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I was excited for this tea because I’ve loved a different earl grey with vanilla and was ready for that kind of warmth this afternoon. I’ve been struggling through this tea for hours at this point, and I think it’s time to call it. I find the scent harsh. It’s okay while sipping; not quite creamy or vanilla. The aftertaste is reminiscent of licorice – that’s the killer for me. I could give it another round with milk and see if it’s any better, but I still have another advent tea here at 9:30pm, so it’s over.

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 2

I like a strong spice flavor, and this immediately reminded me more of a mulled cider with the level of spice blend in the cup. While it’s certainly fruity and spiced, it wasn’t as tart as I would have expected for hibiscus & cranberry. That emerges more as the cup cools. If I could get that tart flavor along with the spice while it’s hot, this would be a must-buy; for now, it’s very good.

sipsby advent, day 2*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order, so your order may be different than mine)

This is a perfectly good tea that just doesn’t work for my personal tastes. If you like a lemon ginger, I do think you should try this!

The scent reminds me of my early tea days, when I assumed that boxes in the grocery store aisle were the only options and I just took anything that said it had lemon.
It’s a simple tea, well-balanced with both lemon and ginger, though both the lemongrass and ginger are strong. I see a lot of positives in this tea, but I just don’t care to have a cup of lemon/ginger in general, so my rating is low.

teapigs advent, day 2

This delivers dessert! I’m not sure if it’s exactly butterscotch; it makes me think of eating a warm, spiced and lightly sweet dessert. I can’t put a finger on exactly what it reminds me of but it’s positive – as long as it’s hot. As it cools it gets fruity, which is something I remember experiencing with several of the DAVIDsTEA flavors from last year’s advent. I like fruit! It feels odd here. It’s tolerable, but since I don’t drink fast enough for a fully warm cup most of the time, it changes how I rate the tea.

DAVIDsTEA caffeine free advent, day 1

I wanted to love this tea. The warm spice is evident as soon as you open the packet to find the tea temple. It smells lovely; a festive holiday treat.

Drinking it was mostly ginger and chili, and the chili lingered as an aftertaste. I like a strong spice, so I appreciated that it was bold, it was just missing something. I got no hints of fruit until, near the end of the cup, it cooled significantly. Perhaps it would have been better iced, but as it was, I wasn’t a fan.

teapigs advent, Day 1

Another promise of a warm dessert tea that ultimately didn’t deliver. This time, a strong black tea that overwhelmed any hint of cinnamon, despite their use of three types. I wouldn’t have guessed apple as an ingredient if not for the name. I’m not sophisticated enough to speak to different types of black tea or the quality; I was looking for a tea that lived up to the dessert in the name and didn’t find it.

Added to note: a little honey made the cup much better; milk was less pleasant.

sipsby advent, day 1*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order, so your order may be different than mine)

A pleasant surprise to find a hit from the subscription box back again already to start the month. I still enjoyed the hibiscus/spice blend, though the spices were more mellow (or is it mellower?) in this particular tin than the pouch.

[I learned nothing from last year and so I have too many advent calendars again, including ones I swore I wouldn’t do this year.]

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 1

I have mixed feelings toward this blend. I’ve had it a few times, several months apart each time. It’s definitely best for a morning where you feel like having dessert for breakfast because it is all caps SWEET. The smell is overwhelming and the flavor can quickly get there; I’ve had more balanced and less balanced cups. I won’t shy away from it if it comes in a pack (as it did in this case) but I don’t think I’d purchase it on its own.

This was a sipsby choice for me, and not a bad one – a mild peppermint, less than a candy cane, smooth with a hint of sweet. I love the idea of a tea that is truly “impossible to over-steep”, since I frequently forget to pull the tea out when recommended. I left the tea bags in the travel mug the second time and didn’t notice any difference in flavor while drinking, which is a definite selling point!

A fruity, hibiscus-forward tea with warm spices like clove and cinnamon. I discovered a couple years ago that I love the combination of hibiscus and clove; this was no exception. Pleasantly tart and spicy at the same time, and with enough other flavor that I don’t notice the stevia. I’m curious about this iced, but will have to wait to get through some of my other hibiscus/spice blends first.