Vahdam Teas

Adventaggedon Day 15 – Tea 6/6

When I saw this tea in the morning I really wanted to attempt to make a traditional style of stovetop Kashmiri Chai – the kind where after hours it oxidizes and turns pink. However, I just wasn’t feeling up to it today, so instead I cheapened out and just made a hot cup.

I don’t know, guys, I’m just a little over Masala blends right now.

This is fine, and I see why people would be into it. It’s maybe a little thin, but the cardamom is great. I feel like I’ve really waxed poetic about Vahdam’s cardamom over the course of the month so far but it’s truly my favourite spice that they use.

I guess I’ll try my stovetop Chai at a later date when I’m feeling more enthusiastic about trying something fun with this tea.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI1bJQzAPNj/

Sipdown! (18 | 295)

Slowly (very slowly…) getting through these Vahdam advent leftovers. I think this is the last masala chai other than a couple of turmeric tisanes, so that’s nice. I’m admittedly not much of a masala chai person, so I’m glad to have sipped most of them down.

Anyway, this one is more appealing to me than most because first of all, it’s a green base, and second of all, it has a couple of more unusual ingredients – almonds and saffron. I don’t really taste almond though, admittedly. Mostly it’s a very soft (almost bland) green tea with a strong cardamom flavor, accented by cinnamon and with a touch of saffron coming out at the end of the sip.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if the green tea were a bit more vegetal or buttery or something. I mostly just taste minerality and a hint of smoke from it. But the saffron is fun at least!

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 15

Back to masala chai! But this is a green version, which sounds interesting enough. Apparently it has saffron and almond, but mostly I just smell the cardamom.

Hmm. It’s actually a little bland? I do taste cardamom for sure, and cinnamon, and perhaps a little saffron? But it’s slightly bitter and I feel like I can taste the minerality of the water underneath. I’m not getting much from the base, and I had a similar issue with yesterday’s green tea. There’s a subtle honeyed aftertaste that is pleasant.

It’s not bad, but it’s a little underwhelming. I’ll have to play with the steeping parameters to see if I can get a more satisfying result next time…

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0x3pugvaO/)

L is for… Lemon Spiced Green Tea!

Sipdown (1405)!

I had more than a dozen lemon teas to choose from for “L Day” so that was VERY intimidating – my gut reaction way to just make some of my favourites but then I saw this in the list and realized that I have been seriously putting off sipping down my Vahdam Advent teas…

Honestly this was okay but it was also a little… drab!?

The citrus is present but it’s a bit flat and lacking either sweetness or acidity/tartness. There’s some pithyness that makes me think of lemon rind/oils, but I just wish overall there was a little more life? The spices are nice – this is one of the less aggressively turmeric flavoured and earthy of the Vahdam spice blends and one of the ones that has quite a bit of cardamom. The cardamom, during advent season, was my saving grace spice flavour and in that vein it’s also the nicest element of this tea.

I’m glad I tried this and it’s not a bad tea in my opinion – it’s just a profile I’m not predisposed to liking and I think there are areas where it could have stood out more.

Adventaggedon Day 14 – Tea 4/6

Cold Brew!

I feel like lightning struck twice today, because this was a second green tea that I ended up enjoying a lot over the course of the afternoon. The smell was good – fresh and natural lemon with cardamom and a bit of pepperiness. I was planned enough this morning that I got the cold brew started early enough to get to enjoy it during my last afternoon meeting of the day.

It’s surprisingly much more of a lemon tea than a spiced one. Totally expected commanding spices here and a smidge of lemon, as that’s been the trend with some other Vahdam blends with lemon or lemongrass in this. This is almost lemonade like in how much of a clear cut, strong and natural lemon flavour it has though! Medium to full bodied, just a tiny bit pithy/zesty, and rich – complimented largely by the cardamom. It really got me trying to think what the last tea I was with lemon and cardamom was and I couldn’t think of anything off the top of my head – which is a shame, and I spoke about last week in a tasting note (I forget which) lemon and cardamom work nicely together because cardamom is already naturally a bit citrus-y.

There have been some nice teas in the Vahdam Advent so far (and some not nice ones) but this might be the first where I’ve actually felt like I would buy a larger amount of it.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIy5e4PAbit/

Sipdown! (36 | 357)

Another cold brew! I’ve been on a cold brew kick lately because 1) it’s hot, and 2) I haven’t felt much like making and drinking tea, and cold brew is more convenient.

I sort of did a double-take when I tried this one, as it tastes like some kind of ginger ale/cola hybrid. It must be the tulsi that’s giving it a cola feel? Anyway, I’m really enjoying it, and the citrus adds just a bit of acidity as well that’s really refreshing. I don’t really taste green tea per se, but oh well.

Digging it!

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 14

Ooh, I was excited to see this one this morning. Something very different from the other teas in the calendar! It has a delicious sweet lemon scent that makes my mouth water. I was surprised at how sweet the smell is, given there’s no stevia and no licorice root here…

To be honest though, it came out a bit bland? I used my usual 2 teaspoons for 12 ounces of water, which I think is more leaf than most people would use. I get a mild earthy ginger flavor with a soft lemon sweetness in the background. I’m not sure how much I taste the green tea? There’s a mild mineral smokiness that must be coming from it, though.

I admit, I’m a bit disappointed with it compared to the lovely dry aroma… Maybe next time I’ll try more leaf to see if I can get some more of that lemony sweetness?

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIyI3bGAi3z/)

Adventaggedon Day 13 – Tea 1/6

This is actually the last of the advent teas that I made today – it was like a little special treat after getting through the flavoured teas for the day. I’ve been getting what some might call an ‘unreasonable’ level of excited for the straight teas that have been in the advents.

While this does seem to have some scent contamination from the many very intensely spiced teas in the advent calendar, it’s a pretty nice Darjeeling overall. Not the best I’ve had of the year, but as someone who isn’t a huge Darjeeling drinker anyway I’m not about to get picky/snobby.

Pretty floral with an astringency at the top of the sip but a sweeter and rounder finish. I picked up notes of fresh, heady peony and mildly spicy lilacs with malt, and mineral notes swirled in with the mid sip. An easy drinking Darjeeling, and seemed pretty forgiving to my longer and more reckless steep time.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/ros_strange/

Sipdown! (12 | 216)

This one was just okay for me.

It has some interesting spicy/peppery sort of notes to it, especially near the end of the sip. Otherwise it’s a mix of bready, hay, and autumn leaves. But it just seems a bit thin to me? I feel like I can taste the water itself underneath the tea, if that makes sense. It’s also a bit astringent even though I lowered the water temperature.

I dunno, maybe I’m just not a Darjeeling person. Happy to finish this off, though!

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 13

Yay, a straight tea! I don’t have a lot of experience with Darjeeling teas, so this’ll be an interesting one. I steeped it at a much lower temperature than I normally would for a black tea. I don’t know if that’s necessary or not, but for a first flush I figured I would err on the cautious side.

It has a light amber color. The flavor reminds me of somewhere between black, green, and white teas. It has a lovely soft bready flavor with chewy oats and grains, and a touch of hay. There’s also a creamy nuttiness that reminds me of cashews. Some vegetal notes appear near the end of the sip, and there’s a crisp, somewhat grassy finish. Perhaps a soft musky floral note as well? And the pleasant lingering taste of autumn leaves…

There’s definitely a lot going on, but it’s still very smooth and easy to drink. I get a tiny hint of menthol and spice at the end of the sip, but I’m wondering if that’s more of a scent/flavor contamination issue from all of the neighboring masala chai and turmeric blends.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIwKiV8gKVk/

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIvvvDxAx9V/)

Adventaggedon Day 12 – Tea 6/6

Okay, while I am not exactly thrilled to see a fourth Masala in the advent, I will give credit and say that this is VERY different from the others that have been included. Plus, I am super relieved that today isn’t another turmeric day…

The combination of bergamot and cardamom is really working for me today, and I think that’s because bergamot has this perfumed/aromatic citrus note and cardamom has a slight citrusy taste as well mix with the spice complexity, so they’re good compliments to each other. It’s a little strong/forward – more than what I personally want in an Earl Grey blend. I wish I had something else in here to break up that flavour a bit, like a vanilla or some other kind of sweet note. I feel like an addition of honey would be super nice here.

It’s not bad – but I do think I liked the more classic Earl Grey from Mariage Freres, from this morning, a little bit more.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIrJJjIAnq9/

Sipdown! (69 | 273)

I really need to crack down on finishing off these advent teas! But it’s difficult to get motivated when so many of them are either turmeric or masala chai, heh…

This was pretty good though! I’ll admit, I’m not a big masala chai person. For some reason, it’s just not a flavor I ever crave. But I do enjoy the way the bergamot plays with the cardamom in this one, since they’re both a bit floral in flavor. A little less clove would be nice, but maybe that’s just the bottom of the tin talking.

It’s pleasant! But as a masala chai, not something I need in my cupboard…

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 12

Ooh, this sounds very interesting to me. I happen to love Earl Grey, and I tried a cardamom version from New Tea Tea Co that I remember enjoying, so hopefully this is nice too.

The front of the sip is mostly just the chai, with soft cardamom and a bit of clove. The bergamot comes out a bit more toward the end, and it’s a fairly gentle bergamot note. I can taste the cardamom again in the aftertaste.

I do enjoy this, but it feels a bit like two different teas, as the flavors don’t really occur at the same time. It’s not so much an Earl Grey chai, as a tea that starts out as a chai, then switches to Earl, then switches back. Definitely interesting!

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

Adventaggedon Day 11 – Tea 2/6

Aaaah! So behind on tasting notes tonight – I just don’t know where the evening went.

Anyway, this is not good. It’s very aggressively turmeric and ashwagandha forward, with a pretty assertive kick of ginger too. Definitely too earthy and spicy to be enjoyable for me, and I wasn’t able to finish off the mug. Not sure what I’ll do with the rest of this one…

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIrJJjIAnq9/

Sipdown! (6 | 79)

Another cold-brewed turmeric tisane!

I really do find these quite palatable this way. The earthy turmeric is somehow very refreshing, and the lemongrass is nice here as well. Luckily the licorice is quite mild, though there is a slight sweetness that creeps up at the end of the sip. I could probably do without the black pepper, happily it’s not very strong.

I dig it! I’m so relieved to have found a way to finish off these Vahdam turmeric tisanes, I was really dreading them…

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 11

Turmeric again?! And so soon? XD

Oh well, it’s not like I’ve hated the previous ones or anything, so let’s crack on.

This had an encouraging lemony aroma while steeping. It doesn’t really taste lemony though, unfortunately. In fact, I feel like I’m getting a lot of black pepper, which I didn’t even know was an ingredient? Looks like it is though, so that explains it. There’s also a strong turmeric flavor, obviously. I have no idea what ashwagandha (for some reason, I always want to reverse the ‘w’ and the ‘g’) tastes like, so couldn’t comment on that.

Mostly I get turmeric and black pepper, with a touch of lemongrass. Too much black pepper for me, which takes away from the natural sweetness of the turmeric. I preferred the other versions.

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

Sipdown (2163)!

…not for me. Very drying in the mouth which a lot of concentrated cinnamon and black pepper flavours. I do, with this style of blend, expect astringency and with Vahdamn in paritcular I know their spices will always be pretty heavy handed but I really thought there would be more overt vanilla notes given the name.

Also, the inclusion of cappuccino extract is quite strange to me and I can’t figure out why it was added unless it was just for function!? Like, to boost the caffeine. I don’t know why you’d do that if you weren’t going to market it, though.

Adventaggedon Day 10 – Tea 4/6

Another Masala! I wonder how many there will be, in total, in the advent!? I was a little surprised about two of them – let alone three.

I enjoyed my last stovetop Chai, so I decided to try it again. However, this time around the only “milk” I had in on hand was a milk alternative made from peas that I haven’t tried before so I made it with that. I followed the same steps as last time, minus the fact I swapped out my cashew milk for pea milk and the maple agave for a vanilla agave, to better fit the tea flavour.

Something here went wrong though because this tastes SUPER bitter and unpleasant, and almost chemical!? I don’t think it’s the tea – it smelled quite delicious. It’s probably the pea milk. Sadly, I dumped out this mug of tea after choking back a few gulps. It was just too brutal…

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIov0XiAU8T/

Sipdown! (53 | 183)

I really need to finish off more of these Vahdam teas that are leftover from the advent! Maybe I’ll start doing at least one cup a day or something…

Anyway, I’m finishing this off as a milk tea / iced latte / whatever you wanna call it! Iced and with milk, ha ha.

It’s actually really good, the spices are still nicely present – I can taste the cardamom and clove especially. It’s hard to pick apart the vanilla from the milk, though I didn’t taste much vanilla when I had this plain anyway.

Anyway, it made a yummy iced latte! :)

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 10

And we’re back to masala chai! Although this sounds lovely, I adore vanilla and it goes so well with spices.

Well, I would say the vanilla is quite subtle here. I do get a bit of creamy vanilla immediately at the beginning of the sip, which then gives way to cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. The clove is lingering on my tongue longer than the rest, and it’s bringing out the tannins in the base tea a bit. A whisper of vanilla cream shows itself in the aftertaste as well.

Overall, it’s good, but I do wish there was a stronger vanilla note here. Next time I’ll have to try it with milk, I’m sure it would be delicious that way!

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIn4CAHg-sf/)

Welp.

It has been a long day friends – I just arrived in LA after several hours at the airport and about a six hour flight. Weirdly I’m kind of not tired at all – I guess because LA is behind Montreal instead of before it.

Anyway, I continued my now tradition of bringing my tea and kettle with me and of course making tea on the plane. It was a long flight, so I ended up getting to make two teas. This was the first – I just have so much of these teabags that Vahdam gifted me, so this seemed like a good excuse to use some of them up. It’s an aggressively straight forward tisane with just turmeric and ginger. Not something I’m normally into, but actually quite appropriately soothing for the flight!

Plus, hard to poorly steep something so simple.

Adventaggedon Day 8 – Tea 1/6

Another Vahdam blend that I actually already owned but had not tried. I put it off for most of the day but eventually made myself a cup right before the end of the work day. Not surprisingly, it’s not really my thing – it’s a pretty straight forward blend with lots of the two titular spices and both actually taste nice/good quality. I just… don’t love turmeric or ginger very much…

At first I felt like the flavour was majority ginger, but an earthy and spicy ginger with those notes that tickle the back of your throat. However, as it cooled the turmeric really came to the forefront. I need to stop at the grocery store on my way home from work tomorrow because I feel like I could have really improved my experience with this tisane by trying it with coconut milk – I’ll all tapped out of milk/milk alternatives at the moment though…

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjkTExg-d5/

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 8

I admit, I was a bit nervous about this one… It’s exactly what it says, just a mix of turmeric and ginger root. I don’t mind turmeric and ginger, but I’m not sure how I feel about a tisane that is just them and nothing else. The dry scent was extremely strong, and I inhaled a bit too much and starting coughing all over the place… (facepalm)

But actually, this is quite mellow. The turmeric is the stronger of the two for me, and it adds a nice earthy base note as well as a soft sweetness. The ginger comes in at the middle of the sip, and dominates through the end with a warm and slightly tingly spiciness. The two blend quite well, being somewhat similar in flavor profile. I really enjoy the earthiness that the turmeric contributes here, it has a sort of flavor that I can only describe as “rooty”. It reminds me of starchy root vegetables in a pleasant way.

I didn’t add anything to this cup, but I can imagine this being tasty with a dash of honey, especially if I had a sore throat! A slice of lemon wouldn’t go amiss either. ;)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjrfEeAJLd/

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIirQD-Air7/)

Adventaggedon Day 7 – Tea 4/6

So, I actually already owned this tea but I hadn’t worked up the nerve to try it yet because the ingredients list does not seem very Roswell friendly. It was the last tea I made today because I just kept putting it off during the course of the morning…

It’s definitely not my jam – and we’re just gonna completely ignore the “Detox” element of the name because that’s also DEEPLY not my vibe and I don’t want to put any mental energy right now into discussing all the problems I have with Detox marketing. So, with that aside, it’s just such an insane stevia bomb.

Like, I’ve discussed this before but I have a pretty strong tolerance for stevia. So, when a tea is so insanely stevia heavy that even I can’t bare it that’s usually a really bad sign. I feel like I understand the intention of having it in the blend, though. There are a lot of ingredients added to the blend (likely as “detox” ingredients) that typically do not taste very pleasant on their own, such as the ashwagandha. I’m sure the sweetness of the stevia was meant to hide some of that. Instead it just added a second unpleasant thing on top of that earthy, bitter unpleasant note.

A smarter approach, in my opinion, would have been to double down on the spices and mask it that way – the cardamom, once again, is a star in this tea and it the blends saving grace. More cardamom and less stevia would have tasted way better. But I guess the “sweetness” might appeal to a certain customer base who would be attracted to a detox blend…

But not me. Nope…

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