Featured & New Tasting Notes

2024 Advent Calendar #3

Happy New Year! Taking a moment this morning to sit with a mug of this before undecorating and calendar planning. It’s the first one that I missed in the actual Advent season. It’s also the first disappointment for me but I would say, it is exactly as described. The color of the tea is a light cranberry color and the scent is strong with strawberry It’s very sweet, dry, tart with strawberries and hibiscus. For me this would be a better pick for summer than a New England summer

It seems the trend lately is caffeine-free coffee teas (which, don’t get me wrong, I quite enjoy!) but sometimes what I am really craving from a coffee tea is the stimulation of coffee as well as the taste, and I have to say this one holds up pretty well. It has a very strong black coffee flavor, which mimicks the flavor well but also comes off just a tad artificial. The dry leaf smells strongly of the cocoa elements but I don’t really taste that in the cup… it just tastes like black coffee with a roasty undertone, as well as a strong hit of cinnamon. I really like the cinnamon, and somehow paired with the black coffee flavor it tastes more like nutmeg to me on the tongue (still very pleasant!) I also like that the base is a combination of roasted yerba mate and black tea, doubling down on the caffeinated potential.

I’ve mostly been drinking this tea plain, but this morning opted for a sweetened vanilla almond milk latte since I’m trying to use up the carton. Adding the sweetened vanilla almond milk really brings out the cocoa notes that were hiding otherwise. Very delicious! A very good coffee alternative for those that like the taste but may have other issues preventing a morning cup o’ joe (for me, the acidity of coffee beans really does a number on my GI!)

Happy New Year, everyone!

December Sipdown Prompt – get a final sipdown for the year

Apparently this exact blend is no longer available. This was a sample from the Communitea pack for Dec 27, probably for 2022 or 2023. It came to me as a gift so I don’t know how old it is, for sure. There is a tea by this name on the site but not with these ingredients, and another tea named Warm Up By The Fire, also not with these ingredients.

And that is a shame! This is one of the first blends by Adagio that I have rather taken a cotton to! Ginger and clove made me dread it, but they were both so tame they didn’t offend. Maybe that was die to age. It was a true cold weather comfort warm up mug of tea, and I enjoyed it for breakfast.

Since it was only a sample, it wasn’t listed in my cupboard and therefore the numbers don’t go down but nevertheless the number of grams of tea in the house DID go down.

2024 sipdown no. 87

I’ve brewed this at 3, 4, and 5 minutes and it always tastes the same. Like muddled maple water. Such a shame considering the ingredients.

This was too weak for me. I tasted some very light spices, but mostly bitter black tea. When I made it again, I gave it a shorter steep, and I tasted mostly black tea and just a bit of anise or something. Upon looking at the ingredients, maybe that was mint I was noticing.

Advent Day 22

Ooh I like this a lot. Not like a figgy pudding at all. Just a lot of vanilla with a slightly earthy, peppery finish. I’d actually probably purchase some of this.

Advent tea! Well, I guess I should write a tea note about some of these teas in the advent, even though I was traveling too much to really enjoy it. I would consider doing this advent again, though I do wish it was a mix of caf and decaf teas. If that’s my only gripe, I think I like it! This one is certainly not one I would try, but I’m glad I did. I am not a bergamot fan, but this has enough lemon/orange/citrus and vanilla to disguise the bergamot. I will gift the second pouch of this to someone who will appreciate it more!

2024 Advent Calendar #1

December was a blur and I never had time to log in but this year I ordered the Piper and Leaf Advent Calendar. It was a good fit for me with some music, stories, Bible verses, and 2 tea sachets per day.

This was the first tea (and likely the only one I drank on the correct day). I enjoyed the blend of jasmine, bergamot, and mint. I could see this being a good cold brew but at this time of year I stick with hot mugs. I did a second steeping of this and found it enjoyable as well. The sampler started off with a good tea match for me!

ADVENT DAY 24, tea 3/3

Ah, the very last Advent tea. And I have been correct that when there is a red winter punch, there has to be different coloured one too.

It tastes like mulled apple juice with loads of cinnamon. Probably quite intended flavour… so it was fine. Very forgetable though.
More spices, more fruits in the punch, please!

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 25

There’s a lot going on in this blend, but somehow it works! The lavender is subtle enough that it just adds a bit of interest to an otherwise typical milk chocolate peppermint Christmas tea. My only complaint is that I found it a bit thin and lacking in body; I think I would have enjoyed it more on a black tea base. Still an enjoyable end to the Advent, though! Now on to trying the new tea I got for Christmas. :)

I haven’t had many grape teas, but this definitely captures the feeling of grape juice! Cold with sugar, it’s quite candylike and nice! My last few cups of this weren’t quite as nice as the first several – it leaned more toward the meh green base than the unique fruity flavor. Still overall, I enjoyed this!

Yay, time for non-advent teas again! XD I really enjoyed my tea advent calendars (and still have a couple of swap and DIY teas to drink) but also excited to get back to sipping down, as I’ve been feeling overwhelmed this month by the amount of tea I have. (Plus my tea count went up instead of down this year, oops!) :P

This is from the S&V subscription. For some reason I felt compelled to sign up when I saw it was four teas a month for $16 or so with free shipping. Plus they tell you ahead of time what the teas are going to be, so I figured I could skip if I wasn’t interested. I’ve never tried any of their unflavored teas, and they seem to include at least one every month, so I figured it would be fun. Anyway!

This is lovely, and a great start to the subscription. Very rich and flavorful, with that concentrated fruity character that I assume is what people mean when they call Qimen “winey”. There’s also a savoriness to it, and a heft like a dark whole-grain loaf of bread. And then in the background is that waffle-y flavor, sweet and a bit maple-y. Usually something I find in Taiwanese black teas but happy to find it here! All in all, just a really tasty hongcha to start the day with. And makes me excited to try some of their other unflavored teas in the future!

Sipdown

Mostly just logging the sipdown! We prefer this one iced and sweetened. By resteeping I got two liters of good strength iced tea. Tastes a lot like jamaica.

Picked up a bottle of this about a week ago when I was grocery shopping at T&T to get some holiday appropriate snacks and produce for my vacation. I always check the tea aisle just in case there’s anything fun, and this time around this aluminum bottle of milk tea was the only thing new that stood out to me.

It was pretty delicious, honestly, and definitely had basically all the hallmarks I’d look for in a Hong Kong Milk Tea. Thick and creamy with really strong notes of both sweetened condensed milk and an especially malty black tea. So smooth, and refreshing to sip down after a longer afternoon of running errands. Pretty cheap too, which is always a nice bonus.

Advent Day 24

I have no idea who Carrie Hope is, the collaborator on this tea. It is supposed to be sparkly, so I dug out my glass travel thermos. It does have some blue sparkles in it, but not much and I have to have it held in a sunbeam to see it. There is a little hibiscus present, but the liquid is just the palest of pink, so I have hope. It smells like lemongrass, which must be the lemon myrtle. It tastes lemony and has that slight bite provide by an appropriately small amount of hibiscus. It is said to contain vocal soothing herbs. It’s a good blend with lemon at the center. Not exciting enough that I’d stock it, but fun for a cup.

I have grown fonder of this one as I’ve sipped down the mini tin. The acidic coffee is softened by the lavender and makes for a quite drinkable cup!

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 22

Yum! This is smooth and subtle but very pleasant, like a gently spiced cinnamon roll with the intimation of a rich frosting and a hint of orange. (Though to be fair, I didn’t look too closely at the leaf when I measured it out, so maybe I didn’t get (m)any orange bits in my cup!)

Enjoying a cup of this alongside a book before rousing myself to do the last of my holiday baking. I’m going to tackle Nigella Lawson’s vegan gingerbread recipe this morning, with medjool dates instead of prunes (?!). Should be a fun bake, and hopefully a delicious one!

Happy Christmas Eve if you celebrate! :D

Advent Day 23

Almost…. done…. with the…. holidaze…. So close and I’m ready to get back to normal life pace.
Ooooo! Cardamon and orange! It has chocolate too that appears a few sips in. I think all the chocolate orange teas I’ve had have been on a black base, so it’s interesting to try this on a green. If I sip frequently the cardamon fades to the back as the choco-orange takes center. It says there are red berries in here and spices other than cardamon. I can tell there is something extra, but I can’t pick it out.
I think I really like this one! If or when I place another order I’d pick some of this up.

Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 22

Backlogging notes from yesterday. One of the puglets is not feeling well, so we spent most of the day watching shows on the couch with her snoozing in my lap. Vet appointment today, so we’ll see how that goes.

Anyway! This was fine. I’ve had it before and it’s never been my favorite. The mint is the strongest flavor, and I don’t get a ton of cocoa from it. Still pleasant, just not one that I would order for myself.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 19

A cozy floral tea! I actually didn’t get a ton of rose in my cup and, frankly, I could’ve done with more! I probably didn’t shake/mix the blend well enough, and I think I was pretty distracted while drinking this one. Glad there’s another cup’s worth in the bag!

Day 8 of the 52teas advent calendar. The raspberry and lemon in this are so clear. Just the right level of sweetness and the right kind of tartness. The base tea is brisk enough to complement the fruit but not so brisk as to overwhelm it. My only critique, and honestly it’s not much of a critique because it still tastes really good, is that I can taste the cotton candy and am not getting a cookie note. Maybe just rename it “raspberry lemon cotton candy”?

ADVENT DAY 21, tea 3/3

I wonder, what is Winter in this anise tea. It’s just rooibos base with anise. They say there are some spices in, but they are not noticeable. And overall it’s just rooibos with anise in every aspect. Quite meh; but drinkable meh.

Day 17 of Plum Deluxe herbal advent calendar. I don’t totally get why blueberry & cinnamon is a Christmas blend, but sure let’s go with it. This definitely tastes of blueberry and cinnamon to me. The sweeter versions of both of those, though. Like there’s not really any tartness to the berry or sharpness to the cinnamon. More like blueberry cinnamon frosting. Which is sort of what I wish they’d called this blend.

Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown: Day 12

I’ve been holding off on drinking this one till I had ample time to enjoy it. This morning I had some quiet time to myself before the animals awoke and required my attention, so I settled in for a readin’ and steepin’ session!

Mmm. I’m only a couple of steeps in (and I’ve already been interrupted by the furred ones), but I’m really enjoying this one so far. It’s super toasty and grainy, laced with some light mineral notes. It’s got heft without feeling heavy, if that makes sense. Just very cozy!