Edgar Allan Poe

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 17

Okay, that red color is impressive! The tea itself… eh. It’s mostly flat smokiness with a whisper of bergamot on an unobtrusive base. Fine enough, but nothing too exciting! Although I do think a smoky Earl Grey is one I can get behind.

Advent Day 17

Love that it steeps up red. Slightly smoky. I get a pu-erh earthiness in the aroma.

S&V Advent Day 17! This tea is a bit smoky, and it steeped up pink from some fruit that’s in the mix, but I don’t taste too much of that. I’m drinking this at room temperature with milk and sugar, and it’s a bit different, but not something I’d seek out. At the very end of the sip, I might catch a hint of fruit.

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 17

Two literary black teas in a row? Interesting choice. Sometimes I wonder how much thought tea companies really put into the order of their advent teas ha ha. But we haven’t seen many holiday teas yet, so they must be saving them for the end, which does imply they thought about it…

Anyway, I wasn’t sure what to make of the ingredients for this one, but it’s actually quite nice! I was a bit afraid of the puerh, but luckily it’s quite mild and blends well with the black tea. The balance of black tea, puerh, and lapsang is very good – a nice mix of smooth, satisfying, earthy, and savory smoke without anything overpowering the other elements. I do think it needs a touch more bergamot, as all that is a lot to compete with ha ha. I can taste some bergamot, especially in the finish, but would like more to better offset the hefty base. My sample must have not had enough beet pieces in it, because my cup is a reddish brown at best.

Still, quite a nice one! Would happily sip again.

The jam today is… strawberry and strawberry ha ha. It’s Strawberry-Wild Strawberry Spread. I don’t have a concept of what wild strawberries taste like, the ones I tried when I was young mostly tasted like water. This was delicious though, very punchy and intense strawberry flavor and not too sweet.

A smokey Earl Grey? I’m in! This blend was the perfect amount of smokey swirled with a nearly perfect Earl grey with bits of beetroot to give it a blood red color, or a bright hot pink as a latte!

Part of the Literary Tea Collection Gift Box I bought a while ago. I have to say, reading the ingrediants and descriptions, this is not something I would purchase. I had a friend over the other day who had shared in the disappointing experience with the Banana Bread Chai. I offered him a cup of tea and said I wanted to open a new tea. It was a gloomy night and Poe seemed appropriate. There was a party going on around us but we both were pleased with the tea and loved that it was a reddish hue (Tell-tale Heart Style, we thought).
Today is my second tasting of the tea. This time, it’s morning, and generally when I’m able to play on Steepster. I may have steeped it a minute or 2 more than recommended but it didn’t seem to ruin the cup. I love the earthiness and smoke flavors, which is something I didn’t ever think I would say. I don’t think this is a tea I would drink every day but it is one I definitely would repurchase and enjoy. Especially on a gloomy November day when winter is creeping closer.

Love the tin, so I picked this one up from positive reviews, description, and yes the tin (I have a small Edgar Allan Poe and Raven thing)

Happy to say I actually really enjoyed the tea. Pleasant all-around black tea with a silky feel. Not bitter, strongly flavorful. Dropped in a cube of sugar. Would go well as a breakfast tea or if you do want a splash of milk. I oversteeped it the first time and it wasn’t bitter despite this. It is not strongly smokey, so if you do not like smokey teas, this description note shouldn’t be a big deal. I like smokey tea myself, and Earl Greys, so blending that with a subtle black tea and oddly beet note was a treat.

Second steep even better. I steeped from the same leaves at 5 minutes exactly. Oddly as this tea cools even more flavors come out of it, well rounded tea. Hopefully I still enjoy it as much when I drink more of it.

Sipdown! Sometimes the last cup ends up being mediocre at best, usually because I didn’t plan ahead and either have just a little too much or not quite enough tea leaf to make a single cup. This last cup is just as delicious as all the rest and confirms that this blend needs to be on my next order with Simpson & Vail, no question.

Samurai TTB #31

I’ve been LOVING The London Tea Room’s “Churchill” blend, which is a smoky Earl Grey, so I was excited when I realized this was a similar blend. While I do enjoy the combination of the lapsang souchong and bergamot, the addition of puerh and beetroot add an earthiness to the scent and a tartness to the aftertaste that mar the experience for me. (Though I do appreciate how appropriate the red color is to the author who inspired the blend!) Overall, not a favorite like I hoped, but I’m still glad I got to try it!

Didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I chose this one. It is a sample from a friend. Mr. Poe, if you were alive today I wonder if this would be your tea of choice? Based on his work one would think a dark, earthy, and thought-provoking blend such as this would be exactly the thing but I feel he would surprise us with a white tea or some such. For those who are fans of his ‘darker’ works, this will quench your thirst while adding a 4th dimension to his story. I personally do not like Lapsang but I appreciate that the pu erh stands out enough to tame it a bit. Every tea deserves a try, even if it has an ingredient you don’t fancy. I’ve decided not to give it a rating since Lapsang isn’t my thing.