171 Tasting Notes
The 17th, a good number for Sara, who gave me this custom tea advent calendar.
The smell is very subtle. It smells good, but nothing I can pick out.
Without using other tasting notes as a cheat sheet, I notice a honey note. It’s a really tasty tea! After reading the other tasty notes, I can pick out a bit of roasted and vegetal notes, but they’re very subtle. I imagine this would be great to drink while sitting under a tree, reading a favorite book.
Flavors: Honey, Roasted, Vegetal
Preparation
Sweet 16th day of Sara’s advent calendar.
Moondrop Dreams!
The leaf smells amazeballs. Steeped it smells… kind of like honey with a hint of spice.
The first sip was like some kind of spice journey without a map. There are a lot of spices in there, well balanced, having a party. There’s a note of honey at the end of the sip.
I had to cheat and look at the ingredients while sipping to pick out the orange zest and lavender flavors, and I still couldn’t pick out others. But I’m really happy to join the spice party. I am considering buying some of this.
Flavors: Honey, Lavender, Orange Zest, Spices
Preparation
I’m surprised you got no lemon from this, it should be the main note aside from the lavender (it’s a lemon/lavender blend). I’ve had a different lemon/lavender blend and did notice the lemon wasn’t as strong in this one on the rooibos base as the other (the other isn’t vegan so…) but I could taste it. I always find the lavender is never very strong in these… I always add just a little bit more from my stash, heh.
Yeah, that is odd. But there were a lot of flavors to pick out, and I did really enjoy it.
On the 15th day of Sara’s Advent Calendar…
Ooh, this is a fine green tea. It’s very smooth, with a pure taste, if that makes sense. It’s a little sweet, with honey notes. It’s very refreshing, even hot, and I would love to try i iced too. There’s also a very mild vegetal note. It’s really good.
Flavors: Honey, Vegetal
Preparation
14th day of Sara’s Advent
Wow, the flavors really come together in the right balance!
I swear there’s chocolate in here, but it must be a combination of the other flavors, maybe the pu-errh and hazelnut. It tastes like chocolate-dipped strawberries. I can taste the hazelnut a bit at the end of the sip.
I remember them from my yearly visit to the Boise farmer’s market. I will definitely hit them up next time.
This is really, really good.
Flavors: Chocolate, Hazelnut, Nutty, Strawberry
Preparation
Lucky 13th day of my advent calendar from Sara!
This is a pretty tasty Moroccan Mint. I taste the spearmint and lemon, and at the end of the sip, I swore I tasted bergamot at first, but that must be the myrtle. It’s smooth and kind of creamy somehow. The lemon and spearmint balance nicely until the end of the sip, where the myrtle takes over.
Flavors: Lemon, Spearmint
Preparation
12th day of my advent calendar from Sara!
This one smells oh so lemony. The taste is very lemon, maybe some lemon zest, and a note of the houjicha that is stronger at the end of the sip.
The lemon flavor is so strong, that I’m not really enjoying the houjicha much. It’s an enjoyable tea, but I think it could be better. I wonder how it would taste iced.
Flavors: Lemon, Lemon Zest, Roasted
Preparation
I still need to try it iced, too. Do you think you prefer houjicha that isn’t blended/flavored? I rarely can find houjicha used in blends or flavored in general (and sort of wish blenders would play around with it a bit more). I have tried a few flavored mugicha and of those, tend to like plain mugicha more.
Blends can be good if they add a little flavor that matches well, like that Maple Houjicha, mmm. But I don’t know if it pairs well with many flavors.
On the 11th day of Advent, my Sara gave to me…
Dark Chocolate Raspberry from Snake River Tea! And probably originally from East Indies Coffee & Tea Company.
Is there tea in here? I think I can taste a slight note of tea, but that’s all. But that is okay! I taste a perfect balance of chocolate and raspberry! Okay, the end of the sip is more strongly raspberry, but that is fine. Oh there it is, yes, black tea, hiding in the background, showing off the chocolate and raspberry. Mmm.
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Raspberry, Tea
Preparation
On the 10th day of Sara’s Tea Advent Calendar…
It smells very vegetal! Should be good!
Oh wow, smooth and quite vegetal with a bit of artichoke. There’s a little astringency. There’s maybe a citrus note and some kind of spice at the end of the sip. This is some good quality green.
Flavors: Artichoke, Citrus, Spices, Tea, Vegetal
Preparation
Ninth day of my advent calendar from Sara!
This smelled delightfully of hibiscus while brewing. That’s the main flavor too. There’s also a bit of a mild white tea flavor. If you love hibiscus, I think you’ll love this tea. If you hate hibiscus, please look elsewhere.
It’s also excellent iced!
Flavors: Hibiscus, Tea
Preparation
I actually don’t taste hibiscus at all in this one. It’s really floral, but I get a really sweet floral taste, and lychee fruit… and, oddly enough, bubblegum. But I don’t get that tart fruity hibiscus flavor at all, which always confused me about the name. I have my review over under the wholesaler, here: https://steepster.com/mastressalita/posts/370920
Day 8 of Sara’s gift tea advent calendar!
The scent is very mild.
The taste is mild too. It’s a bit earthy, with something… metallic at the end of the sip. There’s a bit of a woody note in there somewhere. The notes are quite balanced. I feel like it’s the kind of tea that could grow on me.
Flavors: Earth, Metallic, Tea, Wood
Preparation
It’s a very dark oolong using purple leaf tea and it’s from Indonesia. Purple leaf tea itself can be very hit-or-miss for people. It’s been a while since I had this one, I remember it being very earthy, mineral, and like roasted nuts. Definitely one of the more unique teas I have, and now that I have a gong fu setup I really should revisit it eastern style when I have a chance. I’m curious what the short infusions would bring.
Ah, a good one for Lucky #17, as far as I’m concerned. I miss this oolong. One day I’ll restock it… I always found it super toasty, like roasted nuts, with that floral honeysuckle sweetness. It was also amaze-balls cold-steeped, I think I went through it fast because I kept making it as iced tea.