Simpson & Vail

This was a black friday purchase just to try it out. Its different than a candy cane like herbal, I don’t mind the black tea and the peppermint isn’t overpowering. Not a bad tea for keeping warm in the holidays. Don’t know if I need to purchase again.

2025 sipdown no. 61

The Ceylon was a bit unbalanced here, leaving more of a coppery taste than I was hoping for. Thanks Cameron!

Welcome to Steepster, the Little Website That Couldn’t! Here’s hoping it’ll actually let me post this.

This tea was a Christmas gift from Ashmanra (thanks!) for the ongoing Hunt for a London Cuppa Replacement. On first try I find it a tiny bit weak – perhaps underleafed? I don’t usually make tea in pots but I did this morning so Ashmanra could try it as well. I’ll have to try it again a bit stronger later and see how I feel about it then. It is decent, and there is a resemblance to my old standby of London Cuppa (same/similar teas in the base, which is why it was chosen). Even if I can’t find a way to make it stronger I won’t mind finishing the tin.

Advent swap tea!
I remember this one having a bit of a harsh base, so I started with a two minute steep, and it was much less harsh than I remember! A soothing chocolate tea with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. A nice advent surprise, thanks Kelmishka!

I remembered I had a few holiday-themed teas from my birthday Simpson & Vail order last year (which was in March… so you know, nine months ago…) and now it finally seems appropriate to drink them. So I brewed this one up today.

It’s very satisfying… it reminds me a little bit of the Twinings of London “Buttermint” tea that I used to love but my local grocery stopped carrying, though less of a vanilla flavor as that tea and more of just a general sweetness blended with the mint instead. The mint is pretty strong and has a slight herbaceous menthol note that hits at the end of the sip, but the aftertaste is very sweet.

This afternoon I made it as a latte with some vanilla almond milk and some cocoa powder for a “peppermint hot chocolate” vibe, which was quite the power-up. Tomorrow morning I think I’m going to steep it along with some black tea since I don’t have a candy cane/mint black tea in my collection at the moment and could do with some caffeine added to this.

2025 sipdown no. 59

This is so lychee scented in the dry and steeped tea! The taste is also so lychee forward! As it cools, it’s more like lychee-rose. How is there apparently nothing in this except black tea and cornflowers? There’s no way. Thanks for sharing Cameron!

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #21
I never even considered ordering this one for some reason, maybe because I have no idea what a goldenberry is… but it’s good! It’s a decent fruity tea with NO hibiscus. It’s sweet, but from the candied papaya. The goldenberry is from Peru, which might be why I have never seen it listed in tea before. Though the description said it would brew up a light pink color, mine was yellow. Maybe my sample missed any of the listed hibiscus? I would say the flavor was probably more sweet papaya and candied pineapple, as the goldenberry was only added flavoring. But maybe these fruits taste similar… I would definitely drink this again though.
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #19
Another I have never tried before. It was looking like a typhoon out there today, so I could definitely use a cup of whatever “cozy comfort” is. This was just okay and inoffensive. Light on the cinnamon, a little bit nutty, as it’s supposed to be black walnut. I have probably never had a black walnut tea. The cinnamon was enough just to make it slightly noticeable. Not bad, not fantastic. The black tea wasn’t too weak, which leads me to believe they haven’t altered the base on this blend…yet…
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 21 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #18

Another that I have never tried yet. An interesting herbal blend… I do miss fresh tulsi blends. Here it is subtle, but so is the resulting flavor from all the other ingredients. Mildly citrusy and tart. Fruity, naturally sweet. A bit of that green bean flavor from the tulsi. The hibiscus was NOT noticeable, so grateful for that anyway… Not bad, but nothing fantastic. An oddly small amount was in this advent sample, I personally would have used at least half a teaspoon more, so maybe that is why the flavor is lighter here.
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for a full mug // 23 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep

Advent swap tea!
This tea seems well received by most who like S&V, but I think it’s just ok. Creamy butter is the main flavor, with a hint of berry. Maybe it’s better with some sweetener? It was an enjoyable cup, but I’d gravitate to the apple blends from S&V instead.

S&V Advent Day 15!
The tea base is a little plant-like, not as hearty as I would like. There’s some bergamot here as well, but it’s all a bit bland compared to other EG-inspired blends S&V carries.

S&V Advent Day 14!
There’s something herbaceous in a pleasant way here, and I also taste some fruitiness. I guess I could see this being apple sage! It was pretty interesting! I would definitely drink it again, but the flavors could be more distinct.

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #14
Another I haven’t tried, probably because I know I would rather just steep up S&V’s Apple French Toast Every Single Time.  But this is good too!  Classic apple flavor, on a mild base.  More like an apple pie flavored tea than a fresh apple.  I don’t think I noticed the sage.  Like at all.  It might have been a unique blend if the sage was actually noticeable, but without, it’s only okay. It was a pleasant tea for the day — in the morning I had it with some pancakes topped with homemade applesauce, so it followed right along…
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 19 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #13
Another that I have never tried, if only because I am usually pretty satisfied with Harney’s hot cinnamon spice teas.  And I think I was right in that assumption.  This one is like the Harney, but with MUCH less flavor overall.  I love the blast of flavor from Harney’s candy cinnamon.  Where is the cinnamon sugar bomb? Not here.  But it’s a little bit more like Harney’s in the second steep, with a REALLLLY long steep time.  Just not enough.   And then there is an odd mouth drying quality.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 22 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // many minute steep

S&V Advent Day 13!
This is never my favorite flavor profile, but I gave it a try! Yeah, it’s just a little straightforward for me. It tastes like spicy cinnamon, but I feel like there are better options of this flavor profile, and I’d just prefer something else entirely. For a spicy cinnamon tea, this just ends up a little mild.

S&V Advent Day 11
Well this tea is weird. I’m never a fan of turmeric in tea, but why would they mix it with tart ingredients like hibiscus? It’s just not cohesive at all. It’s drinkable, but I don’t ever need it again. So confusing.

S&V Advent Day 12!
I’m drinking this cold with milk and sugar, and it’s quite enjoyable! I taste fruit on a black base, but it’s really well done. I feel like I taste a really distinct raspberry specifically. In some sips, it seems like chocolate covered raspberry, but that’s probably my imagination.

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #12
Oh now here is one I have wanted to try! I love a good raspberry tea and this one is quite delicious. I also don’t think it’s labeled as another blend that S&V sells. This is strictly a National Park blend. However, S&V also has some other great raspberry teas. The raspberry takes over here, and I really can’t taste much of the sage which is a shame. Maybe it melds together really well… It tastes very much like one of my favorite raspberry teas from Maya Tea. This just has a lighter base. Was very good paired with the other tea I had today, Mate Java Espresso by Tealyra, which I’m glad to see they are still selling. I also had some cocoa infused pancakes with fresh raspberries and whipped cream today, so it was a very chocolate and raspberry themed day. :)
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #11
oh no. oh no no no. The turmeric was just not going to work for me. I don’t know why they included this in the advent as well as the herbal chai. I actually thought this was their ‘turmeric chai’ blend, but this is a whole nother beast. I found this out because THIS blend also has hibiscus, the other one doesn’t. yikes. This seems like it would have very specific fans… just a cup full of earthiness taking over. Earthy turmeric and tang. Somehow the second steep was even STRONGER. Turmeric, tang, and also lots of ginger. Hopefully it’s at least healthy?
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep

S&V Advent Day 9!
I taste lime and blueberry in even amounts, but I don’t notice too much green tea. It’s really refreshing cold! The fruits taste pretty authentic and nice! It’s the right amount of tart. There is a bit of a chemically flavor, but I don’t mind it too much.

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #9
I had to add this to Steepster?  I thought I saw someone talking about this, at some point.  Another I haven’t tried.   Right upon opening the pouch, I figured I wouldn’t be a fan.  Possibly this is too freshly blended and the flavor needed time to mellow, possibly one and a half teaspoons is too much.  The flavors should be blueberry and lime, but to me…. it’s nail polish and/or nail polish remover.  Not the flavors I’m looking for.  I can’t really taste the green tea at all. The brew color was a lovely shade of blue though.  This also doesn’t scream advent flavors, IMO, so I’m not sure why, of all S&V’s many teas, they decided on this one.  I know I didn’t overdo it on the steep — I used much cooler water and a shorter steep time than I normally would have went with.  Sadly, I used my sample, so can’t give this one another chance later on down the line. 
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 42 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 28 minutes after boiling  // 2-3 minute steep

Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #8

Now here is one I haven’t tried yet! I have considered ordering it before. But I think I went with their pear green tea instead, based on positive Steepster notes, possibly? S&V has had some of my favorite pear teas in the past. Here, both in the fragrance and the flavor, the rooibos is competing with the pear. I have had worse pear teas! The second steep, I think I left a little too long, and tastes mostly just like plain rooibos…
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6 minute steep

Dec 2025 TTB, 2nd round.
Floral Nectar Tea; by Simpson & Vail, Inc.
Loose leaf black tea in a mylar zip bag. 2 g. / 8 oz. / 212°F / 3 min. in a stainless micropore infusion basket. Wow, this tea is loaded with lavender! [It doubles as a nasal inhaler! As a rub for roasts! As a bouquet garni for soups & stews!] And the potent lavender fragrance persists from the dry blend, through steeping, onto the tongue and into the nose in a long finish. The base “black teas” were strong enough to withstand the lavender onslaught, giving the impression of a generic black with slight astringency, but no bitterness, tannin, nor any hints of malt or mint or pepperiness to betray its origin. On the tongue, I caught an occasional whisper of fruitiness, probably from the apricot flavoring. But lavender reigns supreme here, so you’d better like it, which I do. However, the mostly one-dimensional character of the tea hurts my rating, which I’ll call at 68.

December Sipdown Challenge Prompt – an unflavored black tea

Homemade Advent Day 7

I bought a 2 ounce pouch of this for our advent as I am trying to match teas to the F&M tons that came in the original advent.

It smells like rich breakfast tea and the scent lingered, making me want MORE TEA PLZ! I think in the future I may buy a sampling of lots of their Assams to taste and compare.