52teas

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 11

Yay, a 52teas banana blend! I love the banana flavor she uses, and it doesn’t disappoint here. I’m not really getting a distinct peach note. I see some folks mentioned this being good as a cold brew, so I might try that with the leaf I have left.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 9

AJRimmer helpfully noted that this probably needs to be overleafed. I ended up overleafing and adding a spoonful of honey, which made for a pretty tasty cuppa. Raspberry, creamy sweetness, and a touch of grassiness from the green tea. Delicate but flavorful. Finished it off very quickly!

Advent tea swap!
I used too hot of water for the first steep and only got a hint of coconut and banana. The second steep is a very nice genmaicha with a slight banana finish. A nice cuppa.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 5

I absolutely butchered this one. No one to blame but myself. I got distracted and oversteeped by at least ten minutes, so the resulting brew was very astringent and made my stomach hurt. It was, however, still pleasantly fruity! I got the mango and lemon, not so much the strawberry. But with the bad steep, it’s entirely possible that the strawberry is more present under normal conditions. I’ll just have to be more careful :-)

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 2

Ooh, another tea from a company I’m fond of, yay! The raspberry here is just the right level of tart and not particularly sweet, and it pairs nicely with the mint. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was great after a big lunch. Even better as a tea soda. Very happy with this one.

Sipdown 29 – 2025

Logging the sip down.

Sipdown 26 – 2025

This has sadly lost a lot of its pomegranate flavor. Drink your teas when they’re fresh!

I made a mug of this tea yesterday and it had a lot more of a kick to it than I remembered! Once I got past the unexpected chili heat in my first sip, I quite enjoyed the balance of flavours though. Rich and chocolate-y with strong notes of raw cacao followed by a cozy and very warming mix of spices such a ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Also, obviously, chili. I liked that it was rich but not so sweet, and I really tasted what I believe was the nutmeg in the finish quite a lot actually. In many ways, this was like drinking the liquid version of a chocolate bar with chili. I don’t know exactly what kind of chili is used here, but it reminded me a lot of ancho chili peppers.

TTB! I taste the spice, but no cheesecake. It’s nice, but I wish I could taste cheesecake! It looks like it’s a few years old, so maybe there used to be cheesy flavor. Still a pleasant chai, but not extraordinary.

Maybe it’s the grey in the name, but this is one I tend to reach for when the sky is overcast. The whole blend has a mellow, gentle sort of quality to it. As I was scooping the tea from the pouch, I saw at least one generous piece of vanilla and something that I thought was fruit, but since there isn’t any fruit here, it must have been a piece of burnt sugar candy. Everything about this blend is mellow: the black tea, the bergamot, the vanilla. It’s like a cotton candy fluffy earl cloud. But not TOO sweet. Two great steeps.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep

Sipdown #27

Focusing on sipdowns as I prepare for the advent onslaught! And actually writing a note for this one, because apparently I didn’t review it during last year’s 52teas advent. (Or was it the 2023 advent…?)

I really love the fluffy, soft profile of Graveyard Mist, and Holiday Mist is a nice play on it. It’s funny because I don’t know that the additional fruity note screams “mandarin” to me — it’s more a generically tropical flavor, in my opinion. But it’s super tasty and bright. I think I still prefer Graveyard Mist, but this is a fun alternative!

Sipdown 31 – 2025

This is so festive and fun. Love the roasty chestnut note with the spices.

I started getting out my holiday teas, and was excited to see enough of this for 2 more cups. Honestly, wish I had more because this cup is delicious. The roasted flavor has come out more with age, and it’s reminding me of getting roasted chestnuts on the streets in Paris on Christmas Eve (that was a great trip).

I’d prefer this with a different base, but fruity spiced teas aren’t really my thing regardless. With milk and sugar, it’s decent, but I wouldn’t choose this over other spiced teas or other fruity teas.

The first steeping of this was really nice! Mid and base notes, creamy coconut. I had a hard time waiting the recommended 10 minutes for it to cool, but I think it was the right choice. I drank it down pretty quickly. The second steeping I forgot about and I don’t know if it was because of that or that it’s a one steep type of tea, but the second cup was lacking. First cup FTW!

The banana flavoring here is candy-like, but I don’t mind. I like this best cold with almond milk. Sometimes, the banana is so tasty and perfect. Other times, I feel more medium about this one. I never noticed any chocolate, but I enjoyed the honeybush base.

52Teas has a real way with autumnal blends. Since that’s my favorite season, too, I really enjoy their ‘take’ on the season! This packet got lost in the back of my cabinet, so when the 2025 Sipdown Challenge was issued, I found it in the box of packeted teas unfortunately overlooked for some time.
While not as strong as it would have been when newer, I found this tea redolent of the best of autumn: yes, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg of course, but the pumpkin was still discernible, welcome! Too many PSLs, both coffees and teas, have all the spices, but fail to include real pumpkin. That’s not the case here!
I hope this tea will be reissued, as it’s a lovely blend.

I don’t notice cookies specifically, but I enjoy the spices in this blend! It’s well-balanced and tasty with sugar and milk. I liked it best cold!

Lots of cinnamon in this, but not the spicy kind, but the baked kind. I get a hint of sweetness which must be the maple. I think I can pick out the fruit, but it’s blended in so well with the other flavors that it’s hard to pick out on it’s own. This is a nice evening cup and I’m delighted that it’s on a honeybush base!

This was desserty and nice with milk and sugar! I liked it best cold, but I never could tell that it was supposed to be gingerbread or coffeecake specifically. It was tasty though!

I’m so intrigued with flavored Houjichas! This has a definite butter rum flavor to it. I feel like the roastiness of the houjicha sits in the background as more of a base. I’m not super familiar with the taste of kukicha, so I can’t say what that is adding. I’m enjoying this cup quite quickly! I like!

This is a little salty and pleasant. The base goes well with the chocolate, which tastes a little alcohol-y, but not too bad. This was pleasant cold, though not my favorite sort of thing.

I’m drinking this tea cold, and it’s super smooth. I taste some fruitiness and a medium flavor that could be the donut. It’s missing the acidity that would make me think apple cider specifically, but I really don’t mind. It tastes good! The resteep is fruity and bright. I don’t even really taste the black base, just delicious fruit.