4330 Tasting Notes
DIY Herbal Infusion Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13
Name: Winter Blooms
Ingredients: chrysanthemum, peppermint, wintergreen
Movie: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A lovely chrysanthemum-forward infusion tonight. I love chrysanthemum, it has such an unusual yet comforting flavor, and it feels healthy in a good way ha ha. Nourishing is a better word. Earthy yet floral, with a bit of that peppery edge. The peppermint added a lovely cooling effect and refreshing finish, and just a touch of wintergreen gave a bit of sweetness.
Flavors: Chrysanthemum, Earth, Floral, Fresh, Mint, Pepper, Peppermint, Sweet, Wintergreen
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13
This was nicer than I expected. I was expecting a more chamomile-heavy blend, but actually I mostly tasted the sweet cinnamon (a touch candy-sweet, but not entirely) and apple, with the chamomile more in the background. A cozy and relaxing blend for Christmas movie-watching time! :)
Flavors: Apple, Candy, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Floral, Pollen, Sweet
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13
Oh, boy. I had tried this blend once before and had a horrible experience ha ha, but I was interested to try it again and see if that was a fluke or a bad batch.
Nope, still horrible! Tastes like a pile of wet rags, and also weirdly sour. There’s a cooling peppermint finish, but mostly sour rags. I’m so perplexed how anyone at Simpson & Vail could ever think that this is good, and equally confused by the positive reviews on their website. It makes me feel like I’m crazy ha ha…
Ah well, just another in a long line of peppermint bark tea failures for me. XD
Flavors: Cooling, Herbaceous, Mint, Musty, Peppermint, Sour
Preparation
I agree with the puzzlement of anyone at S&V letting this through quality control with this rating (though I did laugh at the score of 1 XD).
LOL I rarely rate anything under 50, so really I don’t have a good point of reference. But I wasn’t willing to drink a second sip, so might as well be a 1 ha ha.
Ha I disliked it less this time than when I bought it a few years ago. It still wasn’t good, but I found it drinkable :P
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13 (my pick)
Theme: Woodland Walk
Her pick: Awake from Ivy Moon Botanicals
Ahhh, such a lovely blend. I love how this one is woodsy without being overly so – the woody base and a touch of cedar go so well together. And then there’s the elderberry, sumac, and rosehip giving a bright and tart berry flavor. The clove gives just a hint of spice. It’s just lovely, and I love how the different flavors blend together to bring to mind a stroll through a cool, wet forest.
Flavors: Berry, Cedar, Clove, Earthy, Evergreen, Forest Floor, Fruity, Sweet, Tangy, Tart, Woodsy, Woody
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13
Theme: Woodland Walk
My pick: Winter Solstice from Mulberry Creek Traditionals
This is nice! Definitely a very light black blend. The lemon balm adds a delicate herbaceous note with a nice citrusy lean. Blueberry is light but discernable, and tastes most like fresh blueberries, with a bit of extra tang. The black tea looked quite fluffy for a Ceylon, but since there isn’t a ton of it here I can’t really comment on the flavor. Not tasting the usual acidic/metallic Ceylon notes, or any tannins here though.
OH, and the jam today was actually a favorite of mine, their Four Fruits Spread! Always a sucker for a red fruits flavor profile ha ha, but also this one has such a nice balance of sweet and tart, where a lot of times I find jam too sweet. I do prefer the Intense version (more fruit, less sugar) but this was delicious too!
Flavors: Berry, Blueberry, Citrus, Clean, Fresh, Fruity, Herbaceous, Herbs, Lemon, Light, Smooth, Soft, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
DIY Herbal Infusion Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 12
Name: Mexican Chocolate
Ingredients: sobacha, cacao shell, cinnamon, anise
Movie: Love Hard
This blend was semi-inspired by Abuelita hot chocolate, the kind that comes in thick tablets that break apart into segments. It’s very sweet but so cozy! Obviously I made a less-sweet version since there is no sugar here he he. I used sobacha as the base, it gives a nice richness and body that I think goes well with chocolate. The anise isn’t exactly traditional, but I liked the extra sweetness and nuance it added when combined with the cinnamon. Cozy!
Flavors: Anise, Bitter, Buckwheat, Cacao, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Grain, Rich, Smooth, Sweet, Toasty
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 12 (my pick)
Theme: An Oolong
Her pick: Ooh La La Oolong from Adagio Custom Blends
The second Lupicia oolong of the day! I’m not sure I have a favorite between this and Melon Oolong, they’re so different from each other. This has that floral baozhong base, which really goes perfectly with the somewhat “mature” style of mango flavoring. It feels so fancy! And actually does taste like mango, unlike most other mango teas I’ve had. Yummy!
Flavors: Clean, Floral, Juicy, Mango, Nectar, Silky, Smooth, Spring Water, Tropical
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 12
Of course, when I rearranged the order of this advent, I had to put this one on day 12! :P
Despite having so many ingredients, this was very mellow and smooth. Mostly I tasted the sweet and refreshing spearmint, soothing lemon balm, and leafy, creamy nettle. Maybe a bit of the elderflower in the finish as well. It was pleasant enough, nothing to write home about IMO, but made for a relaxing afternoon cuppa.
Flavors: Citrus, Dry Grass, Elderflower, Hay, Herbaceous, Herbs, Light, Mint, Soft, Spearmint
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 12
Theme: An Oolong
My pick: Ripe Mango Oolong & Melon Oolong from Lupicia
I was amused that Marjorie has this tea because apparently her mother has a thing for Three French Hens lol. This is supposed to be a French vanilla ice cream-inspired blend. I can see that – it has a custardy vanilla flavor to it. The base is smooth and a bit woody, probably from the oolong. All in all, a pleasant tea but not really my style as I don’t love plain vanilla teas.
Flavors: Cream, Custard, Earthy, Mineral, Smooth, Vanilla, Woody
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 12 (my pick)
Theme: An Oolong
Her pick: Ooh La La Oolong from Adagio Custom Blends
So, I couldn’t decide between this tea and Ripe Mango Oolong for oolong day, so I sent both lol. The mango is the “official” tea I picked, just because I think it’s a more unusual flavored oolong with the floral baozhong base, but I also sent this tea as a runner-up. And I’ll definitely be drinking both! :D
This is scrumptious, as always. So very sweet and ripe, but also creamy in the way that a very ripe cantaloupe is. Just glorious. I love that they use a Taiwanese oolong as the base, it’s so fresh and green-tasting and goes so well. This is a favorite tea for a reason! :D
Flavors: Cantaloupe, Clean, Creamy, Fresh, Green, Honeydew, Juicy, Melon, Mineral, Nectar, Rich, Spring Water, Sweet, Syrupy
