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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.

Digging through the tea cabinet and trying to clean out. A friend gifted this one to me in a holiday mug last December. Managed to have a few quiet sips before the rest of the house started their day. I steeped it for a long time as there was a fish tank mishap and then a dog needing attention.
For some reason, I saw the word spicy and couldn’t figure out what the spice could be. When I opened the packet, it was very clear. The cinnamon is the most prevalent scent and flavor. I don’t detect any orange or citrusy flavors. It is quite sweet, definitely no added sweeteners needed.
I did just check out their website. Wonder if the company is struggling. Most of the teas on there are sold out and commentors indicate this has been the case for months.

Purchased last Fall at King Richard’s Faire from their new tea pot shaped shop. It seriously was an adorable addition to their market. This one a friend convinced me to pick up. It appears that the shop has expanded their catalogue over the winter and there are tons of literary based teas added.

I followed steeping instructions but I honestly feel that I should have added more tea leaves to the steeper as this mug is too weak for me. Shoving my nose in the bag, it smells very sweet and floral but after steeping for the recommended 3 minutes, the scent is very very faint. The flavors of rose and marshmallow do come through the longer it steeped in the pot but it became more acidic with continued steeping. I think I’ll try another run of this hot later in the week and try it out cold brew as well.

I’ve been disappointed lately with the cinnamon teas, I’ve had in my cabinet. Most seem to be light in the cinnamon and needing a boost of “something” to add to the flavor. This one was a contender this morning and while the scent of cinnamon was strong while steeping, sadly, it is not a strong cinnamon while sipping. It’s sweet and also missing the spice flavors that I equate to chai. I am unsure how long this tea bag has been in my cabinet. Perhaps long enough that it lost is spicey edge. Through those disappointments, I will say, I did enjoy this mug. It was great for a rainy spring day and gave a cozy feel. There was an appley taste to it with the sweetness and cinnamon. I didn’t bother to add any milk or honey but did think about it.

REGENERATIVE ORGANIC AWAKE ENGLISH BREAKFAST is a reformulation of this blend. Guess Tazo rolled it out in 2022, but I only noticed because of the new packaging. I’m not sure how different it is from the original blend, I definitely have had this before the changed it as Tazo is common in many of the restaurants near me.
I’ve been drinking this for the past month and now matter how I steep it, it comes out too bitter so I generally do add some milk and sweetener to adjust. The malt is strong with this. I know it’s pretty caffeinated but I’ve never noticed my body reacting to caffeine. I’m going to try to pay attention this morning. But I have a feeling the sunshine might get me moving more than the tea.

Day 9 Davids Tea 2023 Advent Calendar

My last sample from the Advent calendar. Its not as good as I seem to remember but it’s not bad. I find it more nutty than caramel. Definite buttery taste and heavy on the salt. The last sip was room temp and actually tasted more caramel than when it was hot.