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Homemade advent day 22

My morning tea is this teavivre oolong I had forgotten I had tried before. This packet is 8g and was unopened, so I still have a few cups worth of leaf left. I used probably 3g with 85 degree C water. I’m too impatient to wait for my microwave for longer than 1 min 30 sec.

This does not taste like almonds but there is a vaguely nutty flavour. I can taste orchid/floral oolong and a slightly bitter roasted flavour. The most notable thing about this cup is how it almost tastes like shampoo or soap. The very strong floral flavour combined with the slightly bitterness and thicker texture tastes like some sort of perfumed product. I don’t prefer it, but it isn’t necessarily bad to everyone.

Homemade advent day 15

I made this as a coldbrew, despite the cold conditions here in BC. No snow yet, but almost two weeks straight of daily rain and gloom. A few days recently have had brief sunny periods and I feel inspired to make a fruity coldbrew for the occassion. I chose this sample I took out of a TTB because the ginger is wintery and warming but the peach is fruity and suits a coldbrew. I didn’t love the cup as much as I normally enjoy ginger teas.

The ingredients sound great, because ginger, papaya pieces, apple, orange blossom, and peach pieces sound like an amazing combo. The4 peppercorns give this an extra kick of spicy! However, there is also a small amount of very potent rosehips that make this blend very acidic. I wasn’t expecting this to be so sour and because the ginger is naturally sweet I hoped it would balance out. The second steep had more ginger and less fruit but was still sour. A real disappointment.

Homemade advent day 17

I’m down to only one more cup of this since I used about 2 tsp for my cup this morning. I appreciate how reliable this tea is because it always makes a solid cup. The floral rose flavour and fruity peach work well together. There is a lot more fruit than flower but I’m fine with this because the rose is hiding in the aftersip. There is a natural sweetness and vegetal quality to the base. The base is smooth and slightly thick but also almost creamy.

Homemade advent day 16

I love peppermint. So simple and relaxing. Not a lot to say about this one. It is a nice (And cheap) peppermint that comes in teabags.

Homemade advent day 14

I tried to brew this strong (15+ minutes steeping in hot water, then splash of soy milk) but it tastes lackluster. A 65/100 at best. The black base is fine but nothing remarkable. The berries are more of a generic fruitiness today instead of specific berries. I love the idea of this blend, but this cup just isn’t great. I’m not changing my rating just yet because it is possible my microwave didn’t heat up the water as much as it should have (it acts weirdly sometimes)

Home made advent day 9

This is my new go-to spearmint now that my previous sources are too expensive or no longer sell a spearmint tea. This is just plain spearmint with no added flavours. I like the sweetness that comes from spearmint and it has less menthol than peppermint. It also doesn’t induce heartburn as much as peppermint does after a meal. I like how fresh this spearmint is and that the leaves are broken into the perfect size (not fine dust but not too large).

Homemade advent day 11

I’ve never had this blend before but I really enjoyed it. I went into the cup not knowing what type of tea it was other than that it smelled fruity and looked like a black tea.

It reminds me of a muscat tea I once had from Lupicia. Wine/grape flavours, fruity notes, and something I thought was mango and strawberry. Mostly the mango, though. I was almost fooled into wondering if this was an oolong because the wine flavour made me think of a fruity and floral jade oolong. If you have ever had the mango oolong, momo supreme, or muscat oolong you will probably enjoy this blend. I would describe it as mostly fruity with some ripe fruit notes, hints of grape/wine and mango, and a flavourful but smooth base. No bitterness or sour tannicity here!

Homemade Advent Day 12

This week is going to be so busy. I needed a nice winter drink to get me going after a mostly sleepless night. It is especially difficult knowing my week has so much going on (a lot of virtual meetings and working from home projects). I chose to make a sparkling rose latte. If you don’t know what this is, it is a drink that Starbucks (used to? still does?) offer which uses ground rooibos powder, frothed milk, and blossoming rose syrup (a rose flavoured sweet syrup with a red fruit note). I made this myself using a store bought ground rooibos and rose syrup. It is one of my favourite drinks because it is sweet and very tasty. I use 3/4 soy milk and 1/4 water (boiling hot and then whisked until frothy), whisk in the rooibos powder and some rose syrup and there you have it!