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B&B Advent Tea #5

I drank this one hot yesterday but did not enjoy it hot due to the hibiscus acidity. It was pretty good once it got cold. The major flavour is sour hibiscus, followed by citrus peels (dried orange rind and maybe some dried citrus fruit pieces too), clove, and cinnamon. It is quite festive, but I think it would have been much better with a rooibos base. There was also a bit of bitterness from the orange rind that I did not enjoy.

Sweetness 1.5 or 2/10
Sourness: 8/10
Bitter: 3/10
Flavour potency: 7/10

B&B Advent Tea #4

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tea! It was very sweet (honey) and full-bodied without being bitter. I think this might be the best English breakfast I’ve ever had. The natural honey and chocolate notes were perfectly paired with a longer steep and then I added a splash of soy milk. The dry leaf is also very fragrant and faintly honeyish as well. I’m impressed by the freshness of the tea leaves.

Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #5

This was my evening tea because I wanted to drink one more new one but didn’t want to go too far ahead. Since houjicha is low caffeine I figured it should be ok.

I don’t get much besides the roasty houjicha notes. Possibly a tiny bit of juniper but if I didn’t know it was in the ingredients I would not notice it. I can’t taste any pine. Overall, still a nice cup. I like roasty notes. I can pick out toasted grain, dry wood, and popped rice.

B&B Advent Tea #2

This is a lovely fruity but mellow chai. I wouldn’t have minded some buttery creaminess and walnut essence, but I really enjoy the dried fruit and chai spices together. It makes a magnificent winter latte.

B&B Advent Tea #3

All of these will be done out of order because I do non-caffeine days and caffeine days.

I’m not a big fan of turmeric, so this isn’t my ideal tea. I like the ginger and cocoa. I also taste coconut and cinnamon. It isn’t bad, but I find it tastes a bit like ground roots. Turmeric has a very dirty clay taste imo. The cocoa shells are a saving grace. It isn’t a bad blend by any means, I’m just not their target market. I would love to see a chocolate covered ginger tea with similar ingredients but without the turmeric.

Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #4

This tea is delicious! It’s a really nice oolong with a good balance between toasty and vegetal. It is slightly sweet and creamy, but not quite a milk oolong. There is an orchid floral flavour in the background. I love that this tea is not drying at all. It actually is quite thirst quenching. No bitterness or buckwheat/tasoted rice that some oolongs have. It leans towards a green oolong but has a tiny hint of tastiness in there as well. It reminds me of oats.

I found a bunch of individual tea bags at a little tea shop in Sidney and wanted to try this brand. I love being able to buy small quantities of tea to try so that I don’t have to drink 18+ teach bags in a box.

The tea was fresh. The bergamot was citrusy, fresh, slightly bitter (in the way orange peel is bitter – so not bad) and had some mineral notes. The tea itself was quite strong and the potent tannins were much better once I added soy milk to help make this blend creamy. I did not find it stood out from most Earl Grey blends, but it was definitely one of the good ones.

Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #2

1 sachet in 450mL hot water. Steeped ~3-4 minutes and added a dash (~1 tbs) soy milk.
2nd steep same parameters but left the tea bag in while I drank it so it steeped much longer.

This tea reminds me so much of Lupicia’s Caramel and Rum rooibos! I get a lot of vanilla and caramel in this one, along with the typical honey sweetness + woody minerals of rooibos (which pairs really well). I don’t taste any dried fruit or dates but it’s still an excellent blend. Second steep was a bit weaker but still excellent.

Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #1

This tea is delicious. A little bit sweet, fruity and floral, and some vibrant tannins. I was actually craving lychee because I bought some recently but ate them all. This made two delicious cups. Both steeps were equally strong. The liquid is very light but is fragrant and smells divine. The tea base is a nice background flavour but the fresh lychee taste is present at the forefront (which I like). No bitterness! I enjoyed both of my cups of this. I have enough leaf to maybe try a cold brew and/or another hot cup in the future. I’m a big lychee fan so this one really does it for me.

Although I like this tea, I find it is only good as a latte. It has dark chocolate/cocoa as a strong flavour and is good with vanilla soy milk. The Earthy flavour is nice combined with the intensity of the black tea. This is best brewed strong.