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2024 Advent Calendar #5

Trying to psych myself to go for a walk but after a quick errand in the frigid temps and wind, I’m going to sip tea and plan for summer instead. The sachet smelled like chocolate and raspberries when I pulled it from the packet. Using my largest pottery mug I steeped this for about 3+ minutes. Sipping I taste the strawberries, some figs, and chocolate. The elderberry comes through as well. A good mug for a cold, blustery day.

2024 Advent Calendar #4

I don’t think I’ve ever had sweet potato pie. We love sweet potatoes in our family so I may have to try my hand at it.

The dry sachet had fabulous scents of cinnamon and clove. I, impatiently, let it steep for the full recommended 7 minutes and then snuggled in my arm chair with the mug. It was full of warm and comfort but not so strong with the chai spices. I do taste the cinnamon and clove and sweet potato. There is a flavor I can’t quite pinpoint and I googled Tulsi to see if that was it, as it’s the only ingredient I wasn’t familiar with. Still not sure if the Tulsi is what I’m getting. There was a creaminess to it that I think is coming from the sweet potato.

2024 Advent Calendar #3

Happy New Year! Taking a moment this morning to sit with a mug of this before undecorating and calendar planning. It’s the first one that I missed in the actual Advent season. It’s also the first disappointment for me but I would say, it is exactly as described. The color of the tea is a light cranberry color and the scent is strong with strawberry It’s very sweet, dry, tart with strawberries and hibiscus. For me this would be a better pick for summer than a New England summer

2024 Advent Calendar #2

This day suggested making paper snowflakes, which I might have the kids do since it’s pouring rain here and melting the little layer of snow we did have. But first a warm mug of berry tea to start the day. This is the only tea of P&L that I’ve have tried before. At that time, I drank it cold brewed in mason jar on a sunny summer deck. With a rainy, raw day, I wanted to try it out warm. It steeps up a deep red and tastes like tart blueberries and blackberries. The hibiscus is very prominent. I don’t get a sense of the elderberries or sage.

2024 Advent Calendar #1

December was a blur and I never had time to log in but this year I ordered the Piper and Leaf Advent Calendar. It was a good fit for me with some music, stories, Bible verses, and 2 tea sachets per day.

This was the first tea (and likely the only one I drank on the correct day). I enjoyed the blend of jasmine, bergamot, and mint. I could see this being a good cold brew but at this time of year I stick with hot mugs. I did a second steeping of this and found it enjoyable as well. The sampler started off with a good tea match for me!

I was teased yesterday about more tea coming into the house when there’s so much in the cabinet already. Decided it was time to maybe finish off some of the teas that have been hanging out in the “new to me” tin to see if they are keepers or ones to give away.
I’m fairly certain this was in my stocking last year. I’m a big fan of gingerbread so I tried to go into this with low expectations. Sometimes the names of the teas don’t match up to the actual flavors. I taste apple and ginger but weakly. A longer steep might have brought out more of the flavors. I steeped for about 4 minutes and should have let it sit for a bit longer but I was impatient. Overall, not a bad tea but as a Gingerbread lover, I wanted more spices and snap.

This one reminds me of the Hot Cinnamon Tea I take to work on a “I’m running late what’s easy to grab day”. I love a good chai but this one needs more spice. I do taste cinnamon but it’s missing the complexity of a good chai. I’m about to doctor it up with more cardamom and cloves and a splash of milk.

Brought back to me from Greece by one of my local tea drinking buddies. She had a cup of it while traveling and loved it.
The tea leaves remind me of dried sage with big, fuzzy leaves and a green/grey color. I have used just a pinch of the leaves in my infuser and it is enough for a steep or two.
Packaging recommended 100C for 5-10. I went with 5 minutes. The tea is light brown in color. Very herbaceous, as expected, with an earthy flavor. There is a very slight sweetness but I enjoy it more with a smidge of honey.

This was popped into a end of season gift to me from one a family I work with. I had another variety from this company and wasn’t super impressed. This one I liked more. There’s a sweet honey scent to it as I popped the bag into my mug. It has a good peach flavor and is very sweet. The tea itself even has the color of a honeyed peach, which I’m sure is a coincidence and not by design. I could see this doing really well over ice as well.
Perhaps I drank it at the wrong time of day… the tag on the tea bag says it’s blended especially for twilight sunsets.

It’s been a while and I hadn’t been able to log on for a bit. Today I found a back door way in. Unsure if its the site or my browser needing updates but I’m back in!
It’s been so hot this summer that I’ve skipped having hot tea and have been sticking to infused water and ice. Today the a/c is on due to the crazy humidity and I’m chilly, so a mug seemed the right thing to do.
This Cherry Marzipan was in a tea sampler that one of my Brownie GS gifted me at the holidays. Out of the holiday teas I had, this one seemed the most “Summery”. My kid chose the strawberry shaped infuser and as I put the sample in, I wondered if there would be enough room for the leaves to expand. It seemed to suit just fine. I steeped for about 4 minutes. I like the scent of the cherries and almonds. Sipping there is a good nutty flavor and a tartness from the cherries. Its not too bitter or overpoweringly sweet.