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396 tasting notes

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 1

I am back from 10 days in Europe! I haven’t traveled internationally since before covid/cancer, and it was SO wonderful to visit Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, and Brussels (plus day trips to various other cities). My partner and I planned the trip almost entirely around Christmas markets, so I’m feeling very festive! But I’m also three days behind on all my advent calendars. Yikes. Gonna be a lot of tea drinking in the next few days.

Anyway, I was paired with Kaylee in the homemade advent swap, and I’m so excited to get started! Her packaging is very cute and wintery, and she included lots of little vegan sweets for me. Yay!

So, Day 1 is a maple chai. I am a sucker for all things maple, so of course I was pleased to see it! I started drinking my cup with breakfast, which was a savory porridge (oatmeal sprinkled with furikake; sometimes I add chili crisp), and the combination was… not great. Happily, the tea stands much better on its own. It’s got a definite maple-y scent, with a pleasant backbone of chai spices. I’m mostly getting cinnamon, and the maple gets a little lost in the sip, though what’s there reminds me of pancake syrup. It’s interesting that they’ve added both maple crystals and sugar crystals; I can definitely taste the sweetness! It gives the cup a bit of viscosity, I think, and adds a bit of body to a slightly thin black tea base. Nice and warming on a chilly morning!

Flavors: Cinnamon, Maple Syrup, Pancake Syrup, Spices, Viscous

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4 comments

ashmanra
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That sounds like a marvelous trip! Very happy for you! :)

Kelmishka
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Aw, thanks! It was so wonderful!

Kaylee
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Welcome home! Glad you were able to take that trip and plan it around something special!

Kelmishka
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Thank you!

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ashmanra
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That sounds like a marvelous trip! Very happy for you! :)

Kelmishka
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Aw, thanks! It was so wonderful!

Kaylee
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Welcome home! Glad you were able to take that trip and plan it around something special!

Kelmishka
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Thank you!

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Bio

(she/her)

I was an anxious child who didn’t like change, so when my parents flew across the country for my grandfather’s wedding and left us kids with my aunt and uncle, I was a nervous wreck. Our first night at their house was tough. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and padded into the kitchen, where my aunt was puttering around. She could tell I was distressed and offered to make me a cup of tea. It was just Celestial Seasonings’ peppermint tea, but it was exactly what I needed. The tea itself, the comfort it represented, the ritual of making it… I was enchanted. I’ve loved tea ever since.

I’m partial to strong, intense flavors and prefer loose-leaf to bagged, but I also appreciate the convenience of bags and sachets. I mostly drink my tea straight but once in a blue moon I’ll add a little plant-based milk, generally oat.

I live in Maryland, USA, with my partner, three dogs, and one cat. I’ve actually been a Steepster reader for years and years, but only started posting in late 2021. :)

When I’m not drinking tea (or sometimes WHILE I’m drinking tea!) I’m reading, rewatching comfort shows, going for a run, knitting, embroidering, hiking, or puttering in the garden. You can find me on Instagram at @kelmishka. (My account is private, but feel free to send a request!)

Favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Maple (all-time fave flavor!), vanilla, caramel, and all things dessert-y

Jasmine, lavender, violet, and most floral flavors

Most spices, although I go through phases and sometimes get bored of generic-feeling winter spice blends

Most fruity flavors

Matcha and other vegetal flavors

Not-so-favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Bergamot (…although it’s been growing on me lately!)

Hibiscus

Overly artificial flavors (banana, coconut, mango)

Overly herbacious blends, although this varies!

Stevia, monkfruit, and other sugar-alternative sweeteners — blech

Chocolate — it’s hard to get it right in tea, though I love real chocolate!

Animal products, including honey (long-time vegan checking in!)

My ratings

90-100: The best! Will almost definitely repurchase.

75-90: Really good, and potentially worthy of a restock.

60-75: Decent, if not terribly memorable.

50-60: In the “meh” range, but possibly for personal taste reasons.

35-50: I’m not a fan, and this is not very good tea.

20-35: Varying degrees of bad.

1-20: Actively bad. Like really bad. I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing.

Location

Maryland, USA

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