2955 Tasting Notes
Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #10
This is an interesting blend. While I go understand the blend is supposed to be a negroni that uses bitters in it, I find this blend way too bitter. Not in a bitter melon way but more like orange rind (marmalade?) or that white pithy stuff on a Mandarin or tangerine. The rooibos is nice, but even milk couldn’t save this one. It did brew up very orange in colour though! I can taste a herbaceous kind of flavour, especially in the after taste. It isn’t quite sage but is some sort of plant I can’t identify. Overall just not for me at all. It also doesn’t taste like any Negroni cocktail I’ve ever had (no sweetness or acidity)
Flavors: Bitter, Earthy, Herbal, Orange Zest, Rooibos
Preparation
Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #9
This tea is delicious! I wouldn’t say it tastes like cookie, but the thick, sweet, creamy taste makes me think of cinnamon rice pudding. It’s an excellent dessert tea. I’m astonished at how creamy and vanilla-y this blend is. The tea is so fresh too! The cinnamon doesn’t have that fake sweetener taste that some teas get when they are heavy on the cinnamon bark. I think I just found a new favourite!
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Cream, Sweet, Vanilla
Preparation
Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #8
This is a lovely green. I thought it was a Korean green at first because it tastes a lot like sejak. I get some umami – almost like seaweed or miso soup but with more loamy minerals. It’s actually very well balanced for a green tea that I overleafed and oversteeped. The bitterness is balanced by the potent flavour without being overwhelming. It is not astringent or drying like tannic greens can be. It reminds me a little of a vegetable broth but without the salt. The flavours are subtle in general, but strong for a green tea. Lightly vegetal but I can’t pick out any specific vegetables except maybe faint kelp.
Sweetness: 2/10
Sourness: 0/10
Bitterness: 4/10 (in a good way)
Potency: 7/10
Flavors: Green, Loam, Mineral, Seaweed, Vegetable Broth
Preparation
Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #7
As a big fan of genmaicha, I was happy to see this in my advent calendar box. Quite bittersweet like dry wood and crispy/burnt edges of food. Toasty and with a definite genmaicha houjicha mix. It’s dark like a houjicha but very toasted and with noticeable grain notes.
Flavors: Dark Wood, Roasted Barley, Toast, Toasted Rice, Woody
B&B Advent Tea #7
This is exactly what you mgiht expect from a mulled cider fruit tea. There’s a base of dried apples, some hibiscus and cranberry tartness, lots of spices like cinnamon. It really packs a punch with the strong ginger spiciness (which I like). So far I have enjoyed this hot and cold, but there isn’t anything remarkable about it. I love the ginger but cinnamon apple/cider is such a common combo that I’ve had so many similar blends.
Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Dried Fruit, Ginger, Hibiscus, Spicy, Sweet
This was a lovely evening cup of peppermint brewed in boiling hot water. I’m lucky that my friends keep tea in case I am at their house. These individual sachets keep things fresh. The menthol is strong, but soothing. It has a little bit of natural sweetness. This brand makes one of the better peppermints out there – very strong and fresh.
Sweetness: 3/10
Sourness: 0/10
Bitterness: 0/10
Potency of flavour: 8/10
Flavors: Menthol, Mint
Preparation
Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #6
Although I enjoy prickly pear fruit and dragon fruit (also from a cactus), I strongly disliked this tea. Do you know that chemical plastic smell in a dollar store? This is that smell. It is plasticy but also a bit green (like bittermelon) and there are some mineral notes. The brew is a lovely subtle pink, which is nice. The taste was just not my thing.
Sweetness: 1/10
Sourness: 2.5/10
Bitterness: 10/10
Potency of flavour: 6/10
Flavors: Bitter Melon
Preparation
B&B Advent Tea #6
I enjoyed this rooibos-forward blend. Some nice dried fruit sweetness, a little bit of acidity from the fruit too. Lots of tasty warming cinnamon and a sweet rooibos base. I think rooibos pairs very well here. Unfortunately I did not get any strudel flavour. I would have liked some buttery pastry and vanilla icing notes.
Sweetness: 6/10
Sourness: 2/10
Bitterness: 0/10
Flavour Potency: 7/10
Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Dried Fruit, Honey, Rooibos, Sweet
Preparation
B&B Advent Tea #5
I drank this one hot yesterday but did not enjoy it hot due to the hibiscus acidity. It was pretty good once it got cold. The major flavour is sour hibiscus, followed by citrus peels (dried orange rind and maybe some dried citrus fruit pieces too), clove, and cinnamon. It is quite festive, but I think it would have been much better with a rooibos base. There was also a bit of bitterness from the orange rind that I did not enjoy.
Sweetness 1.5 or 2/10
Sourness: 8/10
Bitter: 3/10
Flavour potency: 7/10
Flavors: Acidic, Bitter, Cinnamon, Clove, Hibiscus, Orange, Sour, Spices