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Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 11!

Ooh, I like this one! It’s buttery, fruity, tart, and just a little bit sweet. I don’t really notice the sencha until the very end of a sip, which seems fine—I’m not sure a more aggressive green tea base would really work.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 10!

Seeing hibiscus and stevia in the ingredients list had me worried, but y’know… I’m not mad about this one! The tart hibiscus and sweet stevia balance each other out, and there’s a nice zesty brightness to it. I don’t get a ton of cherry—more generic red fruitiness—but that’s OK.

I actually liked the second steep quite a lot; most of that hibiscus tang was gone by that point, and the flavor was overall a bit deeper. Not bad!

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 9!

Well, now I’ve got this song stuck in my head. XD

I received a sample of this one in my B&B order last month, so this one is somewhat familiar to me (although I didn’t review it at the time). I find it mostly underwhelming. I enjoy coffee quite a bit, so I’m not opposed to coffee beans in my tea, but I’m not sure it adds much here—I just get a slightly sour, musty smell and taste that reminds of me old, stale coffee. I’d like the blend more without it—there’s a nice light creaminess and a hint of cocoa that’s generally pleasant, if not earth-shattering.

I do wish I were trying more of these B&B blends as loose-leaf rather than bagged tea—I’d add more leaf and try to bump up the flavor. Ah well.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 8!

This is a divisive blend! I, however, enjoyed it. I’ve come around to smoky teas over the past few years, and something about this one just hit the right notes for me. I didn’t get a ton of cocoa, but that’s OK. The coconut was nice and subtle, more of a background marshmallow-y sweetness than anything overwhelming, and there was a hint of cinnamon toward the end, all rounded out by a gentle, woodsy smokiness. I’m not sure I’d drink it every day, but I definitely enjoyed my two cups today!

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 7!

Lovely concept, but it didn’t deliver for me. I couldn’t detect any hazelnut (nor any nut flavors, really!) and the chocolate notes were the fairly standard ones so common in blends like this (i.e., disappointing). My cup was pretty flat, weak, and generally disappointing.

Maybe I got a dud, though, because other folks seem to really enjoy it! I also have a cold, so perhaps that’s wreaking havoc on my tastebuds (although everything else tastes fine to me, and my partner was equally unimpressed by his cup). I even stole his teabag and steeped both of ours together for my second cup… still nothing. Meh.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 6!

Well, hello there! I’m an absolute sucker for buttery, caramel-y flavors despite being vegan—or maybe because of it! Getting to try vegan versions of something that usually relies heavily on dairy really tickles me. That’s probably why I’m drawn to so many teas inspired by buttery desserts.

Anyway, this is a winner in my book. The dry blend smells very sweet and buttery, but the brewed tea isn’t sickly sweet at all. I was worried the rooibos would be overpowering, but here it’s an almost invisible base. Instead, most of the flavor comes from the puffed quinoa and toasted rice, giving this a lovely light nuttiness. At first I was a little thrown by how nutty and toasty the flavor profile is, but after letting it cool a minute or two, I could detect a hint of sweetness—more a suggestion than anything else.

I usually take my tea black, but I added a tiny spot of oat milk to this one toward the end and it really rounded out the flavor and brought out a bit more creamy sweetness. I’m currently going for a second steep on my tea bag and hoping none of the flavors gets lost!

B&B currently has a limited run of this one available for sale, and I’m debating placing an order. I wanted to wait till I was done with the advent calendar to stock up on some favorites, but I’m worried this one will be gone… sigh! What to do.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 5!

They had me at “candy cane.” I could tell I’d enjoy this one after giving the tea bag a good whiff—it has that perfect creamy-sweet-minty scent that I associate with a candy cane tea. I think this is the first caffeinated version I’ve tried, and I appreciate it!

Brewed, the tea has a very slight mustiness to it—not quite sure where it’s coming from. There’s also a tiny citrus kick from the lime leaves, just at the back of the sip, but it seems to disappear as the tea cools a bit. Otherwise the flavor is lovely, with a full, creamy mintiness that is not at all overpowered by the accursed stevia. (Thank goodness for light touches.) I could drink this one all morning!

(I will note that the tea bag didn’t hold up well to a second steep—all the mintiness disappeared, leaving a slightly lime-y black base behind. Alas.)

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 4!

Love the concept for this one! I don’t think I’ve ever had a peppermint/chili combination before, tea or otherwise. I enjoyed it, though—I got a nice crisp minty bite at first, followed by a gently warming spiciness afterward. Not noticing too much of the pu’erh base; I think that could be stronger to make this blend a bit more interesting and complex. It’s mostly a novelty as-is, but I’m glad I tried it.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 3!

I’m generally a fan of anything with mint and chocolate, so I was predisposed to enjoy this one. As is so often the case, the cocoa flavor is a bit muted, but the dandelion root provides a nice deep flavor base.

I guess I don’t have much to say about this blend—I enjoyed it while I was drinking it, but it wasn’t terribly memorable.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 2!

Another fruity tisane?! Color me sad. And color me vibrant purple-pink, because this blend has a LOT of hibiscus. It smells lovely and true to its name, just like a mug of hot mulled apple cider. Yet the taste is terribly weak—I’m not getting much of anything beyond a watery hibiscus with maaaybe a hint of cinnamon at the end and as it cools. I even threw the tea bag back in my mug to let it steep for longer, but it isn’t doing much. It’s making me appreciate yesterday’s blend (Christmas Cranberry Pie) a whole lot more.

I hope B&B mixes it up with something dark and caffeinated tomorrow.

(Edit: I cold-brewed my tea bag for a second steeping overnight, and now I can taste more of the mulling spices (maybe the hibiscus has been exhausted). Still, I’m leaving my rating as-is… I firmly believe a mulled cider-themed blend should be enjoyed hot!)