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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.

I think I messed up brewing this because all of the other reviews tasted some cookie and desserty notes. Steeped 3g leaf in 500mL hot water, not quite boiling. Steeped 5ish minutes and then 10 minutes in lukewarm water for a second cup. I really only tasted cocoa nibs, tannic lack tea, a bit of sweet licorice root (minerals, a bit metallic) and not much else. Going to try again and add milk before I review it properly.

Free sample that came with my advent calendars. 1 mesh teabag in hottish water. I forgot about it for a while but the tea was still fairly weak so I steeped for longer. My water was not very hit since I do not have a kettle available.

This reminds me of a gingerbread cookie. I get lots of ginger, cinnamon, and a bit of nutmeg and clove. I don’t get much cookie flavour, unfortunately, but there is a hint of sweetness, nuttiness, and vanilla. I don’t taste the caramel strongly. I would have liked a lot more cookie and caramel notes.

Another sipdown to make room for my horde of B&B teas coming in the meal. lol

This is a lovely fall cup and I have enjoyed it. The honeybush really makes a nice base because it is sweet but also flavourful, cozy, a little woody, and reminds me of oatmeal. I get a lot of cinnamon, some creaminess from vanilla, and general spices. I can’t make out whipped cream flavouring in particular but I added a dash of vanilla soy milk and it made a desserty cup to have with breakfast. A lovely blend! It tastes a bit like cinnamon oatmeal cookies but with some nutty and vanilla notes.

Trying to clear out old tea bags in my travel bag. I made this with boiling water and added a dash of soy milk. It’s fine, but not exceptional. I get some tannins and malt, but without the milk it wouldn’t be an enjoyable cup.

This blend is from a TTB but I can’t recall which one. I’ve had it several times but did not finish it off until today.

The green tea is a bit astringent and bitter. I find it drying in my mouth. The aromatics are quite nice, though, because I can make out floral and fruity notes. Distinctly, coconut/creamy and passionfruit as well as what might be rose or general floral notes. The smell is very fruity and vegetal, like matcha. The after taste is where the coconut and rose come in.

Steep 1: 80 deg C water, 500 mL, 4 minute steep
It smells strongly of honey and honeysuckle, lightly floral. Liquid is light amber yellow. I can taste a slight bit of dried leaf pile, straw, and vegetal green beans. It isn’t as strong as I anticipated but it is also an old sample.

Steep 2: 80 deg C water, 500 mL, 8 minute steep
Very lightly flavoured. It still smells much different than it tastes. Very slight bit of bitterness and tannin but bitter like grapefruit rather than typical bitter gourd I notice in other light teas. Slightly vegetal. Honey smell is gone. Flavour is more powerful than before. I get a faint whiff of herbs like a spice cabinet or a herbal tea blend (this was stored in a sealed container so not from storage). I can’t make out any specifically.

I decided to be a rebel and brew this as a traditional English cuppa. 5g leaf, hot but not boiling water, 6-7 minutes steep in 500 ml water. I added a dash of vanilla soy milk.

There are a lot of tannins despite the liquid being lighter amber. The milk smoothed it out nicely. I can taste a lot of honey notes. Not just the sweetness but distinctly honey. A little malt but more focused on the honey. Although I don’t drink a lot of plain teas or caffeinated teas, it made a nice morning cup. It has a strong orange pekoe flavour but the aftertaste of honey was a nice surprise.