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Actual conversation with partner:
“You said you wanted a ginger tea. Try this.”
“Is it good? Wow, it definitely smells like ginger. …oh yeah, that’s SUPER ginger.”

So it lives up to its name.

I was kind of dreading this actually. I like ginger but normally find it too astringent in my tea. This one worked for me in the best way. The spice of both the ginger and the peppercorns is warming, and it’s all well balanced. It also makes me think of honey on the initial sip. I could see this being a lovely tea for a cold (that doesn’t taste medicinal at all).

Bonus, I didn’t realize it was a green rooibos tea, so I’ll be more willing to try those in the future. Sorry red rooibos.

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 13

So here’s the thing. I LOVE cinnamon. Especially cinnamon candies. I buy the sizzling cinnamon Jelly Belly packs on their own, and I use the cinnamon fire Jolly Ranchers to get through busy work days, and I’ve been known to use cinnamon mouthwash and floss.

And I want to love this tea in the same way, because I get that Big Red scent right off the top of it before it’s brewed, but the rooibos! Ugh, the rooibos.

I know this tea is a smash hit with so many people. Or at least, it seems that way, because this tea gets lumped in with a bunch of sampler packs. I love a good sampler pack but I always have to hesitate when I see this tea is in it. I struggle so hard with this tea I don’t buy OTHER tea when they’re packaged together.

Truthfully, this is just a personal problem with rooibos, and I’m sure it would be delicious for others. But also, if you know of a good red hot cinnamon tea that doesn’t use rooibos, or if there’s a way to help overwhelm the wood and dirt taste I get from the rooibos and enjoy this one, I’m all ears.

DAVIDsTEA caffeine free advent, day 13

This has been my favorite tea in the sipsby advent so far, which is hilarious. After all my “should I even buy the DAVIDsTEA advent anymore” and “maybe I’ve just tried all their stuff I want to try at this point” I get one out of left field through sipsby.

Through both cups, I was surprised at how much it lives up to its name. I definitely get the light egg/cream of french toast along with the cardamom and cinnamon. It has a sweet element, but I think the black tea base saves it from being completely overwhelming. While I would probably prefer a french toast tea that was less forward on the cardamom, I really enjoyed this one.

My partner prefers unflavored and bitter things, and he said this felt more like a bread pudding than a french toast because it was so sweet for him, but that it was still pleasant.

sipsby advent, day 13*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order)

A friend of mine said she wasn’t excited about this tea but wound up enjoying it a lot, so I was eager to try it despite not enjoying black licorice. The peppermint was the dominant smell. The mint is also evident while drinking, though the flavor certainly takes a back seat to the licorice. It felt like a lump of black licorice stuck in the back of my throat – and I mean stuck, because it lingered there for hours after I gave up on the cup.

teapigs advent, day 13

I didn’t enjoy this last year, and while I’m bumping my rating up to better match my personal scale, I don’t think my opinion changed much.

I’ve never had an eggnog so I can’t say anything about how close it might be to that flavor. I smell warm winter spices but taste sweetness and cream more than the spice. I would rather have more spice and less sweet, but this is okay for an infrequent cup.

DAVIDsTEA advent, day 12

If you’re not a fan of the artificially sweet blends from DAVIDsTEA, this is one to skip.

It looked like so much fun in the tin. I may have oversteeped mine; while I read 5+ minutes as the recommended time, I think mine went more like 15 thanks to a toddler distraction mid-steep. It came out a murky purple.

We’ve already noted I don’t have a discerning palate, but all I get from this is sweet. Like a rock candy, bubblegum, cotton candy type sweet – except I enjoy those things to some extent and did not enjoy this. It was closer to a frosted cereal than the actual blend frosted cereal, actually, and I think my issue was it was such an artificial flavor.

My partner – “This one is bad, right? That’s why you’re holding it out like that – oh yep. Yeah that’s bad.”

DAVIDsTEA caffeine free advent, day 12

Took a long weekend off from my computer, which is extra nice because I’m definitely going to be glued to it for the week as I finish my grades. I’m only halfway through my advents, so I hope I can be forgiven for focusing on finishing them over December/January!

This one was interesting; I’m not sure I would have guessed apple at all if I hadn’t read the name. It’s a pleasant black tea with only hints of the spices I’d associate with apple pie in the back. As it cools, the cinnamon is much more obvious, but I still don’t notice much apple.

sipsby advent, day 12*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order)

“Calm” and “energy” may be pet peeve tea names, but nothing raises my hackles as much as something labeled “cleanse”.

The scent reminds me of teas labeled “sleep”, which I can generally tolerate even if I don’t enjoy them. The lemongrass is prominent in scent and flavor, and I did feel like I was getting ginger in the beginning of the sip. The aftertaste is the worst part, because it feels like a coconut film on my tongue. I hate coconut (only moderately less than I hate the “cleanse” concept).

It’s probably better than celery juice (anyone else in love with Maintenance Phase?) as far as cleanses go, but as far as tea goes, this did not work for me.

teapigs advent, day 12

I was skeptical of this immediately based on the name. After my shock that it’s quite tasty – like a cinnamon pastry with hints of cream and apple – I read reviews and found out that this blend is like, a THING.

It’s a very tasty thing, as it turns out. I’m saved from an immediate purchase by the fact that I’m rarely in the mood for a pastry, and it really gives me that vibe.

(Also, I really don’t know why the pink color is a selling point – it just seems wrong?)

DAVIDsTEA caffeine free advent, day 11

In college, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was a staple on campus – despite multiple Starbucks locations that were more convenient, because of course we had to go here to get the tea. A friend introduced me to the Jasmine Dragon Tea Latte, the very idea of which appalled me until I tasted it. Then I was hooked.

I have not figured out how to make a tea latte yet, but I’m always happy to see a jasmine tea, and this was no exception. This is one I’d buy to have a quick and easy bagged jasmine on hand.

teapigs advent, day 11