Herbs & Kettles

So I ordered a bunch of samples from Herbs & Kettles while they were having their black Friday, cyber Monday, whatever sale. Their chai blends sounded intriguing, and I was drawn in by the beautiful packaging featuring cute animals. But I did constrain myself to only getting samples, even though I was so tempted by the pretty tins… XP

I was not prepared for the amount of lavender in this, ha ha. The dry leaf looks like roughly 50% lavender. I am not a lavender lover, though I have grown to enjoy it in small quantities, so I was a bit nervous. Thankfully, the lavender isn’t super overbearing in the cup. It is definitely the strongest flavor, but it still tastes citrusy and pleasant, and not like perfume or bath products. I will say, the spices seem a bit lacking. I do taste hints of them, specifically the cardamom and ginger, but I think the lavender is just overpowering most of the spice here. I certainly don’t taste vanilla at all.

Still a pleasant cup of mostly lavender black tea, but not something I would personally order.

Sipddown 71 – 2024

This is just okay. I’ve realized that I really prefer these type of chai/spice blends with milk or as a latte. Straight without sweetener, just not a huge fan. This blend is also really saffron dominant, it actually overwhelms most of the spices. Aa touch of clove, but not much cinnamon.

This smells super chocolatey. It transfers to the flavor a bit, but there’s also an astringency that isn’t great.

Assam’s can generally be pretty hit or miss for me, but this one is decent. Loads of sweet potato and dried fruit. Really sweet, without a trace of bitterness.

Also- looks like my sample packet is labeled Black & Gold, but on the Herbs & Kettles website it’s called Black Gold. Not a huge difference, but noting it in case I want to purchase again.

Made on the stovetop with oat milk and honey.

Ended up liking this less than the Saffron Chai. I couldn’t detect any rose and just a hint of cardamom. The ginger was most present, with a really unpleasant hay flavor.

Made this stovetop with some oat milk and honey.

This has a surprisingly strong saffron flavor. It actually overwhelms all of the spices, and is a bit too much. Not terrible but not to my personal preference.

Meh, unimpressed. Steeped with a short steep time and relatively cool water and it came out a touch bitter. Hay, rose, underripe stone fruits.

Sip Down & Backlog

This was an interesting tea which is different to most teas I’ve had prior. It took me a long while to drink this down on the account I was never sure whether it was good or different. Teas that tend to break rules or change our perception on the tea varietals we encounter, during the endless trip through the Tea Rabbit Hole, give us pause. My very first session with the tea was riddled with notes of “rubbery, light intensity of Assam or CTC, & oolong-ish.” I think the way the tea was stored (rubber sealed container) added the oddities of the first session; therefore, I stored the tea with my shou cakes to verify if the storage was the issue.
After giving the tea some time to sit with shou, the aroma changed. It had a little bit of the earthiness of shou and the maltiness of stronger red/black teas such as Assam. However, the way it tasted was a lot of the same apart from the rubbery notes. I think if given more time and/or amount of tea, I’d’ve experimented with its storage more – adding to the sheng cakes, oolongs, and sealing one off entirely by itself.

Backlog and Sip Down

I’ll keep this brief on the account it was a few days ago since I’ve sipped this one down. I will note that it was highly floral and as noted on my IG post, “A cup which poets would write of.” My mind was in the great deal of stress over the past week, on the account work was tremendously difficult—with staffing, etc.—and I wasn’t in the best mindset to put much thought into anything, except for long naps. Ha-ha.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7hXE3WumTA/?img_index=1

Sipdown

A lovely tea for sure. I had two cups today since after the first there was very little leaf remaining. The first cup was western brewed and the second was gongfu’d in my 60ML gaiwan (3.2g).

- Western brewed was definitely stronger. I brewed the leaf with 205 F water and steeped 3 minutes. There were heavy jasmine and floral notes. A mild bitterness lingered, but it wasn’t off-putting.

- Gongfu’d was lighter, but more balanced. The jasmine/floral notes weren’t as heavy. I could really tell there were more layers – such as cucumber, earthy, and mineral notes – which made for a more pleasant experience.

Sipdown

I cannot find this one on Herbs & Kettles website. I really dislike liking a tea one can’t get anymore of. This is a calming, smooth, and nutty tea. Unlike an Assam black tea, it’s not extremely bold and in your face. I barely had enough for the 8oz cup today, which is unfortunate, since I’m pretty sure my past-self meant to hold onto the little bit, only to forget that there wasn’t enough to make a bigger cup.

Delicious brewed as an unsweetened cup or the traditional way.

Morning cuppa! Perhaps it’s the influence of another tea friend who made this comparison on IG, but as I sip this second flush darjeeling most of what I’m tasting is the dark molasses like sweetness of jaggery. Though it also has milder notes of muscatel grapes, honey, and freshly baked bread as well and the faintest bit of dates. It’s very smooth, and is making for a gentle start to the weekend without sacrificing on flavour!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjvYCv3uJK1/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTP87xC63eM

I have such a sweet spot for smoked teas, so this 2016 smoked aged bamboo wild tea was PERFECTLY up my alley and I knew it would be the moment I smelled the dry leaf. Potently smoky in a way that took me to a deeply nostalgic place as I thought of late Summer bonfires. Steeped, I found this tea smoother and more approachable than the average Lapsang Souchong without sacrificing on the robustness of the smoke and the rich body. Very, very clean finish with a natural sweet earthiness and petrichor note that channeled memories of midsummer thunderstorms and the drenched garden soil that follows them. Slightly camphorous, with a really pleasant mouthfeel. I joke often that I own enough smoked teas to last me a lifetime, but looks like I’ve found another that will NEED to be added to the mix!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CigBCn8OM7a/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfOaKP5FT08

Gongfu Sipdown (2351)!

Don’t let their delicate appearance fool you; these gorgeous golden tips are nothing short of rich, full bodied and delicious. The session was warm and cozy with a lot of notes I find quite typical of Assam Black teas; malt, dark honey, freshly baked bread, and brown sugar. However, there were also standout flavours like graham cracker and golden raisins that felt a little more particular to this tea. It was a pretty satisfying good-bye to what was a very interesting tea to explore!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0jN4aOlG6/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUhbkWLGAbk

Gongfu!

Trying another of the tea samples that was kindly gifted to me! The dry leaf is so tippy and beautiful with a sweet aroma of warm baked goods coming off the fuzzy little golden buds. Steeped, I was pleasantly taken aback by how much the early infusions reminded me of home-baked gingerbread – definitely from the rich notes of molasses carried throughout the session, but also a presence of malt, raisin, brown sugar, and subtle spice notes as well. Very, very smooth liquor and really nice lingering dark sweetness that coats the back of the mouth and throat after each swallow!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CiXuULxu_0j/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBA7FB9rJS4

Gongfu!

I love trying new tea companies, so I was super excited to receive some tea mail this week containing several gifted samples from Herbs & Kettles to review. Thank you!! I’m starting with the limited edition Meghalaya Silver Needle white tea because that seemed appropriate for a very early morning tea session before work, watching the sun come up. The dry leaf smells just lovely. It’s little bit brothy but in a creaky sort of way with subtle vegetal elements to it. Steeped up I found that the creaminess really carried into both the thick, lush mouthfeel as well as the taste. It was met with very gentle notes of cucumber pulp and mellow herbs, timothy hay and more of an umami nuttiness – cashew or macadamia, perhaps? The herbaceous quality slowly built over the steeps, though the creaminess of the taste waned.

Thanks again to Herbs & Kettles for sharing this tea! I’m even more excited now to taste through the remaining three samples!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CiP6j58upQN/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIXoIIF9C8g