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This is from my December subscription package.

I actually ordered 50g of this in December as well, but that package hasn’t arrived yet. I figured it was a pretty safe bet that I would like it given the ingredients.

And I do like it! It’s essentially a butterscotch or butter rum rooibos blend, and butterscotch happens to be one of my favorite flavors. I was the one who always wanted the Lifesavers Storybook that was all Butter Rum flavor! I’m not sure I’m really tasting the toasted or popped rice at all though? Perhaps a teeny bit?

I’m not sure this one is as good as Lupicia’s Caramel & Rum? But it’s been a while since I’ve had that one, so I’ll have to try it again and compare. :)

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Yay, making good progress on some of these subscription teas! I may have to consider culling a subscription or two, they’re a bit counterproductive when I’m trying to sip down… XD

Anyway! This one was rather yummy for a chocolate tea. Definitely a light and creamy one, reminiscent of milk chocolate. I also get some nuttiness from the base tea. As for the cranberry, to me it tastes closer to tart cherry or perhaps raspberry, but I love all three of those things, so I don’t mind one bit!

Chocolaty, creamy, malty, nutty, with a hint of tart red fruit. It makes me think of a milk chocolate bark sprinkled with roasted nuts and dried cherries!

ETA: This is my 2000th note! Huzzah!

So I somehow got two B&B subscription packets (December and January) within a two-day span, so I really need to get cracking on sipping them down! I’ve been trying to keep up with my subscriptions this year and so far have been doing well. Way to ruin it, B&B! XD

This one happens to be from the December subscription, and was one of the holiday teas. Wow, there are so many cacao shells in here! Always a good sign for a chocolate tea…

This is much more almond than hazelnut for me. It has a soft marzipan or amaretto-like nut flavor, which I’m not the biggest fan of, but it’s subtle enough here that I still enjoy it. The chocolate is nice and rich as well, and I’m also get a slight maraschino cherry note from the combination of almond and black tea. And perhaps a touch of creaminess as well, like milk chocolate?

It’s very yummy, especially for a chocolate tea! I don’t know whether I would order this one or not, but it’s out of stock for the year so that’s not really an option anyway! :P

P.S. – I have been watching Tea with Jann on YouTube like crazy! She makes adorable tea news and other tea videos!

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The first one to be finished off from my swap with Courtney!

I don’t have much experience with tulsi blends, so I thought this one would be fun to try. I’m surprised by how mellow it is – I expected the tulsi to have a stronger flavor. But this is mostly a pleasant and gentle lemon ginger tisane.

The ginger is soft and warming, and not too strong. I think I can taste both lemon peel and lemongrass here, which together give a soft and well-rounded herbal lemon note. As far as the tulsi, I get a little hint of a minty or basil note, but it’s extremely mild.

A perfectly pleasant herbal tisane for the evening! :)

Another swap tea from Courtney! So excited to get to try so many Dammann teas! :D

I didn’t really look at this one before trying it. I remember that it’s an oolong, and it was also obvious from the leaves. It seems very oxidized, and maybe a tiny bit roasty? It definitely doesn’t have strong roasty notes.

This is an interesting one… At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The oolong tastes of autumn leaves and not a whole lot else. The flavoring is quite subtle, like a lot of their teas… There’s definitely a creaminess that could be vanilla, and a little hint of orange near the end of the sip. The buckwheat is a bit difficult to distinguish from the base tea, and to me is most obvious in the aftertaste. I don’t really get caramel here, which is meant to be the “main” flavor?

What a combination! It reminds me a bit of a bran muffin from the combination of the oolong and the buckwheat. I would have like a bit more from the clementine I think, as I could barely taste it. But it certainly went down easily, the pot was empty before I knew it! Luckily I have 1-2 more tries.

I enjoyed this one, but am not quite sure what to make of it yet…

Last one from the December subscription!

I was surprised by how many dried blueberries are in this! There were several in my spoonful.

I really like this one! The beginning of the sip is more blueberry, and it’s a dark and syrupy blueberry that reminds me of jam. The cinnamon and nutmeg pop out a little more toward the end for a nice sweet warmth. The honeybush base does a decent job of mimicking some form of cake or pastry (depending on your interpretation of cobbler). Overall, a fairly good representation of a blueberry and cinnamon pastry.

I am getting some cucumber notes again though, so it must be the honeybush base that gives me that impression. I had the same thing happen with the last honeybush blend, which had completely different flavors. Odd!

Another one from the December subscription package.

I was excited to try this one, as I actually had a mont blanc at a fancy sweets buffet at a hotel in Osaka. It’s basically a pile of squiggly chestnut mousse with cream either on top or inside on a base of cake. French pastry is pretty big in Japan, so it was no surprise to find them there! They’re generally chestnut, but I tried both pumpkin and chestnut because the buffet was autumn-themed.

Anyway! I’m honestly not getting much flavoring from this unfortunately. The Chinese sencha base is very grassy and I think it’s overpowering the added flavors a bit. I do get a nice creamy sort of chestnut note in the aftertaste, which is lovely. I just wish I got more of that throughout the sip… I tried it both hot and room temperature, and it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

It’s a shame, as the flavor combo sounded so good!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4j3sG9gH2i/

From the December subscription box.

I’ve only tried two out of the five teas from this box, so I’d better get cracking!

This is nice for a chocolate tea. For some reason, Anne’s chocolate flavoring doesn’t seem to bother me as much as others, or maybe there isn’t chocolate flavoring, just the cacao nibs and shells and the chocolate chips. This is reminding me quite a bit of the Clark black tea from October, it has a similar chocolate flavor profile. I’m getting a bit of nuttiness too, maybe from the base teas.

But this one is a bit more like a creamy chocolate with a hint of vanilla and perhaps raspberry or cherry. The fruit note doesn’t specifically say “cranberry” to me, but it does have a nice tartness to it.

It’s yummy! Creamy milk and dark chocolate with a hint of tart fruit.

I made a yummy London Fog with this one today!

I steeped 2 teaspoons on leaf in 8 ounces of water (instead of my usual 12 ounces for that amount), and then added 4 ounces of frothed hot milk and a little bit of vanilla syrup.

It came out so yummy! Still with a nice present bergamot flavor but with a lovely rich creaminess. I will say that next time I’ll add a bit more syrup, as I could barely detect it. But otherwise this was scrumptious!

I really need to make lattes more often… :)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKCjouCgb5m/

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This one isn’t my favorite so I’m thankful it’s a small packet!

It’s not bad or anything, just all chocolate flavoring, which I never seem to get along with. The base is smooth and nondescript, and I do get a little hint of cacao nib, but it’s mostly drowned out by artificial and boozy chocolate taste.

Meh!