo much left on the table with hojicha waiting to be explored in the same way matcha has been.
Iced Latte!
The whole “cereal milk matcha” is not a new trend, but it’s one I’m seeing resurface on TikTok lately and I recently saw Lucky Charms marshmallows available for sale on their own while grocery shopping, so I decided to pick them up and give it a try for myself.
Maybe trying it with an unflavoured or, at the very least, more neutrally flavoured matcha would have been better – but I liked the idea of butterscotch. It wasn’t even that it was too sweet or anything like that, and it was certainly fun to look at. However, I felt like it just tasted like a creamier version of an already creamy matcha latte. A little overhyped in my opinion, and not something I’d go out of my way to make again.
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNbRTGJp2UU/?img_index=1 (Second Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWkpUq6q24M&ab_channel=SkipWinters-Topic
Iced Latte!
I almost skipped this one over because it’s definitely less unique feeling to me, and the B&B matchas are fairly expensive when you factor in dollar conversion, shipping fees, and duties. However, I quite like B&B’s Buttermint Matcha and I thought maybe this would taste similar to that just without the mint. So, ultimately I bit the bullet and added it in.
While I wouldn’t say this was swoon-worthy, it was pretty good and there was that lovely buttery and toffee-like flavour that I do enjoy in Buttermint Matcha quite a bit. Just a little milder than I would have expected. I will try seeing what increasing the amount of matcha powder or adding a sweetener does, but based on this impression I was call this solid and safely enjoyable, but just lacking some of the “spark” and richness I would normally expect from a butterscotch flavoured tea.
A mid-week matcha moment paired with some juicy summer peaches. I’ve tried this matcha a couple of different ways now, and honestly, the best has just been simple, straight up hot matcha. No milk. No sweeteners. Just the matcha. I feel like all of the different fruity notes come to life the most when whisked this way.
It’s an interesting flavour to me, because tutti frutti does quite literally mean “all fruits” and true to that meaning this matcha does taste like a playful, ethereal combination of a bunch of unnamed sweet, juicy, and ripe fruits. It reminds me of tutti frutti ice cream or the tutti frutti jellybeans from Jelly Belly (one of my favourite flavours). And yet, sometimes I SWEAR I taste really, really clearly defined tasting notes. Banana. Pineapple. Cherry. Maybe even mango!? I like the way it tickles my brain like a guessing game that I don’t always know I’m playing until I’ve found the answer!!
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMK_l7gg2WG/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb_QNAL6oE&abchannel=MikiFiki-Topic
Iced Latte!
I tried this as an iced latte because, well, I tried all the new matchas from B&B as iced lattes made in the same way. It was definitely pleasant tasting with a moderately sweet mixed fruit flavour that did feel aligned with other tutti frutti flavoured things I’ve had in the paste. If anything I would say notes of banana and pineapple kind of popped out to me? It was maybe just a little strange with the creaminess of the milk.
I feel like it would be a fantastic tea pop though, so I’m excited to try it that way next.
Iced Latte!
Made this with some milk using the “water bottle” method where you just shake the ever loving fuck out of it until the matcha is smooth and frothy. I still am really enjoying the balance of flavours of this one. It’s got a touch of chocolate and a more smooth and creamy mint note that really emulates the icecream vibe well. Not herbaceous at all. And it’s been refreshing as a fruity flavoured matcha alternative this summer.
Iced Latte!
I recently placed an order with B&B to pick up a bunch of their new seasonal matchas and the hojicha powder they just released. I’m a little bummed I missed out on the Maple Pecan Matcha, but it had already sold out by the time I was ready to place my order.
This one was very delicious, though! I am always extremely skeptical of matchas that claim to taste like chocolate since I know first hand how challenging that taste is to convey using just flavouring (it’s never rich/distinct enough), but I think this blend gets it much more correct because it also has cocoa powder in it. Just chocolatey enough. The mint is also very fresh and mirrors the sweetness and creaminess of mint chocolate ice cream very well.
I can see this being a summer iced matcha latte go to for sure! It’s very nicely balanced and just a good break up from some of the fruitier flavours that seem to dominate summer.
Little bit of a more sharp and almost sour tasting woodier top note to this tea that made me think of both chicory root and the smell of my grandfather’s wood working shop. Definitely out of place feeling given the concept of the blend. As it cooled I felt like the other flavours started to come out more, but maybe part of it is just that I got more used to that top note. It was a little more biscuit-like though, with a honey graham kind of feeling. Not sure on the cream/custard but at least we landed back in the realm of cookies.
Sipdown (2909)!
When I first saw the name of this tea I thought there was going to be a little more to the blend, but it’s basically just straight peppermint tea. It’s a very nice peppermint tea though! Smooth, cooling and crisp with a very clean finish and nice amount of natural sweetness. Definitely not something I’d repurchase because ordering from B&B to Canada can be quite a hassle and there are way more accessible peppermint tea options, but I thought it was lovely quality!
Free sample from my recent B&B order. I really enjoyed this hot. I get lots of lavender, rose, and chamomile. The blend has some hibiscus, which gives some sourness but it is not overwhelming. It was pretty weak on the second cup, but I enjoyed it enough to give it a 78. The main fault is that it could use more citrus flavour from verbena.
Flavors: Chamomile, Citrus, Floral, Hibiscus, Lavender, Rose
Preparation
Another of Bird & Blend’s recent Earl Grey collection.
Not too long ago I had another smoked Earl Grey from a company based here in Montreal and it was the first smoked Earl Grey I’ve really enjoyed. By comparison, this falls flat for me. It kind of has the same problems I’ve had with other smoked Earl Grey teas in the last, like the one from Fortnum & Mason, where it’s just too many really intense, aromatic flavours at once that are competing with each other. The balance is just off.
I think that’s because the amount of bergamot in this blend is stronger than the blend from Totem Tea (Earl’s Pipe) and there’s seemingly more lapsang in the blend overall too. Just so much boldness happening. It feels like two people shouting at each other as if they’re on opposite sides of the room, but in reality they’re standing right next to each other. Maybe with milk to dampen some of the flavour noise it might be better!?
But as it stands I just don’t think this one is particularly for me, which is a small bummer because I do tend to really enjoy Bird and Blend’s other smoked teas.
Another of B&B’s new Earl Grey teas.
To the point I made in another tasting note earlier today, there seem to just be soooo many more floral tea blends in Europe compared with North America – and elderflower in particular was a flavour/ingredient we saw quite heavily!
My experience has been that, to the average North American palate, elderflower is not a very commercially well received flavour at all. However, personally I really like it so I was excited to see it used in this way. I think it works really well. The dry leaf is highly aromatic and very fresh, slightly citrusy and floral. A good mix of more heady florals/aromatics (ie. the bergamot) balanced by lighter, brighter florals.
Steeped it works out this way too. Medium to full-bodied black tea with a pretty typical amount of bergamot, but just highlighted by the fresh, bright and slightly sweeter and citrusy notes of the elderflower. Not too floral or heavy or perfumed. Quite well integrated. It very much feels like a more Spring-centric take on a classic Earl Grey. Of course, I would be very, very curious to see if someone less fond of elderflower than myself felt the same way…
Drank this tea with a little spoonful of my own homemade caramel (with a touch of cinnamon) for a little extra richness. Only added after enjoying a few sips on their own first, of course. Even though a teacup of Earl Grey is rarely the first tea I’m going to reach for, I do deeply enjoying trying all of many variations on this classic profile, and Bird & Blend certainly has a lot of fun ones. Plus, I certainly have a sweet tooth, so caramel immediately caught my eye.
I was skeptical about the cardamom in the blend, and it took a taste or two for me to really get on board with it. But I’m starting to see how the very fragrant, warming spice notes with their citrusy undertones are actually really good at marrying the buttery caramel and bold bergamot together. The final piece in a smaller puzzle of flavours. I could personally use more caramel and a bit of a thicker mouthfeel, but I think that’s just me being greedy as someone who adores anything toffee-like but is a bit more passive towards bergamot’s more heady citrus notes…
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKkuZ-vSJuV/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbkLFwOmPBk&ab_channel=Coco
