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AJRimmer Advent Day 6

My whole kitchen smelled amazing while this tea was brewing! It has the most mouthwatering buttery-sweet aroma, just like cookies baking in the oven. And the flavor is nearly is good as the scent: sweet and rich with notes of caramel and butter and baked goods all on a nice robust black tea base. I would be completely in love with this one if it weren’t for the stevia the popped out in the aftertaste…a disappointing finish to an otherwise lovely tea.

AJRimmer Advent Day 5

If the packet didn’t say this was a black tea, I would have thought it was an oolong. The base tea is super smooth and has a bit of a floral note. The flavor came across a bit muddy to me. Maybe a bit of caramel and a bit of fruit? But overall, just a muddled jumble of sweetish flavor.

AJRimmer Advent Day 4

I tried this one both hot and cold this morning and I think it’s better cold. The lemon flavor is smooth and natural with just a touch of sweetness. I didn’t really get any marshmallow/meringue flavor, which would have been a nice addition, but this was still quite enjoyable!

AJRimmer Advent Day 3

I tend to shy away from cherry flavoring, as it can so easily go medicinal for me. Thankfully, this one didn’t have that artificial sweetness that brings back memories of childhood cough medicine! The cherry flavor was fairly natural with a bit of tartness from the hibiscus. It was a bit weird drinking it hot; I’m thinking it would have been more enjoyable iced or as a cold brew.

AJRimmer Advent Day 2

I love coconut and I love smoky teas, so this blend sounded right up my alley…and it was! A delicious creamy coconut flavor that filled up my mouth with buttery richness and then relaxed into a subtle smokiness at the end of the sip. This was addictively delicious and definitely my favorite of the calendar so far! If 52Teas ever does a re-blend, I’m going to be all over this one.

AJRimmer Advent Day 1

I am loving the sweet advent calendar AJRimmer put together for me this year! The little packets are super cute and she put in a handwritten note each day sharing her thoughts on the tea and why she chose it. Such a fun way to start my morning!

On to this particular tea: There is a a LOT going on in this blend, but apparently the main flavors were supposed to be pineapple and bergamot. Honestly, I didn’t get much of either. The lemongrass came through most strongly with a bit of generic fruity flavor lingering in the background. Pleasant enough, but not really what was promised by the name/description.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #38

Still working through some random “one cup left” samples from the TTB that I threw into my desk drawer at work. This one is…odd. While steeping, my office mate remarked that it smelled like the holidays! And it does…the cinnamon aroma is STRONG. But despite the scent, I barely taste the cinnamon. Honestly, I barely taste much of anything. It’s very smooth and slightly earthy with just a hint of that cinnamon coming through and maybe a bit of nuttiness. I don’t really pick up on the strawberry at all. It went down easy and certainly wasn’t unpleasant to drink, but I was expecting a lot more flavor based on the scent and the number of flavored teas included.

Funny how one’s opinion of a tea can change over time! I think the first time I had this one, I was looking for the herbal equivalent of a traditional masala chai and was disappointed that this wasn’t that. But now I’m a big fan of this spicy, nutty blend which packs a punch in the flavor department without any caffeine. I’ve also found this to be a reliable first tea for people who think they don’t like tea…with milk and sugar, they almost always like this one!

Within the last year or two, my local tea shop Fava Tea Company has introduced what they call “TEAsers”…little sample packets of enough tea for 2-3 cups which they sell for $2.50 each. I’m loving this as a way to try out blends I’m curious about but not ready to buy 2-4oz of without tasting first!

This was one of the samples I picked up this weekend and I think I’ll be going back for more. The package recommended a 9-minute steep, but I got distracted and gave it more like 11 or 12 minutes. I was so pleased to find that the resulting brew had a distinct peanut butter flavor! Not sure I picked up on much chocolate, but there was a hint of sweetness that did remind me of a peanut butter cookie. And no unpleasant medicinal notes coming through from the rooibos base! I drank it straight, but I’m thinking it would make a really great latte.

I LOVE caramel-flavored teas and am so-so about most chocolate blends, but I ordered pretty much everything that sounded somewhat interesting in T2’s big clearance sale, so here we are. I’m somewhat disappointed that I don’t get much caramel flavor from this blend. However, the brownie flavor is spot-on: rich and fudgy! I especially enjoy it with milk and would like to try it as a latte.