Vahdam Teas

Adventaggedon Day 23 – Tea 5/6

What the fuck Vahdam!? For the second day in a row, we got something completely different from anything else that was in the advent – do I dark bank on the same for tomorrow!? Seriously, not only is this the first chocolate profile in the advent but it’s also a rooibos tea. I didn’t even realize that Vahdam worked with rooibos, as it’s a South African ingredient and basically all their ingredients come from India or the surrounding countries…

It’s actually damn nice – of course, like anything from Vahdam, they’ve snuck a tiny bit of spice into the mix but it’s the cardamom note that I love so much from them. The chocolate is very natural though – not too sweet, not oily but present and smooth/creamy. I don’t so much taste the vanilla as an individual flavour, but I can see how it’s adding to the silkiness of the other ingredients in the blend.

Very different than anything I’d have expected from Vahdam, but I’m digging it!

Advent Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJJ74z9gBd4/

Cold Brew Sipdown (1463)!

Y’know, I thought I would enjoy this a lot as a cold brew but there was something about it that was just sort of off. Not bad tasting but… not right!? The rose was beautifully soft and smooth with an aromatic sweet floral that encompassed the whole palate. The cardamom was also super aromatic with its pleasantly warming citrus undertones. However, the overall brew was a little watery and the aftertaste was strangely metallic and mineral. It was the metallic note I couldn’t get over – I didn’t know what the source was and it was really jarring with the florals.

Anyway, one less Vahdam Advent tea! Gotta put more work into finishing these off.

Starting your morning with a floral tea sort of just feels like… self care!?

I’m just in the process of polishing off a mug of this tea currently and it’s just so delightfully soothing with its thick rose notes and that aromatic, cozy undertone of cardamom that embraces the palate so softly and warmly. I can’t think of a more gentle and loving way to start a work week. This is just… bliss.

Adventaggedon Day 22 – Tea 3/6

Where was this tea hiding all advent!? This is probably the first tea in the advent that, if I saw it on the website while contemplating an order, I would immediately add to my cart. I fucking love rose teas – and a rose black tea with just a bit of cardamom sounds incredible!

I did like the tea a fair bit – it’s definitely one of my favourites from the advent so far! The rose is nice; distinct but not over the top. Pretty matched with the sweet and slightly citrusy cardamom notes – I expected the rose to be a bit stronger than the cardamom, but I appreciate the balance. The main issue I have is that, while all the flavours are nice, the tea is preeetttyyyy thin. It’s just like there’s no body to the black tea at all, which is shocking because so many of the black teas used in the advent teas so far have been so robust.

I’ll play with this one again though and try and find a way to get it right – it’s a cool enough concept that I think it’s worth the effort.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJHkg9EA3im/

Sipdown! (18 | 339)

Someday I’ll finish off all of these Vahdam advent leftovers, heh heh… Let’s hope it’s before this advent season! XD

Anyway, I actually quite like this one. It’s a light and fragrant black tea, and the dry leaf has a deliciously honeyed aroma. The rose isn’t overpowering (luckily for me) and melds well with the citrusy cardamom. I also get a strong saffron flavor here, which I assume is also the source of what I’m detecting as honey. I suppose it could also be from the nuts, but that seems less likely to me.

Anyway, I find the combination very enchanting. This might be the only one from Vahdam so far that I would consider ordering, just because it’s quite unique. It would make for a lovely afternoon tea break with some small cakes…

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 22

Ooh, it’s not a masala chai or a turmeric tisane! I don’t love rose, but the ingredients sound very interesting so I’m excited to try this.

The aroma is rose, cardamom, and honey, which bodes well! Hmm, I’m not sure I got enough black tea in my scoop, as the base is rather thin. But the flavors are nice! I like the rose with the cardamom, it mellows out the floral note a bit. I do get quite a bit of honey in the taste as well, perhaps from the saffron? I can taste its sweet earthy presence here. As for the nuts, maybe a little bit of almond? But it’s possible I didn’t shake the tin well enough and all of the nut dust is at the bottom…

It has the potential to be very good, but the thinness of the black tea is distracting to me, and it’s like I can taste the water underneath it all. Perhaps more leaf next time?

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJG5NvpANyn/)

Adventaddon Day 21 – Tea 1/6

I’m glad I opened up all my advents this morning when I first got up, because seeing this one in my selection inspired me to pick up some coconut milk while grocery shopping today. I couldn’t imagine enjoying it straight, so I decided to make some stovetop Golden Milk after I finished grocery shopping using the majority of the tea received today, coconut milk, and a bit of coconut agave.

This was a good call – it’s amazing how much coconut milk can alter/improve the taste of turmeric! This stove top latte was very thick and creamy with rich notes of coconut, cardamom, and an earthy warming turmeric flavour. Not really peppery, but I imagine the pepper may have just been in the blend from the perspective of “activating” the turmerci? Maybe not, I could be wrong…

Anway, I probably wouldn’t drink this tea on its own but made this way it was enjoyable enough – not “amazing” but good.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJFCQREg2g5/

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 21

I have four fruit/herbal tisanes from my advents today, and I’m excited about zero of them… So I figured even though I usually save them for the evening, I’ll get two out of the way early so I have room for some teas I actually like later… XD

(And if anyone is still counting, this is turmeric tea #6 from the Vahdam advent…)

I’ll be honest, I was dreading this one… Some of their other teas have had a bit too much pepper for me, so the name didn’t bode well. But honestly, this isn’t really peppery to me. It’s mostly just turmeric with cardamom and a bit of clove. I get a wee little bit of peppery warmth in the background, but no kick.

So thankfully, this one is fine. Very earthy from the turmeric, of course, but somewhat mild compared to the other turmeric tisanes I’ve tried.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELciWgFOJ/)

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 20

Another variation on masala chai! I’m not the biggest fan of ginger, so not terribly excited about this…

The beginning and middle of the sip honestly tastes exactly like their regular masala chai. There’s a good mix of cardamom, cinnamon, and clove with cardamom leading the charge. The ginger only really comes out at the end, and it tastes more like a powdered ginger to me. It does linger in the aftertaste as well.

It’s not nearly as gingery as I expected, but I definitely prefer the regular and extra cinnamon versions.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJBt5wqA7_Q/)

Sipdown (1600)!

This is a satisfying feeling sipdown! One less ginger tea in the stash. It wasn’t an unpleasant tea, but definitely not a favourite and it leaned (especially in this cup) pretty tannic alongside those earthy ginger notes.

I over steeped this so not only was it aggressive ginger but it was aggressive and bitter ginger. As always, though, the addition of cardamom was nice. The good news is that I officially only have enough left for one more cup so a sipdown is imminent!

Advent Season is fast approaching and I’m suddenly feeling a lot of pressure to finish off some of the Vahdam teas that have been sitting untouched since last advent season – almost a year now! They’re just soooo spiced and I just practically never think to reach for something like that…

This mug wasn’t too bad though. I had it earlier this afternoon sort of “in and out” of conciousness as I took a lazy mid afternoon nap. So, I’d nod off for a little bit and then wake up and take a few sips – then back to cozy under the covers. Warm and gingery but not too much of any one thing. In particular, not too much spice or tannin from the CTC cut black tea.

Probably enjoyed this more than I would under normal circumstances – the coziness and bliss of a nap is a powerful thing.

Adventaggedon Day 20 – Tea 2/6

I’m quite proud of myself with this one – I saw what the tea was this morning and I was immediately frustrated because not only was it another Masala blend but it’s one with a focus on ginger – a flavour that I really dislike. I found a way to make it work, though!

I ended up cold brewing this over the course of the day in some straight milk, just giving the mason jar it was in a vigorous shake every hour or so to agitate the leaves and spices. I just strained it, and then ran it through my milk frother on the cold setting with a tiny bit of maple syrup. The result was a super thick and frothy major jar of refreshing chilled Chai that tastes a bit like a lighter gingerbread flavour! It helps that there’s obviously either anise/fennel/licorice in the blend – that sweetness is coming through very clearly, especially in the finish where it lingers on the tongue, and mixed with the dark maple and light but spicy ginger is feels like a super festive drink!

I’m certain I would have hated this hot, but this prep method really salvaged the tea.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJCZpVTAt6i/

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 19

Turmeric, tumeric, turmeric…

To be honest, this one is mostly chamomile with hints of the other ingredients. And I’m not complaining, because I like chamomile! I do taste a bit of the fennel, which I thought was licorice root at first. There’s also a very slight tingle from the black pepper and a sweet earthiness from the turmeric.

So I’m enjoying this one, the chamomile is nice for relaxing after spending a few hours on Christmas cookie baking this evening.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI_SUdFAQD3/)

Adventaggedon Day 19 – Tea 3/6

I was very unenthused about this tea today, so I sort of “cheated” and instead of brewing myself a proper cuppa I made it in a cupping set so that I only have to drink a tiny amount. I also kept the steep time quite short, because I don’t really fuck with turmeric or chamomile as flavours.

The resulting steep was more chamomile than anything else, though it was almost like a chamomile with an anise note!? I didn’t expect the sweetness of the anise, but it helped make the tea more palatable, actually. The turmeric added some earthiness but was well behaved. The liquor was very yellow tinged though.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI_pDY_AA7m/

Adventaggedon Day 18 – Tea 5/6

To be honest, I’m not vibing with all the morninga inclusions in the advent as of late – but tulsi!? Yeah, tulsi I can fuck with.

Ultimately this isn’t really my jam, but it’s not bad either. The savory basil notes of the tulsi and the sweet, natural lemongrass compliment well and make for a smooth sip. The moringa is pretty herbal and vegetal, but it works with this mellower savory kind of composition. Like Cameron B. I also don’t really taste the green tea – but that’s a plus for me…

Probably wouldn’t ever really actively reach for this, but drinking it if offered wouldn’t be an issue either.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI9HTxrAALU/

Sipdown! (40 | 361)

Cold brew sipdown. After this, I only have one tin left to finish from Vahdam, and then the remainder of the turmeric tisanes, which I’m not quite sure what to do with… It seems silly to make myself drink them, but I doubt anyone else would be interested either heh heh.

Anyway, this is okay. If I didn’t know better, I would guess it had green mate in it, there’s a slightly smoky earthy note that’s giving me those vibes. I guess it must be the moringa, I dunno. Otherwise it’s somewhat bland and herbal-y with hay and cucumber notes.

Fine for mindlessly sipping on, not something I would purchase.

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 18

Hmm, moringa again. But tulsi, that’s new! The dry leaf looks very herbal, I don’t even see any green tea.

Yeah, this tastes like an herbal tisane, and a fairly bland one at that. I get some soft dry grass/hay sort of notes mostly, a hint of lemon from the lemongrass, and a touch of black pepper at the back of my throat. I’m not terribly familiar with tulsi, but there is a sort of basil-y note that could be coming from that. It has a nice silky mouthfeel which is a plus.

Overall, it’s fine. Very mild, but could be nice as a nighttime tea. I don’t get green tea from it at all, though it’s second in the ingredient list…

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI8bVHGAmpT/)

Adventaggedon Day 17 – Tea 4/6

Oh, sweet respite from turmeric and masala! I was chuffed seeing this one today!

I’m so straight tea starved in between advents that my initial thought with this was “Oh, I should brew it Gongfu” but I didn’t have time to do that today. Honestly, that might be a good thing, because I think Gongfu brewed Darjeeling would have been a little weird even for me.

This was pretty nice, but there was a Darjeeling earlier in the advent (first flush, I think) and I thought that one was much nicer. This was very gently astringent and a little muscatel, but mostly pretty flat and thin for a Darjeeling. Very easy to sip on, and didn’t give my sensitive stomach today an issues – was a nice midafternoon cuppa.

The “Daily Darjeeling” name seems fitting though – would be a really easy tea to make a pot or mug of to drink over the course of an afternoon. Nothing unpleasant, but nothing that commands your attention. Perfect type of tea for that daily drinker moniker.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6lipOAskU/

Sipdown! (24 | 228)

Working through my straight black teas, as I like to have one as my first tea of the day, and I figured I’d get this leftover advent tin out of the way.

This is fine. It has some nice bready and grainy notes to it, and a somewhat interesting herby/peppery sort of note? I’m having difficulty describing it… It almost reminds me of tulsi but a bit harsher and woodier. There’s also a fair bit of astringency here, though that could be my steeping parameters. I do get some grape skin-like muscatel notes as well.

Not bad, but not something I would choose. I’m not sure Darjeeling is for me in general, I think I ordered one from Capital Tea Ltd so I’ll have to see what I think of it!

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 17

Another straight tea, and a pleasant respite from Turmeric Land (™). I will say I hope there are more Assam teas to come, as I tend to enjoy them more than the Darjeelings. This is a second flush, so I knocked the steeping temp up just a little bit, still trying to be conservative as I have little experience with this type of tea.

I do like this one. It has a smooth and somewhat thick bready flavor, reminding me of a Chinese black tea. There’s a bit of that caraway sort of vibe that I find in Fujian varieties specifically, along with a touch of hay and chewy raw grains. Otherwise some malt and autumn leaf, and that’s about it. I’m not really getting much in the fruity department, which surprises me for a Darjeeling tea. It’s very smooth, with zero bitterness or astringency.

There is a little hint of menthol-esque herbal note at the end of the sip that makes me think this has also been slightly contaminated from being near so many heavily spiced teas. It’s not unpleasant or anything, it just feels as if it doesn’t belong.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI56irkAw4b/)

Sipdown! (68)

Since I wasn’t keen on the thought of sipping down all of these turmeric blends, I thought I would experiment with cold-brewing one of them to use it up more quickly.

And actually, it’s not bad! The turmeric is fairly mellow and I’m getting a nice cucumber-esque note, I assume from the moringa? I was feeling overfull after polishing off a slice of French Silk pie from Thanksgiving that I had defrosted. And it’s always nice to have something not sweet and a bit “healthy” tasting when you feel that way…

I’m not sure this tactic will work for some of the other turmeric blends (namely the black pepper one) but it’s certainly an improvement on this tisane! Very refreshing.

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 16

Come on, again?! I’m pretty sure my blood is half turmeric and half hibiscus by now… Looking at the website, it looks like there are still several turmeric blends that we haven’t had… (hangs head)

I have no idea what moringa tastes like, but I see a lot of the leaf mixed in here, so maybe I’ll find out…

There’s a lot of turmeric, which has a pleasant earthy-yet-spicy flavor with a hint of sweetness. I can also definitely taste the peppercorns, and they add a tingly sensation. There’s also ginger, which tends to blend fairly well with the turmeric. As far as the moringa… I have no idea. The interwebs tell me moringa leaf has a green argula-like flavor with a horseradish spiciness. I can definitely see the horseradish, and potentially some of the peppery notes are coming from that as well. There is a very mild leafy green note if I look for it, and an almost cucumber-like flavor that appears in the aftertaste?

Very interesting! My issue is the part I like best about turmeric is the earthy sweetness, so combining it with black pepper isn’t really my favorite concept, as it brings out the more spicy notes.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI3UsUyAU_Z/)

Adventaggedon Day 16 – Tea 4/6

Why!?

I don’t understand why someone would think that this aggressive of a combination of turmeric and moringa would be a good idea? Like, I guess the simplicity of the ingredients list is admirable!? But, both turmeric and moringa are extremely strong and typically unpleasant flavours so without anything to mask or balance them off this cup is… rough.

Very, very earthy. Very bitter. Very herbal.

Very not my thing.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI4C7sbgyfh/