768 Tasting Notes
Last night I over ate at supper and was uncomfortable for hours. I had only one tea bag of this tea left. Was I hoarding it? Silly. I can buy more at the grocery store next time I go. There is something to be said for a plain bagged tea. There are not many that i like, but a decent peppermint tea is great. And Stash’s Peppermint is one of the better ones.
Oh, and my tummy did feel better afterward. Coincidence? I think not.
I got my latest order from 52Teas. I know, I know, I wasn’t going to order any more tea, but when there are so many yummy teas available it is hard to resist! This one was the sample included in my small order so I decided to open it first.
Holy wow! This is one tasty fruit and spice tea. I have a little bit of my sense of smell. Not enough. it better get stronger. But there is enough that when I opened the pouch I was able to catch a bit of a heavenly aroma. it really, really does smell like fall. Juicy apple and pear, with warm spices. The leaf is beautiful. Lots and lots of cardamom and juniper berries. It brews up dark and rich. When it was still pretty warm the apple was in the forefront. As it cooled, the spices took center stage. I am so glad I was sent this as a sample. I don’t believe I’ve had a 52Tea that I didn’t like, but this one goes beyond like. It is exactly what a warm autumn tea should be.
Preparation
I made a large pot of this for my visiting brother and I to enjoy last night. The kenalog shot (the steroid that allows me to smell for a while) is just beginning to kick in so I was able to smell it. The orange comes through nicely, a sweet tang of citrus. He and I enjoyed it very much.
Christmas is very cold here. This morning it was -18 F and the high is expected to be -7. Good tea drinking weather. For once I have time to actually sit and relax and sip tea instead of rushing here and there. Since we had the big dinner and gift opening last night, today my brother and I will watch TV and have a nice quiet time.
I wish all of you to have a bit of the same. Merry Christmas!
I have plenty of advent calendar and 12 days of Christmas teas to drink, but tonight I wanted this one. I’ve spent many evenings drinking this tea to fuel me to write. Tonight was that exact situation. I still have a decent amount of this left. I’ve been hoarding it since David’s isn’t making it any more. (oh, no, they would rather come up with new, cloyingly sweet stevia-laden teas instead of selling this favorite. Not that I’m bitter) Anyway, This book is due to the editor tomorrow night and tonight I finally hit that magical moment in a writer’s life. I wrote THE END. Thank you, Cranberry Pear.
(oh, no, they would rather come up with new, cloyingly sweet stevia-laden teas instead of selling this favorite. Not that I’m bitter)
hahahha, yes, exactly that. don’t sell the favourites but rather sell the over-priced false tasting ones that all taste the same. end rant
And yeah you for reaching THE END and the beginning and the middle! Congrats!
Thanks, Evol. That blasted thing is off to the editor and out of my hair for at least a week. Let the holiday fun begin! (right after I clean. And put up the tree. And sleep. Please, dear Lord, let me get some sleep!)
Few things are more joyful to a writer than hitting SEND on a finished manuscript! Hope you’re recovering and continuing to celebrate!
Sleep, yes, I feel you on that. I hope you are getting some seriously good rest.
Thanks, gmathis and Evol.
DAVID’s 24 Days of Tea, day 15.
I liked it. That surprised me because of the hibiscus, but I didn’t get that horrid sour zing that turns me off so much. I much prefer green rooibos to the more commonly used red rooibos. I didn’t get get the cream flavor. Again, no sense of smell yet. I had the kenalog shot on Monday, so I think I’ll be able to smell around December 22. Maybe. It’s not an exact science. Fingers crossed though. I love being able to smell stuff. Even the cat box.
Anyway, I’m giving this one a recommendation. It’s not one that I need to have in my cupboard, but it was a nice treat and I’ll enjoy another cup.
Day 14 of the 24 Days of Tea. The name alone makes me want to try it. I’ve read the reviews. Lots of people love this tea. I am not one of them. Maybe if I could smell it I would enjoy it more. But all I got was a sort of muddied, earthy flavor, edged with bitterness. So this one is not my cuppa. I am going to try it again when my sense of smell approves.
Am not as happy this year with the tea advent calendar from DAVID’s. So many of the teas are the same. Next year I may try a different one so I can get more variety.
Ya, does sound like we had a similar experience!
I was chatting with a friend in another country and we thought we might DiY tea advent calendars for each other next year. Nice way to try something we each would not have access to normally and we’d be less at the mercy of whatever DavidsTea wants to promote that season.
I forgot I ordered this tea from Etsy, but I found it this afternoon in my mailbox. See what pneumonia does to your brain? Sheesh!
The tea company is Kiper’s Lil Tea Shop. I came across them and decided to give this one a try. I hoped it would be as good as 52Teas Winter Cabin Chai. Not the same, of course, with the cacao nibs and strawberry instead of other spices, but I had hopes it would be as enjoyable.
It’s not quite as enjoyable. It’s very nice and I know I’ll enjoy it. I don’t get the strawberry or chocolate, and the smoke is very light. I get no bitterness or astringency, so that is a huge plus. My rating may well go up when I’ve recovered a bit more and regained my sense of smell. Right now this is a pleasant tea without much flavor. But I look forward to trying it again in a week or so.
Preparation
Another of the 12 Teas of Christmas. I absolutely adore it! I’m a big fan of honeybush. Well, maybe just the honeybush from 52Teas. This one reminds me a bit of their Neapolitan Honeybush, with the strawberry and the chocolate, but not quite the same, because of the hazelnut. The hazelnut is subtle for me. I get a nice, smooth chocolate first, followed by the sweet zing of strawberry, and only a hint of the hazelnut at the end of the sip. Just a luscious cup of chocolaty goodness here. Smooth, subtly sweet and delicious.
Flavors: Chocolate, Strawberry
Preparation
This was the 1st Day of Christmas Teas from 52Teas and it is an absolute winner!
First of all, I love cardamom and I adore maple. The leaf is pretty. Black tea with whole cardamom pods and broad strips of coconut that stand out against the darkness of the tea. I am pretty frustrated that I am still sick and can’t smell this one. I bet it is divine. Naturally I can’t taste a lot. I can tell that the tea is mildly sweet, and mildly spicy. Even without a sense of smell this one has a lovely, mellow flavor, with no astringency or bitterness to take away my pleasure.
The 12 Days of Christmas actually BEGIN on December 25. I have my DAVID’s 24 Days of Tea to take me thru Christmas Eve, so really, I should start my 12 Teas of Christmas on Christmas Day. But honestly, I don’t think I can wait that long…
It is hard, but I am going to put this one aside to enjoy more after I get my kenalog shot. That should allow me to smell for a month or so, and then I’ll be drinking tea and inhaling beautiful scents. I can’t wait!
Preparation
We actually start our countdown on the 14th – so that it’s like a countdown to Christmas, but I know that isn’t how the actual 12 days of Christmas works. So, I guess today is as good a day as any, right? :)
The 14th is a great day to start. I love that instead of just enough for one or two cups of tea you give us enough to make a couple of pots. Or more!
I wanted to be sure to have enough to share. I like to brew a pot so that I can share with Mat who is actually drinking tea now. He didn’t used to drink it when I was a reviewer of tea – but now that I’m blending it – he apparently loves it. :)
haha! It’s good to not have traitors in the house. :)
I agree! I think that once we started making it a “family” business, he decided that he better like it. Now it would seem he genuinely does. He actually requests it. His favorites are the gourmet root beer and Fruit Salad (which is one that I actually created for his birthday.)
Today’s offering from DAVID’s 24 Days of Tea.
Still not something I want to stock up on, but a nice afternoon cup. Lovely pink color when brewed. I left it on the counter when I ran to the store and finished it cold an hour later. Since AI don’t have my heat on and it is 65 degrees in my place, it did indeed get quite cold. It is actually very nice cold. AGain, I won’t place an order for this, but I’ll be happy to brew a second cup tonight.
