Advent Calendar Day 23

Oops!  Today's tea was supposed to be Gingerbread, but my little tin was filled with Stormy Night instead!  So I'll have to get my hands on a little gingerbread and review it later LOL

Advent Calendar Day 22

Today's tea is a holiday classic...Sleigh Ride!

Name:  Sleigh Ride


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Herbal


Dry Scent:  This smells warm and slightly spicy, of apples, cinnamon, cloves, and with a warm, nutty scent of popcorn and sharp hints of cranberries.  It really does smell like something you would drink on a sleigh ride through snow on a crisp, clear winter's day.


Steeping Time: 8-10 min


Steeped Flavour:  This is sharply sweet, tasting of cranberries, apples and cinnamon, with buttery, nutty flavour hints of the popcorn.  So yummy and warm, and very soothing.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This would be perfect with some mulled apple juice or mulled wine.  It's a perfect holiday drink, and with bourbon, whiskey or scotch it's even better.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Advent Calendar Day 21

Today's tea is Chocolate Orange, and wow, just look at that colour!  This is a prime example of why pu'erh teas are referred to as "black" teas in China, as opposed to what we call black tea which they call "red" tea.

Name: Chocolate Orange


Brand: David's Tea


Primary Type: Pu'erh


Dry Scent: This smells very much like a holiday classic (and something that our house MUST have every year at this time) Terry's Chocolate Oranges (although it's a little stronger on the chocolate and slightly less strong on the orange scents than a Terry's) There is certainly a rich, creamy milk chocolate scent to this right off the bat, with bright overtones of orange and citrus at play, and it almost masks the musky earthiness of the pu'erh. Or rather, the chocolate blends so well with the pu'erh that one might be forgiven for assuming that it isn't there at all.


Steeping Time: 4-5 min


Steeped Flavour: Ah...there's the orange that was hiding in the dry scent! The first sip brings an explosion of sweet, citrussy orange across the tongue and into the nose, followed and supported by a chocolatey richness that speaks mostly to the pu'erh tea and not too much to the chocolate. Actually this is good, though. I wasn't looking for hot chocolate with orange here, and there is still enough chocolatey flavour to ensure that one does not feel left in the lurch by something which promised chocolate goodness and failed to deliver. This tastes like the holidays, but without being overly sweet and sickening.


Food/Drink Pairings: This would pair beautifully with a slice of Terry's Chocolate Orange. In fact, I just had to run upstairs and grab a slice to have with my tea, and the flavour profiles blend perfectly! It would also make a very good digestif after a heavy meal, such as a rich Christmas dinner. Even better with a splash of Grand Marnier to really amp up the slightly bitter orange flavours! Seriously yum!


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6 (can I rate this even higher? XD)


Buy/Don't Buy

Definitely a "buy".  Definitely definitely.  In fact, I think I'm adding this to my list of "must keep on hand" teas.

Advent Calendar Day 20

Today's tea is Vanilla Orchid, which I'd been curious to try for some time.  I must say, whomever was in charge of picking out teas for this year's advent calendar certainly has done a good job of putting in a variety of different types, flavour profiles and really fine quality teas!

Name: Vanilla Orchid


Brand: David's Tea


Primary Type: Oolong


Dry Scent: Strong scents of vanilla sweetness, with an underlying green scent from the oolong and a surprising nuttiness, perhaps also an aspect of the oolong. This smells a little like winter baking and very appetizing.


Steeping Time: 3 min (for the initial steep, in any case. This is a somewhat finicky oolong so be careful not to let it oversteep or it could get a bit fishy) 4 min for the second steep.


Steeped Flavour: OMG incredible! This tastes almost exactly like crème brûlée, creamy, with a vanilla sweetness and muskiness and a strong burnt-sugar caramel flavour that lingers on the tongue and in the mouth. It is a delicate balance, but when done right you'll find this tea an absolute treat to drink! The second steep is even more smooth than the first, although there is a slightly less strong caramel aspect to it. It is definitely worth steeping more than once though, to really get everything out of this tea that you want.


Food/Drink Pairings: This would pair well with creamy, simple desserts, perhaps the very crème brûlée whose flavour it resembles, or a pavlova or meringue. Anything creamy and light.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Advent Calendar Day 19

Today's tea is Read My Lips...not my favourite ever tea, but definitely tasty, especially for a mint tea (as far as I'm concerned)

I've already reviewed this before, so here, knock yourselves out with.... linkage!

Advent Calendar Day 18

The tea of the day for Dec 18th is Buddha's Blend.  I wasn't sure what to think of it initially, but omgwow...this is quite the tea!

Name: Buddha's Blend


Brand: David's Tea


Primary Type: White


Dry Scent: Very strong, aromatic peach and peach-blossom scents, quite sweet, but also with a strong, slightly pine-y grassy scent and hints of jasmine. This smells absolutely beautiful.


Steeping Time: 3-4 min


Steeped Flavour: Mildly sweet, fruity, with hints of peach and mango and something else tropical. There is a strong, grassy undertone from the white and green teas, and there are also perfumed overtones of jasmine and something that smells a little like orange blossoms. This is like standing inside of a summer orchard, with the heat of the sun intensifying all of the flavours and scents.


Food/Drink Pairings: This would make an amazing cocktail iced with a little lychee liqueur. It's not really a food pairing tea, but it would probably be good with most things that are not too sweet, especially fresh fruits or a fruit flan.


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Advent Calendar Day 17

Hooray, one of my favourites for today!  Cream of Earl Grey!

...so a link to the previous review I did on this one, and a pretty, pretty picture of its gorgeous dark caramel yumminess.