Cuppa Geek

Such a tasty, creamy peppermint black tea. I definitely get the candy peppermint vibe. It’s cooling in the mouth, even when I have a hot sip. This sort of reminds me of the various DavidsTea peppermint black blends, but I think this one is done better.

I wasn’t sure what flavor this was supposed to be, but it tastes like a combination between apple pie and a spiced fruit cider. The spices and fruit are pleasant and tasty. It’s maybe a touch too tart, but I’m enjoying it cold. I wouldn’t mind if I ended up with this in a sampler again, but I’m not sure if it’s quite amazing enough to order on its own.

Sipdown (1419)!

I couldn’t decide what tea to drink yesterday so VariaTEA very kindly helped me randomly pick a sample to drink – and bonus points for the one she picked also being a sipdown! This is probably something I would have never ordered for myself, so an additional thanks to VariaTEA for sending the sample my way too.

In terms of taste, I found this to be a pretty standard “pumpkin spice” composition but leaning a little more cinnamon and clove forward. It was nicely balanced and very cozy/warming. I didn’t really know what I was in the mood for when I steeped it up, but whatever those abstract cravings may have been seemed to be calmed by sipping on this tea. In addition to those spice notes, the black tea was rich and just a bit astringent and the finish also creamy and custardy with thick vanilla-like notes.

Very tasty!

Sipdown (1401)!

Thank you VariaTEA for the share – looks like this is another strawberry blend to add to the list from this past week…

I have to agree with Sil that I didn’t find anything in this tea macaron inspired unless we’re just counting general sweetness? But even then, it’s not an especially sweet tea. There’s astringency to the sip which feels out of place for a macaron blend, but I did like the texture it added to the profile since that added some interest to an otherwise very straightforward flavour profile: sweet (though somewhat artificial) strawberry and brisk black tea with some muted floral undertones. I appreciate tasting the black tea base, but I wish this was… I don’t know, more!? It’s a nice tea but it’s also simple.

I’m enjoying the fruity flavor of this. The quality of the fruit isn’t like fresh fruit, but more like dried fruit. It was really tasty before adding milk, but I decided to add some anyway, and I think it tastes similar or slightly worse with the milk. I don’t really get any kind of crisp or baked element, which would have been really fun, but I’m pleased with how it came out anyway. I’d have this again!

It was a chilly morning so I thought I’d warm up with a cup of dark chocolate peppermint patty. I’m not a fan of the mini marshmallows, but it adds a festive flair to a decent cup of mostly mint, but some chocolate tea. This tea isn’t anything splashy, just a cup of comfort that steeps three times.

Mmmmm! I love how dark, dense and brown tasting this blend is. Like an river of dark, thick maple syrup slowly running down a giant slab of mineral-rich wet stone. All of that tied off with a bow of lightly spicy and earthy fresh ginger. I wouldn’t dare to describe this as a bright cup but it is lively in its own way with a lot of different layer of flavour nestled on top of one another.

This was a little too drying and ginger heavy for me personally but I liked the combination of maple and ginger a lot – there’s a lot of interest and fun to be had this with this juxtaposition of sweet brown flavour with it’s kind of woody undertones and spicy, hot ginger. I loved the base choice too – leans well into the more natural and earthy notes (“sap like” if you will) of maple that sometimes feel very neglected/forgotten. Gonna try this with milk though, because I think that will balance the dryness and ginger heavy aspects for me…

The scent is so mapley and enticing. The flavor is more subtle than the smell. I get a woody, mild mapley flavor along with the base tea. I’m not a big oolong fan, so I definitely would have preferred this on a black base. I would have expected bolder flavors, and what I do taste seems like spices and flavoring that’s a bit artificial. Milk complements it well. I just wish the flavors were stronger. I don’t love oolong, but that’s the strongest flavor of all. It’s funny to see all these reviews calling it too sweet/overwhelming, when that’s the total opposite of my experience. Different tastes!

I taste the lavender, but also something a little tangy and spiced? I added some milk. I wish there were more lavender! I would never guess what sort of tea this is supposed to be. It’s a bit spiced and fruity, but I do like it! This is another one I wouldn’t mind some more of!

I get some butterfly pea flower flavor, but not too much. Luckily, the strongest flavor is the chamomile, which is rather lovely cold. There must be something else in there too, but I can’t tell what. I only have the advent sample, but I think I would buy more of this one because I really enjoyed the light freshness of the chamomile. I hope CG’s hiatus is brief!

Oh no, this one definitely uses the same flavoring that Adagio uses in their rooibos pumpkin tea, and that flavoring 100% does not work for me. It doesn’t taste like pumpkin. It’s just weirdly sweet and fruity. That said, I think this CG blend does a slightly better job than Adagio at this flavor profile. The spices aren’t strong enough to be considered chai. It’s mostly just the weird flavoring and a tiny bit of spice. The little bit of black tea doesn’t make an appearance. Other people seem to like this one, so I may be in the wrong here.

I wouldn’t call this flavor pancake, but it does taste like a blueberry baked good. I guess I can see maple syrup if I’m concentrating, though it’s mostly just desserty honeybush. Milk brings it together well. It’s a pretty enjoyable take on this flavor profile. I only had the advent sample, so I’d consider trying a larger size in the future.

This is an ancient sample that’s been languishing in my desk drawer for months. I honestly don’t remember at this point which swap/TTB it came from. But I’m thankful to whoever sent it to me, because it’s really yummy! I’m not really getting Earl Grey, but the lavender flavor is strong and pure without any soapiness. The base tea is also nice and smooth; totally drinkable without milk! A pleasant surprise on a dreary afternoon.

Raspberry fruity sweet on the first steep with some notes of cotton candy flavor. Can’t taste the black tea base, but that’s ok, I’m not sure it would add much. Second steep is tart lime with less sweetness. Its like two different teas for the price of one when you steep it twice. I’ll enjoy the rest of the pouch but it’s not one I’ll need to purchase again.

This is a pretty cardamom-heavy chai on a green base. You can really taste the green tea, but I don’t notice any of the other spices other than the cardamom. I don’t prefer green chai, but it wasn’t unpleasant. The green tea did get a little bitter as it sat, but some oat milk and sugar brought it together decently well.

The irish breakfast base is underneath chocolate and caramel with a hint of cream. The chocolate isn’t artificial tasting, and the tea is very smooth. It’s not my very favorite Cuppa Geek tea, but I’d certainly be tempted to order more. I do use a bit more leaf for this one, and while it seems to disappear from my mug quite readily, its not that memorable of a cup.

June Sipdown Prompt – a tropical tea

I thought I didn’t have a tea for this prompt when I looked at it earlier in the month, but I found this pouch while digging in the stash. And it is still good! Better than good! The coconut hasn’t gone off at all and it is still so refreshing cold on this muggy day. I have enough for one more pitcher which will no doubt be gone by Monday.

The green rooibos base is carrying the fruit flavors so nicely. Though the drink is red though is no hobby tartness here, just smooth fruit and coconut. I did. have a small cup of it hot before chilling it and it was just as good.

An herbal tea – second time through the May prompts!

I love this so much. I made a lot – a LOT – last night. I sneaked a hot cup, made a large glass unsweetened just for me, and a carafe sweetened for both me and the Ashman. Often, if I love an herbal iced and sweet, I don’t love it hot, but this is an exception.

I was a little worried about whether the coconut would be going off but it isn’t. It is perfectly good. I was tempted to save the last of this for high summer, but I am afraid the coconut will eventually get rancid and then I would be very unhappy to have missed out on one of my favorite herbals blends in history ever. So even though we are swinging between horrifically hot and muggy to cloudy with a slight chill (this morning) I am going to start working on a sipdown of this one and will enjoy every coconutty, fruity sip.

It is so rich, refreshing, and full bodied. Who could ask for anything more?

My May ParTea bundle arrived today! Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! (Insert flailing Muppet arms meme here.) It arrived minutes before my students, so I had to wait to make my tea. (Sad noises!)

I started with the blend that I was most excited about – Tropical Vibes. It says it has a pina colada twist but honestly I have never had a pina colada so I have no idea what they taste like. I thought they were mostly just pineapple juice but apparently there is an outrageous amount of coconut and I am SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW.

When I was younger I did not care for coconut but in the right place, I love it now. This is the right place.

This steeps up a really pretty, clear red color from the rose hips, but it is not tart. I made three steeps and poured it into a large jar with about a tablespoon of sugar and put it in the fridge to chill. Tonight I poured it over a bit of ice and….ah, this is nice. The coconut is at least as strong as the fruit to me and between the color and the incredible aroma I am in summer tea heaven.

I have already practiced folding and unfolding my farmer’s market tote several times and demonstrated it for Ashman who watched with good humor because I was so excited. It’s the little things. :)

This was a sipdown, and like lots of other “busy” teas, the last teaspoons are usually scant on whatever gave it the most personality. So the last cup was mostly hibiscus and chamomile. That’s OK, I was tired and fussy after a long day and I think the chamomile took the edge off some of that fuss.

I couldn’t attend a bridal shower in TN thrown by a dear friend, so she sent a little bit of the shower to me in the form of a sample Hug In A Cup (she did a tea service featuring CuppaGeek blends with place cards including their descriptions).

I’ve read many reviews, including my own, that don’t get too excited about herbal chamomile blends. After all, it’s chamomile. But Nichole has added a very pleasant fruity-berry twist. The hibiscus and rose hips in my sample added color without a lot of tartness. A really nice nightcap if you’re tired of the usual chamomile-lemony-minty routine.

I put this one in the fridge overnight, and the flavor this morning is pretty pleasant. The flavor is mostly green rooibos and lemon. I would have liked to see some blueberry here, but there was just one blueberry in my sample, and it didn’t really add any flavor. I guess there wasn’t much wow factor here, but it’s decently tasty and refreshing. I wanted more complexity and more blueberry.

This is better with a shorter steep time since the hibiscus can lead to it being a little tart. The main flavor is apple with a tiny bit of spice. Actually, it sort of tastes like homemade spiced apple sauce. I don’t get any rum. It’s not bad, but not exciting (think Celestial Seasonings). The name sounded so good, but it didn’t turn out to be my sort of thing.