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Advent Day 5

Orange is the first thing that hits my senses when going to sip this tea. I get a little artificial honey flavor in the back of the sip, merging with the orange which makes the orange seem more candy like. The finish is all honey scent, the kind of honey scent that people who make scents and flavorings think honey tastes like. I’m a bee keeper and I’m a wee bit snoody about my honey. This flavoring doesn’t pass. What it does remind me of is this “honey” scented luxury bubble bath we got once when I was a kid that left us smelling faintly like this for a day. Soap isn’t a great association with tea! I like the idea of honey and orange for a tea, but the honey could use improvement. It is an interesting cup of tea that I would drink more of, but not buy.

Advent Day 4

They don’t have this tea listed on their website! Each tea bag has a number and I’m assuming it’s a designation for each individual tea blend. This one is 0275458. I’m finding this tea very interesting. I don’t think I’ve come across a peach orange combo tea before. The first few sips were dominated by bright orange flavors that hit the nose as soon as I draw my cup close to my face. It smells like orange juice, but the doesn’t have the bite like the juice. As I sip on and the cup cools I can taste the peach. It reminds me of Lupicia peach flavor. Very light, bright and candy like. There is something a little creamy in the mix coming out in the end of the sip, like vanilla to soften things. I bet this would be brilliant as an iced tea! It makes me sad I only have the one bag and can’t experiment. I haven’t been taking sugar with my tea for some time, but I could see the addition brightening and rounding out the fruit flavors well. I don’t know that I’d buy this at this point, but if I had a little more to play around with I could see it growing on me.

Editing to add that I found the tea on their site. I was reading the wrong part of the label. Language barrier mistakes.

Advent Day 3

It’s late and I’m tired from picking persimmons all day. I’m forgetful, easily distracted, plunked the bag of this in my cup, set a timer, walked away and totally spaced that I had something steeping. I think it’s been sitting 30m or more, but it tastes more than fine. It has that soft mint flavor that you associate with the buttermint candies. It tastes like a there is a little vanilla to round out the mint. It’s almost slightly sweet. I like this one!

Advent Day 3

Sencha, oolong and red fruit. Okay! This does have a very red berry taste to it. It is a little creamy, no bite. I keep getting hints of something slightly roasted. I can’t quite pick out the red currant, it’s just an overall flavor of red fruit which is such a weird think when I think about it. Flavor association with colors! I know it’s normal for people with synesthesia, but it’s not something I’ve noticed my brain linking before. But back to the tea… I can’t quite ID the sencha or oolong, which probably means they are blended well together. This is an okay cup, not exciting enough for me to seek it out again.
Off to pick persimmons!

Advent Day 2

This is nice and mellow. It came out very light and easy to sip on without being overbearing like other yunnans I’ve tried have been. A little malt and tobacco in the sip and a touch of hay on the finish. It does leavy my mouth feeling dry and my throat a little irritated. The taste is simple, but nice enough. Not one I’d stock.

Advent Day 2
Earl Grey Creme? No. Nooooowah! Someone mixed up the teas. I bought two of this advent to give one as a gift and will have to check with my friend on her tea for today. The box for today says EGC, but there is zero EG here at all and the tags on the bags don’t have the tea name on them. This tastes like a breakfast tea. It’s malty and a little tannic. Slightly brisk, but no bite. It tastes like I should be having this with creamer. Once added it proved to be a solid cup of breakfast tea. Not special enough that I’d replace my cupboard favorites with, but good enough to drink again. I hope the EG shows up later in the month. I’m tempted to look through the other days of tea and see if a breakfast tea has EG in it.

Advent Day 1 for 2024!

I ordered several teas with my advent and I’m having a hard time getting the hang of steeping them. The flavors aren’t what I’d hoped, but I’ve had challenges with other French tea companies too. Tried a lighter steep on this and it seems to have worked. I’ll have to compare some of the other teas that I have more than one serving of with a side by side steep of different parameters.

I get the pecan notes for sure! The base is light and the whole tea feels very light. Hard to pick out the chocolat notes. Or maybe they blend in so well I can’t pick them out? It’s nice, but not something I’d feel the need to buy. One of those “if I came across it again I’d take another cup” sort of teas. 

Advent day 1 for 2024!

I actually like this! It’s not super gross for a rooibos. It looks more green than red, so that makes sense. I get that baked ginger flavor loud and clear. I’d totally drink this again.

A sample with my order?! Yes, please! This smells so very caramel like. It says English, but my brain thinks French because it reminds me of Fauchon’s caramel tea. The flavor was rich on the sip with roasty caramel, but there is something alkaline in the finish. The flavor seems to get a little more hollow and flat as it cools. Definitely better when hot. Maybe I’ll resteep and try adding some creamer. I don’t know that I’d buy this one since I have a similar caramel in my cupboard, but I wouldn’t pass up another cup either.

I forget who here on Steepster told me the trick to a good cup of Lupicia oolong ages ago… use boiling water and a short steep. I’m still appreciative of that tip! Totally changed Lupicia oolongs for me. Instead of getting flat cardboard fruit murkiness, I’m getting a nice tropical fruit flavored cup. Mango is the most dominant with passionfruit right behind. I think this is the second Lupicia passionfruit tea I’ve had now. There is something roasty scented when I go to sip and it’s reminding me of Ette’s Mango Sticky Rice Genmaicha, which I love. So far this is an enjoyable cup and I’m on my 2nd steeping. I bet it would be fantastic cold brewed.