New Tasting Notes
December Sipdown Prompt – an herbal tisane
Yesterday my daughter surprised both me and Ashman with homemade advent boxes full of gifts and candy! Tonight she had another surprise.
Every December for over 25 years, we have read one Beatrix Potter book each night for the first 23 days of the month. We light a candle on our Cradle to the Cross advent spiral from The Keeping Company (a newer addition to our traditions) and have a very short reading with that as well. On Christmas Eve, we read Luke 2.
Tonight as we prepared to listen to Ashman reading Squirrel Nutkin, she made a pot of tea and brought it to me, saying that it was supposed to arrive in time for Peter Rabbit but was delivered late.
I had no idea what was in it and guessed apple first. That was the chamomile I was smelling. I guessed green rooibos and that was correct. The spearmint and strawberry flavoring gave a sweet candy vibe, but I would not have pegged it as strawberry tonight. I would have guessed a fruity bubble gum.
It was really good and I am glad to have a new night time tisane for the cold, dark months ahead. I bet it is super good iced, too. I have to do that soon!
S&V Advent Day 1! I’ll only bother leaving reviews for S&V teas that are new to me, but maybe I’ll attempt to keep up with the advent this year.
I’m drinking this cool with milk and sugar, and it’s a decent EG, if not my favorite. I taste a good deal of bergamot, but it doesn’t do anything to distinguish itself. The base is just okay. I actually prefer the various decaf EGs I’ve tried from them through the years!
Kelmishka Homemade Advent Day 2! Making Welsh cakes is a family Thanksgiving tradition, so I just had some a few days ago. My opinion of this tea hasn’t changed since I last had it three years ago. It’s sort of just a murky rooibos that doesn’t have much in common with the cookies I love so much. I always really want to love this one though!
Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 2
My nighttime tea! I’m live-reviewing it.
OK, this is… interesting. First impression is that it smells a bit funky, but that’s fine. Flavorwise… the hibiscus hits first, and I’m worried it’s going to overtake the rest of the blend. But then it recedes, leaving something herbaceous laced with a bit of smooth honey. It’s interesting that they use agave flavor — it tastes like the honey flavor 52Teas uses in a few blends.
Oh, right, the base — the green rooibos really disappears under everything else!
So, a bit tart/juicy, a bit smooth/honeylike, and a bit herbaceous. I probably wouldn’t pick up more of it, but it’s also quite unique and different from most of my herbal blends. A fun one to try.
Flavors: Herbaceous, Hibiscus, Honey, Smooth, Tart
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 2
Whew, this has been a DAY. Not a bad day, just a long one, with thing after thing after thing. It’s now 10:15 p.m. and I’m fiiinally writing this tasting note!
I was so happy to unwrap Manoomin Maple this morning, after wanting to try it for quite a while! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but — whoa. There’s a lot going on here. So much toasty vanilla maple goodness! I couldn’t suss out the berries or the coconut, but I’m sure they were contributing to the super interesting flavor profile.
There’s this one vegan marshmallow company that makes maple mini marshmallows, and honestly, that’s what this blend evoked for me most strongly! It’s soft and pillowy and sweet… but with a bit of depth from the wild rice.
It’s just sliiightly on the sweet side for me — I couldn’t see myself downing a giant mug — but it works really well as a dessert tea to savor.
Super happy to have tried this one!
Flavors: Maple, Marshmallow, Soft, Sweet, Toasty, Vanilla
Adventageddon Day 2
Gongfu!
Though yesterday’s Inoki selection did surprise me in the end, I was still much more excited to see this tea come out of the box today. I was up very early this morning, so I actually managed to fit in two gongfu sessions (this and Tea Thoughts) before leaving for the office, so the day was off to a pretty solid start!
First couple infusions of this were highly buttery and soft, to the point where I’m not entirely unconvinced that this wasn’t potentially flavoured? If it was flavoured I do think it was a pretty restrained amount of flavouring, but definitely more buttery than you would typically see “naturally occur” with a milk oolong/jin xuan. Though I think there’s a lot of flavoured milk oolong passed off as “just tea” to unsuspecting tea shop owners AND customers alike, in general I’m not anti-flavoured milk oolongs. There is something to be said about the consistency that flavouring can bring, especially with tea styles like this that are very weather dependent – something which can be pretty hard to predict and recreate. But if I’d thought there was a possibility there was flavouring in this tea I probably would have picked a different brewing vessel…
Another reason I think it may have been flavoured (or "scented) is that by the third steep all of that buttery flavour was basically gone, and not in a gradual declining of flavours sort of way but more in a ‘you steeped it all out’ sort of vibe. However, I actually LOVED the flavours that remained afterwards. It was very smooth, lush and floral with quite distinctive notes of violets and lilacs that were round feeling on the palate and lingered lightly after the swallow leaving that sort of flower nectar sweetness on the bed of the tongue.
So, in the end, I really enjoyed this tea even if I have some light questions about the authenticity of it or not. To be perfectly clear, I’m NOT accusing Inoki of anything. I don’t know if they know it’s flavoured or not, and there are so many potential circumstances that could be at play here. They never outright said it wasn’t flavoured or scented in the info that comes with the advent, and I’ve also seen soooo many cases where the tea shops either didn’t know their milk oolong was flavoured out of ignorance or were just flat out lied to by the people who wholesaled it to them that they trusted. It’s shockingly quite common.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDF43CoyYo2/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_qS83R9t5c&ab_channel=MICHELLE
I just checked their website and wow, that advent calendar isn’t cheap! I’m not sure you’d expect flavoured jin xuan at that price, especially as they say all their tea is natural. Their tea baths look nice, though again, you’re paying for the “curated” experience.
Adventageddon Day 2
Gongfu!
This was easily my favourite tea from today! It was expectedly floral with really lovely fresh orchid notes. Maybe a little easier on the jasmine than I expected, however. But delicate floral elements aside, it also had really distinctive woody and nutty flavours with a slightly smoky undertone. It reminded me of roasted chestnuts, which was such a pleasant tasting note. Very rich and toasty.
So excited to see what other teas Naz has in store for us!
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDF43CoyYo2/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukcrlVnsAvM&ab_channel=halfaliveVEVO
Adventageddon Day 2
A little bit bummed to see a second bergamot blend in a row from DF, but maybe that means we’re getting them all out of the way early. One can hope, right? Anyway, this one just wasn’t really my cup of tea at all. It’s a very, very classic feeling Earl Grey with a brisk, aromatic presence of bergamot on a somewhat more mineral and brassy tasting black tea base. I’m sure others would appreciate it, though.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDF43CoyYo2/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAG_-GXDGME&ab_channel=GlassAnimalsVEVO
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 2
This is primarily a chamomile and lavender blend. There’s a bit of lemon balm, but mostly just the other two. It’s nice enough, a good balance of the soft, pollen notes of the chamomile with the citrusy, floral lavender.
Nice quality, if a bit basic. A pleasant evening cup.
Flavors: Chamomile, Citrus, Earthy, Floral, Lavender, Pollen, Soft
Preparation
Adventageddon Day 2
Today’s DT blend is one I’m very, very familiar with. We haven’t carried Alpine Punch in a few years now, but it’s back this year not just in the advent but as a seasonal blend. I was so excited to see it come back; that marzipan like almond and coconut profile with all the warming holiday spices and that hint of rose is so nostalgic to me!
Because this is a blend I do know so well I decided to do something fun with it and make it my first eggnog latte of advent season. So, so very rich and the notes of cardamom and roasted almond in particular go very well with that thick, custardy flavour. My only regret is making something so rich as my FIRST tea of the day, and at like 7AM too…
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDF43CoyYo2/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6o97xUHCFE&ab_channel=Whiskey%26Wallows
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.
Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – December 2024 Tea #1 – December 2 – World Pollution Prevention Day: drink an organic tea
I did not expect this to actually be a sipdown today. I also did not expect a green tea from 2015 to be this dang delicious! Wow. It tastes amazing, seeing as how it is almost a decade old. So light, bright, refreshing, sweet. I liked the reminder in this prompt today that “organic” isn’t just about what kinds of things are put into the human body, but also about what is put out into the world. I appreciated that today. I also might have a no-caff organic tea later today from Nil Organic Tea — their Spiced Apple blend. And I also might add some cider to the mug. Kind of like gmathis mixing chai with hot cocoa lately. :D
2024 sipdowns: 82
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 2
Theme: Hot Cocoa
My pick: Fengqing Dragon Pearl by Teavivre
I’m not a huge fan of chocolate teas or rooibos, but this is actually quite nice. The chocolate flavoring isn’t overly boozy, and gives a nice gentle chocolate flavor to the tea. The rooibos base is woody but not medicinal. Overall, a smooth and sweet evening cuppa that would probably go well with milk. Not something I would order for myself, but nice to try. :)
Flavors: Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Rooibos, Smooth, Sweet, Woody
Preparation
Fortnum & Mason Advent Day 2
This is a favorite from their advent line up and I am happy it has been in every advent since we started buying them, including the sachet advent.
The aroma is fantastic. The bergamot is strong enough but not overpowering. It has a candy sweetness in the aroma but is very refined in the cup, and smoother than many Earls. I really like this one and I think it just keeps growing on me.
There are so many different ingredients here that I think they’re working against each other. When I first opened the tin, I had a vague recollection of the aroma, though I couldn’t quite place it.
After steeping for about 3:30, it hit me – it reminded me of the potpourri trend from the late ’80s.
The black tea barely breaks through everything else happening. The clove and bergamot are both rather strong on this one and overpower the other elements. Effectively: it was what I’d imagine the experience would be like if I had taken a sip from Mom’s potpourri pot.
Flavors: Bergamot, Clove
Completely inoffensive. If someone asked for “tea” and didn’t stipulate any further, they’d probably enjoy this very much.
It doesn’t have the early-morning punch I was sort of expecting, but is well rounded with light fruity notes, and would be good just about any time that caffeine isn’t a concern.
Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 2
Better get going on these advent teas ha ha. I got distracted chatting with a friend on Instagram, and now it’s 4:30 and I still have 4 more teas to go! XD
I was excited to see this one in the advent, because it’s actually the only tea in their National Parks series that I haven’t tried. I ordered the sampler at one point, but then they added this tea and Glacier after the fact. So hooray!
This is definitely an interesting one, as I might expect from the strange description (what does agave even taste like other than sweet?). I wonder if I should’ve used less water, because it’s actually a bit bland. Otherwise, not sure how to describe it exactly. There’s definitely an herbaceous taste, and something like dry grass or hay. Something almost starchy that I assume is coming from the yucca root. I do taste hibiscus, it’s not necessarily tart but there’s a hint of that rich fruity taste in the background. And then the finish is a bit honey-like, perhaps that’s the agave flavoring coming in? With some minerality as well. As it cools, it reminds me of OBTC’s Prickly Pear a bit, with a sort of melony flavor to it.
Definitely an unusual one. I don’t see myself ordering a tin of it, as it’s a bit strange. Not unpleasant, just not something I would reach for. Happy to have tried it though!
Flavors: Dry Grass, Floral, Hay, Herbaceous, Hibiscus, Honey, Melon, Mineral, Potato, Roots, Spring Water, Sweet, Thin, Watery, Woody
Preparation
A sipdown from last week of a sampler I think I received in an advent swap. My cupboard is so out of order ’m not sure any more!
Anyway, this is an average black tea. The strawberry flavour is chemically and fake like a candy. However, it is also creamy which is a very nice addition. Not bad by any means, but not excellent either. I appreciate that it is decaf. Slight malt but nothing else remarkable about the base.
Flavors: Chemical, Creamy, Strawberry
Preparation
Came as part of a sampler kit, I don’t usually do herbal / detox teas.
Mostly I taste the peppermint, and some more subtle other herbs, definitely no “real” tea in this.
It’s pleasant, light yellowish-brown color, maybe it’s doing me some herbal goodness, hard to know.
It is decaf, so good for late in the day drinking.
