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This is not a boldly flavored holiday tea, but a subtle and smooth cup of peppermint goodness. Sometimes I wonder if some holiday blends just try too hard by adding extra ingredients. This one is simple and delicious if you are expecting a mellow, minty cup.

I brewed this nice and strong this morning, it’s an almost sipdown, I think I have about a tsp left. This does make a bold cup of Assam, coppery, astringent, and just a hint of a bitter aftertaste. It’s not very complex or malty, but it is a fair example of an Assam. Don’t think I need any more of this, but it was ok while sipping down.

Tea advent – this is very nice, smooth, and yeasty. The first steep was a bit more balanced, with cocoa notes and no bitterness. Smells more cocoa than it tastes. The second steep is mostly yeasty and malty, like the grain mixture before its fermented into beer. There’s a striking difference between the first and second steep, I actually forgot it was steeping so it went a bit long, but that didn’t help the second steep retain much of the depth of the first. In all it was a yummy tea, glad I got to try it.

Wow this is delicious. Fresh, tart apple with a hint of cinnamon. Not a very complex tea, but it does apple and cinnamon very well. I might need this in my cupboard!

A balanced blend where peppermint and cream are the stars and the black base takes a back seat. I got three delicious steeps from this with the peppermint fading a bit by the last steep. It’s not a very complex tea, but it does peppermint well and isn’t artificial. I’d be tempted to get more of this one!

I was disappointed in the first steep of this tea, as it was rather bland. I tried a second steep, and actually forgot it was brewing, so it steeped a good while. It was very forgiving in that it was not bitter after oversteeping, and the blackberry was much more prominent. Overall it was just ok.

I got this tea sample as an add on in my advent swap with SkySamurai, thanks!
There’s a lot going on in this tea, and not surprisingly it’s a blend of three different teas. The vanilla and chocolate flavors are subtle and not artificial tasting. There is enough spice to keep things interesting. I did two steeps and the dark chocolate was more pronounced in the first, but not bitter. The vanilla is coming through more in the second steep, along with the chai spices. A nice enjoyable warming cup that I might not need in my cupboard but I’d be tempted to add to an order.

Cardamom and clove chai? Yes.
Comforting? Maybe.
I wish this had more cinnamon or ginger, it’s kinda boring. I added some new sweetener I’m trying out, agave inulin powder, to the second steep. I’m more interested in how slightly sweet this is than the tea.

The first steep was a bit clove heavy, but then I did brew it strong. There is a caramel/apple flavored aftertaste. Second steep is much more fruity, lots of sweet apple, the clove is gone, and there is a slight caramel note. I did a third steep for 10 minutes, and it’s the most balanced of the three, no clove, but the caramel/apple/cinnamon is weaker but certainly still there. This was a nice warming cup but I’m not sure I need it in my cupboard.

Advent tea
Anise was the first thing I smelled and tasted in this first steep. There is a sweet cinnamon note lingering too. Can’t taste any of the bitter, smoky mate, and the clove/cardamom you’d expect from a chai is muted as well. This is a nice warming cinnamon, licorice chai. A nice choice for a tea advent!