Simpson & Vail

Is it weird to have a favorite SIZE of tea leaf?  When you see it in the tea scoop and you just know it is going to be tasty with the best resulting flavor…  This one is not a large leaf, it’s not a CTC sized leaf.  It’s tiny but not too tiny and a little golden.  And I see it and I know it will be a flavorful cup for this rainy day.  It’s delicious!  Peppery like a yunnan, definitely dark and deep enough for a black tea that I want to steep up again and again.  Then the second steep has a fragrance of syrup, like I added some to the mug or something (I did not).  And I will say it might have a hint of smoke.  This is a good one from S&V.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep

Received this as a generous shared sample from ashmanra, and am so grateful! The balance of vanilla and nuttiness was good, and there were intact slivers of almond in the dry leaf! I enjoyed all 3 sessions with it, finding that no re-steep was as good as the first infusion, probably because the bar was already so high. When sugared and milky, the tea really became a dessert worth the calories. I’m so glad I was able to try this, and I may begin exploring other S & V products now that I know how they are! Thanks again, tea-friend!

So Simpson & Vail recently released two new fall teas, this being one of them. Naturally, I had to order the autumn sampler box with both new releases plus a couple of existing teas. Because, you know, science.

This is described as a caramel apple black tea, with butterfly pea flower to make it steep up a spooky “purple-black” color. Well, as usual, mine is not the intended hue ha ha – it’s more of a dark, murky brown-black. Coffee-like, almost. Anyway, the tea itself is pleasant, though it tastes more like a candy apple to me than a caramel one. The apple flavor is quite nice, it’s more concentrated than I would expect. It’s also well-rounded, it almost tastes like there’s a bit of cranberry or pomegranate or something in the background? However, there is a slight odd sour-musty herbal note, I’m not sure if it’s the pea flower or the horsetail.

I think next time I’ll try picking out the butterfly pea flower and see how that changes the flavor.

So why not steep this one up the next day, after questioning if I have had it in the past…. This was also from my S&V order a few months ago. This is black tea from Columbia with cacao and also what looks like cacao shells in it. Even from the fragrance of the leaf, I’m very surprised there isn’t flavoring here, as it is super chocolate scented. Much more than the occasional cacao piece would hint at. The flavor is great on both steeps. Very chocolate/ cocoa/ whatever you want to call it. Dark chocolate. I COULD wish for a deeper black tea base for the chocolate, but it could also be worse. It’s a mid-depth black tea. A little astringent on the second steep, just like the Colombian tea yesterday. But I can live with this base. But this cup also doesn’t have the candy strawberry flavor that the Colombian tea yesterday had, so I doubt it is the same base. I wonder if cacao/cocoa shells could make me love most tea bases if they are just average? It’s why I’m still sad that S&V stopped offering their cocoa shells….
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep

I loved the Columbian teas I have had from other sources. I could have sworn I had Bitaco’s Cacao Kisses tea before, but it looks like any existing note I may have had has disappeared. Very weird. Maybe it was the Andean I’m remembering. ANYWAY… this has quite the sweet candy fruit fragrance coming from the mug! The flavor is the same. Candy fruit strawberry, most similar to a Premium Taiwanese Assam. But I wish there was more depth to these leaves. Well, it’s also malty. The second steep went for a tame three minutes but still seemed a bit harsh and astringent. This is an alright leaf, I suppose, but I would rather just go full PTA when I’m craving that sort of thing.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep

Cold steep!

The last one from my S&V fruit infusion order. I think this particular blend needs to steep a bit longer, because it’s a little bit weak, but otherwise it’s quite good! Definitely my favorite of the order. I’m not sure how to describe the flavor really, it’s mostly sweet with a bit of tang, and I can taste the pineapple mentioned in the description. Otherwise it just tastes fruity and nice.

I think I may try mixing some of the other blends, since some had a lot of hibiscus and some could have a used a bit of tang. But happy to have tried them all! I don’t think I would reorder any of them, since I much prefer the ones I’ve tried from Tealyra and Harney.

Woooooo, this is one is very tart ha ha! But I don’t mind that in a cold steeped tea, I like to have a variety of hibiscus-y and non-hibiscus-y options.

It’s very sour, but still has a flavor besides hibiscus. The front of the sip is sweeter, and then the back half reminds me strongly of cranberry juice. There’s a definitely Sweet Tarts flavor to it overall as well. It’s supposed to be pomegranate and acai flavored, and I can see that, albeit with a healthy dash of hibiscus tartness as well. Given those flavors are already quite tart, I can see why it ends up being so puckery.

Not bad though!

Cold steep!

So this one is just okay. I do agree with the description that it tastes like pear, though that’s not how I would describe starfruit. It’s not bad per se, but it feels a bit one-dimensional. It’s mostly a crisp pear flavor with a hint of lemongrass in the background. Almost has more of a dragonfruit vibe to me.

I think next time, I’ll add some hibiscus to this one, as I feel it needs some tang to liven it up.

This one tastes quite bland?

I do taste mixed berry, and a touch of chalk, which I sometimes find with some berry flavorings (I think in the case of S&V, it’s their blackberry). There’s also a medicinal cherry note, even though cherry isn’t one of the flavors listed. There’s a definite tartness from the apple and rosehips, but otherwise it just seems a bit watery to me.

Might have to try this one flash chilled instead of cold steeped? 0 for 2 on S&V fruit teas so far, ha ha…

I finished up all of my fruit infusions for cold steeping (except for my pound bag of Watermelon Cooler), and thought I would give Simpson & Vail’s offerings a try. None of them are rated particularly well here, but they’re inexpensive so I figured why not?

I find it weird that this is called “Caribbean” when it’s mostly a citrus blend, and not tropical. It does have mango flavoring, but I’m tasting the lemon and orange primarily, along with hibiscus of course. I think they may have overused the dried citrus peel, because it has a definite pithy bitterness to it that, while drinkable, isn’t all that pleasant. Maybe I’m getting a touch of the mango at the very beginning of the sip?

Definitely not one that I would reorder. I’ll have to play around with the steeping parameters to see how I can minimize those bitter notes.

I saw TeaEarleGreyHot has been drinking Harney & Son’s Black Currant tea recently, and it reminded me I’ve also been drinking that flavor as of late, albeit the one from Simpson & Vail.

The black tea base is pleasant and not entirely overpowered by the flavoring. It has a nice brassy edge without being too tannic, with some more subtle autumn leaf undertones. The aroma of the tea is a really lovely mix of fruity and floral, and the black currant flavoring is very nice; I always forget how grapey it tastes when I haven’t had it in a long time, and I’m really digging that particular flavor note lately. I get a grape-forward berry fruitiness that is sweet enough to smooth out the rough edges of the base black tea without being so sweet as to be cloying. Just the right amount.

This has been pleasant as a morning cup, straight-up with no additions, but also made a great batch of iced tea, as well. I prepared my iced tea by brewing 7g of leaf in 500ml hot water for 3 minutes, straining, mixing with an additional 500ml cold water, leaving it to cool on the counter for a few minutes, and then popping it into the fridge to chill overnight. I wanted a stronger, more tannic flavor so I opted to chill a hot brew preparation rather than cold brew, but I bet it would be tasty cold brewed as well. Something about that grape note just really jives with me for too-darn-hot summer weather.

TTB 2025
Surprisingly easy to drink this creamy, boozy green tea. Some grassy notes underneath, but mostly vanilla cream. Thanks for adding it to the box!

TTB 2025
The smokiness is smooth but the fruit flavoring is medicinal. Not a bad blend, but not their best effort either. Thanks for adding it to the box.

Just ok, not malty or awesome enough for repurchase.

This is all blackberry/huckleberry. Not getting any juniper (or anything herbal), but the berry flavor is nice.

I’ve really been enjoying this floral-forward Earl Grey from Simpson & Vail (speaking of S&V, I won their summer tea giveaway, a tin each of “Blueberry Limeade” and “Summer Breeze!” I’ll have to get to those soon…) It is very aromatic, with the bergamot and rosemary hitting my nose first, followed by undertones of rose and lavender. The black tea base is a Rose Congou which is rich, malty, coppery, and floral, with the rose coming out more in the taste as the tea starts to cool a bit. The bergamot is a good strength, leaving the cup with a deeply satisfying citrus note that isn’t overpowered by the other flavors. The rosemary is the secret star for me in this blend, as it compliments the bergamot really well, helps the lavender notes pop a bit more, and leaves a very satisfying aftertaste.

This is definitely a tea for floral lovers and not those toeing the line; I fear the highly aromatic bergamot mixed with a lot of strong floral flavors will come off either perfumey or soapy to some. I have an extremely high floral tolerance and every now and then I’ll get a sip that leaves a bit of a pungent aftertaste. I also found the one time I tried making the tea as a latte it did taste a bit soapy to me, but I’m not sure if that was due to the strength of the leaf I used to offset the milk or that certain floral notes were hightened from the sweetened vanilla almond milk. Even then, I didn’t find it particularly unpleasant. But now I enjoy it hot and straight, and I really enjoy sniffing the steam as I go in for a sip.

Sip Down

Before May ends, I’ve decided to get ahead of the game, especially with the 3-day weekend. It’s wild to think we’re nearly 6 months in 2025 – such a strange era of life – however, I’m trying not to rush it any further!

I only noted on the back of the packet, “Your very standard tea. It’s good if you want to make a mug without needing too much thought. It does the trick for kicking the tea craving, but it’s a middle of the road brew. I’d definitely recommend something like this if you’re new to tea or need something for sun tea.”

Sipdown! (8 | 85)

From the April subscription.

It’s okay, mostly tastes like a harsh Chinese green tea. There are some beany and stonefruit notes, but it’s also quite earthy/strawlike, a bit smoky, and somewhat astringent.

Sadly, I am not getting this subscription anymore. For some reason, S&V started making 3 out of 4 teas unflavored in every box, and I am generally only interested in their flavored offerings. Oh well!

My friend bought me a tin of this from a local shop that carries S&V teas! It’s not one that I would choose for myself, but it’s always nice to try a new S&V tea. I don’t taste any chocolate at all. The green base is okay. The blackberry flavoring comes off as too fake for me. I shared this with my partner who said, “It’s like eating the entire blackberry bush.” It’s best cold with milk and sugar.

April Fools’ Day Sipdown Challenge Prompt – tell someone you are giving up tea. Then have a cup of tea.

I awoke and went to my daughter and stood before her and said, “I am giving up tea.” I don’t think she even looked up from her book. She simply answered, “You can’t do that.” And she went on reading. So much for my prank. She didn’t even realize it was April Fools’ Day but she still didn’t believe me.

This is the cup (pot, actually) of tea I had afterward.

I have been giving tea to a new friend and last week when she brought her children for music lessons, she was walking to a shrub in my yard. “Is this a lilac???”, she asked as she drew near to sniff. “It is!”, I replied. “I have two, but the other is in back.”

“My grandmother’s yard in Ohio was absolutely FULL of lilacs. I have never seen one since we moved south! I thought they couldn’t grow here!”

They do grow here, but they don’t necessarily flourish as they would somewhere with cooler weather, but I do get a spring and fall bloom from mine.

Since she had happy memories of lilacs at Grandma’s, I promised her a sample of lilac tea next time she comes, so when I was measuring her tea into a bag this morning I took the easy route and made it for my morning tea as well.

Authentic lilac aroma here, and lovely flavor. It is less floral than a violet candy or Harney’s Rose Scented, but still a good, strong floral scent and flavor.

The base is strong enough to be a breakfast tea but it is more akin to an excellent afternoon tea, which is when I usually have it. It is a nice afternoon soother and rumpled day smoother. I take it plain but I feel sure it could handle sugar (definitely) and milk (probably).

Sipdown/Backlog – March 15, 2025

We had friends over during the sipping down event with this tea. Based on the tasting notes from that session, we were able to manage to get results from our experience!

Aroma: Sun tea, honey, lemon, and peach.

Tasting Notes: Smooth, lemon, & sweet.

Rating: 6.5/10

If you live near a Smallcakes Cupcakerie, consider yourselves fortunate. We miss ours! Little boutique cupcake and ice cream place that changed its flavor lineup weekly. They had a moist, melt-in-your mouth strawberry cupcake that I could gnarf in about three giant bites, I liked it so much. Snowberry Frost is its liquid stepchild. Berries and buttercream, compliments of the lovely ashmanra. Thank you—I needed the smile!

Another sample from S&V — thank you! HAD to try this golden monkey. The leaves look like your classic, traditional golden monkey variety. Long, thin, about 1/3 gold in color. I might have steeped the first cup a little light. The flavor is light. But what is there is tasty. Hints of tomato soup. The second steep is a little deeper but sadly, I’m finding this tasting note lacking, as I’m sure all of you are, as there just isn’t the depth to this tea that I would wish. Not my preferred Golden Monkey, I guess.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 24 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 6+ minute steep

Oof, woke to more rain which is flaring up my migraine-head. I’m hoping it’ll subside by noon since I planned to try out a new Japanese restaurant for lunch for my birthday.

I was going to brew some genmaicha this morning, but then remembered I ordered this tea a year ago and figured I’d give it a try. The aroma of the dry leaf is a little strange to me, but I also can’t drink alcohol (see above about the migraines) so I can’t really compare to actual Irish Creme (I did used to enjoy the Irish Creme flavored Torani syrup in coffee, though). I definitely can smell the fresh green grassiness of green tea, but the flavoring… I guess it smells a little like a chocolate root beer? It’s not unpleasant, just different.

The flavor is pretty nice, though! I used 2g of leaf for a 12 oz. cup and steeped 175F water for only 2 minutes, and the green tea is smooth and flavorful and not a bitter mess. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a green tea and I’m finding the grassy undertone very pleasant. The flavor does have this sort of dryness to it that I imagine is a bit alcohol-esque, and tastes a bit like chocolate, but not abrasively so… it’s pretty smooth, sweet, and subdued. I do get a bit of a cream favor in the aftertaste. It’s quite nice… maybe not my first choice for a rainy day when I tend to go for dark and roasty flavors, but it is certainly the most thematic tea in my cupboard for today and I’m glad I tried it!