The Night Before Christmas

This was an incredible surprise. I hadn’t tried a smoky-minty combination before, but it was perfect. A real fireside tea for a wintry night (even though Christmas is midsummer here). I wasn’t previous a fan of mint teas except when Morroccan-style (fresh leaves, quite sweet) but I will actively be seeking this combination out in future. It would probably be great as campfire/outdoor/billy tea.

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021: Day 24!

What a blend! I brewed it up on Christmas Eve night and enjoyed it. I didn’t get a ton of peppermint—more of a gentle smokiness with a little hit of chili at the back. I’m not sure I’d seek it out, but it was a decently cozy cuppa. Maybe not the strongest end to the B&B calendar that I could imagine, but not bad!

B&B Advent 2021 Day 24

Last day, and it seems like a bold choice! Smoky, spicy, and peppermint? Honestly, I’m not looking forward to it XD. I began my morning with the best of intentions, but I smelled the dry teabag and it had the scent of smoky baked ham and I just couldn’t bring myself to steep this up. Advent blasphemy to skip a day, and the last day at that, but I just couldn’t.

I’ve put these teabags back in their wee advent box and have it in a back corner of my cupboard to include in any swaps (if anyone is interested)!

Bird & Blend Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 24

Ooh, this one sounds intriguing. And yay, a smoky tea after I didn’t get any smoke from that Lapsang earlier!

It’s an odd combination here (rooibos, puerh, Lapsang, mint) but I quite like it. The smokiness is light enough to not overwhelm the other flavors, and the woodiness of the rooibos and earthiness of the puerh complement it nicely. And then the mint adds a pop of cooling freshness that I really enjoy. Is there a hint of chili as well?

I’m not sure if I would outright order this one, but I’m really enjoying it this Christmas Eve. :)

I wouldn’t have picked this tea, but got it as part of a pack in the Christmas in July sale. I absolutely can’t stand the smell of the lapsang B&B uses. It’s just so meaty and weird smelling. With milk, the flavor is technically drinkable, but I don’t like it due to my personal preferences. It tastes meaty and smoky with a bit of mint. It’s just weird. I won’t leave a rating since I’m biased, but I really didn’t like it.

Discovery Advent Tea #24
What is going on in my mouth?! Minty campfire. Just in case you happen to want to have nice fresh breath for your lumberjack. And a bit of orange liquor.

This is the last of the Christmas teas from Bird&Blend I´m trying…on 24/12, of course. It´s kind of weird in nose…a medicinal aroma, I thought at first, then something eucalyptus like came to mind, maybe it´s just the peppermint, but it really defines the smell. In mouth the blend works, is far more balanced than what could have been expected from the aroma.
Spicy w/o clearly identifying as a Xmas tea…I like that! And it makes it far more interesting to drink at other times of the year as well.

Additional notes:  Had this one last night as I was surprised it never showed up in the advent this year, when it was on the VIP site.  Second steep tonight.  I like everything that it has going on… mint, smoke… in a blind taste test it would be hard to tell the base.  I bit and ordered from the sale last night MAINLY BECAUSE THEY HAD FIGGY PUD. I was surprised not many of the Christmas teas from this year were on sale.  Mainly just the movie blends.  They will probably have the others on sale in July.   I also had to buy Bonfire Toffee because they had it on the VIP site for a quick minute so I’m not sure if they are getting rid of that one.  Hopefully not.  They had a new wait line on their site which seemed to work better as I only had to hit the checkout button ONCE.
2020 Sipdowns: 101 Met my goal for the year, just in time!!  (Bird pick tea & herb – Supreme Zhejian Tikuanyin  + Teakruthi – Afternoon Ritual)

Hmm. No tasting notes and rated? What is happening here on Steepster?

Admins!
If there’s something strange
In your website
Who you gonna call?
Admins!

Ehh, I guess not.

And tea? It was like drinking “Winter is coming” again. It was pretty same, with one exception. It was more smoky – because Lapsang Souchong here. Well, even the ingredients are almost same. Bit more spicy.

Took this tea to cut down as well Christmas-related teas. Same rating as Winter is Coming. Prepared grandpa as well.