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Apparently I’ve tried this one before, although I have absolutely no recollection of having done so…

It’s day 22 of the Whittard advent, in any case, so I guess I get to try it again!

It has orange, clove, and vanilla, and tastes like a light-weight chai. The spicing is mild, and there are some nice sweet overtones from the vanilla. Ultimately, though, it’s a little thin and probably needs either more spice or a more robust black base.

I originally gave this 80; I’ve reduced that a bit (okay, a lot), because today’s cup wasn’t that good. I mean, it was drinkable but not particularly satisfying…

Day 21 of the Whittard advent. This one’s a black with juniper berries (yes, please!), strawberry and blackcurrant. No hibi, thankfully!

It’s fruity; really fruity. There’s lots of strawberry and a touch of underlying sharpness which is very much reminiscent of blackberry. It has a great summer pudding vibe going on, and I’d absolutely buy this.

Day 19 of the Whittard advent, and I’m actually almost up to date. Just day 15 to return to, at some point. Probably next week now, but you never know!

This is a breakfast style black. Strong, with really nice bready undertones. Not too tannic. It’s pretty malty, but still somehow savoury. It’s doesn’t head into the realms of the super-sweet in the way that some malty teas do. It’s also really smooth, which is nice. No real bite to speak of. I find some breakfast blends too heavy on an empty stomach in the morning, but this one’s actually really nice.

It’s very reminiscent of Twinings 1706 and B&B’s Great British Cuppa, if you’re familiar with either of those.

Day 18 of the Whittard advent. This isn’t a style I drink very often, largely because I didn’t used to like smoky teas very much. Times have changed, though. I’ll drink pretty much anything these days!

This one’s only lightly smoky, not overpowering in the least. There’s a malty sweetness in the background that pairs well. It’s very drinkable! Another I can see myself at least revisiting at some point.

Day 17 of the Whittard advent. There used to be a Twinings orange blossom tea that I was totally obsessed with for a while, and then I think they stopped producing it. I still have the fondest memories, though, so I’m hoping this could be a replacement. I feel like I’ve not come across an orange blossom tea particularly recently…did they go out of fashion?

This one has sweet, juicy orange notes and a floral backbone. Not too floral, though. Just right. I could drink this fairly regularly, I suspect. Maybe especially in the summer…

I skipped ahead to day 16 for today’s first cup (15 is a green, which is fine, but not at this hour of the morning!) I love a good vanilla black, though, and this one is gooooood. It’s sweet, creamy, comforting; you name it. It also has a nice vanilla bean flavour and doesn’t come across as artificial even though it probably is…

It’s a classic, imo. I’d buy more. In fact, I probably will.

Day 14 of the Whittard advent. I’m getting there; possibly by tomorrow I’ll be caught up.

This one apparently contains liquorice, which is my nemesis, but it’s muted enough that I can’t really taste it. I noticed it a little at the back of my throat by the end of the cup, but I can live with that. It wasn’t in my face from the first sip, at least.

There’s lots of sharp green apple (nice!) but not a lot of elderflower. I want more elderflower. This is actually okay for a fruit tea, though. I’d definitely drink it again.

Day 13 of the Whittard advent, and a change from rooibos at last! Having said that, this one’s mostly hibi so it may be a case of “out of the frying pan, into the fire”…

It’s tart and a little sour. Hello hibi! There’s a mild fruitiness, but it’s far from exceptional.

Probably one of the most disappointing so far (and I have at least another 50g of this from a present I was given earlier this year. Life is a chore sometimes.)

Day 12 of the Whittard advent. This one contains…blueberries and rooibos! Who knew?! I actually love blueberries, but I don’t love this because the blueberry is seriously muted. In terms of flavour, it’s mostly just sweet-ish rooibos. Probably the same base as the Choco-Rooibos I just drank. It’s not objectionable, but it’s hardly exciting. I can smell blueberry, but that’s not the point…

Playing catch-up again!

This was day 11 of the Whittard advent. There’s not much “choco” here, but the rooibos is surprisingly muted. It’s sweet – more like honeybush – and there are none of the things I usually don’t like (brassy, metallic, scratchy, etc.). I can’t taste chocolate, though. I get banana instead. Although unexpected, it’s not entirely unwelcome. There’s a bit of cinnamon, some chicory, but not much else. Probably not one I’d seek out again, but drinkable.