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Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 21

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, as Arby included a note that it can skew sour, especially when brewed hot. I cold-brewed it and am drinking it as I wind down this evening. It’s pretty complex and interesting, with a faint herbal bite that I associate with aromatic bitters. Maybe it’s the orange or lemon peel? There’s also some sweetness, and then lots of bright fruit notes.

12 Teas of Christmas: Day 8

I remember being surprised that I could tolerate a banana tea from 52Teas a few years ago, because banana is not my thing. This year, though, I found myself actively enjoying it?! Growth!

Yeah, so I mostly get mild banana candy atop a mineral-y oolong. I’m weirdly not picking up any eggnog notes!

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 19

I am on break from school/work/internship, so I started my vacation with a relaxing bath that included tea, chocolate, a candle, and a book. Bliss!

My serving included a LOT of whole chamomile flowers/buds, so this was a very chamomile-forward cup laced with a bit of licorice sweetness. A nice relaxing blend.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Days 18 & 20

Day 18 – Zelda’s Lullaby (Tea Hippie): A very pleasant, chamomile-forward tisane with mild fruity notes. Tasty!
Day 20 – Rose Oolong (Victoria Tea Company): Hellooooo, rose! I didn’t pay a ton of attention to this one while drinking it, but yes. It was very rosy. :)

12 Teas of Christmas: Day 7

I steeped this one up not knowing what the flavor profile was intended to be and found myself puzzling over it! To me it’s mostly like a mild black breakfast tea with faint notes of something sweet and a bit grainy—and now I see it’s meant to be buttered toffee/caramel corn! I still think those flavors are verrry light, which I honestly don’t mind. I wanted something a bit more straightforward this morning anyway.

12 Teas of Christmas: Day 6

So good! I thought I’d reviewed this one when it came in my subscription box initially, but I guess not! I was surprised and delighted to see it turn up in the advent box. The pineapple is just so fresh and juicy, and it pairs so well with the creamy vanilla notes. A banger of a tea that’s delicious hot or cold.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 17

Had this one last night while finishing up my final paper for this semester… so close to being done! Then I’m on break from my internship AND taking PTO from work, so I’ll have about a week and a half of freedom while visiting family for the holidays. I can’t wait to lie around in my pajamas reading, drinking tea, and playing Sims 4 for far too many hours, then going for a nice long run and zoning out to a podcast.

Anyway, the tea! I’ve never really cared for root beer proper, but I tend to enjoy root beer-inspired tisanes. This one was a little odd to me, though — I swear I mostly tasted musty chamomile! The sarsaparilla was sadly muted, so it was more of a fennel and chamomile deal. I’m not going to rate it because I suspect I didn’t have the appropriate ratio of ingredients.

12 Teas of Christmas: Day 5

Oh, this is fantastic. I’m a total sucker for this kind of juicy, almost bubblegum-like pear flavor, and the slightly tart pomegranate notes are really lovely. I’m sipping it alongside a mid-morning snack of pecan pie bars I baked last night (gotta try ‘em before the holiday party!), and it’s doing a great job of cutting through the sweetness.

Smooth and crisp and bright and just delightful.

12 Teas of Christmas: Day 4

A holiday classic! I’ll stick with my rating from last advent. :) Just a delightful creamy, minty, toasty delight.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 16

Alas, this one doesn’t do it for me. It has that kind of musty “stale coffee” flavoring that I dislike in tea, and then the apple sweetness is weirdly cloying. The cardamom just feels discordant. :(