THEODOR

I first steeped this teabag two nights ago. I noticed the water turning pink and was worried about hibiscus ruining the cup for me. I’m starting to realize that Theodor might know how to do hibiscus in an appropriately moderate amount! I enjoyed the cup. The hib added a slight tartness that went well with the other fruits. I didn’t take any notes on the first steeping, but I did a second steep tonight. The flavors are weaker than the original cup, but still there. The hib is almost non existent. It almost has a pear flavor to it, but I think the fruit in this blend is a berry I’m not very familiar with. I can pick out the papaya which blends right into the pineapple. My mouth is left feeling a little dry, but I actually like this one which surprises me! I’d like to try it again for sure!

This tea has been hiding in the back of my cupboard for about a year now. So strange and savory! I sometimes get the craving for the Laponic December green, which is more juniper based, but I feel like I get some of that in here too, but it’s not listed in the ingredients. Maybe it’s the cranberry rosemary combo. Either way, delightfully strange. Makes me wish I had grabbed a bag of their white laponic to try.

This is such a weird savory tea. I was drawn to it because it had such strange ingredients for a tea, very herby. I’m feeling a little under the weather this morning and a cup of this with it’s almost broth like flavors has gotten me part way through. I bet it would be even more broth like if I added salt and I bet it would make a great base for a soup. I’m such a desert tea type that it’s hard to wrap my brain around a tea not having those features, but I’m enjoying the strangeness of this all the same.

Advent day 19. Mild, malty and sweet. It’s a nice cup and easy to drink without any additions. I like it, but it’s not something I feel compelled to buy.

Advent day 17. This is a pretty smooth and mellow mint. I’m not sure if it’s the mint, the base or both that contribute to it being a little buttery. It’s missing that minty bite that I find in most mint teas and I really like that bite. Feeling so so about this one.

I oversteeped this and possibly overleafed it too. It has a baked spiced muffin sort of feel to it. Lots of spices and deep or low notes. It doesn’t have bright notes, it’s really dark and deep and almost murky. The start of the sip is a little brighter and sharp, but it doesn’t transition smoothly to the later part of the sip and finish. Anise is very present, but somehow in the background. I’m not hating this cup, but I’m a little perplexed by it and I do wonder how much of it is due to user error.

Advent day 14, Oh La La. I can’t find any info for this tea on Theodor’s website. It is a black base that they suggest steeping at a lower temperature. I can see various spices like anise stars in it. It smells and tastes like it has a hint of cranberry with those spices. It smells very festive and is an interesting blend with a unique taste. The serving of this is extremely generous (they sell sets of teas together in 4 wedge shaped bottles and this tea came in one of those bottles), so I have plenty of chances to get better acquainted with it. Suggested steeping temp is lower than most blacks for this.

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Sipdown.
I’m finally letting myself drink the last of this tea from the three tea bags I got out of the advent a year ago. I didn’t want to say goodbye. I am really taken by the flavors and want to get more next time I place an order, whenever that will be. It’s light, but very flavorful. A citrus mix, minus the citric acid bite. Defanged citrus? It’s well balanced and I bet it would taste good with cream or iced. It’s SO lovely! I’m going to steep all I can out of this last bag!

Advent day 14. This smells like some citrusy candy from a vague childhood memory. This is such a strange blend of various citrus. I can’t quite name which fruit I’m tasting. It’s bright, crisp and sweet. I added a little cream and sugar, then forgot my cup until it cooled. I’m enjoying it chilled quite a bit now. This would be fantastic iced. Not quite sure if it makes my buying list, but I have two more tea bags to decide.
This calendar was expensive. Maybe around $80? It was a splurge, but I’m delighted to say that the portions and detail put into this are pretty big. Most days have three tea bags when a lot of other brands do only one. I’m already tempted to get one next year.

Advent day 13. Hibiscus. Sigh. I decided to try it anyways and to my surprise it isn’t bad! It isn’t even bright pink when steeped! It smells very peachy with a hint of pear. First part of the sip is flat as the flavors sort out in my brain, then the peach/pear combo kicks in with a touch of the hibby tang. It fades to just the fruit and then the finish has more of the hib tang. I’m not into it, but I’d tolerate it which is a compliment considering my hibiscus aversion.

Advent day 12. I’m not super familiar with Ceylans, so it’s hard for me to compare with the average. This is nice. It has this almost green hint to it for a second at the start of the sip before it turns malty for most of the sip, then has a slight sweetness as the flavors fade. It’s the kind of tea I can imagine going great with cream, so I might try that.
Cream was definitely the right choice! The cream goes so well with the malt and there is almost a fruity quality to it. Now that I taste this, it must have been a Ceylan that I had at the Dickens fair a couple weeks ago at their tea service. It was so busy I didn’t get a chance to ask what tea we were drinking!

Advent day 11. With this being herbal, I saved it for the end of the day and drank my caffeinated teas earlier. This has a nice blend of chamomile and verbena with a hint of fennel to sweeten it a touch. It’s nice, but nothing special. I feel like there are a ton of blends from other companies that are similar.

This was day 7 of the Theodor advent, but I wasn’t feeling well and the thought of a smoky tea was nauseating. I’m glad I held off because this is a really nice cup that I’d hate to have a bad association with. This has a super strong smokey scent and flavor, but it is balanced so well which isn’t something I’ve found in other laps. The sip is perfect and the finish is the same. It has a depth to it that I can’t quite put into proper words. Smokey, leathery, slight bit of tobacco. I now regret not getting some of this while in Paris or in my order when I returned home. It will have to be on my next order for sure.

Advent day 10. The flavor in this is super light. I get some vanilla. I guess I get a hint of baked cookie, but I have to think about it. A little too delicate for me.

Advent day 6. It’s a rooibos, so I get that woodsy soapy taste. On top of that taste is a pleasant red fruit flavor, which is nice. It reminds me of many red fruit green teas that I’ve had, but I can’t put a name on the exact fruit. I’m sure if I had this flavor on another type of tea base I’d like it, but rooibos is a no go for me.
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Advent day 5. This is a super mellow sencha. It doesn’t have that grassy bite that some senchas have. It’s smooth and almost buttery. It’s nice, but sencha isn’t my favored type of tea. I’m not able to find any info for this tea on Theodor’s website. Strange.

Advent day 3! Three bags of this tea are in the 3 slot, another plentiful sample. I’m not usually a fan of oolongs, so I’m always surprised when I find one I like and doesn’t have that flat taste I associate with them. When opening this bag I was struck by how fruity and juicy it smelled. It’s just as delightful steeped. The pear and peach are the dominating flavors, but there is a slight sweetness that rounds out the fruit flavors. I’d guess this would be delicious cold steeped and might take a little cream well. This is a tea I’d totally buy!
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Day 2 of the advent contained three teabags of this! It smells rich like liquor and raisins. The steeping suggestions say 90c which is around 198F, lower than I usually steep my black teas, but I tried it anyways. My first cup was on the light side and the second at a higher temp was a little richer, but I think a hotter first steep may be a better way to go. It still had that depth to it, but the flavors on top of that seemed muted. I could taste a chai mix, but it was more of a murmur. Luckily, with Theodor being so generous with their advent servings, I have two more bags to test steeping parameters on!

This tea was day 1 for the Theodor advent calendar! It came in one of those silky tea bags along with a card to make tasting notes through the month and a description of a game with a single prize for the winner. It’s a clever way to engage with the customers who bought an advent!
This is a verbena tisane, but the flavor was more like light chamomile and a hint of mint. I’m a little surprised that they didn’t try to dress this up a bit and blend it with other flavors to make it more complex. It was nice, but I wasn’t taken by it.
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