Adventageddon Day 11
Today’s DAVIDsTEA selection is not only a brand new tea blend, but also one that’s completely exclusive to the advent! How fun!
It’s a green tea with a relatively simple ingredient list including cinnamon and vanilla. If it weren’t obvious from the name, this inspiration is definitely eggnog. DT has carried eggnog inspired teas before, the most recent and iconic of which is probably Let It Snow which is also green tea. That’s a blend I have a personal love/hate relationship with. I like it a lot as a latte, but I find it so sweet and the stevia in it can be a lot for me, even as someone who typically doesn’t mind stevia in my teas.
So the goal here was to do eggnog in a less cloying sort of way and with simpler ingredients, but without sacrificing on fun and flavour. Here’s a little behind the curtains for you all: before we landed on the name Noggy & Nice the “working name” for this blend was Great Aunt Ruth’s Spiked Eggnog. A bit of a mouthful, for sure, but definitely cheeky and playful. Plus, it makes sense in the context of the blend because this isn’t just eggnog. It’s eggnog if that crazy out there relative from the big family holiday get together spiked the eggnog with a little buttered rum. And, to that point, really “old school” DT fans might find there’s some similarities with this blend and the much older Buttered Rum black tea blend. Both are creamy and just a little sweet with that almost butterscotch-y lifesaver candy undertone. Of course, this one is also pretty custardy and has a light touch of festive cinnamon.
I really enjoyed this blend and, even though it’s advent exclusive, I’m just kind of glad that in some way I got to share it with more people. It was a fun concept to work on!
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDdEnRYpD_0/?img_index=1
I wanted to take a cooler photo for this tea since it’s so special, but it rained all day today and the lighting was just sad and grey. So I don’t really feel this does the tea justice, but I guess better than nothing.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzUHKsywhrY&ab_channel=THUNDERJACKSONVEVO
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
love seeing your Adventageddon progress! i’m looking to give one as a gift this year — of the 3 you’re working through, which would you recommend?
I think it definitely depends on what type of tea the person you’re gifting drinks, and also probably where you’re located to an extent.
I’m enjoying Inoki overall, but I don’t know if I feel it’s worth its high price point. Dammann Freres is always a favourite, and I find their shipping quite fast even though it’s coming from France. However, maybe not a great option is your giftee doesn’t like tea bags and it’s got small portions per day than the others I’m doing.
Noting of course that I have a bias with DT, I find the selection pretty well rounded and there’s typically enough tea each day for two mugs. It’s loose leaf, so if your giftee is totally new to tea maybe not the best fit? Also, if your giftee is mostly a straight tea drinker they might find some of the much fruitier or decadent/dessert-y blends not totally to their taste. Also, if you’re not in Canada, the shipping time might be longer.
Thank you! DT is sounding like a good option. We prefer loose or pyramid bags. Found some unique festive ones on Bird and Blend so might check that out too :)