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Tea names like “calm” or “energize” are a silly pet peeve of mine so I was already biased against this tea.

Chamomile is the main ingredient and it shows. I was hoping for a little more of the lemon but I’m not getting it at all. I wish I liked chamomile; I could use an easy tool to help me relax. I just don’t care for it.

teapigs advent, day 10

My feelings about this tea are colored by a memory.

Not too long ago, I discovered the brand and grabbed an advent calendar in sachets instead of loose leaf. My partner had to complete field work someplace near some of our close friends, so we all packed up and spent two weeks in a hotel covered by the company.

I took to bringing my sachet down in the hotel for breakfast with my oldest, a toddler at the time, and tasting the tea while she bounced around in her seat and we figured out what we were doing that day. Some of them were misses, but I was so surprised by this one. It smelled like coffee and chocolate, tasted sweet and mild, and really turned tea on its head for me.

It is sweeter than I would prefer, but when I drink it now I remember that trip, that hotel, that silly little girl and all the adventures we got to take when she was tiny, and so I’ll always take an opportunity to enjoy a cup.

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 10

This morning seemed perfect for a tea that felt like a cozy cloud, so I was excited to brew this up. It hasn’t rained today but given the weather all week, why not?

I see where they call this a mild chai; the spice comes through in the scent of the dry tea and the cup, but it’s hard to taste while hot. I noticed a lot more of it in the colder cup. I like the idea of these spices on a green tea base but I’d like more of them.

sipsby advent, day 9*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order, so your order may be different than mine)

Makes an easy cup of black breakfast tea. I tend to prefer straight unsweetened black teas on ice, but this wasn’t bad hot with some honey. It’s something I’d buy to have on hand for my partner, even though I wouldn’t choose it – “I could definitely drink this everyday” was the strongest endorsement he’s given any of these flavors.

(If anyone has suggestions on how I can learn more about distinguishing different varieties of black teas or figuring out the subtler notes of teas, I’d love to hear them!)

teapigs advent, day 9 and day 24

Peach and jasmine are two of my favorite things in tea. I saw all the reviews about how temperamental this blend can be though, and since I’m a chronic over-steeper, I decided to be very careful about both temperature and time. Unfortunately, it meant that I could still smell the peach/jasmine combo but could barely taste it. I’d like to play with this a little more and see if I can get the taste to get anywhere close to the smell another time, because this blend is screaming my name if I can!

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 9

I tend to go heavy on the tea I use for a brew in general, but especially these fruit/hibiscus blends. I think it pays off for Sunny C, as I got a lovely cup of orange and hibiscus that didn’t taste watery at all. The dominant flavors I noticed are hibiscus/orange peel, lending a bitterness to the tea, but it works while it’s hot. This is one I want to play with some more in the future!

DAVIDsTEA caffeine free advent, day 8

Agh, a double miss! Starting to wonder if I should try any more tea tonight or if I should cut my losses and try again tomorrow.

I thought cacao sounded lovely. It smelled lovely! But the flavor was… my partner described it as, “you know when you mix up a cup and a gallon and accidentally add a gallon of water to the hot chocolate instead of a cup? But you burned the hot chocolate first? And then you stir it with something that’s kind of meat but not really like a slim jim?”

While I’m not sure what he’s on about with the meat part, I think the rest of it is pretty spot-on.

sipsby advent, day 8*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order, so your order may be different than mine)

This one let me down in a big way.

I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted a chestnut, so I didn’t exactly have expectations. I knew from the smell it wasn’t going to be good. The sip was shocking though, because immediately you’re hit with a ton of sweetness, followed by a bitter burnt, astringent flavor. Is that what a chestnut tastes like? Is there something else going on? I couldn’t tell you, but I’m getting less patient about trying to drink teas I don’t enjoy, and since I couldn’t find a nice thing to say about it, it went down the drain.

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 8

This was a fun way to start the morning! A green tea with strong toasted rice flavor that lingers a while after each sip. I even liked it as it got cold. I was skeptical, but I could buy more of this.

teapigs advent, day 8

Pumpkin seems like one of those that’s so hard to get right. I haven’t been much into the pumpkin spice craze, despite liking pumpkin pies and breads and baked goods, because so little of it tastes like pumpkin. So I’m not surprised I get no pumpkin from this. Some spices that feel vaguely reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but mostly that strong artificial sweetness.

I drank this one yesterday. I steeped it, sipped it a couple times, thought “this isn’t very good” and went back to work. This lasted throughout the morning until the tea was cold, where a bit of fruitiness comes out. I got about halfway through before I decided to call it quits.

DAVIDsTEA caffeine free advent, day 7