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Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 3

OK, so the dry leaf has this weird, almost plastic-y smell that weirds me out a little bit. But then in the brewed cup, it transforms into something that is definitely reminiscent of a sweet milk — but not in a sour dairy way, just an evocative, milk-and-cookies kind of way. Like malty cereal milk, maybe? Of course I say all this not having had dairy milk in 13+ years, so!

The flavor is interesting! In a good way. There’s a definitely cookie note to it, maybe like Oreos? I think I oversteeped it the first time, so the black base was the strongest element of that first cuppa — very drying and sharp. My second steep was maybe a little weak. I don’t think I managed to coax the perfect flavor out of this one, and I wish I had more so I could try again — it’s really interesting!

Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 2

Gahhh, I am so behind on my advents! Missing those first three days was killer. And then I procrastinated on trying this one because I just KNEW it was going to be tart hibiscus nonsense and I was not looking forward to it.

Steeped it up this evening while watching Murder, She Wrote. It’s better than I expected. Does it taste like apple crumble? Not in a million years. But it’s also less tart than it could’ve been, and there are some pleasant warming notes of clove and cinnamon. I wish I got at least SOME apple, though! :(

Lebensbaum Advent Calendar: Days 1, 2, & 3

I was in a grocery store in Amsterdam, saw this German tea brand’s advent calendar, and couldn’t resist picking it up! It was only 5 euro and was small enough to fit in my carry-on, so c’mon… anyone would’ve done the same. Of course it’s not really a calendar, just a box with a bunch of individually wrapped tea bags in it, but whatever. It was cheap and I’m a sucker.

I don’t think I’m going to create individual notes for each tea offering, because then I’d have to create new listings for each tea, and that seems too time-consuming for some fairly generic bagged tea! Instead I’ll probably be reviewing them in batches of tasting notes, like this one.

Day 1: Wärmende Winterkräuter (Warming Winter Herbs): This is a winter spice blend layered on a rooibos base. There’s star anise, clove, and orange, but there’s also a surprising amount of sweetness from blackberry leaf, which I could’ve done without.

Day 2: Linde & Lagerfeuer (Linden & Bonfire): One might expect a “bonfire” tea to include lapsang souchong for smokiness, but no — this is a honeybush blend with a ton of flavors: chicory, apple, black pepper, star anise, ginger, cardamom, vanilla, blueberry, linden flower, and more blackberry leaf. It’s interesting! And pretty good, with a sweet, almost honey-ish flavor that overwhelms the spices. When I used Google Translate to read through the description, it mentioned something about linden blossoms inspiring warmth and good feelings, and it looks like linden trees are pretty common in Germany. So there’s probably a cultural resonance to these flavors that I can’t understand. But that’s OK! I’m glad I tried this one.

Day 3: Earl Grey: Well, this is a bagged Earl Grey. It is very bergamot-forward, which does nothing good for me because I don’t care for bergamot. Nothing more to say here. :)

English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 3 & 9

A very sparse note because I drank this tea while doing schoolwork for my grad program early this morning and the details have faded from my memory after a fairly eventful day. (Had to go get a walk-in PCR test because my partner just tested positive for covid, agghhh. Then had to take my cat to the vet for a curbside appointment because she scratched herself on the face and got a fairly nasty wound… but apparently it looks worse than it is! Plus, y’know, I was working all day.)

Anyway, I mostly remember this tea being more generically spice-y than strong on the star anise. It was kind of similar to the Festive Spice blend from yesterday, come to think of it. Wholly unremarkable!

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 3

I rarely buy or drink decaffeinated teas, so I was pleased to find this one in my advent! I feel very cheeky drinking a black tea at nighttime, haha.

I brewed it up and enjoyed it along with a couple vegan lebkuchen cookies we picked up in Amsterdam — they’re filled with apricot jam and covered in dark chocolate, and they’re in the shape of hearts! Very cute and very tasty, and this tea was a nice accompaniment. It’s quite smooth and mild, much lighter than a full-caff black tea, and a very easy, pleasant sipper. There’s a little maltiness, too. I didn’t get a ton of vanilla on my first steep, but I left the bag in the cup on my second and it’s coming through now, if faintly. I’m also realizing I didn’t adjust the temperature on my kettle from earlier in the day, so the water was probably around 200˚F rather than boiling. Hmm. Kaylee kindly provided more than one teabag, though, so I’ll try again with hotter water another time!

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 2

Mmm. So smooth and light and almost creamy! It’s sweet, almost honey-like, with just a smidge of toastiness. Really nice.

English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 2 & 21

This is a perfectly serviceable, spice-heavy, easy drinker! There’s a nice little hint of orange peel that gives it some zing, although I think it could use a heavier hand with that flavor. Everything else is pretty well-balanced; I’m getting cinnamon and clove, with a little heat from the black pepper. The black base is a bit drying and a little thin; I’d be OK with something more assertive.

I WAY over-steeped this one the first time, but it still tasted good! I left the tea bag in after the second steep because it was too weak even after 5-6 minutes.

English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Day 1

I’ve never tried anything from this brand, but my partner’s mom gifted me their advent calendar this year, so I guess I’ll be trying quite a few blends!

So this one is a rooibos-based chai that includes garlic among its many ingredients. I ended up letting it get far too cool before drinking it because I was trying to wrangle my very needy pets, so I’m probably not giving it a fair shake. But I’m mostly getting a weak rooibos flavor with only a smidge of other spices, followed by a mild garlic burn. It’s just kind of muddy overall. Not something I’d seek out again, but not overly offensive.

Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 1

Treated myself to this calendar because I’ve wanted to try this company for a while! I also got one for my sister so we can do it together (from afar), since her birthday is at the end of November.

I wasn’t totally sold on this blend based on the scent alone — it has that not-quite-chocolate scent that sometimes turns me off and often translates to a lackluster flavor. But the brewed cup is actually delicious! It’s got big chocolate-covered cherry vibes, moreso than cake, but that’s not a bad thing. The cherry is super present and juicy, much more than I’d expected. I steeped it for about 4 minutes and it’s on the verge of being oversteeped, so I’ll probably adjust for my second cup. I might also try it with some NotMilk, because I imagine that’d round out the flavors nicely.

Overall, a great start to this calendar and a really yummy dessert tea.

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!