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2nd Day of Christmas Teas

This one is nice, especially for an upset stomach that’s still craving sweets (me). It’s a kind of cousin to Graveyard Mist, but the added dimension of rice satisfies the sweet tooth as opposed to cleaning it (I love Graveyard Mist but it is kind of in that tooth hygiene category).

Bottom line is, if you’ve had one or two Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha versions you’ll have an idea of what’s in store for you (all good and cozy things).

1st Day of Christmas Teas

I sadly missed out on this blend the first time around but I’m glad it showed it up in this box. I may have to order more for the office when I’m craving a smart-casual tea!

+Sidenote: someone at work was smart enough to try a Starbucks London Fog with pumps of Gingerbread syrup instead of the usual, and that is a good combo too. I’d love to see that come alive in an actual dessert tea blend.

I’ve had this a few times over the years, and remember when Silk Road first started selling but apparently I never made a tea note? Huh. This is what happens when you only drink your tisanes and rooibos right before bed!

I generally don’t like cocoa or chocolate in my teas; I find it adds a powdery/chalky texture that I associate with stale candy bars. While that vibe doesn’t go away here I find the mint and anise clean it up a bit, preventing the Chocolate Panda from becoming the Muddy Trash Panda. The vanilla swings the mint into peppermint or chocolate mint territory.

I think when I first bought this years ago I thought it would be a creamy chocolate rooibos, but it’s more of a herbal palate cleanser, which isn’t a bad thing! I’m appreciating it more this time around.

Dropped by Silk Road on a ridiculously short cruise ship pit stop in Victoria, BC. I wasn’t planning on buying tea but once I started walking up Government Street my feet just led me to that Fisgard Intersection on autopilot. And then there I was.

When I used to go to school here a few years ago I’d blow all my money in this store; it’s not that their teas are amazingballs but the shop has this Atmosphere, you know? The kind that makes you feel relaxed, clean, and ready to empty your wallet on jasmine teas you don’t need.

The use of Dai Bai (green) leaf means this tea is incredibly light and subtle, and probably not the best tea to try after eating a Donair. I’m having a hard time picking up notes besides the lovely jasmine, which isn’t sickeningly strong to begin with like in some jasmine blends. I want to say the tea base has a cucumber note? Possibly melon? Maybe some subtle notes of savoury-sweet pandan..

I’ll have to revisit it when my mouth isn’t a big garlic hummus bulb!

This may be the oldest loose leaf in my cupboard: potentially back from 2013?

It has made its way to my work cupboard, where I thought it was working quite well as a brisk wakeup cup, right until my sister brought me back a fresh TFGOP Assam and.. yeah, this one needs to be finished up!

This is another sad sipdown. Earlier mornings and the most basic of basic kettles has suddenly turned me into a black tea enthusiast..

Also this tea is just ridiculously forgiving and resteepable. You only need to steep it for 45s to get good flavour, but forget about it for 30 minutes and it still comes out tasting like hot malty cocoa water.

Sipdown :(

Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to order more in 2019. I don’t necessarily drink it often, but it’s one of the teas I reach for when I can’t decide which style or variety I want (why not both a black and a white tea?). The Rhino is a secret saviour for the indecisive.

(2017 Harvest)

Hello, Steepster- I hope everyone is well! I have not been drinking a lot of noteworthy tea lately, but I miss you all- so here’s a sipdown salutation for a tea I thought would never leave my cupboard! Goodbye, Da Dan.

I got a job as a legal admin assistant at a law firm recently and haven’t found my tea drinking stride there yet. If I drink tea at work it’s my super old, no-fuss black tea (or Jiri Horse, omg). If I drink tea at home it’s my Milk Oolong (because I deserve it) alongside a random tea I want to finish off. The tea situation is sad and sparse, and will continue to be so until 2019. Bear with me until my decluttering/saving mindset has dispersed!

(2016 harvest)

No temperature variant kettle at the office means lots of black tea. The Cardamom French Toast has found its niche (although I prefer not adding milk to my office tea so who knows how long it will last).

This tea smells and tastes like a confectionery store (also Mainstreet Disneyland, aka ice cream central) and I’m 100% ok with that.

There isn’t much of camellia sinensis about this sweet and sugary dessert tea but it fulfills a need. Sometimes something sweet and rich is necessary to prevent eating that whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s or equivalent. I’ve been on a cardamom binge for a while now so this tea satisfies the cravings in ways that my favourite plain teas don’t.

I’m coming to the Cardamom French Toast Latte party a little late but.. better late than never, right?