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AJRimmer Advent Day 11

Pretty sure I had a Mayan hot chocolate inspired tea a few years ago and found it too spicy to finish. So I was surprised that this one wasn’t spicy at all! I did get some chocolate from it and quite a lot of cinnamon…an interesting combination and I’m not crazy about it personally. Overall, the flavor seemed a bit weak/thin, so I added a splash of milk to give it more body.

AJRimmer Advent Day 10

This was lovely! I don’t typically drink a ton of green tea, but it made the perfect base for a pina colada inspired blend. And the flavoring here was spot-on: beautifully balanced creamy coconut with juicy pineapple and not too artificial or cloying. I think this would be a lovely summer iced tea!

AJRimmer Advent Day 9

AJRimmer included the sweetest little notes with each tea in the calendar! This one had a warning that the flavor doesn’t really match the name. After trying it for myself, I have to agree. No butter or cake here for me, just a pleasant, natural lemon flavor. I’m not sure how to rate this one. I actually quite enjoyed it for what it was! But if I’d been expecting butter cake it would have been a letdown.

AJRimmer Advent Day 8

What a fun, unique tea! I’d never heard of Singbulli Oolong before, so it was definitely interesting to try an oolong that had such a similar flavor profile to a black tea. The oolong is really the star here, with the other flavors coming across quite subtle. I do get some fruitiness (not sure it’s really reading cranberry for me) and some nutty undertones. Overall, this isn’t a tea I love, but I’m glad to have had the opportunity to sample it!

AJRimmer Advent Day 7

I brewed this one up at work between meetings yesterday and was initially concerned that I didn’t have milk on hand, since most eggnog teas I’ve tried were best with a splash of milk. But this one was lovely without any additions! The coconut flavor was spot-on, rich and creamy but not artificial. The eggnog flavor was more subtle, coming through at the end of the sip with just a hint of warming, nutmeg-forward spice. This might be my favorite sample of the calendar so far!

AJRimmer Advent Day 6

I’ve never sprung for the 52Teas Advent calendar, so it was fun surprise to get to try this one that was all over Steepster at this time last year. :) Personally, I would call this one “Blackberry Jam”. I don’t really get custard or pastry from it at all, but the blackberry flavor is strong and sweet and the green tea base is nice and smooth. This was tasty hot and I think it would also be lovely iced!

AJRimmer Advent Day 5

This smelled so tropical and yummy! Unfortunately, I think I underleafed and/or underbrewed it, as the flavor was disappointingly light. (I followed the directions of 2 minutes and 45 seconds at 195 degrees, though I would usually brew black tea for at least 3 minutes with boiling water.) Fun to try a new-to-me brand, though!

AJRimmer Advent Day 4

I honestly wasn’t super excited when I saw this one, as I’ve tried some of the 52Teas marshmallow treat genmaicha blends before and found that the genmaicha flavor took over in a way that I didn’t love. But this one was a lovely surprise! The rice was present but not too strong and there was a beautiful sweet, natural banana flavor that I really enjoyed. Another one I’m so happy I got to try and that I’d gladly drink again!

AJRimmer Advent Day 3

I’d never heard of this tea (or the candy it’s based on) but I’m so glad I had the chance to try it! I don’t remember trying many apricot teas before and now I’m wondering why, because it’s a lovely flavor…especially paired with the burnt sugar sweetness in this blend. The base tea is hearty but not too aggressive. I really enjoyed this one and would definitely consider ordering more if 52Teas ever brings it back!

AJRimmer Advent Day 2

AJRimmer was so kind to specifically include all the flavor profiles that I especially enjoy in this calendar! Caramel and oolong seems like such a natural pairing to me, since both have a natural smoothness to them. This was definitely smooth, but the flavoring was on the light side. I mostly tasted the oolong base with just a hint of caramel and fruitiness. This is another one that I think might have benefited from a bit of sweetener. Still fun to try, though!