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I got this tea sample as an add on in my advent swap with SkySamurai, thanks!
There’s a lot going on in this tea, and not surprisingly it’s a blend of three different teas. The vanilla and chocolate flavors are subtle and not artificial tasting. There is enough spice to keep things interesting. I did two steeps and the dark chocolate was more pronounced in the first, but not bitter. The vanilla is coming through more in the second steep, along with the chai spices. A nice enjoyable warming cup that I might not need in my cupboard but I’d be tempted to add to an order.

Cardamom and clove chai? Yes.
Comforting? Maybe.
I wish this had more cinnamon or ginger, it’s kinda boring. I added some new sweetener I’m trying out, agave inulin powder, to the second steep. I’m more interested in how slightly sweet this is than the tea.

The first steep was a bit clove heavy, but then I did brew it strong. There is a caramel/apple flavored aftertaste. Second steep is much more fruity, lots of sweet apple, the clove is gone, and there is a slight caramel note. I did a third steep for 10 minutes, and it’s the most balanced of the three, no clove, but the caramel/apple/cinnamon is weaker but certainly still there. This was a nice warming cup but I’m not sure I need it in my cupboard.

Advent tea
Anise was the first thing I smelled and tasted in this first steep. There is a sweet cinnamon note lingering too. Can’t taste any of the bitter, smoky mate, and the clove/cardamom you’d expect from a chai is muted as well. This is a nice warming cinnamon, licorice chai. A nice choice for a tea advent!

Thanks to steepster I can now scratch off to see what advent tea I am drinking instead of peeling the sticker off(and trying to decipher what is left underneath).
The first cup was yummy, chocolate and creamy, with a hint of mint at the end? Not sure about the caramel flavoring in the first steep, but it replaces the marshmallow in the second steep and I’m getting weaker chocolate with the caramel. Overall an enjoyable cup, but I liked the chocolate covered snowballs better. Maybe I just don’t think marshmallows belong in tea, they belong in hot chocolate. Glad I got a taste of this though, I am enjoying this advent.

Advent tea
I seem to be behind on my advent, my excuse is that I was traveling this week. This is strawberry with a slight edge. If it had a salty taste I’d say it was a margarita, but this is sweet like a a strawberry pop tart. Festive for this time of year, I could see this in the punch bowl at an office Christmas party. If I still worked in an office, or we could still have Christmas parties.

The Cuppa Geek advent has small packets, so I have been using about 6 oz for each cup as I like a strong cup in the morning. The berry and lemon flavors are the strongest in this cup, nice and light for a black tea. The lavender comes in as an aftertaste, very subtle. The first steep had a weird metallic note lingering on after I finished the cup. The second steep is weaker, with raspberry dominating and lemongrass in the background. Not my favorite of the advent so far, but an enjoyable cup.

The buttery green tea is trying to peek through, but really all I taste is vanilla cream. And it’s not artificial. Not a bad cup really, but not something I need in my cupboard.

From the Samurai TTB
Smells like a minty cough drop. Tastes like a minty cough drop. I could try to add ginger or honey to make it more palatable, but I think there is a reason eucalyptus is relegated to cough drops and vapor rub.

Lots of clove in this one, which masks the bitterness of the mate. A bit of cinnamon underneath all the clove. I might like this if it were more balanced, but it’s a bit to clove heavy for me.