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Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 16!

I waaay over-steeped this tea bag because I got distracted by (1) the mail carrier’s arrival and my subsequent need to keep my pups from noticing his approach by plying them with treats, and (2) reading reviews of today’s 52Teas holiday blend here on Steepster. :D I’m very excited to try that one later today—it smells incredible!—but for now I’m sticking to the B&B advent blend because my stomach is slightly unhappy, and the gingerbread chai spices seem more appealing at the moment.

Anyway! My partner sniffed the dry tea bag and made a face. After looking at the ingredient list, he realized he’s probably not a fan of rooibos. An interesting discovery! Something to keep in mind for any future joint tea-drinking experiences. I personally like rooibos, so I’m fine with it as the base for this one.

Brewed, I’m not getting a super strong scent of spices. It’s just sort of rooibos-y with some muted ginger and clove (??) and a bit of vanilla. Taste-wise… wow, the ginger is strong! Which is not the worst thing for my unhappy tum, but maybe not the best thing if you want a more balanced blend of spices. As it cools, I’m getting a little more vanilla and noticing more of the rooibos base, along with a tiny bit of creaminess from the mallow flowers. The ginger is still really strong; I’m not noticing much of the cinnamon or cardamom but I am getting a hint of allspice, even though that’s not listed in the ingredients.

I think this would be better described as a ginger chai, as I’m not getting the fuller mouthfeel I’d expect from gingerBREAD. It’s decent, although I can’t see myself craving it in the future.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 15!

I never find myself seeking out (or really enjoying!) these cold- and flu-fighting blends. The flavors just aren’t super appealing to my tastes!

So, with that caveat out of the way… this is fine, I guess. The dry bag smelled really odd to me, with a weird urine-y note (!) that almost put me off, but that scent dispersed pretty quickly, thank goodness. Peppermint and eucalyptus come out most strongly at the first sip, with a gentle warming from the chili toward the end (and especially as it cools; I also get a bit of aniseed then). I’m not really picking up much lemongrass, and I don’t know if I can actually recognize echinacea! Overall it feels a bit busy—there’s a lot going on and the flavors are a bit muddied. But it’s not aggressively bad, so that’s… something.

52Teas 12 Teas of Christmas: Day 2!

Another earlier-than-usual morning for me, but at least it came after a solid night’s sleep. The scent of the dry blend almost knocked me over, but in a good way! It’s a bright, fruity, almost bubblegum scent with, yes, notes of pear. It made me smile!

The taste made me smile, too. There’s definitely more pear than chai spices, just a hint of cloves and allspice to bring a little depth. It’s nice and light and fruity and somehow a bit sweet, but in a good way. I feel a bit like I’m drinking an adult version of fruit punch!

(Edited to add: The second steep has a different flavor profile, more floral and less fruity/sweet. Interesting!)

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 14!

This one just doesn’t excite me, and it might be my least favorite of the advent calendar so far. I’m a big fan of mulled wine; in pre-covid times, my partner and I host an annual holiday party that always features mulled wine and mulled cider, and I love both of those hot bevvies. This approximation just doesn’t do it for me, though. Sure, you’ve got your typical mulling spice blend (a bit heavy on the clove, to my taste), and I suppose the hibiscus and lime combo adds a tartness that somewhat approximates the red wine element. But it’s really sour, and a vinegary tang keeps hitting me at the back of each sip. And where’s the mistletoe?! Or is it just part of a clever name, with no reflection in the blend? Boo!

I had trouble finishing this cup—especially because it got more sour as it cooled!—and that’s a rarity for me. :(

52Teas 12 Teas of Christmas: Day 1!

This month is flying by, and today I cracked open the 52Teas holiday box! I’ve been struggling with sleep on and off, and this morning I woke up around 4:45 and couldn’t fall back asleep. Eventually I got up, lit some candles, and brewed a cup of this little number while watching Murder, She Wrote. :D

It’s good! Really good. It’s also my first time trying 52Teas; I scored one of the holiday boxes after putting myself on the waitlist, and I’ve been biding my time before starting it (I want to open the 12th and final tea on Christmas day).

I’m really glad I indulged myself and ordered two advent calendars/holiday tea boxes this year. The anticipation alone is worth it! Last year’s holiday season was miserable thanks to the pandemic and my cancer diagnosis, so I’m trying to make the most of this year now that I’m done with treatment and can celebrate with my family again. Indulging myself with tea is helping me make this season extra special. :)

Anyway, I happened to be craving a coconutty black tea the other day and hey presto, here it is! I’m really impressed with the way the coconut brings a creaminess to the cup without being overwhelmingly flavored. There’s a nice custardy note to it, and the spices/flavors are reminiscent of eggnog without being overpowering. It’s really tasty! And after so many days of the B&B advent blends, which tend to focus more heavily on the flavorings than the tea base, it’s nice to finally have a blend where the black tea base seems to be integrated into the overall flavor profile.

A very auspicious beginning to the 52Teas holiday box, I’d say!

Oh, yum. I’m not sure I’ve had peony petals before, but I’m on board! They remind me of a more floral, less tart hibiscus flavor.

This tea features a black tea base (unspecified, and I’m not well-versed enough in black teas to identify them by taste alone), peony petals, tiny sugar crystals, and “natural flavours.” It’s not exactly plummy, but it’s definitely got a deep fruitiness to it that comes out the more it cools. It’s not terribly sweet, either, despite the sugar crystals.

I like this a lot. It’s very cozy, and I could see enjoying it year-round… it might make an interesting cold brew.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 13!

I’m never quite sure where gingerbread ends and lebkuchen begins! Regardless, the addition of salted caramel to either gingerbread or lebkuchen makes me chuckle… I feel like adding “salted caramel” to the title of any blend instantly gives it more cultural cachet (at least among some crowds).

Anyway, this blend has more of a buttery cookie vibe than a salted caramel vibe, but that’s OK. It plays well with the spice blend, which is nice and muted. (I often get a little bored by gingerbread flavors this time of year, just because they saturate everything.) The ginger is maybe a bit strong in some sips, but mostly I’m finding this pretty well balanced. I guess I wouldn’t mind a stronger black tea base; right now it just provides a bit of tannic dryness in the background.

Overall, I really like this one. The dry leaf smelled awfully strong, but the flavors are pleasant and balanced, not overwhelming at all. I could see myself snagging a bag of this in the future.

We celebrated Christmas/Hanukkah with my in-laws today, and my mother-in-law gifted me a six-month “tea of the month” subscription to The Whistling Kettle. I hadn’t heard of the company, so I was excited to try one of the brews that came with this month’s box!

There is a LOT going on in this Gingerbread Cookie tea—rooibos! candied fruit! toasted nuts!—but I’m digging it! I’m not getting much actual gingerbread flavor, probably because there’s no ginger in it (other than “natural flavours,” perhaps). Instead it’s like some other dessert I can’t quite put my finger on, with a hint of creamy sweetness from the coconut and a toasty breadiness from the nuts. It’s got a nice full body to it, which I appreciate. It reminds me of DT’s Forever Nuts, but maybe sweeter. I could see getting burned out on it if I drank too much in one go; I think I’ll stick to a single small mug at a time.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 12!

I am… not a banana fan. I find their texture repellent and gag-inducing, and the flavor does not make up for it. I’m also very particular about their ripeness—the smell or taste of a green banana (even slightly green!) makes me retch. Nor do I really care for the faux banana flavor, like the kind you get in banana Runts.

One of the few ways I’ll willingly eat a banana is in banana bread (I also use them in smoothies). So I was curious about this blend—what kind of banana flavor would it feature, and would I care for it?

During the first steep, I got a distinct fake-banana flavor, but it wasn’t terribly strong. The chai flavors—particularly ginger—come through a bit more strongly, and the banana was totally gone by the second steep.

Overall, I found this one inoffensive but not particularly impressive… there’s no bread-y note at all, unfortunately. “Banana Chai” would’ve been a more accurate name!

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.