2020 Advent Calendar – Day 21. Ohh, how I wanted to try this one! It sounded right up my alley. I LOVE chestnuts. They remind me of my childhood in Paris. Coming out of a Metro station and getting roasted chestnuts wrapped in newspaper paper from a street vendor. Add maple syrup, chocolate, apples and clementines and it sounds like an unexpected twist. In other words, it was love at first sight (on the website at least).

But in my sleepy state this morning, I forgot it was a green tea and brewed it too hot and too long. Argh… So annoyed with myself. I’m trying to take the bitterness out of the equation since it’s probably my fault, but even then, I can’t find the deliciousness I was anticipating. I do get a sort of candied chestnuts which makes sense since I sweeten my teas, and a light bright citrusy zest. The licorice is also present and I don’t know what to do with it. I actually love anis but it’s a little confusing. And as for the chocolate, I smelled it but I barely tasted it. I feel like this tea and I are miscommunicating. It wants to tell me something, and I’m getting something else entirely. And it doesn’t help that I started this “conversation” on the wrong foot entirely.

I’m going to try to do a second steep to see if I can still pull off a good cup of tea. I do wonder if it’s too late now that I have burned the leaves on the first steep. Finger crossed.

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I started drinking tea in 2018 when a friend introduced me to flavored black teas. Since then, I have developed a bit of a tea addiction. I never want to be without the teas I love, but I’m perpetually compelled to try new ones…

I started with French tea companies like Mariage Freres, Dammann Freres, Kusmi, Nina’s, and TheOdor, because I’m French and it makes me feel closer to home, but I would love to find tea companies I love as much on this side of the Atlantic.

I’m partial to dessert teas and in terms of flavors, I adore almond, pistachio, biscuit, nutty types, as well as caramel, cream, cake, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, and cookies. For me, it’s all about drinking my dessert!!! I also like fruity teas like peach, melon, mango, raspberry, strawberry, figs, and even grapefruit flavored teas. I am discovering more floral teas and testing the waters there, but I don’t care for earl greys or chai. I have not expanded into unflavored teas yet, but maybe one day.

For full disclosure I like my tea with a little sugar/sweetener.

Tea ratings: (I’m not a tough customer and I don’t have a very sophisticated palate.)

96-100: Pure deliciousness and all-time favourite teas.

90-95: Love love love. Delicious teas I reach for all the time.

80-89: Good to great teas I’d drink any day of the week.

75-79: Good teas that I would be happy to drink from time to time.

70-74: Teas that are just ok for me. They’re not bad teas, but not my preference.

60-69: Maybe good for someone else but definitely not my thing.

50-59: Drinkable

1-49: Just no.

Location

North Carolina, USA

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