397 Tasting Notes
Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 12
What a neat tea company — I had no idea Mississippi produced tea! Unfortunately I was not able to coax much flavor out of the sample Kaylee provided, which is a bummer. I got some very light minerality, but almost nothing else. I’ll abstain from rating it because I feel like this must be user error on my part!
Flavors: Mineral
Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 11
Took a sick day today and am enjoying a cup of this lovely brew alongside an orange scone my partner baked last night. I’m hoping that my aggressive resting will help me kick covid relatively quickly!
This one smells absolutely amazing. The cinnamon is somehow both subtle and super-present. It’s such a gentle, light cinnamon, with no edge to it at all — the scent almost reminds me of cinnamon toast. I’m not getting a ton of cinnamon in the cup itself, but what I do get is very pleasant. So smooth, not at all bitter or astringent, with a nice full body and mouthfeel. Mmm, it’s almost honey-like.
I like this a lot and would consider keeping some on hand.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Honey, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Toast
Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 10
ALMOST caught up on my swap advent! And the Yawn one! The other two… not so much.
It’s been such a pleasure getting into tea these last few years and discovering new varieties. I’m still tickled by genmaicha whenever I encounter it; I find the little popped rice bits so whimsical! This is a perfectly serviceable blend, with light roasty-toasty notes and a pleasantly smooth green base. It smells so lovely and nutty, too. There’s not a ton of depth to it, but it’s definitely an enjoyable easy sipper.
Flavors: Popcorn, Roasty, Smooth, Toasty
Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 9
Pure marzipan on a grassy green base — I’m always on board with sweet almond flavors, so this is right up my alley! It’s not sophisticated but it gets the job done.
The green base is getting a littttle bitter as it cools, but otherwise I have no real complaints here.
Flavors: Almond, Amaretto, Bitter, Grass, Marzipan
Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 8
Last night I had “Chamomile Fields” from Dunkin Donuts! I had no idea Dunkin had its own proprietary blends. Funny. I grew up in Rhode Island, where there’s a Dunkin on every corner and people are OBSESSED with them. Truly obsessed. But I think their coffee is terrible, and they don’t have vegan doughnuts, so it’s been a while since I’ve visited one! (Saying that, though, the Dunkins in Europe have a bunch of vegan options! I had a strawberry glazed one in Germany and it brought me right back to childhood.)
Anyway, I didn’t get much more than chamomile in this one despite it including orange peel, lemongrass, licorice root, and cornflower. A promising blend! Buttttt I realized this morning that I’ve brewed my most recent few tea bags in a very tall and narrow mug, and I’m wondering if that vessel shape just isn’t conducive to well-brewed tea. So I might not have done the last few tea bags justice. :(
It’s crazy they don’t have vegan options where you are! I thought everywhere had at least a couple options now.
It’s so weird — chain restaurants tend to introduce vegan options in the UK and EU waaay before the US (if ever)!
I didn’t realise it wasn’t universal! That’s pretty sad.
Yeah honestly half the reason I included this one was the novelty of it. I was in college before I realized that America does not, in fact, run on Dunkin, and that it’s basically a regional chain. It’s just so enmeshed here. And I do personally prefer their coffee to Starbucks, for both flavor and value. But when I saw these tea sachets, I couldn’t resist buying them because it felt so much like the last place I’d expect to be selling their own branded tea.
Kaylee, I love the novelty factor! As for the coffee, I realized I haven’t actually tried it in probably a decade… maybe it’s time to give it another shot. :D
English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 7 & 11
I’m a big fan of Halloween/winter holiday/Christmas crossovers (Spookmas!), but even I don’t understand why this one is in a “festive” advent calendar. Is it referencing the ghosts from A Christmas Carol?! Maybe. As Nattie pointed out when this one came up in her advent, the palate and name are eerily (heh) similar to 52Teas’ Graveyard Mist. The latter quickly became one of my favorite teas when I tried it earlier this year, so I was curious how this one would match up.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t hold a [flickering, drippy] candle to Graveyard Mist. I’m actually getting only a tiny amount of mintiness. I can maaaaybe smell a little cinnamon if I concentrate really hard, but there is no rose or ginger at all. Why are they even in there?! Even the green base is flavorless. And I’m pretty sure it’s not covid talking, because I have been smelling and tasting other things all day long.
Edit: OK, now that it has cooled down a LOT, I’m getting a more noticeable creamy mint flavor. But still not much.
Flavors: Mint
English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 6 & 8
Huh. For a blend with SO. MANY. INGREDIENTS, I’m just… not getting much flavor. It smells gently spiced and pleasant enough, but it doesn’t taste like much of anything! There’s maaaybe a little fruitiness from the pomegranate or the lemongrass, but… that’s pretty much it. It actually reads as grape to me more than anything else. The spices are entirely missing, and even the green base is not doing much of anything. Meh.
Flavors: Fruity, Grapes
Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 9
My partner doesn’t drink a lot of tea, but when he does, I like to play “tea concierge” to pick out a blend I think suits his mood/taste. Last night we landed on this one because he wanted something caffeinated and seasonal. I was tempted to dig into my stash for a more traditional winter spice blend but then swerved to go with the coordinating day’s advent choice. I think chocolate oranges are nice and wintery!
Alas, it’s nothing special. It’s got that artificial chocolate liqueur flavor rather than deep, malty, rich chocolate. And then the orange… well, it’s barely there. This isn’t BAD, but it’s also not… much of anything.
(As for my partner, he’s congested and couldn’t really taste it, but he said it was fine for his purposes!)
Flavors: Chocolate
English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 5 & 13
Heavy on the lemongrass, with a bit of tang from the hibiscus, and a slightly musty floral note, probably from the chamomile. Not sure what’s tropical about it or what the peppermint is doing! I feel like a lot of these English Tea Shop advent blends are just a mish-mash of ingredients, most of which get lost in the mix.
Flavors: Chamomile, Hay, Hibiscus, Lemongrass, Musty, Tangy
