Kelmishka Send Message

12 Teas of Christmas: Day 1

Hooray, it’s time to start the 12 teas of Christmas! I liked this one quite a lot. It’s very cranberry-forward for me, with just a hint of cinnamon. I’m not picking up on any vanilla or cream notes, but that’s OK. I really enjoy the sharpness of the cranberry!

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 14

Cold-brewed overnight and sipped as my afternoon beverage. This is pretty good cold — nice and juicy, with strong notes of pineapple and apple. I could do without the sugary sweetness from the candied mango, but that’s a minor complaint.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 13

This tea is the liquefied version of those red cinnamon heart candies I used to get for Valentine’s Day as a kid (…from my parents). It’s got strong Big Red gum energy, but with honey-like sweetness added in.

I dunno, I kinda dig it?! It’s fun and kitschy. I’m not sure I could drink more than a small cup at a time, but I could imagine it satisfying a very specific craving every so often. Arby suggested adding milk, so I’ll add a splash of oat milk next time I brew it up.

I feel like “Chai” is a bit misleading, though… this is pretty much pure cinnamon, with just a smidge of apple sweetness!

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 12

“Fragrant” is a bit of a stretch! This is actually one of the mildest oolongs I’ve had in a while, both in terms of scent and taste. It’s got very subtle roasted notes and a hint of something on the edge of floral, but that’s about it!

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 11

This tea does not brew up scarlet! :( Sad. I admit I wasn’t paying the closest attention while drinking it, but maybe there wasn’t a ton of nuance there? It was mostly just a mildly fruity chamomile. Inoffensive but not super memorable.

A sipdown! And a sad one, at that. This is a nutty, creamy cup of yum.

2023 sipdown count: 58

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 10

Issa grape tea! Sweet, juicy (?) grape, a bit artificial in scent but less so in taste. I like the overall flavor here… grape with a bit of zesty citrus layered atop a pleasant, smooth sencha base. It’s a tad more drying than I’d expect, but in an OK way. I bet it would be really pleasant cold-brewed.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 9

Catching up! This teabag was a victim of the Minor Lavender Sanitizer Spill of 2023, but happily it seems to have sustained no lasting damage.

As soon as I ripped open the bag, I could smell an ingredient/flavoring beyond the standard chai flavors — turns out there’s rum flavoring. It’s an interesting addition, and I’m not opposed!

I’m mostly getting cloves, allspice, and nutmeg in the brewed tea, with a bit of the rum flavoring at the back. The base is a bit weak. I bet it would be nice brewed with milk.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 8

Drinking this while eating an actual piece of (very sweet) cake was not the smartest idea! The real cake was wholly overwhelming. Now I’m drinking it with a cleaner palate, though, and I like it. It’s similar to B&B’s Birthday Cake, but the coconut makes it just a bit heavier and oilier on the tongue than that one. I can just pick up the toasted rice, too… I’m not sure quite how that fits into the flavor profile! I actually think it’s making the whole thing lean a bit more toward caramel than cake. It’s good, though!

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 7

I’m behind! We were out of town this weekend visiting family. I did bring a few of the bagged teas from my homemade advent, but alas — tragedy struck, and my lavender-scented hand sanitizer leaked all over them. :( That and the fact that I’d have to heat my water in a hotel Keurig didn’t lead to any enjoyable tea sessions while we were away.

One tea bag in a paper envelope is probably too lavender-soaked to drink, but a few were OK, including this one. I drank it when we returned home, exhausted from getting up super early after we changed our flight to avoid bad weather.

Aaaaaaaanywaaaaay… what an odd tea! But I kinda like it? The eartht pu’erh sitting behind the lighter coffee flavor is fun and unexpected, and then the vanilla arrives at the end. It’s definitely a novelty, but one I might crave at unexpected moments?!