Simpson & Vail

September 8 – World Literature Day: drink tea while reading a favorite book or story

I mentioned to my daughter that I needed to pick a tea and a book for the prompt today and I was torn. I am happily re-reading The Thursday Murder Club series but I also have the new Flavia de Luce, which I was planning to save for after surgery. I decided I would use Flavia for the prompt and my daughter asked if I had any literary themed teas. I told her that I do not at present. She asked if I would LIKE to have one, and I said…..”maybeeeeee.” Ha ha! New tea? Of course!

She went to her room and brought back this! She has been buying gifts to give me throughout my cancer treatment journey – so sweet and thoughtful!

This was on my wishlist because I love violet flavor. I wondered if the rose was going to overpower the violet but it doesn’t! The aroma of the dry leaf was pretty solidly balanced between between rose and violet but the violet might be just a tad stronger.

I made one small pot, using three teaspoons for 18 ounces if water at 200F. Steeped for four minutes. One steep only this time. I can’t get the sliders to go precisely to what I used so I am noting it here.

I would say this is violet forward but the rose is definitely there. The black tea base is pretty strong, exactly what I expect for a Congou.

Ashman does not like rose teas, but he wandered in and wanted to know what I was drinking. I told him it was a new tea and he could try a sip and if he liked it I would pour more. He did like it, and drank another small cup. I can’t guarantee that he LOVED it, but the rose was not enough to turn him off.

As I was poking through my tea boxes and shelves mumbling about wanting a black tea for breakfast, my daughter who lives with us poked her head around the corner and asked if I would like a fruity black tea? Now I was intrigued.

She had bought it as a “after your biopsy results” gift but the results came early and by phone and the tea wasn’t here yet, so when she heard, she went out and bought me candles and chocolate instead.

The results were that I have invasive breast cancer recurrence, so it was called the “I’m sorry it is cancer” present instead of the “yay, it’s not cancer!” present. How sweet! <3

The tea came in a few days later as expected, and she held on to it until the right moment, which was today!

I have had this on my wishlist for a while, mostly because of the reviews from CameronB and Michelle. They were spot on in their descriptions.

The base is not super strong, the sage blends almost seamlessly with it and rounds out a full savory note, and the raspberry is light but not artificial tasting. I expected the raspberry to be a little stronger but I think it evokes a national park much more at this level. Overall, I think the balance is achieving exactly what they hoped when they blended it.

I think this is going to be a stellar fall tea, and quite suitable for afternoons as well as mornings.

Backlog and Sip Down

I brewed this one iced since the humidity and heat were incredibly high on Saturday after working in the yard. I added honey to the pitcher yet there was still a slight bitterness from the green tea. The almond made an appearance by offering a weird nutty-tart flavor, which wasn’t the most ideal tasting note. Overall, it was meant to be brewed hot, I think. It was too strange as an iced tea blend.

Backlog and Sip Down

This wasn’t my favorite offerings from the S&V tea clubs, which is fine, on account they’re not all expected to be the best. This was an odd tea in the way of it being very sweet on the initial sip and then immediately hitting with a malty-osmanthus aftertaste. Unfortunately, that’s all I wrote on the packet.

Backlog and Sip Down

I brewed this earlier last week during the workday. I noted, “A nice malty and bold black tea with a lot of energy attached similar to Assam blends. Great for the morning and/or for a final push through the workday!”

68/100 – A good tea when you’re in the mood for it, but not enough to be listed as a daily drinker or often enough to buy in bulk.

Sip Down

I topped this off as an iced tea for the start of today’s work shift. The strawberry flavoring is adding this artificial and oddly strange aftertaste. I don’t mind if a company adds “natural” or “flavoring” to their blends, but the strawberry is too fake; otherwise, I don’t think the blend would be bad at all.

This will be the last mug for the evening. I’ve had an incredibly busy shift and should’ve had the day off, but that’s past now. I haven’t been sleeping as well as I’d like due to changes in my work schedule and upcoming changes within the homestead. I feel like I’ve been scrambling around at home and at work (at least the home scrambling is ideal; work is work).

Anyway, I noticed that this had stevia on the list of ingredients, which threw me off a little. Stevia is hit or miss, especially if the other components of a blend are lacking and/or there’s too much stevia. The peppermint hit my nose with such intensity that I nearly sneezed myself silly. My nose was running, and my eyes were watering a bit. That’s when I knew I was in for a treat. I love a peppermint tea that delivers the menthol.

Initially, I hadn’t enjoyed the mug. There was TOO much stevia in the cup…however, as I kept reading Steepster reviews and adding tidbits of my own here and there, I began to feel the presence of the tea. I’d’ve sworn there were bits of eucalyptus in this blend! The inside of my throat and chest were warming and cooling at the same time (like having Vick’s vapor rub on your chest/throat, but on the inside instead of out). I find that this blend will be swell in the Winter! The “Christmas in July” sale has a few more days to go, if I don’t get to take advantage of the sale before the end of the month, I’ll make sure to have more of this around during the holidays! It could be a household favorite or at least a favorite for board game nights. Or both. : )

Sip Down and Backlog

Very vanilla and floral heavy. When cold brewed, it reminded me of cream soda.

I started shopping for my birthday a few days early. I thought that I’ve been making a good dent in my stash, so it was time for more tea. Right? Right. I blindly bought this tea without reading about the ingredients; I based my purchase on the tin art! The Mad Hatter and Alice sharing a cuppa? I’m all in. Sure, the tin held 4oz of tea, but it paid off. Not only did I find the tin to be intriguing, but the tea was wonderful, too. I opened the tin, and it was bursting to life with violets and roses—a bouquet of scents—and the need to drink it was immediate.

I brewed this at 195F and steeped for 3 mins. The aroma of the florals intensified with the hot water and my mouth was watering. My need for this cup was overwhelming! Sure enough, it was bursting with flavor! The sweetness of the violets and roses were hitting the palate, and the sensory levels were elevated. I love a floral tea which this hit on all points. I’ll keep in the back of my mind to try this one iced over the weekend; however, I’m set on having this one as a regular in my cupboard.

A nice enough tea! I have so many rose flavoured black teas to (for better or worse) compare this one against and I have to say that I found it somewhere middle of the pack. The black base was very smooth with a little bit less body than some of the others that I own, but was still far from feeling thin or flat. The rose notes were also a bit more gentle than others I own, but I kind of liked how soft they were. I think it worked with the base.

Sip Down & Backlog

This was a thirst quencher! I made this last Friday and it was gone in moments. The sample packet from the monthly club gave enough for one iced tea…and I’m in need of more! After I sip down a few more teas, I’ve a massive tea order in place…between 3 vendors. And this tea is on the list amongst them. I shall make this the official tea of summer in our household!

Notes: Fruity & refreshing

Sip Down & Backlog

I brewed this last Tuesday at the office, which is a rare event to make tea there. I have to be in a happy place for tea. The office isn’t there. lol. Anyway, I only added on the back of the packet, " Holy sh*t, it’s Zingiber Ginger Coconut from Teavana!" Which, fun fact, was a great tea! I’d brew it hot while working at Teavana, until they dropped it from their menu…as they did with the whole company…

I feel like coconut often fails in tea blends. It’s too fake or too little. Rarely does it feel like a company adds enough to bring out the sweetness of coconut. Bravo, S&V. You’ve done it. You’ve also transported me back in time to the best job during college and gave me the chance to taste something I’ve not had in 10+ years.

Sip down

It’s incredible to think that I only recently received this tea in the June subscription box yet have managed to drink it down. I was impressed by the first cup I had on Tuesday on the drive into work, that I wanted to finish the last dregs (3tsp) on Saturday. I brewed it hot and then tossed over ice but wanted to make a note of the iced vs hot. I typically don’t favor maltier teas cold, however, this one stood out.

Hot – Dark chocolate, hot cocoa, and malty.
Iced – Smooth, malty, less chocolate, and made a better iced tea.

Got this tea in a swap with an IG tea friend and I was excited to finally brew it up because I haven’t actually tried a ton of teas from Simpson & Veil (since they don’t ship to Canada). I think it’s supposed to be strawberry and prickly pear, which is a fun combination. I found it pretty inoffensive with a smooth, medium bodied black tea base that tasted like a more generic blending-style of black tea. That is, to say, neutral aside from its body. The strawberry note was nice: fresh and sweet but not jammy/cloying and lacking in any particular acidity. I appreciate that there’s not any hibiscus in the blend to bolster the strawberry.

I didn’t really taste the prickly pear, but I wasn’t surprised by that either. It’s a hard flavour to convey, and I think it just felt into the background alongside the mellow, floral undertones of the blend. In some ways this reminded me of the DAVIDsTEA blend The Earl’s Garden, but a smidge softer overall. It’ll be easy to finish off, but I don’t think there’s anything to write home about with this tea either. Strawberry black tea blends are easy enough to find, and without a distinct prickly pear note I don’t think this tea has much of an edge among the sea of comparable teas.

Backlog (17 May 2024) & Sip Down
This was the first tea sipped over the long weekend. I meant to drink more and have more time with tea, but the weekend was overly busy. Which is fine. I had the time off, so I was more than happy to fill it! Anyway, I drank this western style during breakfast. I wish I remembered the meal, but we’re not here to discuss the food. :)

I jotted on the packet, “Nutty, sweet, bitter, and smooth. Not too much of an experience than it being a decent cup of green tea.” I really ought to take the time to really think about these sessions, but I enjoy going with the flow of the day and cup sometimes.

Sipdown! I wish I’d purchased a larger pouch of this one when I ordered from S&V last year, because it’s excellent. Juicy and mildly tart, with lychee flavor just bursting in every sip. Yum.

2024 sipdown count: 18

Not their strongest tea but I enjoy it. I have this one, their Special Blend Black which is very good, and a Special Orange Cranberry. Special all over the place :D

Sipdown

I drank the remainder of this iced yesterday while doing some light house cleaning. I had this as a hot tea during work on Friday, but I assumed it may have been better as an iced tea, so I cold brewed the remainder for Saturday. The hot tea had more black currant/berry flavors, while the iced tea had lesser berries, and more black tea base. The black currant allowed the tea to sweeten naturally, but it was less noticeable as an iced tea.

Good and the clove strength reminds me a little of chai. Small bursts of orange accompanied the sips, mainly the rind. There’s a very small smidge of bright citrus probably from the pineapple. Spicy, good, robust black tea. I did not find any vanilla despite the advertised, but it didn’t need it.

Sipdown

I had obtained this from the March Club and meant to get a video posted for the YT channel, but the lighting was too bright on my glasses, and my eyes weren’t visible during the entirety of filming. Unfortunately, I decided the best time to start a video was while indulging on the last bits of tea leaf, therefore, I couldn’t scrounge another cup for a second take. Now, my channel will go another week without content. Lol.

I really enjoyed the mug of this yesterday. I had to run to the hospital to meet a friend’s baby. I was assuming this was going to brew strong since I had placed 2 tsb into an 8oz mug and accidentally over brewed (212F, 5 minutes). The instructions suggested full boil, but only a 3-minute steeping (we all know that a couple of minutes could make or break a session). This was the smoothest and most satisfying mug of Assam I’ve had. Typically, I like a strong mug, but will need to add milk or half-and-half to cut the boldness, however, this didn’t need anything to make it perfect. Thankfully, this is an inexpensive tea, so I may require some down the road, once the sipdown pile has been reduced a bit.

Still a good dessert tea but I have many from this company and don’t think still that this will be a keeper. Made a two cup pot tonight and sipped while watching True Crime and munching on a yummy fish dinner. It’s sweet and doesn’t need sugar if you prefer without – which I don’t – the almond is there but not cloying

So far my favorite of the Fairy Tale box. Most are decaf or fruity but this one is black tea with a certain spice and perfect subtle cinnamon bite that blends together well. The box is reasonable, the tea plenty, and you cannot beat all these fairy tale cover arts and themes. Now if I only could find my missing Rumpelstiltskin :( I obviously did not put him back in the box where he belonged last time and he must be buried in the tea cabinet somewhere.

Sipdown Progress Challenge
February 2024 | Mardi Gras / A colorful tea

From the TeaTiff TTB.

Maybe not a wild color choice, but this is certainly one of the brightest and most vibrant teas that I have. I don’t remember who put this one in the box, but thank you! I don’t drink matcha all that often but this one sounded and smelled so good that I had to swipe it to try. I warmed and frothed some oat milk to mix with this, no sweetener needed since I believe it’s already sweetened, and it tastes like a blueberry muffin! Definitely a nice choice for breakfast.