396 Tasting Notes
Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown: Day 10
Crisp and fresh, with powdered sugar notes. Very pleasant, but not gulpable or guzzleable — there’s something drying and sharply vegetal on the back of the sip that makes me pause for a little longer than usual between sips. Not in a bad way, though!
The leaves are so cute, too — so fuzzy and silvery!
Flavors: Crisp, Drying, Fresh, Powdered Sugar, Vegetal
Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 12
Happy to see something caffeinated after so many tisanes in a row! This is a surprisingly light cuppa, with a malty black base laced with a bit of fruity black currant (definitely less currant-y than the black currant tea from last week).
In the words of Paul Hollywood, it’s “simple but effective.” I could see it being nice as a cold brew in warmer weather. Not something I would run out to purchase, but fine enough!
Flavors: Berry, Black Currant, Malty
Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 11
I added a 4 oz. bag of this one to my shopping cart sight unseen (taste untasted?) when I ordered the S&V advent, so I’d already tried it before it appeared in the calendar. It’s so nice! Like a sweet oatmeal cookie with just a hint of chocolate and a touch of cinnamon. I need to remember to overleaf it next time I make it, though, because tonight’s pot was a little weak.
I love that one of the ingredients is “winter wonderland flavoring” — and what, pray tell, might that be?! That’s some tasty circular logic right there!
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cocoa, Cookie, Oats, Sweet, Syrupy
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 11
Creamy coconut and delicate pineapple on a light base with a teeny tiny hint of something sour — perhaps evocative of cream cheese frosting? I didn’t actually pick up any banana flavors!
I’ve never had actual hummingbird cake, but Deb’s tea version is light and delicate and very pleasant.
Flavors: Coconut, Creamy, Light, Pineapple, Pleasantly Sour
Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown: Day 8
I found this very light and bright, with notes of raisin, and not at all astringent. There’s a faint whiff of fishiness if I sniff deeply enough, but not enough to pick up on otherwise.
Gonna cold-brew the leaves overnight and see what I get in the morning!
Flavors: Bright, Light, Raisins
Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 10
Murchie’s Blueberry Crumble (which is a mix of green and black teas) is one of my favorite über-desserty blends, so I was excited to try this one — I wouldn’t say no to a caffeine-free take on that flavor profile!
It smells really lovely! Tastewise, I think it’s more “generic juicy berry” than blueberry, although I do get some jammy blueberry on the back of the sip. I like that the cinnamon is relatively prominent, and I do get some fun oat-y, pastry-ish vibes. But I don’t love the slippery-sweetness from the blackberry leaves! It’s juuuust on the edge of being cloyingly sweet for me.
I actually think this is more blueberry muffin than blueberry crumble… it needs a rich and buttery element to really evoke a crumble!
Flavors: Artificial, Berry, Blueberry, Cinnamon, Oats, Sweet
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 10
Wow, the caramel flavoring here is exceptional. It’s buttery, rich, and smooth, and something about it reminds me of caramel corn. The base has a tinge of soapiness that’s slightly discordant, but overall this is really nice and very cozy on a damp and foggy day!
Flavors: Buttery, Caramel, Popcorn, Soap
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 9
So light and fresh and delicate! The peach is super authentic, and it plays really nicely with the light floral notes of the base. There’s almost a hint of creaminess, which is interesting because the ingredients are just white tea and peaches. Tasty!
Flavors: Cream, Floral, Peach
Simpson & Vail Advent Calendar: Day 9
This is one of my favorite S&V rooibos blends, and I already have a bag of it… but I wasn’t mad to see it in the advent today! I ended up making a big pot to share with my partner this evening.
It’s so good. Buttery caramel tempered by a hint of walnut. It does what it says on the tin!
Keeping my rating the same.
Flavors: Buttery, Caramel, Nutty, Walnut
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 8
I really like the brisk, robust base here — it’s smooth and bold, with just a little tannin kick at the end. I do think it aaalmost overpowers the fluffy vanilla marshmallow notes, though. You really have to wait till this cup cools for the creaminess to pop!
But this is one of my favorite flavor profiles, so it’s hard to go wrong!
Flavors: Brisk, Cream, Marshmallow, Tannin, Vanilla
