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Following the directions, I used cold water and let steep for five minutes. After the five minutes were up, there was about a centimeter of tea-colored liquid at the bottom of the glass. The rest of the cup was still clear. Not what I expected. I dunked and swirled the bag a bit so that it would mix, but it still looks pretty light. Letting it steep a bit longer.

Ended up steeping for several more minutes and finally just decided to sip with the tea bag in. Interestingly, it tastes a little like orange flower water. So slightly floral. Overall, I’m not a fan. It wasn’t strong enough for an iced tea, in my opinion, and the flavor wasn’t anything special.

This is the last of the bags from my swap with Devon Bartholomew – so fun to try some new-to-me bagged teas!

This chai blend had a strong aroma of cardamom before steeping but after smelled only of fennel and/or licorice (just checked the ingredients and I’m guessing this is the star anise). The flavor is unremarkable, vaguely spiced. I’m not able to pick out anything specific. It’s one I might have tried because I do like Tazo teas generally, but I’m glad I was able to sample it first. Thanks, Devon Bartholomew!

A strong, reliable black tea from Devon Bartholomew. I had a meeting at work today that caused some anxiety leading up to it and a lot of feelings after it was over. I was hoping to get some much-needed assistance, but I’m feeling less and less hopeful. They are still reviewing my request, but I don’t think things are going to work out the way I’d like them to. All that said, after the meeting was done I felt physically exhausted and had no motivation to do anything. It was nearly noon, but I hadn’t had any tea yet this morning since I was busy prepping for this meeting. I really wanted something dark, and this turned out to be a good choice. It has a nice malty, caramel flavor. It didn’t wake me up or make me feel any better, but it tasted good so I’m happy with it.

A very busy afternoon/evening yesterday and a somewhat busy morning today has lead my body to decide it will no longer respond to my demands. It’s achy, sore, and sleepy, so I’m having one last caffeinated beverage this afternoon to push me through until bedtime. I’m so tempted to take a nap, but I have to wake up earlier than usual tomorrow for work and I want to be sure I can sleep tonight.

Just a short 3-minute steep for this one and it brewed up much darker than I expected. The flavor is solid and a bit lighter, which I would expect from something that is more of an afternoon blend. It’s probably not one I would purchase, but it’s certainly one I’m enjoying. Thanks, Devon Bartholomew, for letting me sample all the bagged teas!

I knew this morning that this was the tea I wanted and was pretty excited to try it, at least until I opened the wrapper and caught a tart and acidic aroma. NOOOO. Is there hibiscus in this?? I checked Steepster, checked the website, checked the tea bag – no ingredient list to be found. I only know it’s a black tea (or I hope it is) because it’s listed that way on Steepster. It’s not steeping up red, but it is very light. Could this be an herbal? Adding a bit of milk anyway – I need to know. No curdling, it’s not watery – perhaps it’s a black tea after all. Sans hibiscus, thank goodness.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste like much. It doesn’t have a strong base, there isn’t a plum flavor or any of the cinnamon and clove mentioned in the short description. It’s a real bummer because I love black teas with stone fruit notes. Thank you, Devon Bartholomew for sending. I just wish I’d liked it better.

I’m so excited about today’s’ sipdown theme, National Red Rose Day, because floral teas are some of my very favorites. I only wish I had started drinking earlier because now it’s already mid-afternoon and I’ll probably need to switch to something with lower caffeine soon.

This is an older tea that I got in an Amoda subscription several years back. There was just enough left for one small cup. I don’t think The Capilano is around anymore. In fact, I looked up the website just to check and the domain now serves as a blog with one how-to entry about purchasing sex toys. So there’s that. This might be the last bit of this tea lying around on planet Earth, but I can’t say I’m too sad about it. It’s floral, yes, but not as much as I’d like. Not when it’s meant specifically to be a rose tea. Though the description does say it’s supposed to be subtle, so maybe that’s the intended effect. The black tea base is fine as well, though not extraordinary. I think I felt this way even when I first tried it, so there are better options out there.

I’m glad, at least, that I’ve cleared another tea from my cabinet from so long ago. It’s a slow process but a fun one. I’m not sure how I would make a decision on which tea to drink if there weren’t a spreadsheet guiding my way.

From Devon Bartholomew.

This reminds me very much of Bigelow’s Salted Caramel black tea. Both have a black tea base with chicory root while Salted Caramel has rose hips and Butterscotch Blondie has cocoa peel, licorice root, cinnamon, and cardamom.

This has a very full flavor. I can taste the sweetness from the licorice root, but it really works here. I’m not sure what cocoa peel is exactly, maybe shells, but I don’t taste any sort of cocoa flavor. Neither do I taste any of the spices. It’s a rich caramel cup, and I can see the similarity to a blondie with its sugary caramelly bite, but I don’t taste the butterscotch.

The last of my teas to review from my swap with Michelle – thank you!

The first sip of this feels a little watery tasting, but only the first sip. The color is dark and there is a distinct roasted coffee bean flavor and aroma. For some reason, lately I seem to like the bagged oolongs better than the loose leaf. Probably means I’m obviously not a connoisseur of such fancy teas. I tried an oolong from Yunnan Sourcing the other day and just couldn’t get into it.

Side note – the tag on this little tea bag is awfully cute! It has a bright yellow flower with red on the edges. Maybe a daisy? I don’t normally comment on tea bag tags, but this is one is really vibrant and fun.