15695 Tasting Notes
Adventageddon Day 19 – Tea 2/4
Cold Brew!
This was really fucking weird. Not only do mango and almond seem like two flavours that shouldn’t really go together, but I also didn’t feel like the tea really tasted like either? Granted I think I may be getting a cold since I was fairly congested today, but as I drank this in the morning all I could think of was the really low quality Tim Horton’s style iced cappuccinos that I used to drink in highschool – but thin/watered down tasting.
I don’t get this one. It’s not that it was bad but it’s just so… off the goal?
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1DQq6tu9xP/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-1eRNMP66A
Adventageddon Day 19 – Tea 1/4
Hopefully this is the last Earl Grey in the F&M calendar because, I believe, there have been three now!? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since this more British/High Tea kind of vibe is really their bread and butter.
In terms of taste, this is basically just a lavender Earl Grey. Heavier on the bergamot than the lavender, but both flavours come through and are decently well balanced. I enjoyed starting my day with it, but it’s probably a little too much blergamot to be anything I’d personally want to revisit.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1DQq6tu9xP/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTtBjAz2l4c
Adventageddon Day 18 – Tea 4/4
I liked this more than I expected to! In my head it was going to be a Sleigh Ride style intense hibiscus blend with an excessive amount of cinnamon. It definitely does still have that sort of vibe with the tartness and mulled cider sort of quality, but it’s not as aggressive and in your face. That a roundness to the fruit notes, and something about the apple (though cider-like) also kind of reads like the warm, sweet and gooey filling of a well baked apple pie. Plum is tricky in tea, but I think here it benefits from having these other flavours to pull focus.
Is it a smash hit? And can I find comparable elsewhere? No, and yes. However, it still really hit the spot on this surprisingly rainy December day. It was cozy, and I think I’d be much more likely to turn to this than something more punchy and intense like Sleigh Ride.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1AsG9VO40p/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7enVLMLE7M
I’m greatly enjoying this! I was also anticipating a cup of sour hibiscus, but the apple is coming through nicely and the spices are nicely balanced. I rather wish they’d make this blend with just the rosehip. It reminds me of that powdered Turkish apple tea you can buy, tangy and super sweet (not sure there’s actually any tea in it or even real apple).
Adventageddon Day 18 – Tea 3/4
Smooth vanilla and light, cooling peppermint. Certainly a perfectly fine blend and definitely the right kind of candy cane-like seasonal flavour as we get closer and closer to Christmas. It reminded me so much of DAVIDsTEA’s Santa’s Secret though. Complete with fondant note that I just can’t get into. However, I see this simple and straightforward blend being a winner for so many people.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1AsG9VO40p/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YG0SXbzmwQ
Adventageddon Day 18 – Tea 2/4
Since I’ve tried this matcha before and wasn’t a huge fan I decided to do something new with it and make it as an iced latte. It tasted fine, but honestly it’s a very mildly flavoured matcha and I probably should have used more for this style of drink preperation since I could only get the faintest bit of pineapple taste. I much prefer the Pina Colada herbal powder that B&B used to carry – it’s a lot more flavourful.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1AsG9VO40p/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oWhtLSGYbE
It rained soooo much today, so between that and the day’s tea selection I just had the Escape Song on a constant loop in the back of my head. I actually posted the original Rupert Holmes version of the song on IG, but it’s the Jack Johnson cover (which is what I linked here) that I wanted to showcase – it just wasn’t available as an audio option in stories.
Adventageddon Day 18 – Tea 1/4
Every Adventageddon there’s at least one day where the majority of the day’s selections end up synced up to one very particular flavour. Today that day has arrived, and that special flavour is one I love so very much: pineapple!!
I deeply enjoyed (and needed) today’s burst of bright, tangy tropical flavours! In particular, this was my favourite of the day by quite a lot. It was rich and juicy tasting with fragrant fresh pineapple notes and a creamy, smooth finish. Definitely captures that Dole Whip flavour that it’s inspired by. It also went perfectly with the highly unique and somewhat savory pineapple ginger jam from the Bonne Maman advent which was, overall, made a wonderful addition to my funky tea and cheese pairing.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1AsG9VO40p/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkYDsxaVjdw
When people talk about rose being perfume-y this is for sure the kind of flavour I have in my head. It’s a rose blend to the extreme. Very fragrant with a delicate feeling liquor, but a whammy of a floral taste. Still drinkable, but only because I do really enjoy the taste of rose. I think you have to for a blend like this one.
Sipdown (2456)!
Finished this off while working late at the office last week. Definitely very bright fruity with a combination of passionfruit and banana that reads a lot like a tropical smoothie. Heavier on the banana, though. It’s a bit thin in terms of mouthfeel, especially for this smoothie like flavours, but it is very delicious. This was one of Almost’s better blends in my opinion…
Right now my fridge is packed with various fruits, cheeses, and baked goods so that I have options for whatever flavours get thrown my way with advent season. In fact, it’s the most full my fridge has been in months. While shuffling things around to make room I found this long since forgotten bottle of kombucha pushed way, way to the back and I decided it was time to drink it!
I enjoy this flavour of Y Kombucha a lot and, well, it definitely tasted different than it usually does. Still had some of that fruity, tangy kind of hops flavour but it was very, very yeasty. Beer-like in a whole different way that this hops flavour usually tastes. Now, mind you, I can’t actually remember when I bought this. I think it’s probably been sitting and continuing to slowly ferment for quite some time. So… oops.
Gongfu!
I took a brief pause from my advents this morning to enjoy a session of this compressed dancong. In part, this is because I received this gorgeous new Ruyao skull teapot in the mail earlier in the week and I didn’t want to wait to brew something with it, and in part because I’m trying to decide whether I want to pick up any of the newly released compressed oolongs from the latest drop; the Milan Maocha and Yulan Maocha in particular. This is definitely a really wonderful session. I took the advice from the new listing and dropped the amount of tea leaf I would normally use for a compressed tea in a pot of this size, and it’s made a bug difference. Thr liquor is rich in body with a lush, syrupy sweet floral flavour: parma violet candy, orchids, lilac, and a perfect amount of darker and more toasty buckwheat honey. Very fruity too with notes of guava, quince jam, and a hint of lychee. It’s complex and aromatic, and way more enjoyable than I’d remembered.
Right now I’m leaning towards ordering it…
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C09cDu6uryU/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgRE1AkK8gY
I was bummed about not getting any oolongs in my sampler, but since you generally don’t seem thrilled with the oolong blends maybe it isn’t such a big deal!