whosbradpitt Send Message

BrutaliTeas advent, day 6

I came into this one skeptical. The name is fabulous, and now the song is stuck firmly in my head. I love smoke and love watermelon, but together in tea seemed… unlikely to work.

I like this a lot. The smoke is subtle, which helps it avoid overpowering the watermelon. I do actually get watermelon notes, and the fresh kind rather than the tart candy. Hibiscus and apple are both clear flavors as well, but whether it’s the lighter steep or the blend, they really let the namesake shine. As a huge fan of both fruit and smoky flavor, this is a winner I’m going to repurchase.

nerdfelt advent, day 9

This has easily been my favorite of the teas in this calendar. The pumpkin flavor is present without overpowering the tea; it adds a richness that is appealing. The spice is clear and fits what I would think of as a truly spiced pumpkin pie. It reminds me a bit of the Bird & Blend pumpkin pie, though subtler.

BrutaliTeas advent, day 5

Apparently also day 5 last year, I actually put this off when I got behind because I remembered finding it unpleasant. The review is much more positive than my memory allowed, but I’m not sure it’s warranted. The oversteep of last time resulted in a strong almond floral. This time, I felt more like I was getting an almond flavored sugar cookie (heavy emphasis on the sugar cookie) with the lightest aftertaste of rose, with the former stronger when cold and the latter stronger when hot. Not something I’d return to, and moving down this rating.

BrutaliTeas advent, day 4

I have this lovely spreadsheet with all the notes I’m going to post here and now I really and truly need to sit down and put them in.

I’m taking this rating down a notch from my last round, but not too much. It’s definitely more scent-forward than flavored. I would agree with my earlier note that it’s more of a wintry Christmas cinnamon orange scent. In the flavor I actually got more of the tea this time, with hibiscus mostly and just a hint of cinnamon orange. I wonder if it was just this particular small container, since I loved the larger bag so much.

nerdfelt advent, day 8

A cute concept, but I think I ruined my own cup for myself by missing the timer. It’s a little too bitter (probably my fault) despite the sprinkles. The scent of berry was as strong as the earlier Tea-2SO, but the flavor was muted in comparison to the tea. Kind of plain overall.

nerdfelt advent, day 7

I wish I had more to say about this tea. It’s a smooth black tea with a subtle creamy sweetness to it. Didn’t need anything added (though that’s how I prefer my tea anyway, so ymmv). Nothing too unique, but certainly pleasant.

nerdfelt advent, day 6

I think if you like red rooibos this would be a fine tea. The ginger stands out and even lingers a little, and the spices are well-balanced and flavorful. I found it more drinkable than most red rooibos, but still just don’t care for that wet wood chip taste.

nerdfelt advent, day 5

A perfectly lovely genmaicha and an excellent way to shake up an advent that season that was leaning heavily toward flavored black and herbal.

Every year I tell myself I’d like to work on discerning more subtle differences between teas, and every year I wind up basically ignoring that until I regret it come advent season.

nerdfelt advent, day 4

Absolutely stellar scent. Just exactly the kind of scent I want warming up my house on a winter day. Strong spice, a little orange. I wanted to keep smelling the cup all day.

The flavor didn’t deliver the same. It was a smooth black tea, but the bland taste was so jarring in contrast to the powerful gorgeous scent. I thought maybe it was me, but my partner made the same comment when I had him try it, so perhaps not. I’m wondering if maybe these samples are just so much smaller than the others I’m used to that I’m watering it down?

nerdfelt advent, day 3

Between the usual busy season at work, an unusually busy season at home, and a cold that had me unable to taste much, advents had to take an early pause. I kept drinking and writing down notes where I could once my taste was back, and now it’s time to play some catch up.

This was a surprisingly lovely berry-chocolate tea. I felt like I was eating a Sees truffle or something similar throughout. No surprises in the scent or flavor, and the flavor was maintained hot and cool. The “berry” was indistinct for me. I’m still thinking about this one days later, which I think is a good indicator of how much I enjoyed it!