4278 Tasting Notes
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 15
Theme: All Is Bright
My pick: Sea Buckthorn Vibrant Glow from Tealyra
Gotta say, I wasn’t terribly excited for this one, as it’s a red rooibos infusion, which is generally not my thing. But it has such a nice bright and tangy orange flavor that really helps curb any medicinal notes from the rooibos. I could go for more cream, since it’s meant to be a creamsicle sort of vibe. I do get a little creaminess in the finish, but more please! Regardless, a surprisingly tasty blend.
Flavors: Bright, Citrus, Creamy, Orange, Rooibos, Smooth, Tangy, Tart, Woody
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 15
I love tulsi, so was pleased to see this come out of the advent box this morning. I added a tad bit of honey, mostly because I got some creamed honey at the store and wanted to try it, plus honey and lemon is a classic combo.
It’s lovely, with the right amount of lemon to be refreshing without being too zingy, and the pleasantly earthy ginger in the background. Tulsi has such a lovely, mellow basil-y flavor and I find it quite soothing. Great with the honey, too! :)
Flavors: Basil, Citrus, Earthy, Ginger, Herbaceous, Herbal, Herbs, Lemon, Lemon Zest, Smooth, Sweet, Tart, Tulsi
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 15
Ooh, nice to refresh my memory on this one. I know I prefer the Apple Cinnamon French Toast to this, but can’t recall why.
Okay, this really does taste like a coffeecake – buttery, cinnamony, a bit of a walnut thing going on. However, there is little to no apple, and that’s probably why I prefer the other tea. It’s crazy how on-point the walnut is though, even though nuts are not mentioned anywhere in the description lol. Definitely giving me walnut and cinnamon coffeecake vibes!
As for Bonne Maman, today we have Cherry-Pink Peppercorn Spread. Even just eating it plain, I could only taste the peppercorn if I squinted and stood on one leg ha ha. Definitely not noticeable at all, especially if you didn’t know it was there. Maybe there’s a little tingle if I taste it with the very tip of my tongue? Otherwise, it’s a scrumptious cherry jam. Delightful!
Flavors: Buttery, Cake, Cinnamon, Earthy, Musty, Nuts, Rich, Smooth, Sweet, Thin, Walnut, Woody
Preparation
DIY Herbal Infusion Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 14
Name: Elements: Air
Ingredients: linden, grapefruit, elderflower, peppermint, spearmint
Movie: Spirited
The third element! I wanted to create something light and bright for air, and soft linden seemed perfect as a base. It makes me think of a field of wildflowers, which has an airy feeling IMO. Then I chose grapefruit for brightness and zing, and added elderflower, which to me has quite a unique effervescent quality to it. And then to finish, a touch of mint, to give a refreshing feeling and cooling effect, like a brisk breeze. Originally I had only planned for peppermint, but after testing it I decided I wanted a bit more sweetness, so spearmint went in as well. Really happy with how it turned out, and definitely one of the most beautiful blends in the advent!
Flavors: Airy, Bitter, Bright, Citrus, Citrus Zest, Cooling, Dill, Effervescent, Elderflower, Floral, Fresh, Grapefruit, Light, Linden, Mint, Peppermint, Pollen, Soft, Spearmint, Wildflowers
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 14
Theme: All Is Calm
My pick: Nearly Nirvana from Bird & Blend
This was pleasant enough, as mulled apple-type fruit tisanes go. It had a nice apple flavor, and overall reminded me of apple pie filling. Obviously with the addition of the hibiscus though, which is quite tart but not pucker-inducing. Apparently there’s orange here, but I don’t really get that. Although now that I see cranberry in the ingredients, I that kind of makes sense too. A cranberry-apple pie perhaps.
Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Clove, Cranberry, Ginger, Hibiscus, Spices, Tart
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 14 (my pick)
Theme: All Is Calm
Her pick: Yuletide Toddy from Adagio
When I tried to think of a calming tea for today’s theme, this is the first one that came to mind. I just find the combination of the lush jasmine and refreshing spearmint to be so lovely and relaxing, and then the lightness of the green and white base just reinforces that vibe. An old favorite from Bird & Blend!
Flavors: Clean, Cooling, Floral, Fresh, Green, Hay, Jasmine, Light, Mint, Soft, Spearmint, Sweet
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 14
Well this is certainly interesting take on a breakfast blend – Assam, hojicha, and lemon peel. A bit odd really, since hojicha is low caffeine, but sounds intriguing.
Honestly… I don’t think I like lemon with hojicha? It’s a bit of an odd combination, and also brings out the more tannic side of the Assam. It wasn’t a bad cup per se, but each sip kept making my mouth dry which wasn’t the most pleasant thing ha ha. And the roasty, toasty hojicha with the tart lemon… I’m just not sure how I feel about it, they don’t seem to mesh well together.
A fun one to try though, and something I’ve never had before!
Flavors: Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bright, Brisk, Citrus, Dry Leaves, Drying, Lemon, Roasted, Tangy, Tannic, Tart, Toasty, Woody
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 14
This was not what I expected at all, ha ha… I guess I didn’t notice the hibiscus, because I was surprised at how tangy it is. Definitely more tangy raspberry/pomegranate than chocolate, though I do get a hint of dark chocolate as well. The base is very woody/earthy and almost musty, which I admit is a bit weird with the tart fruit.
Very different than what I expected (a mostly chocolate tea), but not sure if it’s an improvement ha ha.
The jam today was Mango-Raspberry-Lime Spread. Even tasting it plain, it was mostly raspberry. And once it was on toast, I couldn’t really tell there was mango in it, and certainly couldn’t taste the lime. It was a bit like a jam with the texture of strawberry but the flavor of raspberry ha ha. Tasty, if a bit disappointing.
Flavors: Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Earthy, Hibiscus, Musty, Raspberry, Tangy, Tart, Woody
Preparation
DIY Herbal Infusion Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13
Name: Winter Blooms
Ingredients: chrysanthemum, peppermint, wintergreen
Movie: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A lovely chrysanthemum-forward infusion tonight. I love chrysanthemum, it has such an unusual yet comforting flavor, and it feels healthy in a good way ha ha. Nourishing is a better word. Earthy yet floral, with a bit of that peppery edge. The peppermint added a lovely cooling effect and refreshing finish, and just a touch of wintergreen gave a bit of sweetness.
Flavors: Chrysanthemum, Earth, Floral, Fresh, Mint, Pepper, Peppermint, Sweet, Wintergreen
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 13
This was nicer than I expected. I was expecting a more chamomile-heavy blend, but actually I mostly tasted the sweet cinnamon (a touch candy-sweet, but not entirely) and apple, with the chamomile more in the background. A cozy and relaxing blend for Christmas movie-watching time! :)
Flavors: Apple, Candy, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Floral, Pollen, Sweet
