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Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 22 (from November backlog)

Uh oh, this one lists gingerbread flavor again… Bubblegum, here I come! Although really, the dry sachet smells strongly of cherry, and it has a nice tartness to it which is promising.

Not really getting bubblegum here for some reason… I wonder if it’s gingerbread and orange together that does it? Regardless, I am relieved. This has a strong and sweet cherry flavor, which narrowly avoids tasting like a cough drop. I think it has just enough tartness to remind me more of a dried cherry or at least a cherry sour candy. I also taste the marzipan, and a little warmth from the gingerbread. Apparently this has ginger oil in it, so I’m surprised that there’s not a stronger ginger presence. The base tea has a woody flavor, which I actually enjoy with the added flavors.

Very pleasant, but not something I see myself ordering. I prefer a slightly more tart cherry flavor, and already have a tea from Dammann that fills that need. Plus, I also find myself shying away from marzipan teas these days, having tried plenty of them in my tea “youth”. :P

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 22

Ooh, it’s not a masala chai or a turmeric tisane! I don’t love rose, but the ingredients sound very interesting so I’m excited to try this.

The aroma is rose, cardamom, and honey, which bodes well! Hmm, I’m not sure I got enough black tea in my scoop, as the base is rather thin. But the flavors are nice! I like the rose with the cardamom, it mellows out the floral note a bit. I do get quite a bit of honey in the taste as well, perhaps from the saffron? I can taste its sweet earthy presence here. As for the nuts, maybe a little bit of almond? But it’s possible I didn’t shake the tin well enough and all of the nut dust is at the bottom…

It has the potential to be very good, but the thinness of the black tea is distracting to me, and it’s like I can taste the water underneath it all. Perhaps more leaf next time?

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJG5NvpANyn/)

Happy advent calendar day 22!

DAVIDsTEA has another matcha treat today, this time it’s gummy alligators. So I pulled out a half-finished mini tin of this to sip down instead! Prepared hot and straight, about a teaspoon of matcha for 8 ounces of warm water.

This has a weird powdery texture that I’m not a fan of. I don’t see that I mentioned that in my last note, so maybe it’s due to age? Anyway it’s almost gritty but with very fine granules. The flavor isn’t my favorite orange either, it’s rather similar to orange marmalade with a touch of bitterness. I’m not a marmalade lover.

I added milk to the second half to try to smooth out the texture, and it did help a bit. Now this is reminding me of an Orange Julius without the sugar… XD

Today’s jam is Strawberry-Wild Strawberry Spread. I’m not sure I know the difference, having not eaten wild strawberries… But I do enjoy strawberry jam, so huzzah! This has a lovely sweet strawberry flavor to it, and a hint of tartness. I really love Bonne Maman’s Intense Strawberry (and their Intense line in general), and this isn’t quite as flavorful as that one. But still delicious! Strawberry is also the flavor I had in France, so this is bringing back nice memories as well… :)

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJG5NvpANyn/)

Leaving the matcha rating the same, since I’m not sure whether the weird texture is from age…

Kusmi Advent Calendar – Day 21

What a pretty wrapper! It’s a lovely coral color.

It’s actually quite a bit blander than I expected, given that I used a small amount of water. It does have a nice peach candy flavor with a bit of tartness, it reminds me of slightly sour Peachie-Os. I can taste some apple as well, and a bit of apricot. There wasn’t a ton of hibiscus in my sachet, so it’s tart but not sour.

I do like the combination of peach and hibiscus here, so I’m happy to finish the cup.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELciWgFOJ/)

Another holiday tea from my recent order!

This one is fairly good, much better than the Nutcracker black tea. It has a nice cookie flavor to it, and notes of molasses and soft spices. The base is a little woodier than I would like, just like the other blend. It dominates a bit at the beginning of the sip, but then the sweeter desserty notes come out and it’s a lovely cuppa.

I’ll have to experiment more with steeping time for these teas to see how I can minimize the woodiness. I don’t mind woody tea, but it just doesn’t go well with gingerbread cookie!

Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 21

My sample had a lot more hibiscus than the photo! Although hibiscus is also first in the list of ingredients, so maybe the photo is just misleading.

It’s definitely very tart! But honestly, tart and orange kind of go together so I’m not mad at it. I do agree with Dustin that it kind of tastes like a more sour cranberry juice. And I happen to like cranberry juice, so that’s fine with me.

Not something I would ever order because it’s just not my thing, but the cup was quite enjoyable this evening.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELciWgFOJ/)

Adagio Advent Calendar – Day 21

Not terribly excited for this one, just because Adagio’s other holiday teas have been meh…

It’s not bad though. Mostly it’s spicy cinnamon candy flavor with a bit of orange as well. It reminds me of Hot Cinnamon Spice but with less sweetness.

Not a favorite, but pleasant enough and definitely festive.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELciWgFOJ/)

Palais des Thés Advent Calendar – Day 21 (from November backlog)

The Marvelous Tea! Sorry, the name of this just cracks me up… It also claims to be “bursting with flavours and emotions” which is equally hilarious. Dry scent is strong marzipan and nuts with cinnamon.

The flavor is very cinnamon-forward, which is surprising given the wrapper doesn’t mention cinnamon at all. Strong, sweet cinnamon and marzipan are the predominant notes here. I think there’s a hint of apple as well? It’s reminding me very much of amaretti cookies, which isn’t a bad thing. I don’t taste the base at all, in fact if you told me this was a black tea I would probably believe you (aside from the color).

It’s not unpleasant, but I’ve had my fill over the years of marzipan or almond extract-flavored teas. The cinnamon does add a bit of interest, but it’s still too sweet and too marzipan-y for me to consider having in my cupboard. But very festive, I suppose! :)

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 21 (from November backlog)

This one sounds interesting – a green tea with star anise, chestnut, maple, chocolate, clementine, and popcorn? I can’t imagine what this will taste like! The sachet has a very potent anise aroma that gives me pause… Ah well, here we go!

Well… It’s interesting for sure. The star anise is definitely the strongest note here, though it’s possible I got unlucky with my sachet. I do taste a bit of clementine in the middle of the sip, which adds a nice brightness. The end is all maple syrup, which is lovely as I generally find maple teas underwhelming. It tastes very much like real maple syrup as well, which is astonishing.

What a weird combination this is. The star anise is so overpowering, I have to wonder if I just happened to get extra in my sachet. It mostly tastes like black licorice, ha ha. I would be interested to try it again to compare, but I suppose I’ll have to settle for reading others’ advent notes. ;)

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 21

I have four fruit/herbal tisanes from my advents today, and I’m excited about zero of them… So I figured even though I usually save them for the evening, I’ll get two out of the way early so I have room for some teas I actually like later… XD

(And if anyone is still counting, this is turmeric tea #6 from the Vahdam advent…)

I’ll be honest, I was dreading this one… Some of their other teas have had a bit too much pepper for me, so the name didn’t bode well. But honestly, this isn’t really peppery to me. It’s mostly just turmeric with cardamom and a bit of clove. I get a wee little bit of peppery warmth in the background, but no kick.

So thankfully, this one is fine. Very earthy from the turmeric, of course, but somewhat mild compared to the other turmeric tisanes I’ve tried.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELciWgFOJ/)