Geek + Tea

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 7

I spoke to Roswell Strange who had this one already and asked her if she thought it would make a good latte. I have been drinking about a latte a day which is not the healthiest but perhaps better than the ice cream and milkshake and cookies and stuff my sister has been ordering…or maybe not with the eggnog…but its not that much eggnog. Whatever, I like them. So each day, usually one of my advent teas gets made as a latte, eggnog or otherwise. This was the eggnog latte of the day.

She was right because this makes a tasty latte. I could see the spices being overkill plain but combined with the milk and eggnog its perfect. A lot of flavor from clove and nutmeg. A lot of richness from the prep method. Definite pumpkin spice latte vibes…except without the coffee since I am not into that. Really, really lovely! Like pumpkin pie in liquid form…and without crust!

Cold Brew Sipdown (1411)!

I really didn’t want to finish this one off plain/straight so I cold brewed it and then mixed it with a third of lemonade and that made a world of different. Much sweeter with that fresh tart lemon note, but didn’t lose all of the more natural and woody sweetness of the eleuthero/ginseng. Plus green tea just goes well with lemonade, so it was like having a fancy green tea lemonade. Not a favourite but nice and much more drinkable/enjoyable than if I had just steeped it plain.

Adventaggedon Day 18 – Tea 6/6

…and with this blend, we have officially explored all four of Hogwarts’ houses!

I believe I mentioned this on my note for the Hufflepuff blend earlier in the advent, but aside from Hufflepuff the house I tend to test highest for is Slytherin – and on Pottermore I’ve tested as many times for Slytherin as I have for Hufflepuff. People I know well in real life often seem very surprised that’s the case, and for a long time I didn’t really much understand myself why I was testing so high in Slytherin either. However, I’ve recently come to understand that it’s because of the overlapping traits of Hufflepuffs being very hard workers and Slytherin’s being very ambitious. I have always invested a lot of energy and effort into work – but the reason I do that defintiely comes from a place of wanting career advancement or acknowledgement for my skills…

And I suppose, on a smaller level, there’s the fact that I’m incredibly empathetic/inclusive and able to see things from the perspectives of others very easily. While that is probably more of a Hufflepuff/Gryffindor-ish ability, the Slytherin side is that I also have the capability to use that perception strategically to my own advantage. So yes – Slytherin traits for sure.

I like the concept behind this tea, and the interpretation of Slytherin’s traits – a lot of Slytherin blends seem to play off the house colours, which I guess this blend does a bit with the use of green tea, or they tend to be very smoky and “darkly” flavoured to convey this sort of sense of “evil” – but I think that’s a cop out/misunderstanding of the house. My favourite Slytherin tea is from a small company called The Forest Witch and it’s a pistachio and cherry blend. I don’t think she had much of a rhyme or reason to why she picked the ingredients in it – but I do think cherry is a great Slytherin flavour. It can be dark like a Bordeaux cherry, or you can have a brighter cherry with bite to it.

This blend, while the concept is great, doesn’t really deliver on the taste IMO. It’s a whole lot of green tea, with more herbal ingredients tossed in there. The sweetness of the ginseng if, for me, the saving grace – but it also seems to exaggerate notes of seaweed, grass, and gingko. It’s a bit licorice-y, as well. Reminds me of a bunch of weird leaves and roots and things that one might use in a potion, so I suppose in that way it is kind of Slytherin-ish. I appreciate that, despite the herbal and vegetal direction, it’s not at all bitter though.

Honestly, I think that the Gryffindor blend would have probably made more sense for this house though. That was probably the tastiest of all the house blend too, imo.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI9HTxrAALU/

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 6

I pulled this out and turned to my brother-in-law, who we determined is definitely a Hufflepuff, and was like “its your tea!” However, I did not share it with him. Maybe I should have.

When I noticed this was a rooibos with chocolate and honeysuckle, that screamed latte to me. And since its December, most lattes get a little touch of eggnog thrown in for thickness and festive vibes. So, this was made as an eggnog latte, thrown into my comfy looking plaid mug, and topped with yellow (obviously!) sprinkles. I then enjoyed it while playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos, which was one of my Hannukah gifts to my sister since we have a joke that every time my brother-in-law goes to the firehall their baby “hungry hungry hippos”, as in he wants to eat far more often than normal meaning my sister has to work that much harder to feed, entertain, etc. It all just seemed very Hufflepuff. I view that house as the friendly house, and with traits like kind and loyal, I find them to be comforting as well. So comforting latte vibes in a comforting mug while playing a genuinely friendly and just fun and silly game seemed like the best way to have this blend.

As for the taste, its fine but not what I would have expected from a Hufflepuff blend. Also, not the best flavor overall. It was sort of a standard chocolate rooibos that leaned into the honey notes of the base. Good but nothing I need to have again.

Continuing our marathon of the movies and I made this tea while we watched Goblet of Fire. I remembered this being ok the first time I had it but today it almost tasted like meat, and it threw me off. I dumped it.

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 5

I said that the smoke in the Gryffindor tea made me think of the Death Eaters. That means when I opened this tea dedicated to the Dark Lord and it was just a plain lapsang, I found it pretty appropriate. It’s a nice lapsang too. Not overly smokey but strong enough that it has some interest to it.

Just over 24 hours from now I’ll be back home in Saskatchewan for the first time in nearly four years! Though I’m excited for the vacation and to visit family, I am very much NOT excited about the stressful last minute packing, early morning flights, and long layover. Soooo I’ve been drinking this tea for most of the day as a way to sort of calm down and just power through wrapping everything up before I go. I find this blend super relaxing; the soothing notes of lavender are perfectly balanced with fresh raspberry and red currant notes and it’s got just the right hint of sweetness. Exactly what I needed today…

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu7hyRuO7AJ/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mK8tzdP7Uw

Drank this at the office and really enjoyed it as my mid afternoon cuppa. The rhubarb was light but not weak, and combined with subtle notes of ginger I found the overall cuppa fruity but still soothing/warming. It was a bit melancholic as this was my first time making this tea since Robbie Coltrane’s passing.

But that subtle sadness was also filled with nostalgia.

Cold Brew!

Sipping on this one currently and it’s just lovely! The texture came out a bit thicker and more syrupy than expected, and that added richness of mouthfeel is giving me life in combination with the more honeyed hazelnut notes of the rooibos base and the stronger flavours of raspberry/red fruit and fresh lavender. It’s such a special blend, and I love how all of these very natural flavours from all the components seem to just click together.

Cold Brew!

In what is certainly not a surprise move for anyone reading my tasting notes tonight, I had yet another berry cold brew earlier this week. This time I changed up the berry slightly though and picked something with floral and soothing lavender instead of just hibiscus.

It was honestly delicious though, and very validating of my decision to order a large amount of this blend. Tastes of fresh strawberry and blueberries first and foremost with the honeyed notes of the rooibos and the perfect balance of fresh lavender in the finish. Sweet but not sugary/cloying. Fruity and floral perfection. I love most anything with that “Rooibos de Provence” type of inspiration!

Adventaggedon Day 16 – Tea 5/6

I wish this had been a caffeinated blend today because damn did I need it, but regardless of that it was still my favourite tea of the day! It reminds me of Rooibos de Provence, which is a long since retired DT blend with rooibos, strawberry/blueberry, and lavender. Very similar vibes. I’ve had other teas with that same profile before, but since that was my introduction to that flavour combination it’s the one I always associate it with…

First flavour I get is blueberry, followed by a raspberry/strawberry medley and then sweet rose and soothing lavender. It’s a calm, well balanced blend filled with plenty of flavours but without being sweet or intense. All I could think while drinking it was that this natural, fresh medley of florals and fruit seemed perfect to be named after Hagrid – which is arguably the softest/gentlest half giant.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI4C7sbgyfh/

Cold Brew Sipdown (291)

This tea just has a slight rose quality to it. I really don’t get rhubarb or ginger. I am surprised because I really expected flavor and never seemed to be able to coax it out.

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 4

I have been opening these teas and the 52 Teas teas on the same days that Roswell Strange has been. However, she gave everyone warning that she would be posting about them early. I did not so I felt bad potentially spoiling this and the 52 Teas advent for anyone. So, I have been writing notes in a word doc and sharing them on the appropriate day.

However, Roswell Strange knew I was opening these up so we would talk about them together. She mentioned really liking this one before I started drinking it. That boosted my expectations. I also was excited about a rhubarb ginger tea since both are strong flavors but we don’t see the pairing often. I was expecting flavor, whether I liked it or not. What I didn’t expect was for this to be pretty bland. I guess the issue is that I have not found any recommended steeping parameters, so I went to my default of 3 mins in 200F water. Its just doing nothing for this tea though. Hopefully the last serving I have of this will be better.
As it is now, the base black is nice in giving this depth but isn’t adding much flavor. And then I get a fruitiness. It actually is almost like a red fruits black tea that you would find from a French company. I am pretty sure that’s not what they were going for though and since Roswell Strange liked it, my guess is its user error at play here.

Sipdown (198)

My siblings and I decided to rewatch the Harry Potter movies before going back to work. Today we have to watch two to make up for lost time due to technical issues the first night. We’re on the Chamber of Secrets right now and I’m watching it with this tea leftover from last year’s Geek + Tea advent calendar.

This tea actually has a great green apple flavour. Not much smoke is left but it still has the faintest campfire apple vibe. I like it a lot but it’s not a great blend for Gryffindor.

Check out the pic here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYE1ahWOifv/?utm_medium=copy_link

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 3

When I pulled this out and mentioned it was a Gryffindor tea, my family and I got into a bit of a discussion over what houses we belong to. I am the true Harry Potter fan in my house (curse you JK Rowling for writing an awesome story and then coming out with really transphobic comments!) but my brother-in-law and sister are both obviously familiar with the stories – mostly through the movies. From their perspectives, Gryffindor is THE house to be in so my brother-in-law was disappointed when I told him he was almost definitely a Hufflepuff. That led to us all taking a house sorting quiz (a la Buzzfeed since the Pottermore website required a login and we were all too lazy to do that. It can be found here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/accurate-af-sorting-quiz). The results indicated I was predominantly Ravenclaw, he was mostly Hufflepuff and my sister was a balance of Gryffindor and Slytherin. No surprises there.

What was surprising is that this is a spiced apple green tea. I am with Roswell Strange since I definitely would not have thought of this flavor profile for a Gryffindor blend. I even double checked the website to make sure it wasn’t a Slytherin blend since that would be the house I would maybe associate this with, sheerly for color reasons. Oh and also because there is a slight smokiness from lapsang that also seems more connected to Slytherin…well some famous Slytherins…the death eaters that apparate in clouds of smoke. So in that sense, this tea really missed the mark for me.

Tastewise, this tea is not bad though. I didn’t know how much I would like it but I really do. I would call it campfire apple since its got a great crisp green apple flavor which is not waxy at all. And then it has the smokiness from the lapsang that takes this up a notch. I even get the fennel/anise Roswell Strange talked about and while that often veers too close to licorice for my enjoyment, it really works here. It’s a tasty tea for sure. It’s not a Gryffindor blend.

P is for… Pumpkin Juice Chai!

Sipdown (1402)!

Didn’t mind revisiting this tea as it was a nice, albeit standard, take on a Pumpkin Chai profile. I didn’t really pay it much mind since the spice combination was so typical but I know it made for a very nice, soothing and consistent late night cuppa. However, I’m adding the rest into the TTB because I think others will be able to get more enjoyment from this fun Harry Potter inspired profile.

Adventaggedon Day 14 – Tea 6/6

Anything overtly pumpkin, admittedly, feels way more like an Autumnal profile to me and so I definitely felt a bit like this tea was out of place in the 12 Tea Countdown.

With that said, it smells pretty fucking incredible. Lots of clove and allspice with a thick vanilla note as well – more pumpkin spice than actually pumpkin, obviously, but still a nice pumpkin spice combination. That clove/allspice and vanilla mix in particular always makes me think of a nice slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. So yummy! Even store bought pumpkin pie is rarely a disappointment.

The dry leaf also has these gorgeous strips/curls of pumpkin too!

Steeped – it’s nice, but not as much as what it smelled like. Fans of a nice, classic Pumpkin Chai will enjoy this one a lot – but I am not a pumpkin chai consumer and I found myself a bit disappointed by how much the cinnamon and cardamom came out in the taste and how little clove and vanilla I was getting. It was also a hair astringent for my liking – though it improved as it cooled, in flavour as well.

Not really unpleasant in the first place though – just too classic for me.

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIy5e4PAbit/

Iced Tea Sipdown (298)

This is a really nice blueberry tea, though the white base comes out a touch more when iced. It’s a floral blueberry that makes me think of blueberry pom drinks for some reason.

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 2

As a self-proclaimed Ravenclaw, I was pretty excited to pull this one out of the box. As someone who does not love white teas, my excitement dissipated a bit. Then a little more when I realized the white tea used was bai mu dan, which is my least favorite. With that said, as far as bai mu dan teas go, this isn’t bad. The blueberry flavor is awesome and balances well with the white tea so overall the tea is good. Alas, not one I would reach for often because at the end of the day it’s still a white tea and I tend to overlook those.

Geek + Tea Advent Teas – Day 1

I made this as an eggnog latte. I mentioned it on Roswell Strange’s note for this tea but something weird happened with the orange flavoring for me. It was good at first but then sort of oily and artificial. Like orange tums or someone spraying orange febreeze in my mouth. Just sort of a slick orange flavor that threw me for sure. There was definitely other flavors going on but I was so distracted by the orange that I honestly can’t recall what.

Sipdown (1465)!

Made this as a hot cup but then I got distracted by the show I was watching and I forgot about the tea – so I drank it when it was cold. I think it was actually maybe better that way; the chilled notes of cocoa gave me almost “chocolate milk” vibes (sans milk) and the honey flavour of the rooibos and pleasant sweet nutty notes seemed even stronger too. Really delicious and rich!

I think better Hufflepuff teas definitely exist, but I can’t deny that this is a pleasant tea.

Adventaggedon Day 12 – Tea 4/6

I have been both eagerly and anxiously waiting for this tea because it’s house blend for Hufflepuff, which is my house! To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a Hufflepuff blend that I liked – and I’m not sure if that’s just because I’m picky and have built up expectations, if it’s because the essence of the house is just that hard to capture into a tea blend, or if the few Hufflepuff blends that I’ve tried have just been… meh.

With all that pressure in mind, I thought that this take on a Hufflepuff tea was okay. It’s a rooibos blend with chocolate, honeysuckle, and plum flowers and while all of those things kind of sound like they would be fitting for a Hufflepuff then overall taste was just a little plain and underwhelming. Mostly a nice, smooth and soft chocolate rooibos. Not unpleasant at all, but sort of just… meh.

I know a lot of people feel like that sentiment of “not unpleasant but just meh” describes Hufflepuff house, but we’re more than that! Loyal, kind, hard working, inclusive, fair! Like, we’re pretty fucking awesome…

So, what would my perfect Hufflepuff blend be!? Well, it’s easy to turn to the idea of cozy and comforting flavours and there is this idea of Hufflepuffs maybe being more food lovers, plus the house is next to the kitchen. So, if you were going to take that route then I think a rooibos or honeybush blend with dark, velvety chocolate and jammy plums could be nice – which draws inspiration from the Pottermore questions about the “potion you would drink”.

However, the aspects I like best about Hufflepuff are the loyalty/reliability, hard work, and dedication we put into everything we do – and so for that I actually think a really bold and full bodied breakfast/builders black tea would be really good! The kind of thing that gets you ready to face the day, and is a constant part of a routine with a consistent and rich flavour. Maybe, to touch on some of those softer, cozier aspects, with some honey and milk!? Honestly, that kind of feels more right to me…

So yeah – Hufflepuff teas…

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

Gongfu Sipdown (1458)!

Morning session from yesterday! This is a very intense Lapsang Souchong with plenty of smoke to go around!! While this tea does steep out quickly, the steeps I did get were deeply smoky in an almost numbing camphorous way with undertone notes of tobacco, bright red fruit juices, and forest undergrowth and woods! Very delightful and honestly just put me in an excellent mood going into the rest of the day!!

My smoky yixing is coming along so nicely too!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTsGmHardaq/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4btesy1tNJc&ab_channel=HoboJohnson

Adventaggedon Day 10 – Tea 6/6

Nothing to put you quite in the holiday spirit like a tea named after Lord Voldemort.

That said, I was so incredibly excited to see this tea this morning because it meant I had an excuse to have a nice Gongfu tea session! Between being so slammed at work with the holiday season, the podcast, and balancing doing six advent calendars I’ve really not had time to squeeze in any Gongfu sessions on top of all that. However, I started my day with one and it really put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. So, I guess you could say that he who shall not be named really did boost my holiday cheer!

This isn’t the best Lapsang Souchong that I’ve ever had, but it really hit the spot this morning and I was definitely not in the mood to be picky about it. The taste is pretty intense/harshly smokey but with a brassy/metallic type of twang about it. Like licking a penny that’s been in a campfire pit – but in an actually tasty way, as gnarly as that sounds. Over steeps it got a little fruitier, with more of a red fruit twang than a metallic twang. Also pretty woody, as well.

Loved this!! The Harry Potter advent seriously continues to deliver!

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIov0XiAU8T/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZLS_ZHUHJc&ab_channel=CallMeKarizma