Poppin' Christmas Butter Toffee

I liked this a lot, but even with a longer brew it didn’t quite pack the punch I anticipated. Definitely a more gentle and mellow one (probably because it’s Rooibos-based). It’s got a good popcorn/toasty flavour.

B&B Advent 2021 Day 6

This one is quite unique with a distinct roasted yet buttery popcorn flavour. Like the scent when you just start to overcook popcorn kernels. There’s a slight bitterness that lends itself to toffee as well. As it cools the buttery flavour comes forward.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 6!

Well, hello there! I’m an absolute sucker for buttery, caramel-y flavors despite being vegan—or maybe because of it! Getting to try vegan versions of something that usually relies heavily on dairy really tickles me. That’s probably why I’m drawn to so many teas inspired by buttery desserts.

Anyway, this is a winner in my book. The dry blend smells very sweet and buttery, but the brewed tea isn’t sickly sweet at all. I was worried the rooibos would be overpowering, but here it’s an almost invisible base. Instead, most of the flavor comes from the puffed quinoa and toasted rice, giving this a lovely light nuttiness. At first I was a little thrown by how nutty and toasty the flavor profile is, but after letting it cool a minute or two, I could detect a hint of sweetness—more a suggestion than anything else.

I usually take my tea black, but I added a tiny spot of oat milk to this one toward the end and it really rounded out the flavor and brought out a bit more creamy sweetness. I’m currently going for a second steep on my tea bag and hoping none of the flavors gets lost!

B&B currently has a limited run of this one available for sale, and I’m debating placing an order. I wanted to wait till I was done with the advent calendar to stock up on some favorites, but I’m worried this one will be gone… sigh! What to do.

In some steeps, the strongest flavor ends up being the popped rice. The rooibos isn’t the most delicious in this blend, but it’s a pretty strong flavor too. There’s a bit of dessertiness that must be the toffee, but it’s not strong enough. I also get a bit of butter. It’s definitely better with milk. Hot, I have to say I didn’t love it. I put it in the fridge to revisit the next morning, and that really improved things. Now it’s pretty cohesive, and I could see it as a flavored popcorn. The rooibos is still a little bleh, but all the flavors on top of it work together. I’ll just make sure to always have this one cold going forward!

This just isn’t for me. The rooibos is very much at the forefront, with a bit of a toasted rice flavor, and tons of salt. This will be going into the swap pile.

Adventaggedon Day 11 – Tea 4/6

This was a polarizing tea in my IG advent group today! I was fasnicated by the concept, but worried after reading the ingredients list and seeing some initial reviews from people in the advent group. I ended up being in the half of people who really enjoyed it though!

I find it reminds me a little bit of a rooibos based Genmaicha, which is a super interesting profile/vibe – toasty and cozy grains, with a nuttier red rooibos base. The “butter toffee” must purely be coming from flavouring, but it’s actually pretty nice. Super subtle/mild, but that sweet butterscotch like flavour does creep through and works very nicely with everything else happening. A nice, milder take on a sweet and decadent profile and a nice break up from some of the other profiles that have felt repetitious from Bird & Blend this year.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIrJJjIAnq9/