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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.

This is a very nice, lightly spiced vanilla chai type blend. The spices aren’t very strong but they are certainly present. It reminds me a lot of the rooibos latte that Starbucks used to have. I think it was Tazo brand? It was my favorite for a while.

Looking at the ingredients, it does have rooibos and also stevia and licorice root (one of which would likely explain the slight artificial sweet note I picked up on in the very beginning). It’s been several years since I last tried this blend and my last note mentioned a bitterness, but I do not taste it here now. It must have been because I steeped it so much longer last time.

Thank you, Michelle, for sending a bag of this in my box. It’s definitely one I could see myself drinking regularly. It has some great ingredients.

I am working through some tea bags from recent swaps and decided to start this morning with this black tea from Devon Bartholomew. It only says “100% Natural Black Tea” on the wrapper so I’m not sure which brand it is. I’m looking forward to a good, strong black tea this morning though so I hope this fits the bill. It’s a perfect shade with cream, so fingers crossed for a good cup.

Yes, very good. A bit astringent but nice and caramelly-tasting.

My manager gifted us a Stash sampler last Christmas, so I have one or two bags each of about 25 or 30 different Stash teas. This is one I probably wouldn’t have purchased on my own, simply because I get tired of the hazelnut chocolate combo. Even though I like it, it just seems to be everywhere and has been for the last fifteen years or so. But tonight I did want something chocolaty and since this is decaf it seemed a good pick. I read through some tasting notes to get some ideas and came across Caitlin and her recipe for a chocolate hazelnut latte. I made it just as instructed, except I used six ounces of water instead of Stash’s recommended eight. Steep according to package instructions, add 1/3 cup frothed milk and one tablespoon chocolate syrup.

I’ll admit, my first thought was that it tasted like watered down hot chocolate. My husband tried it and remarked that at least it was better than what you get at hotels, the stuff from the hot chocolate dispensers. That’s not saying much. It does taste like chocolate at least, but I don’t taste any hazelnut. Or anything nutty for that matter. The milk makes it creamy, which I enjoy, and the chocolate syrup adds some sweetness. I wonder how much chocolate I would taste without it. It did have a strong chocolate scent before steeping, so that’s something. I guess.

Also, I just remembered that this is supposed to be a decaf black tea (or it is a decaf black tea rather). I’m not tasting any tea at all! Such a disappointment now that I think about it, because it really does just taste like a watered down chocolate herbal. I know it’s just a Stash tea bag, so maybe I shouldn’t have high expectations, but I was hoping this would be a good one. Surely there are some Stash blends that are decent or even excellent. Maybe I’ve tried one, I’ll have to go back and look at my notes. I have several more Stash teas to go through though, so I hope some of them are good at least.

I’ve never had a yellow tea that I can recall, so thank you to Michelle for sending this. I don’t notice any particular aromas from the dry leaf as I pour it into my brew basket. The leaves look like Dragonwell green tea, long and flat, but (wait for it …) they’re yellow. Or rather, a yellowish brown. Once the water hits, this tea does have an aroma. Though I’m more inclined to call it a smell. Goodness, I’m not sure I like it. I can’t quite place what it is, but it’s very strong. The liquid, on the other hand, is very light. It reminds me of a white tea in the way that it looks and tastes. Meaning, I don’t taste much of anything. White teas taste to me like lukewarm water, no matter what I try. I guess yellow teas might be the same, for me at least. There is a bitter, tannic flavor/sensation, but otherwise it is tasteless. I’m sorry I didn’t like this one – it seemed so fancy!