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Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 12

There’s a hint of creaminess here, but it’s mostly a smooth, almost lemongrassy cup. I also get a little pithy bitterness toward the end of the sip, or maybe a lemon extract/oil sort of thing.

Not my personal favorite, but interesting!

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 13

I was not looking forward to this one after seeing y’all’s reviews today! But when I first opened the package and took a sniff, it didn’t seem THAT bad. Aggressively minty, sure, and with an undernote of organic matter on the verge of being too ripe, but not horrible.

And then I brewed it up. And took another sniff.

WELP. It’s like a wet dog rolled around in toothpaste and moldy marshmallows. Ugh!

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 13

Just checked out this blend on the Wild Coast website, and daaamn — the packaging art is heart eyes emoji to the max! Bats are some of my favorite animals, and this illustration is delightful.

I only WISH I enjoyed this tea as much as I liked the art! It’s totally a me problem, though: Either the tulsi basil or the ashwagandha is not appealing to me. It’s earthy and dirt-like in a way that doesn’t mesh with my tastebuds.

If you do like those ingredients, you will probably enjoy this tea! It’s a very mild chai, with lots of warm notes from the cinnamon and oats. Super cozy.

I shan’t rate it out of respect for what I can tell is a very intentionally crafted and blended tea that’s just not to my tastes.

Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown: Day 10

Crisp and fresh, with powdered sugar notes. Very pleasant, but not gulpable or guzzleable — there’s something drying and sharply vegetal on the back of the sip that makes me pause for a little longer than usual between sips. Not in a bad way, though!

The leaves are so cute, too — so fuzzy and silvery!

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 12

Happy to see something caffeinated after so many tisanes in a row! This is a surprisingly light cuppa, with a malty black base laced with a bit of fruity black currant (definitely less currant-y than the black currant tea from last week).

In the words of Paul Hollywood, it’s “simple but effective.” I could see it being nice as a cold brew in warmer weather. Not something I would run out to purchase, but fine enough!

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 11

I added a 4 oz. bag of this one to my shopping cart sight unseen (taste untasted?) when I ordered the S&V advent, so I’d already tried it before it appeared in the calendar. It’s so nice! Like a sweet oatmeal cookie with just a hint of chocolate and a touch of cinnamon. I need to remember to overleaf it next time I make it, though, because tonight’s pot was a little weak.

I love that one of the ingredients is “winter wonderland flavoring” — and what, pray tell, might that be?! That’s some tasty circular logic right there!

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 11

Creamy coconut and delicate pineapple on a light base with a teeny tiny hint of something sour — perhaps evocative of cream cheese frosting? I didn’t actually pick up any banana flavors!

I’ve never had actual hummingbird cake, but Deb’s tea version is light and delicate and very pleasant.

Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown: Day 8

I found this very light and bright, with notes of raisin, and not at all astringent. There’s a faint whiff of fishiness if I sniff deeply enough, but not enough to pick up on otherwise.

Gonna cold-brew the leaves overnight and see what I get in the morning!

Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 10

Murchie’s Blueberry Crumble (which is a mix of green and black teas) is one of my favorite über-desserty blends, so I was excited to try this one — I wouldn’t say no to a caffeine-free take on that flavor profile!

It smells really lovely! Tastewise, I think it’s more “generic juicy berry” than blueberry, although I do get some jammy blueberry on the back of the sip. I like that the cinnamon is relatively prominent, and I do get some fun oat-y, pastry-ish vibes. But I don’t love the slippery-sweetness from the blackberry leaves! It’s juuuust on the edge of being cloyingly sweet for me.

I actually think this is more blueberry muffin than blueberry crumble… it needs a rich and buttery element to really evoke a crumble!

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 10

Wow, the caramel flavoring here is exceptional. It’s buttery, rich, and smooth, and something about it reminds me of caramel corn. The base has a tinge of soapiness that’s slightly discordant, but overall this is really nice and very cozy on a damp and foggy day!