316 Tasting Notes

83
drank Cinnamon Oolong by DAVIDsTEA
316 tasting notes

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 11

Took a sick day today and am enjoying a cup of this lovely brew alongside an orange scone my partner baked last night. I’m hoping that my aggressive resting will help me kick covid relatively quickly!

This one smells absolutely amazing. The cinnamon is somehow both subtle and super-present. It’s such a gentle, light cinnamon, with no edge to it at all — the scent almost reminds me of cinnamon toast. I’m not getting a ton of cinnamon in the cup itself, but what I do get is very pleasant. So smooth, not at all bitter or astringent, with a nice full body and mouthfeel. Mmm, it’s almost honey-like.

I like this a lot and would consider keeping some on hand.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Honey, Smooth, Sweet, Thick, Toast

Kaylee

Glad you’re taking care of yourself!

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72
drank Green Popcorn by Adagio Teas
316 tasting notes

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 10

ALMOST caught up on my swap advent! And the Yawn one! The other two… not so much.

It’s been such a pleasure getting into tea these last few years and discovering new varieties. I’m still tickled by genmaicha whenever I encounter it; I find the little popped rice bits so whimsical! This is a perfectly serviceable blend, with light roasty-toasty notes and a pleasantly smooth green base. It smells so lovely and nutty, too. There’s not a ton of depth to it, but it’s definitely an enjoyable easy sipper.

Flavors: Popcorn, Roasty, Smooth, Toasty

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70
drank Sweet Almond Green by DAVIDsTEA
316 tasting notes

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 9

Pure marzipan on a grassy green base — I’m always on board with sweet almond flavors, so this is right up my alley! It’s not sophisticated but it gets the job done.

The green base is getting a littttle bitter as it cools, but otherwise I have no real complaints here.

Flavors: Almond, Amaretto, Bitter, Grass, Marzipan

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Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 8

Last night I had “Chamomile Fields” from Dunkin Donuts! I had no idea Dunkin had its own proprietary blends. Funny. I grew up in Rhode Island, where there’s a Dunkin on every corner and people are OBSESSED with them. Truly obsessed. But I think their coffee is terrible, and they don’t have vegan doughnuts, so it’s been a while since I’ve visited one! (Saying that, though, the Dunkins in Europe have a bunch of vegan options! I had a strawberry glazed one in Germany and it brought me right back to childhood.)

Anyway, I didn’t get much more than chamomile in this one despite it including orange peel, lemongrass, licorice root, and cornflower. A promising blend! Buttttt I realized this morning that I’ve brewed my most recent few tea bags in a very tall and narrow mug, and I’m wondering if that vessel shape just isn’t conducive to well-brewed tea. So I might not have done the last few tea bags justice. :(

Nattie

It’s crazy they don’t have vegan options where you are! I thought everywhere had at least a couple options now.

Kelmishka

It’s so weird — chain restaurants tend to introduce vegan options in the UK and EU waaay before the US (if ever)!

Nattie

I didn’t realise it wasn’t universal! That’s pretty sad.

Kaylee

Yeah honestly half the reason I included this one was the novelty of it. I was in college before I realized that America does not, in fact, run on Dunkin, and that it’s basically a regional chain. It’s just so enmeshed here. And I do personally prefer their coffee to Starbucks, for both flavor and value. But when I saw these tea sachets, I couldn’t resist buying them because it felt so much like the last place I’d expect to be selling their own branded tea.

Kelmishka

Kaylee, I love the novelty factor! As for the coffee, I realized I haven’t actually tried it in probably a decade… maybe it’s time to give it another shot. :D

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70
drank Cookie by Yawn
316 tasting notes

Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 10

This was a tasty enough blend, but I didn’t really get cookie vibes? Just a mildly malty black breakfast tea.

Flavors: Malty

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60

English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 7 & 11

I’m a big fan of Halloween/winter holiday/Christmas crossovers (Spookmas!), but even I don’t understand why this one is in a “festive” advent calendar. Is it referencing the ghosts from A Christmas Carol?! Maybe. As Nattie pointed out when this one came up in her advent, the palate and name are eerily (heh) similar to 52Teas’ Graveyard Mist. The latter quickly became one of my favorite teas when I tried it earlier this year, so I was curious how this one would match up.

Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t hold a [flickering, drippy] candle to Graveyard Mist. I’m actually getting only a tiny amount of mintiness. I can maaaaybe smell a little cinnamon if I concentrate really hard, but there is no rose or ginger at all. Why are they even in there?! Even the green base is flavorless. And I’m pretty sure it’s not covid talking, because I have been smelling and tasting other things all day long.

Edit: OK, now that it has cooled down a LOT, I’m getting a more noticeable creamy mint flavor. But still not much.

Flavors: Mint

Nattie

I didn’t get any rose, ginger or cinnamon either. It really is like a poor imitation of Graveyard Mist!

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62

English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 6 & 8

Huh. For a blend with SO. MANY. INGREDIENTS, I’m just… not getting much flavor. It smells gently spiced and pleasant enough, but it doesn’t taste like much of anything! There’s maaaybe a little fruitiness from the pomegranate or the lemongrass, but… that’s pretty much it. It actually reads as grape to me more than anything else. The spices are entirely missing, and even the green base is not doing much of anything. Meh.

Flavors: Fruity, Grapes

Nattie

Hah, it read as blackcurrant to me!

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63
drank Chocolate Orange by Yawn
316 tasting notes

Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 9

My partner doesn’t drink a lot of tea, but when he does, I like to play “tea concierge” to pick out a blend I think suits his mood/taste. Last night we landed on this one because he wanted something caffeinated and seasonal. I was tempted to dig into my stash for a more traditional winter spice blend but then swerved to go with the coordinating day’s advent choice. I think chocolate oranges are nice and wintery!

Alas, it’s nothing special. It’s got that artificial chocolate liqueur flavor rather than deep, malty, rich chocolate. And then the orange… well, it’s barely there. This isn’t BAD, but it’s also not… much of anything.

(As for my partner, he’s congested and couldn’t really taste it, but he said it was fine for his purposes!)

Flavors: Chocolate

Nattie

I always associate chocolate oranges with Christmas, I think because we used to get one in our stockings as children

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65

English Tea Shop Advent Calendar: Days 5 & 13

Heavy on the lemongrass, with a bit of tang from the hibiscus, and a slightly musty floral note, probably from the chamomile. Not sure what’s tropical about it or what the peppermint is doing! I feel like a lot of these English Tea Shop advent blends are just a mish-mash of ingredients, most of which get lost in the mix.

Flavors: Chamomile, Hay, Hibiscus, Lemongrass, Musty, Tangy

Nattie

“I feel like a lot of these English Tea Shop advent blends are just a mish-mash of ingredients, most of which get lost in the mix” – that’s the exact same conclusion I came to, too!

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55
drank Movie Night Popcorn by Yawn
316 tasting notes

Yawn Advent Calendar: Day 8

This one is 100% buttery red rooibos. I’m not getting any grain notes or toastiness that might be evocative of popcorn, either in the scent or flavor. Kind of a shame, because this could be a fun blend if done well!

Thus far, Yawn’s rooibos blends haven’t impressed me. They use a really syrupy, medicinal rooibos that overtakes the other flavors. Not a fan. :(

Flavors: Butter, Medicinal, Rooibos, Syrupy

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Profile

Bio

I was an anxious child who didn’t like change, so when my parents flew across the country for my grandfather’s wedding and left us kids with my aunt and uncle, I was a nervous wreck. Our first night at their house was tough. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and padded into the kitchen, where my aunt was puttering around. She could tell I was distressed and offered to make me a cup of tea. It was just Celestial Seasonings’ peppermint tea, but it was exactly what I needed. The tea itself, the comfort it represented, the ritual of making it… I was enchanted. I’ve loved tea ever since.

I’m partial to strong, intense flavors and prefer loose-leaf to bagged, but I also appreciate the convenience of bags and sachets. I mostly drink my tea straight but once in a blue moon I’ll add a little plant-based milk, generally oat.

I live in Maryland, USA, with my partner, three dogs, and one cat, and I’m an editor at an animal welfare nonprofit. I use she/her pronouns. I’ve actually been a Steepster reader for years and years, but only started posting in late 2021. :)

When I’m not drinking tea (or sometimes WHILE I’m drinking tea!) I’m reading, rewatching comfort shows on Netflix, going for a run, knitting, embroidering, hiking, or puttering in the garden. You can find me on Instagram at @kelmishka. (My account is private, but feel free to send a request!)

Favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Maple (all-time fave flavor!), vanilla, caramel, and all things dessert-y

Jasmine, lavender, violet, and most floral flavors

Most spices, although I go through phases and sometimes get bored of generic-feeling winter spice blends

Most fruity flavors

Matcha and other vegetal flavors

Not-so-favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Bergamot (I tolerate it, but it just doesn’t do it for me)

Hibiscus

Overly artificial flavors (banana, coconut, mango)

Overly herbacious blends, although this varies!

Stevia, monkfruit, and other sugar-alternative sweeteners — blech

Chocolate — it’s hard to get it right in tea, though I love real chocolate!

Animal products, including honey (long-time vegan checking in!)

My ratings

90-100: The best! Will almost definitely repurchase.

75-90: Really good, and potentially worthy of a restock.

60-75: Decent, if not terribly memorable.

50-60: In the “meh” range, but possibly for personal taste reasons.

35-50: I’m not a fan, and this is not very good tea.

20-35: Varying degrees of bad.

1-20: Actively bad. Like really bad. I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing.

Location

Maryland, USA

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