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It was kind of a shame to wind up with a Christmas Eve and Christmas “holiday spice” teas back-to-back, but that’s really on me; sipsby just gave me a “bag 1” and “bag 2” with 12 teas each and I randomly put them into pouches.

This was somehow even stranger than the mulling spices in water from the Davidson’s Christmas Tea, and I think it’s the spearmint in it. There’s definitely spearmint, orange, and cinnamon together here. The spearmint is the strongest flavor, though the subtle orange is there through the sip and the aftertaste is mostly cinnamon. I think it was really the orange with spearmint that was bothering me and kept it from being a win, because separately I love these ingredients. I drank it, but the whole time I kept going “so weird”.

sipsby bagged advent, day 11

Why would you have two teas named almost the same thing? Between constantly getting Herbal Seasons and Herbal Christmas mixed up already, I really didn’t need a separate Organic Christmas. This is why I write tasting notes; I’d mix it up too often.
(So I have it written somewhere, Organic Christmas is weaker mulling spices on black tea, Herbal Christmas is mulling spices on rooibos and just basically tastes like straight-up cinnamon, and Herbal Seasons is the mulling spices on a hibiscus base that’s my favorite holiday tea.)

This is a weird tea and I’m not sure what to make of it. I’ve already described it as a lot like the herbal Christmas though milder, but I don’t get really any tea flavor at all. It’s cinnamon, and somewhat strong in the spice front. The finish is all hot water. I wouldn’t have guessed black tea from this at all. It’s not… bad? But it’s not great.

sipsby bagged advent, day 10

In keeping with my general avoidance of straight black teas, I have several bags of this from an earlier sipsby box that I have ignored for a couple months. I can’t say I was excited to see it in the advent, but I made it up anyway – it’s time to try it.

It’s a decent smooth black tea, without too much acidity or bitterness overall, though I’d still prefer it with honey or iced. I wouldn’t mind having this on hand for an iced tea pitcher or for my partner (who is 90% of the reason I even keep straight black tea in the house), but it wouldn’t be my go-to.

sipsby bagged advent, day 9

This is a fine jasmine tea; light and not bitter. I’ve got a decent amount of jasmine tea already, but this would be an excellent one to have on hand for one of my favorite summer drinks: a pitcher of hot-brewed jasmine iced tea with limeade.

sipsby bagged advent, day 8

I saved this one for after the kids were in bed, when I was supposed to be grading papers but really was online playing games. My phone note just reads “just chamomile and a ton of licorice root – ew.” And I didn’t finish it before bed, so there it is.

sipsby bagged advent, day 7

I had to laugh that I bought the teeccino advent to sample their teas and then it also showed up in the sipsby advent. This flavor wasn’t in the brand advent though, and it’s definitely my favorite of theirs so far.

The scent is absolutely reminiscent of a snickerdoodle, though perhaps it was helped along by my drinking it in a crowded kitchen where actual baking was taking place. The flavor is still mostly the bold chicory I expect from teeccino, but a little milder and certainly sweeter. The cinnamon is barely noticeable in flavor, but it is there. I was sad to finish this cup!

sipsby bagged advent, day 6

I spent most of the weekend at the in-laws, so I didn’t have access to the kettle and all the tools to steep loose-leaf. I figured it was a good excuse to work on this sipsby advent I stalled out on – and the stall was very much because I wasn’t excited to see this tea. Now I’ve got to go back into my phone for the notes!

There is only so much chocolate can do to counter coconut, and this wasn’t quite enough for me, but I’ll admit it got pretty close. This felt almost like a liquid version of a Samoa/Caramel Delight Girl Scout Cookie, though a touch heavier on the coconut. I tolerated it about as long as I do the cookie before giving it over to my partner, who enjoyed the rest of the cup. It’s quite smooth and would make a fantastic dessert for someone with even a little less disdain for coconut than myself.

sipsby bagged advent, day 5

I had a hard time with this tea.

I love pineapple, and it’s so hard to find pineapple without coconut. I was delighted to see this tea when I opened the advent pouch. But the scent of the dry leaf immediately told me to temper my expectations.

There’s something really harsh about the scent. My partner said it was just a strong pineapple/spearmint smell, but to me it almost seemed like the pineapple had begun to turn? Just a little bit of old/fermented scent, and it didn’t go away for me when steeping (though thankfully the whole blend was not quite as potent brewed). Such a shame – I wanted to love this.

Plum Deluxe Caffeine Advent, Day 16

I can see why this would have been labeled “every day green” because it absolutely feels like a tea I could start every morning drinking.

This was smooth, especially at a 2 minute steep, and perfect for a second steep. It’s vegetal and refreshing without any of the bitterness I was getting from the Japanese Sencha earlier in this box. I’m going to have a hard time deciding which of these green teas makes its way to my cupboard after the calendar is over; there have been so many tasty options! My partner also liked this one a lot, which bumps it up on my priority list for sure.

DAVIDsTEA Around the World Advent, Day 16

This season is just so busy, I always get behind on the advent teas and notes.

I don’t have much to say about this one. I really, really tried to come up with some kind of flavor profile, but I just didn’t feel it tasted like much. It was almost like one of these green teas I’m really enjoying turned down to the lowest possible volume? I don’t think it was bad; I think I’m not sophisticated enough in palate to really get it. White may be something I just enjoy better with flavorings.

DAVIDsTEA Around the World Advent, Day 14