Beach House Teas

Finally my last advent tea from 2023! Ha just in time for the next advent season…I liked this chai, though it was quite straightforward. It had a strong powdered ginger flavor, which was tasty warm with milk and sugar. My second cup of this was even tastier than the first. The ginger and black tea were really nice together. It’s not special enough to buy again, but really not bad. Apparently there was supposed to be fruit here?

For having spice in the name, the spices are a little mild. I taste apple and some sort of spice, but not too much. I steeped up the last of the bag with the mocha Beach House tea, and actually they’re pretty great together even though they were super meh separately. They just each needed more going on. This was best hot.

Hmm this one doesn’t seem to have much to offer. I taste an average black tea and a bit of nondescript flavoring. Meh it’s boring. I had this twice, and it was the same both times.

This is pretty standard, but it’s a nice version of this flavor profile. It’s a little floral and a bit herbaceous. It’s refreshing cold, but not special.

The black tea is pretty hearty. Comparatively, the peppermint is a bit mild, but I noticed it in the aftertaste. This is pleasant cold with milk and sugar, but I’ve had better versions of this flavor profile. Some sips are pretty candy cane -like, which is fun. Decently, tasty, though not special.

This reminds me of a S&V tea, though I don’t remember which one. I really like it! It’s a little herbaceous, but quite smooth and pleasant cold. It’s super fresh tasting.

This one isn’t bad. I mostly taste blueberry, frozen blueberries specifically. I also taste a pretty smooth, sweet rooibos base below. Pretty simple, but way better executed than many fruity red rooibos blends I’ve tried. Later, I looked at the ingredients and noticed it’s supposed to be juniper, and I don’t taste any of the additional ingredients unfortunately.

I really like the gentle spices here! The resteep is stronger somehow, and that was tasty with milk. I preferred the original steep before adding milk. It all combines to be quite well-rounded, though not spicy.

My partner notices the chocolate, but I really only taste the bitter chicory. I feel like this needs extra sugar and milk to make it drinkable for my preferences. It’s like many other coffee teas, but I’d rather drink Teeccino. There’s no nuance here.

This tastes quite similar to other mint chocolate rooibos teas I’ve had recently. It’s tasty, and maybe I’d even consider buying some if I didn’t have other ones I preferred. The mint is fresh, and the chocolate is muted, more like a suggestion. The rooibos base is smooth.

I prefer chai on a black or herbal base, but this isn’t bad. The spices are a little savory. I taste fennel the most, but the other spices offer a decently well rounded backdrop. The base is a little mild/absent for my preferences, making this a bit thin, but not at all bad.

The whole reason I made my order with this company was to try this tea, and it’s just okay unfortunately. It tastes a little toasty, but also a little…not quite stale, just meh. Nothing about it reminds me of carrot cake. It’s just sort of brown and average.

This ended up quite tart with pretty strong spices as well. I end up not loving this one. The spices and fruit don’t combine that smoothly so I sort of taste the flavors at separate times? There’s not a lot of nuance either. I guess it probably does check the mulled wine box I assume it’s going for, but that’s always been a flavor profile that doesn’t work for me.

Free sample from my order. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to buy this, but I’m actually really enjoying it! The herbs are gentle, but clear and tasty. It’s really refreshing cold. I like that it uses a different combination of herbs than I see all the time, so it’s not boring.

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 12

Last one from this set! Tomorrow, I’ll start 52teas! :3

I intentionally saved this for last because it sounded tasty and festive (I’m a “best for last” kind of person). I always get excited for candy cane teas even though I never seem to love them. This is no different. It’s really just a mellow peppermint black tea. The peppermint is nice and refreshing, no wet rags here. The black tea is nice at least, so still very enjoyable.

Maybe someday I’ll find a candy cane tea that I love? Maybe I only like the idea of candy cane tea ha ha…

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 11

This one sounded good until I saw licorice root…

And sure enough, there’s a strong licorice root sweetness that coats the entire mouth and makes the whole thing taste cloyingly sweet. I can barely even taste the mint, to be honest, mostly it’s licorice root and cinnamon. Sweet on sweet lol.

Nope! XP

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 10

An interesting one today! This looks to be a coffee alternative, with chicory root and cacao.

Oof, this is so strong on the chicory! It’s basically all I taste, with a bit of black tea in the background. Very strongly acidic with a bitter undertone. I wish I could taste the chocolate, but I don’t see how it could stand up to the overpowering chicory without adding flavoring.

So a bit disappointing, sadly.

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 9

So this is supposed to be a chocolate & white chocolate rooibos, but I don’t really taste either of those things. There were white chocolate chips in the blend, but they don’t seem to have contributed anything other than an oily layer on top of my cup. Apparently it’s also a vanilla-flavored rooibos, but I don’t really notice vanilla either? The only things I taste are woody rooibos and a bit of licorice root.

Not a favorite.

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 8

I combined this tea with the Kyoto Obubu Hojicha Gold to make a sort of spiced hojicha.

It came out a bit less spiced than I intended, but was still very tasty. Smooth and toasty hojicha with a touch of grassiness mixed with warming cinnamon and clove. This particular hojicha is a bit greener than usual because it’s made from spring sencha leaves. Still has those familiar autumn leaf and wood notes though, with the spices giving a bit more sweetness and warmth.

Quite enjoyable! In the future I’ll have to try more hojicha chai experiments. :)

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 7

So I’ve tried a few white chais, and they never seem to live up to my expectations ha ha.

This one is pretty much all anise. All I can taste is the fennel and star anise, and the hay-like notes of the white tea. And I do like anise, but there are supposed to be a bunch of other spices here as well, and I wish I could taste them.

So still a decent enough tea, just needs a bit more balance IMO.

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 6

The first of (probably) multiple mulled wine herbal tisanes.

Mostly this just tastes like straight hibiscus though. There is a little bit of clove, but I don’t think I notice the orange at all. It’s a slightly clove-y hibiscus bomb ha ha.

Definitely not a favorite!

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 5

A black tea with cranberries, apples, and ginger sounds so nice!

It’s too bad that I don’t taste any of the fruit – this is mostly just a ginger black tea with a bit of licorice root. I do like ginger, so I’m still enjoying it, I was just really looking forward to the cranberry and apple. It’s very smooth and the ginger is present but not overwhelming. Earthy and comforting. I could do without the licorice, but luckily it’s very restrained and only gives a hint of sweetness.

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 4

Similar to their Starboard Spice, this one is quite subtle on the added flavors. The base is a smooth and earthy/woody black tea, and then there’s a swirl of creamy almond flavor. According to the description, it’s meant to be caramel and almond, but it reminds me of an almond cream, sort of like the filling in an almond croissant. Maybe with a bit of vanilla whipped cream as well.

It’s very nice. The flavoring is a bit decadent, but because the amount is so light, it doesn’t end up being too desserty for me. I’m not sure I would run out and buy it, but I’m enjoying my mugful and I’m glad I have at least one more serving to try. The name is lovely and evocative as well. :)

Beach House Teas 12 Teas of Christmas 2023 – Day 3

This one sounds good in theory but… stevia. So much stevia. It mostly tastes like very cloyingly sweet rooibos. Maybe I get a touch of cinnamon?

Nope nope nope!