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Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 25

There’s a lot going on in this blend, but somehow it works! The lavender is subtle enough that it just adds a bit of interest to an otherwise typical milk chocolate peppermint Christmas tea. My only complaint is that I found it a bit thin and lacking in body; I think I would have enjoyed it more on a black tea base. Still an enjoyable end to the Advent, though! Now on to trying the new tea I got for Christmas. :)

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 24

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday! Mine was busy but delightful with three different family gatherings packed into the 48 hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!!! I did find time to brew a cup of this at some point and actually quite appreciated that it was a tea bag I could easily brew at a relative’s house without dragging along any other equipment. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the other tea I sampled from Eastern Shore! This one had a distinctive chocolatey scent as I was brewing it and a pleasant (though mild) Nutella-like flavor.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 23

A new-to-me tea from a new-to-me company…always a treat! The flavoring in this was very light. I got hints of vanilla and amaretto, but mostly just the smooth black tea base.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 22

I hate chamomile almost as much as I hate hibiscus, so its inclusion pretty much ruins this blend for me, unfortunately. It did have a pleasant apple flavor and the cinnamon wasn’t overwhelming, which I appreciate. But the chamomile came through strongly in the aftertaste and just ruined the whole experience for me.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 21

It was a busy weekend around here, so I have some catching up to do on tasting notes! From what I remember, this was a pretty classic jasmine green tea, which didn’t really stand out in a good or a bad way.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 20

Crazy to see the stash of little tea packets dwindling down…HOW is it only 5 days until Christmas already??? At least it is starting to look like Christmas here in Wisconsin; we had our first real snowstorm of the season last night!

Anyway, the tea. :) Apparently this is supposed to taste like chocolate-covered strawberries? Can’t say I really picked up on any strawberry flavor in my cup. I did get a whiff of (unfortunately very artificial) chocolate in the aroma, but the flavor was mostly the brisk Ceylon base tea with floral notes coming through from the rose petals. Oh well! At least the mug kept my hands nice and warm for a bit this morning.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 19

Labeled: Emerson’s Berry Blend

More hibiscus! :( Not sure of the full ingredients list on this one, but I think there are rosehips in here as well. The resulting brew is a very festive red color, but that’s about the only positive thing I can find to say about it. It’s tart and acidic and whatever berry flavors are present have been completely buried by the other ingredients. Hard pass on this one.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 18

Labeled: Adagio Earl Grey’s Anatomy

I’m not sure what else has been added to this blend, but to me it just tastes like Adagio’s Earl Grey Moonlight…which I happen to be a huge fan of, so no complaints! Sipping this at my desk with a bit of half and half and very much enjoying it.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 17

I’m not much of a puerh drinker , so this was an interesting change of pace for me today! It definitely has that deep earthiness that I associate with puerh, but thankfully none of that funky “fishy” flavor that I dislike! Perhaps it’s my palate that’s to blame, but I find this a bit flat and one-note. Not unpleasant, but just a bit boring.

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 16

Oh dear, another promising blend ruined by hibiscus. :( Teavana used to have a blood orange oolong which I absolutely adored. I think it did have some hibiscus in it, but it was subtle enough to add a bit of citrus acidity without taking over. Here (as is too often the case) it completely dominates whatever other ingredients are meant to be in the blend. Hard pass for me.