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Sipdown

I can’t believe this doesn’t have a tasting note from me and yet here I am at a sipdown. This is going on the wishlist as a someday repurchase. I always saved it to drink when Superanna visits as it is one of her favorite teas.

This resteeps very well so four teaspoons of leaf in a Stump pot, poured into a large Curve pot and immediately resteeped and combined, makes a very tasty accompaniment to all sorts of food, whether it is a meal or dessert like today. It was served with lemon pound generously spread with lemon fluff frosting and Superanna commented on how perfectly the tea paired with it. It’s good with everything because it is just plain good.

Sipdown

This has served its purpose – a nice sweet tea for summer evenings. Summer is drawing to a close and fall approaching so it was the perfect time to finish the tin with a big carafe to drink this weekend. Still high summer temps here so it will be enjoyed.

I will probably repurchase it for next summer but will let something else take its place for fall and winter drinking.

It is decaf so the base is as you might expect – it doesn’t pack a punch but it is good. The peach flavor is really lovely and improves after a day or two in the fridge, as I find with all sweet iced tea, even unflavored.

Sharedown

I gave the rest of this to my neighbor tonight after Ashman and I each had a cup after supper because I just placed a big Teeccino order and I want to get my cupboard down a little before it arrives.

I find it milder with less coffee flavor than some of their other blends but that may have been because there were errors made while steeping it, chiefly that the water was not hot enough.

This and Vanilla Nut are my neighbor’s favorite Teeccino blends so far!

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September Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a teabag tea

I think this is the only teabag tea I had on hand other than some samples from Lupicia and Harney & Sons.

This is an easy tea that is very cheap and very accessible. I bought it last winter when we were quite low on decaf options. I enjoyed it when I really just wanted something hot at night and I wasn’t in the mood for herbals or added flavors.

It tastes a little woody like those school ice cream spoons and I sometimes get those high minty notes I associate with high elevation Ceylon. It steeps up dark and probably tastes good with milk and sugar if you like that, but I have been drinking it plain for too many years to remember what it tasted like with additions.

Since I have lots of Teeccino right now as well as my standby decaf teas, I won’t repurchase this for a while, if ever. I don’t hate it, I just don’t need it. It is convenient – bags, boiling water, buy at most groceries, and budget-friendly. It’s not a show stopper but it doesn’t pretend to be anything besides good ol’ comfort tea that you can have at night.

August 31 Sipdown Challenge Prompt – World Distance Learning Day: post a tea fact

———the following tea fact is not medical advice!———

I had a completely different tea fact in mind about “kill green” but recently came across this information and was pretty excited about it!

Because of the cancer medication I took until the side effects got too bad, I had to start getting bone density tests early, as the drug in question can cause bone loss. Usually you see warnings about caffeine and osteoporosis (which I have been diagnosed with) but I recently saw this when I was told to look at caffeine and bone health. It came from an AI overview, so big old grain of salt everyone!

*…moderate tea consumption may be linked with a reduced risk of osteoporosis and a positive effect on bone health. This contradicts earlier concerns that the caffeine intake could cause bone loss. The potential benefits are attributed to tea’s complex composition, particularly its polyphenols and flavonoids.

Tea contains bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and phytoestrogens that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Green tea catechins, especially EGCG, have been shown to increase the activity of osteoblasts. Tea compounds can also inhibit the function of osteoclasts, the cells that breakdown bone tissue.*

——-These internet tea facts do not constitute medical advice!——-

If this interests you, go on a deep dive search and see where it goes! I plan to learn more.

As for the tea, this is one of my favorite Teeccino blends. Served with fresh baked sourdough bread, it made for a comfort supper we really enjoyed.

*August Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a current favorite tea”

Ashman brought the mail in today and said, “You have a package.” I couldn’t remember ordering anything and was so puzzled but I saw the return address and gasped. “It’s from Cameron! What can it be?” Well, tea, obviously, but what tea?

Only one of my favoritest flavored teas ever, that’s what! I gasped again when I saw the tin. The nearly full to the brim tin! Even though it is past the time of day that we usually have caffeine, I made one cup and we split it because I just couldn’t wait.

It is as I remembered – such a lovely tea, dark and flavored with deep honey notes and a tiny hint of cinnamon, and rich with the scent and taste of real oranges. This is so much better to me than the orange/clove/cinnamon Christmas blends!

It still tastes like a holiday in a cup to me, and I was immediately excited that I can include this in our homemade advent calendar this December!

Thank you, CameronB! I am sorry that it wasn’t your cup of tea, but I am so grateful that you thought of me when it was time to rehome it!

August Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a guest favorite

Two neighbors and I have started having little meet ups in our homes on Friday nights, taking turns hostessing. They are both coffee drinkers but like tea, although they haven’t had many types and very little loose leaf.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I served this one as they both take milk and sugar in their coffee, but they both exclaimed that they loved it and it didn’t need anything at all.

This is the first flavored that I found truly arresting. It was about fourteen years ago that I received it in a swap, and I was so struck by it that I told Superanna all about it and bemoaned not having more, and she ordered me my very own for Christmas that year!
Even this batch came from a trip she made to France last year.

This is rich, biscuit-flavored (as in cookie), marzipan, fruit and floral. I have never had poppy on its own so I can’t say that it is true to poppy but others have noted on here that it tastes like poppy candy.

This isn’t candy-like to me, though. I think of it as a very “grown-up” tea, made for sipping with a satisfied sigh as you settle deeper into a comfy oversized chair.

August 24 Sipdown Challenge: Strange Music Day

Sample Sipdown

My strange music tracks (maybe not strange to many of you but definitely strange to Ashman who played bass in a metal band before we met and then went to college for classical guitar! Ha ha!) are Breathing and Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush.

This is a very generous sample from Martin – many thanks! I made a pot to sip on this evening and I have the rest cold steeping in the fridge for tomorrow.

This is one of the best berry flavored tisanes I have had. Sometimes a tisane leaves you wanting but not this one. The color of the steeped tea is almost as dark as many black teas. It is loaded with flavor and the berries are rich and deep. I taste primarily blackcurrant and elderberry. The apple pieces are not contributing tons of apple flavor but perhaps just their sweetness. I would definitely drink this happily any time it is offered.

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August Sipdown Prompt – a green oolong

Is it cheating to drink a flavored green? No. I have decided it isn’t.

This is such a lovely tea. It was a Mother’s Day gift from Superanna and I liked it so welk that I bought another pouch immediately. This is that last pouch. It is a definite repurchase for someday when I need to restock teas. Ashman and I both enjoy it.

Be prepared because these leaves SWELL. There is hardly room in the pot for the water on the second steep, so make sure you steep it such that the leaves have plenty of room to expand.

It has lovely light plum flavor and resteeps well so we always make two steeps and combine them. We usually have it hot but we have had it iced and sweet a couple of times this summer and it makes a delicious fruity refresher to go with lunch and just slake a summer thirst.

Sipdown

I don’t like coffee so I thought I was going to dislike this. Instead I find it quite tasty with milk and sugar. Who even am I? This tastes like pure coffee with no bitterness.

I bought several boxes of Teeccino for our dear neighbors and they are head over heels for it. It is fun to share with people and find something they love!