76 Tasting Notes
Advent calendar – day 12
This one was a fun treat to try yesterday! (I’m so behind on my advent calendar, it’s embarrassing) I had no expectations since I had never had a blueberries tea, but I enjoyed it very much. I suspect my habit of adding a bit of stevia to my tea made a big difference here. It made the blueberries pop. It was a soft fruity tea with a hint of grass and I gulped it down happily. I tried to resteep it but it seemed like a ghost of itself so I only drank half of my cup that second time. Too many teas to try and not enough time… :p
It might not make it to my “Must Purchase” list since my list is long as it is, but I will be happy to get another cup when I can.
Flavors: Blueberry, Fruity, Vegetal
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 11
Such a delicious tea! I forgot to look this one up so I brewed it a bit higher than I would have if I had realized it was a black/green blend, but it was very forgiving and turned out just fine. I will try at a lower temperature next time just to be sure but thankfully, it is fabulous as is.
This one is so bright it seems. The jasmine tea is really lovely with the passion fruit and pineapple. I also get some mango but that might be the combination of the first 3 that makes it feel exotic and sunny. Very tropical. It’s a wonderful pause amongst all the dessert teas I love so much in the winter. It would be a great tea to drink in the middle of the cherry blossom season, or in the summer, or basically anytime!
I love Lupicia’s fruity oolongs like the peach momo oolong supergrade and the mango one, but this is different. It’s more flowery than those, more blended and layered. Just delicious! Definitely on my “must buy” list.
Flavors: Flowers, Jasmine, Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 10
This is a lovely green tea but I’m not in love. I get some fruitiness/cherry and spices with a hint on orange and vanilla, but I found it a little light in flavor and I much prefer the black version of this tea. It’s another tea I would enjoy if it was offered to me, but would not stock for myself.
Delicious! When I bought my advent calendar this year, I took the opportunity to buy a few extra teas. My husband wanted the Christmas Tea since he loves cherry teas, I wanted Mon Petit Chocolat and this was my chance to add to the order (15 euros for shipping was too good to pass up – Thank you Dammann!!!). This was one of the teas I tried out of curiosity and I’m so glad I did because it has given me a chance to try different brewing times and see what I like best.
The dry leaf is all prunes and while I actually like prunes ( I can’t figure out why so many people in America have a grudge against prunes. They’re delicious once in a while, so sweet and thick), I can imagine it’s not a flavor too many people love. Brewed for 4 minutes at 195F, the prunes still dominated the flavor with caramel second, a sort of booziness, and a hint of chocolate last. It was very good but you would have to like prunes.
This morning, I forgot to turn on my timer and I let it steep for probably 6 minutes and suddenly I went from liking it to loving it! Just like that! The flavors are much more balanced and I get much more caramel along with the prunes. So good! The vodka (I could not have picked it out but I can recognize it) is light and so is the chocolate, but it’s there. The combination works really well. Definitely a winter, rainy day tea. So cozy and thick. And it gets even better as it cools.
Flavors: Alcohol, Caramel, Chocolate, Fruity, Plum
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 9
This is a very delicate cherry tea. Light and fruity and bright. Lovely! In fact, I gulped it down as I was working, and I’m already wishing I had taken my time instead. Thank goodness for my second advent calendar waiting for me in January, but I might have to fight my husband for this one! He loves cherry tea, while for me it’s more of a “once in a great while” thing. In any case, I liked it! Since white and green teas are not my usual teas, I am thrilled to have tried it! I can’t say that I taste much of the almond, but it might be why I liked it. The ginger and spices are there but in a very gentle way, it blends beautifully. I don’t find it vegetal at all which is a wonderful surprise. All and all, a lovely and delicate cup of tea. (disclaimer, I added a tiny bit of stevia as usual to bring out more of the fruit flavor)
Flavors: Cherry, Fruity, Ginger
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 8
I’m not sure I should review this tea since Earl Grey’s are not my thing. I don’t think they taste bad per say, but it’s not my cup of tea :p. Still, I had promised myself I would try them all, so I gave this one a try. Ironically, I loved the smell of it. Bergamot and lime. Very bright and happy.
In the cup, I liked it much more than I thought I would! It’s a very mild earl grey. Very approachable for someone like me who doesn’t love bergamot (but ironically loves BB Detox from Kuzmi tea which is all grapefruit and very bold). I liked the hint of lime and its delicate approach. I enjoyed my cup and if a friend offered one to me, I would enjoy it. I just wouldn’t buy it for myself. My daughter who loves earl greys on the other hand, thought it tasted delicious. The lime adds something bright and happy in there. I’m definitely glad I tried it!
Flavors: Bergamot, Earl Grey, Lime
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 7
I don’t love hibiscus but I don’t dislike it either so for me this fruit tea was very nice. But my husband who really dislike hibiscus was happy to pass his cup to me. It has that zing and that was a deal breaker for him. The tea itself is definitely all cherry with a tiny bit of almond. I liked it and I think that it’s the type of tea a child would love. All cherry candy.
Flavors: Almond, Cherry, Hibiscus, Spices
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 6 (and I have it in my cupboard :p)
This is a tea we have purchased twice now so no surprise there. We really like it and drinking it is always a treat. The delicious caramel is very buttery. A bit like a Werther’s Original butterscotch candy. It’s very smooth and creamy, and you can definitely taste the vegetal oolong. With a little bit of stevia, it’s delicious! I like it very much but for some reason I don’t find myself reaching for it as much as I would think I would (possibly because I have too many teas :o)
Flavors: Butterscotch, Caramel, Creamy, Vanilla, Vegetal
Preparation
Advent calendar – day 5
I drank this one late this afternoon, and I probably should have made it in the morning when I wanted something fresh and light. I like this tea. It’s pretty soft and not at all in your face. The lime and ginger blend nicely. No grassy taste for me —I brewed it at a lower temperature than they recommended so that might have helped. I had a difficult time tasting the rhubarb, grapefruit or passion fruit. I could only taste a light fruitiness. It’s another green tea that I really liked but I don’t think I would necessarily purchase it. But I have a second sample of this one so I might try it again and see if I change my mind :p
Flavors: Fruity, Ginger, Lime
Preparation
Dammann advent calendar, day 4.
Such a Christmas-y black tea. The sweet orange, nutmeg and cinnamon bring the holiday season front and center but in truth, although I like them, those are not the flavors I crave generally, so it might bias me a bit. I will say that while it’s similar in terms of ingredients to H&S’s Hot Spice, the orange is much more present here than in Hot Spice thankfully. I definitely enjoyed my cup but I can’t imagine drinking it any other time of the year, and I much prefer Esprit de Noel from Mariage Freres which feels much more layered and special than this one. Still, I was glad to try it and I would not refuse a cup if a friend served it :)
Flavors: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Orange