Jolie Tea Company

TTB Review #15: Very unique flavor, I can’t tell if I’m tasting the juniper or cedar but there’s this interesting, smoky quality that’s new to my palate. Almost slightly medicinal in a way but not to the point where it makes the tea unpleasant.

I overleafed, but this was still pretty weak and mild. The tree leaves that went in were adorable, and they do add a little bit of tree flavor, which I really enjoy. The black tea was just too mild to support it unfortunately. I’ll try anything tree flavored, so this was fun to find in the last TTB.

If you are wondering what it is like to walk through the northern coniferous forest with a camp fire close by this is it. Or at least this is what it would taste like. The cedar tips give this an amazing woodsy characteristic like I’ve never had in a tea before. I almost feel like I’ve licked a piece of wood. It is not astringency but it is definitely drying. Can’t say this will be a cupboard keeper but glad to try it once

Jolie has a love affair with Rose Petals, and we tend to cycle through their Rose blends. After tasting this blend against our old standard La Belle Rose, we agreed this had a more nuanced and complex profile, and brought this one home. Alas, I think I got the ratios a little off today, as it’s not as delicious as in the cafe, but still a wonderful pick-me-up on a sleepy Friday morning. Sweetened, the blackcurrent notes rise to the fore, and the balance of rose and vanilla is delightful.

Admittedly, I keep this one in the cupboard primarily for blending. While it makes a nice British style cup, it’s not particularly memorable. But if I’m looking to add herbs, flowers, or other teas, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Still, please don’t judge my beloved Jolie by this one, hold out for something like their Antoinette

This is one of our daily drivers. My partner drinks largely British-style, and it’s rare that British cup is so compelling that I’ll drink it multiple times in a week. We’ve had many teas from Jolie, and this is the one that NEVER leaves our cupboard.

While certainly not particularly complex, it makes a delightful british cup, rich in vanilla flavors.

A difficult one to rate. I brought it home because the strange evergreen notes gave me pleasant reminders of my daily driver Lapsang. But, once it came home, I found it only to be an occasional pick. YMMV

Served as part of a Tea Flight, this tea was a unique take on the smokey flavor profile. If we were not going home with the Burnt Bergamot, I’d probably have taken this one home as well.

From Shae
The first steep of this smoky/vanilla tea was rather weak. So I used less water and steeped longer the second time and I got a bit more vanilla with a hint of smoke. It inspires me to combine my favorite vanilla and lapsang teas to see what they taste like, but I’m not tempted to try more of this blend. Cool name though.

Sipdown 40

I just got back from a 2 week trip to New England (which was wonderful), and I got to visit Jolie Tea again. They’ve moved to a larger space since I last visited, and it’s really bright and welcoming. My boyfriend and I shared a couple tea samplers and had a really lovely time.

Now that I’m back home, I’m focusing on sipping through some of my stash. Decided to make the last cup of Jack Frost Chai. Still mostly clove, but enjoyable nevertheless.

I feel like I’ve been trying to finish this for ages. I still have 2ish servings left after this cup. Clove. So much clove.

Working on sipping through this. Still mostly getting clove, but it’s enjoyable enough.

This is really just a clove black tea, but It’s grown on me. I still wish the other flavors were present, but sometimes simplicity is nice.

This tea is lovely- bits of cedar tips and rose petals decorate the twisty Ceylon leaves. I’m smelling clove and a bit of cinnamon. The flavor is mainly clove and cinnamon as well. There is a bit of rose that lingers. I’m getting some tangerine in some sips as well. No cedar or vanilla, which is a shame because I was looking forward to those flavors shining.

Sipdown 135-2021
So slow to sipdown the last couple months. I’ve started making a big pot of tea in the morning to finish off things more quickly. It seems to be helping.

Sad to see this one go, but won’t be repurchasing it for awhile. I really love the balance of smoke and vanilla, with a tiny bit of sugar complimenting the flavors nicely.

Still working on sipping through this. The last few days have been so.dang.hot. So, I haven’t been drinking as much hot tea as I normally would.

Added honey and a splash of oat milk to this cup, and as a result I’m not getting any of the subtle smokiness. Still an absolutely delightful vanilla black tea.

I really love this tea. It reminds me of being in Salem, sipping on tea on Halloween. Such a wonderful trip. Hopefully I can visit again soon!
As for the tea itself- it’s a lovely smoky vanilla. A nice balance of the subtle smoke, and richness of the vanilla.

Advent Calendar Day 9

Yet another tea company I’ve never even heard of! I love that I’m getting to try so many new blends and companies this month, thanks to Amanda. The dry leaf of this blend is super heavy on the spices, with the tea leaves definitely in the minority. The aroma is also mostly spices…it actually reminds me of walking into Penzey’s, my local spice shop! So despite the name, I wasn’t really expecting a lot of maple here; I thought I might get more of a chai taste. But actually the strongest flavor is fennel seed, which is taking the tea in a totally unexpected savory direction. It’s weirdly almost reminding me of Italian sausage, which is not a flavor I’ve EVER picked up on in tea before. Don’t think I’d drink this again, but it was definitely an interesting experience!

From the Samurai TTB
The strongest note here is certainly anise, but I’m getting clove and cinnamon and a bit of sweetness from the apple. If you like anise this might be for you, or you could pick the star anise pieces out and give it a try.
I added a scoop of CTC Assam to the second steep, and it toned down the licorice flavor a bit. Still overwhelmingly anise.

I gave this another go with a longer steep time, and it’s a completely different cup of tea. The mint is still dominant, but there is a touch of jasmine that follows the mint and lasts into the aftertaste. The balance of the mint and jasmine really does remind me of a snowy winter day, and is balanced so nicely.