2170 Tasting Notes
From TTB 2019/2020.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had an herbal chai. I do love chai as a whole and rose is one of my favorites in tea, so I knew when I saw this one that I needed to try it. I have to say that I’m more than a little bummed by the flavor. I don’t taste any rose and there is a vague spiciness but not any one specific spice I can place. The most prominent flavor for me is the licorice which I do not enjoy. Overall, it’s a very light cup, even using two teaspoons, and not one I would pick up again.
Flavors: Licorice, Spices
Preparation
From TTB 2019/2020.
I received the tea box a couple of days ago and now that the business of Christmas planning is over I can actually sit down and enjoy some of these amazing teas. I went through the full box and counted 52 teas. So incredible.
My first love will always be Earl Grey, so I picked out this tea bag for my inaugural sip. The bergamot is there but not overpowering, and I can actually taste the cream. I can’t say that’s happened before for me with an Earl Grey Creme. No vanilla as far as I can tell, but it’s still good without it. Thanks to Arby for including this one in the box!
Flavors: Bergamot, Cream
Preparation
Day 24 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
How appropriate to drink a Christmas tea on Christmas Day! I meant to have this one yesterday, but with all the food prep I never got around to having any tea at all. Today will be much more relaxed, so I plan to have lots of tea as the day goes on.
I’ve never tried a tea from Dammann Freres so I’m pretty excited about it. It seems fancy and just right for the day. It definitely tastes like a spiced tea to me, maybe with just a slight chocolate note as it cools. After doing a quick search of the ingredients, I’m bummed to find that I don’t taste the caramel or cherry. I have plenty of tea left to try another cup so I’ll save my rating until then.
For those who participated in our Advent tea swap, I just want to say thanks for including me! This has absolutely been so much fun and really gave me so much to look forward to each day. Thanks, Amanda, for being such a great swap partner!!
Flavors: Chocolate, Spices, Tobacco
Preparation
I had so much fun putting together your advent, and I loved reading your reviews! Happy holidays to you and yours!
Day 23 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
There were so many great reviews for this tea a month or so ago. By the time I decided I needed to order some for myself, it was already sold out. Bummer. So imagine my delight to see that Amanda sent a generous sample of her own precious stash to share with me! This blend is mostly baby marshmallows and large pecan pieces which makes it so fun. The spice is delicious and the nuts give it just a bit of toastiness. My brother had a cup with me also and he remarked that it tastes just like the Little Debbie Pecan Spinwheels. I don’t taste sweet potato but its starchy quality is there. Cinnamon too. So glad I got to try this one!
Flavors: Cinnamon, Pecan, Spices, Toasty
Preparation
Day 22 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
I was so excited to open my Advent tea for today and see that it is a smoky vanilla black tea! I love smoke, vanilla, and black teas and I’ve never had them all together in one tea so this is kind of an ideal choice for me. This is pure vanilla bean flavor, nothing artificial about it. I’m not getting any smoke unfortunately, but it’s still a really nice vanilla black.
Flavors: Vanilla
Preparation
Day 21 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
This is the only tea I’ve received from Amanda so far that I’ve tried previously. But it’s also one of my favorites from August Uncommon so no complaints here. :)
The smoke is prominent in the dry leaf, as well as in the wet leaves, but there is also something like cherry that comes through after steeping. I drank this one so quickly. I really just love it. So happy you sent this one, Amanda!
Flavors: Cherry, Smoke
Preparation
Day 20 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
My numbered packages from our Advent swap are getting less and less as we get closer to Christmas and today I’m starting to feel a little sad about it. I have loved participating in this swap – trying so many new teas and reading everyone else’s Advent tea tasting notes has been a highlight of my recent days. I’ll miss it once Christmas has passed.
Today’s tea is one I’ve seen others post about here on Steepster, so I was excited to open it and make a cup when I recognized the name. My first thought before steeping is that it smells exactly like amaretto. Not strictly almond or cherry, but distinctly amaretto liqueur.
The steep came out lighter than I would have liked so next time I’ll be using two teaspoons of dry leaf instead of just the one. I added some cream and honey even so, and it turned out really nice. My husband says it’s like drinking hot chocolate and I do agree. It’s reminiscent of those dark chocolate muffins with the chocolate chips. So basically chocolate cake. I’m not really picking up on the hazelnut.
I may or may not have added a splash or two of amaretto to bump up the flavor. Feeling very much like a grown-up tonight with my boozy drink and my favorite cat mug. Cue the Christmas music.
Flavors: Alcohol, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate
Preparation
Day 19 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
A couple of months ago, I had this strange craving for a buttery green tea which never happens. I tried a few but never found what I was looking for in my own cupboard. This tea smells just like what I was craving. It’s very buttery and rich. This steeped up light in color and the aroma has changed some to take on a very slight roasted quality. The taste is buttery and somewhat viscous, much like I had hoped.
Flavors: Butter, Roasted
Preparation
Day 18 of our Advent Tea Swap. From amandastory516.
I love Harney & Sons so I’m excited to see another of their blends in our Advent swap! This is so nice, it’s like a citrus spice tea. I can’t help but compare it to yesterday’s citrus tea, even though I really shouldn’t. I just feel like Harney & Sons gets it right here, with true and fresh citrus flavor. The spice is also present, though I’m not able to distinguish which spices are used. Maybe clove? As it cools, I’m tasting more cinnamon.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Citrus, Clove, Spices