Nutcracker Sweet

This was the first time I’ve tried this tea. The box says, “Now with richer vanilla flavor!” but I can’t comment on that because I haven’t tried previous versions.
I was shocked at how quickly the teabag colored my water! It’s definitely a quick-steep tea, not unlike the PG Tips black tea that’s usually in my house. I think I left the bag in for less than a minute. My parents stock the cabinets with pretty small teacups (maybe 6-ounce cups), so depending on how much water you use, you might want to leave it for maybe 2 minutes. The tea steeped really darkly and I added 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp evaporated milk, so it ended up looking sort of muddy. Even with the short steep and adding sugar and milk, it turned out a little bitter. The black tea was pretty satisfying, though, and I got quite a bit of smooth vanilla flavor with some cinnamon background notes. It tasted smooth and would probably have tasted better if I took the teabag out even earlier! Overall, the flavor was rich (maybe no richer than last year) and I definitely think I could have brewed this in a 16-ounce cup without losing any flavor with one teabag, which is great because I like really strong flavors in my tea. For a tea this affordable, I think it’s a great purchase.

The tea bag smells worryingly like fake butter flavor. The tea itself smells a bit like gingerbread, but mostly it just smells fake. I definitely won’t buy this again…

I like this one more than I remember. This is one of the holiday teas that I recall sipping on with my sister when we still lived at home, along with Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride.

It’s a nice sweet and nutty black tea, with a bit of vanilla and maybe caramel in there. The cinnamon is just a hint but adds a nice festive touch. I appreciate that it tastes like almonds and not so much like marzipan, although there is a hint of that too.

Overall, it reminds me of a buttery almond cookie, not unlike Simpson & Vail’s Almond Sugar Cookie. The only downside is the black tea is extremely thin and flat here, and doesn’t really contribute much other than a base for flavoring. Still, very nice for a grocery store teabag!

Holiday grocery store teas tried: 7/19

This was pretty good. I had it with some sugar.

This tea has a fantastic aroma, but I find the flavor to be weak and in need of a long steep. I have a love / hate relationship with Celestial Seasonings teas so I never know which one will surprise me. Unfortunately, this was not one that did.

I’ve opted to combine this tea with another of Celestial Seasonings teas, Sleepytime Vanilla (another tea I find too weak to stand on its own). Combined I enjoy the flavor enough that I will be able to finish off their respective boxes.

It’s a shame because the scent out of the box was great, so I couldn’t wait to try it only to be let down once it hit my palate.

My original steep was 5 minutes at 190 degrees. The steep I’ve found to work best is 7-8 minutes at 190+ degrees. Adding a bit of honey powder (and milk, if desired) does enhance the flavor if one does find it lacking.

Wanted to try this for the longest time but could never find this in store. Finally went to a local bookstore and tada, they happened to have it on their tea menu. Within drinking that first cup, I knew that this was going to become a v v v quick problem. I may have ordered one or six boxes. Its everything I want in a cup of tea in the cooler months. Add a blanket and a book and it’s pure bliss.

Got ready for work quick enough this morning that I can get in one tasting note from my queue while my work tea for the day steeps in the timolino!

This one is a very old tea from a swap with VariaTEA that took place almost a year ago. One of our first swaps; where we actually prearranged what we were sending one another instead of just sending any and everything. And, like an ass, I’ve put off trying this one until now. My justification being that I thought this was a Chai; and after I’d figured out I don’t like Chai I had zero enthusiasm to try it. But, I couldn’t just get rid of it until I’d tried at least one bag.

So that was the plan here; try one bag, hate it, and either ditch the rest in a swap with someone or possibly just through it out. To ease the anticipated awfulness I added milk. But shocker guys; this is NOT a Chai. It’s a beautiful, sweet custard like cup of hot, silky smooth butterscotch and vanilla sweetness. With just a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to give this a holiday feeling and add some depth. So, I did not throw this out – and I look forward to the many subsequent cups I’ll have of this during this Christmas season.

It was a much needed reminder to actually CHECK THE INGREDIENTS of a tea instead of just assuming you know what that tea is all about. I mean, obviously, I was shocked and confused my first few sips – but in a good way.

tea from variaTEA i have to say, not a bad little cup for a tea bag. It’s the wrong season for me, for this tea but i can see myself enjoying this a lot in the cooler weather. It’s a nice balance of cinamon and vanilla. thanks for sharing!

I’ve been having this as a breakfast tea, trying to sipdown the rest of the box I have. This tea works well with some added milk and sugar. It smells like vanilla baked goods and retains that baked good flavor throughout the sip. A nice, sweeter breakfast option. Yum!

This was my morning drink during the dredge of winter—unfortunately I only bought one box (as the other C.S. seasonal teas I bought were decaffeinated) so I never found a replacement. Definitely a vanilla and spicy way to start a morning!