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Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 5
Okay, I had no idea wtf a cherimoya is, so I had to look it up. The descriptor I found said something like a combination of apple, pineapple, banana, peach, and something else? Which sounds like a lot, lol! But this smells nice and it’s green rooibos, yay, so I’m excited to try it!
Well, I definitely get apple and a little bit of sweet pineapple. I would definitely say pear is in the mix for me as well, and I can understand why someone would say banana.
But mostly it’s apple, and it’s a lovely cooked apple with just a hint of cinnamon and a nice big glug of crème Anglaise over the top. It also sort of reminds me of apple pie with French vanilla ice cream melted over it… Needless to say, it’s yum!
I had this with my two advent chocolates for the day – the DAVIDsTEA matcha advent had a salted caramel matcha-infused white chocolate star, and the La Maison du Chocolat advent had a few dark chocolate-covered almonds. A really nice pairing actually, as they had a great contrast and played well off each other.
The matcha white chocolate was decadent and creamy, of course, but there was a sort of slight texture to it that I assume was salt? There was a nice salty presence to it as well which was delish. I wish there had been more matcha though, as I didn’t really get a matcha flavor at all… The chocolate almonds were so good because the almonds were really nicely toasted and had such a rich nutty flavor, and the dark chocolate really contrasted well with its more bitter notes.
Yum, amazing evening snack! That is all. :D
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIcCdMsAGkz/
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbA7q0g6Fu/)
Flavors: Apple, Banana, Cinnamon, Creamy, Custard, Pear, Pineapple, Sweet
Preparation
Advent Day 5
It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted cherimoya, but I feel like I’m getting some of it in this cup. I recall it being custardy in flavor. The rooibos is a little drying. It’s an okay fruity cup, but could use something to make it pop. I’m also in a shitty mood and it’s hard to be present and appreciate much in this tea. Sometimes I think I’m meant to live remotely in the woods instead of in a city.
I always think I’m meant to live remotely, far away from a city. I get you. I do hope your day looks up from here though! :)
Plenty of people are stressed out these days, and then there is holiday stress on top of that. Too bad we can’t all go around offering cups of yummy tea to these people and tell them to chill out!
Thanks! I have a girlfriend who is living in a tiny house on some acreage she bought in Tennessee while she builds her dream home. She has so much space away from other people and it looks delightful!
The extra holiday stress is a big part of why I hate this time of year. It’s the opposite of what we tell ourselves the holidays should be.
That is why years ago I tossed aside celebrating “Christmas” (it has no religious connotation for me anyway) and I now observe the non-religious, non-commercial Festivus. (And yes, I only have a single aluminum pole up in my living room as “holiday decor”).
I’m not sure I’d want to sit through the airing of grievances this year, but I could sure go for a festivus miracle!
Plum Deluxe Advent Day 4
Ended up drinking this late last night, to get me through the last bit of a later shift. It’s exactly what it says it is- black tea with a hint of lemon. Definitely not something that I would purchase, but a pleasant cup nonetheless. The black tea is smooth and lacks any bitterness. While the lemon is mild, it tastes authentic and not like a lemon candy, which I appreciate.
Advent Day 3
Missed drinking this yesterday. I was saving it for the evening then got too tired and went to bed early. I started thinking I’d do the same tonight, then pushed through the sleepiness in the hopes that I don’t wake up super early again tomorrow morning.
I was pleasantly surprised when I sniffed and then sipped this tea! The vanilla is very soothing with a little bit of malt behind it. Similar to my memory of Harney and Son’s decaf vanilla. It looses a little of it’s magic as it cools and takes on a flatter taste. It would be nice to have more evening decaf teas to choose from, but I’m not totally swayed on this one. Maybe I’ll make up my mind when I finish the sample.
Preparation
I liked this one. It had a nice creamy, buttery flavor that appealed to me. I’m not going to orer any, because I have other teas in the stash that have this sort of flavor profile, and I am absolutely buying NO MORE tea for a while! But I was glad to try it.
One of the nice things about a tea advent clendar is you get to try some teas that you might not have ever thought you’d like and you turn out to enjoy them. And vice versa.
Preparation
This is a pretty robust decaf blend! It has notes of vanilla and almost a chocolatey quality. I’ve really enjoyed both decaf black teas I’ve tried from Plum Deluxe and would happily buy more (if they were cheaper). I first tried this really hot without milk, and it was lovely, though it became a little sharp as it cooled, so I added milk, and it’s back to perfection. I really like this one.
A breakfast build with some lemon this morning! Prepared the whole sample in 500ml as that worked well for my black tea yesterday, which came out so smoothly. Since I’m taking it to work in my Contigo thermos (I love this thermos, it is lined in ceramic so it doesn’t change the flavor of the tea, but has steel on the outside so it keeps it toasty for a long time… usually I have to wait a while for it to cool enough to drink!) I currently just have it sitting here steaming with the lid off, taunting me, while I wiff it. It smells very malty, with some subtle cinnamon and autumn leaf, but I’m getting that slightly smoky/citrusy note that I pick up in Chinese teas that reminds me of umami sauces. Which is odd, because of all the black teas in the blend, Chinese blacks are the only ones missing, har!
The flavor is mostly the notes I’m picking up on the scent: malt, bread, spices (hints of cinnamon and pepper), a subtle smokiness, a slight woodiness, and a sharp and pithy citrus lemon. It’s a pleasant breakfast blend! Strong, but not too abrasive. I imagine it’ll go far to get me through a Friday morning of book mending.
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Bread, Cinnamon, Citrus, Lemon Zest, Malt, Pepper, Smoke, Smooth, Spices, Umami, Wood
Preparation
Love all of the Fog Cutters this morning! Autumn leaf is a good one, that approaches what I think of as “tea-ish” lol.
You just got that thermos, right? I’ve been eyeing the ceramic lined options. I had a cup of tea yesterday that I’m convinced was tainted by the metal thermos.
I did, and I haven’t had any complaints yet. It’s a Contigo ceramic-lined thermos and holds two cups (16 oz/500ml) and it is PIPING hot for a bit (like, undrinkable hot) so I try to brew my tea 30 minutes before work and let it sit with the lid off before capping it and taking it with me. I make my tea around 8:30ish and have found it is starting to go “luke warm” around 3 pm. My old thermos was a plastic one and my tea was completely cold before my noon lunch break, and I found the plastic made certain teas taste funky.
I just ordered a ceramic lined thermos from Stanley (24oz) last night for $17.50 on Amazon. Today it’s listed at $34! I hope it’s along the same quality as your Contigo!
Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 4
Well this looks interesting. I’m not one to drink English or Irish breakfast teas, as I find them to be quite brisk and I don’t generally add milk to tea. The addition of lemon here sounds interesting, and what a varied mix of black teas! This has Assam, Ceylon, Kenya, and Darjeeling teas.
Yeah, this is not for me. It mostly tastes “tea-ish”, meaning like a bagged black tea. I have a hard time describing that flavor for some reason. There are some bits of malt and leather, hay from the Darjeeling, and a bit of a grainy cereal sort of note. The lemon is very faint and I’m not sure I would know it was there if it hadn’t been pointed out. I will say, it’s fairly smooth with no bitterness and very little astringency.
I don’t think I’ll assign a rating, just because this really isn’t my thing. But it was fun to try!
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYX874AFsO/)
Flavors: Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Earth, Grain, Hay, Leather, Lemon, Malt, Smooth, Tannic, Wood
Preparation
I drink a lot of Barry’s tea (and Irish tea brand of a black breakfast tea) because this is how I was introduced to tea from my Nann and I often add a squeeze of lemon to it. I used to add milk before we were vegan, but I have yet to find a plant milk that reaaaally works.
Awww that’s such a nice thought. I have trouble with non-dairy milks in tea also, they’re always too strong and end up overpowering the tea IMO.
I don’t :P — but usually when I do it’s tannic and, well, tea-like. I don’t usually have idea how to call it other way. Some are leathery. So yep, you noted all of them :)
Right? Oat is the closet I’ve found, but the slight chalkiness at the end of the cup just isn’t worth it.
@Martin – Alita’s “autumn leaf” seems close to me, it is rather leafy. And tannic, leathery like you said.
@Courtney – I added oat milk to the second half of my cup and it’s quite good! It complements the cereal notes well.
Advent day 4
I keep reading the name Fog Cutter and thinking Toe Cutter, which is fresh on my mind since the actor that played that roll in Mad Max died.
I used about half of this serving which I think weighted in at 5g and it feels like the right choice. I have a remarkably smooth cup with breakfasty features. It’s a little on the light side, but it’s missing that astringency that makes me reach for a creamer. I’ve been sipping through it as I start my morning, waiting for it to cut through the fog while keeping my toes intact. Not one that I’d keep in stock, but one I’d happily take another cup of.Preparation
Plum Deluxe Advent Day 3
I’ve never been interested in a decaffeinated black tea, so this is definitely never something I would have tried on my own.
I love vanilla black teas, especially when they’re executed well. This one is! The vanilla is leaning towards vanilla extract, and is not artificial or cloying. The black base is a bit brisk, but not bitter or astringent. Would be lovely with some milk or cream.
Brewed this as my evening tea today (the full sample, which weighed 4.5g, in a 500ml teapot). I have been a little wary of decaf teas because I’ve always heard they taste bad, so normally I stick to herbals after my caffeine cut-off hour. But lately I’ve found myself craving black teas after work, which is past the caffeine cut-off point, especially since most of my “desserty” teas are on black bases. So I’ve been curious about looking into decaf teas…
The brewed pot has a very nice vanilla aroma… often vanilla flavorings came off with a coconut scent/flavor to me but this smells distinctly vanilla to me. The tea is malty with a slight brassy note, but otherwise this is a very smooth cup and sweet cup. I’m getting notes of cinnamon raisin bread, honey, vanilla, and cream.
If this doesn’t impact my sleep (I know decaf tea still has some small amounts present) then I would definitely be willing to stock this as a black tea that I can actually drink during the evening hours that still hits that “sweet tooth” urge as well!
Flavors: Bread, Cinnamon, Cream, Honey, Malt, Mineral, Raisins, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla
Preparation
Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 3
Hmm… Well this one sounds quite boring, doesn’t it. I’m also not the biggest fan of decaffeinated black tea (or at least, ones I’ve tried in the past), so that doesn’t bode well.
But actually, it’s quite good. The base tea has a nice mellow and sweet woody flavor to it, and has plenty of flavor for being decaffeinated. The vanilla tastes quite authentic to me, as if there were vanilla beans in the blend, though there are not. It’s listed as “vanilla essence”, not sure what the means really. Either way, the woodiness of the tea goes very well with the vanilla, which often has a woody note to me. There’s a nice creaminess to the vanilla as well.
For what it is, it’s really quite good. I don’t feel the need to stock a decaf black tea, but this cup has been enjoyable.
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIVyyA6gsud/)
Flavors: Cream, Custard, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla, Wood
Preparation
Plum Deluxe Advent Day 2
This smells like pure butterscotch. I didn’t add any sweetener, and I feel like it needed just a bit too bring out the flavors. It tastes a bit like butterscotch and caramel, but neither are quite strong enough for me. The rooibos is mildly apparent, and I would’ve preferred a straight black tea.
I did not enjoy this tea very much. I didn’t hate it. I got mild flavors, but I couldn’t identify them. That is not the tea’s fault. That is my blasted nose. Possibly i under leafed it. I used only 2/3 of the sample packet because my tea cup is only 6 ounces. So this is definitely not a re-order for me.
Preparation
Homemade advent calendar day #2
I kept a small sample of this from the latest TTB and brewed it up this morning (just under 1.5 tsp tea with 8oz mug of hot water). I added a touch of unsweetened soy milk because this is such a tasty dessert blend I thought it needed some milk. The tea itself is slightly astringent so the milk rounds this out nicely. The pecan and caramel notes are quite strong – exactly what I like in a dessert flavoured black tea. There is a bit of vanilla (although, I would have liked to add vanilla soy milk to add a bit more vanilla).
If I ever order from plum deluxe, this will be in my cart for sure. One of my favourite snacks is toasted pecans. My local Costco sells big bags for ~$25 and I like to toast ~2 cups of nuts (or about 5 handfuls) on a baking tray at 350 F for 8-10 minutes. It makes such a tasty snack and the toasting brings out the caramelized nutty and sweet notes. They also make killer icecream sundae toppings or tasty additions to baking (shortbread + toasted pecans = heavenly buttery and crisp cookies).
Flavors: Caramel, Nutty, Pecan, Vanilla
Preparation
After deciding that my sample last night probably would’ve been slightly better if I had done in it 350ml instead of 500ml, that is how I decided to brew this cup. The brewed tea has a very thick, sticky-sweet toffee aroma that is quite appealing. But this day has been hectic and I had to (quickly!) brew it on my lunch break and dump it into a travel mug to take back to work with me, so now I’m (very impatiently) stuck waiting for it to be cool enough in the mug to drink without severely burning my tongue…
Later. I can finally drink this, and it’s nice. A deep burnt sugar/toffee sort of flavor. It’s just a smidgeon brisk, so it probably would’ve been fine with a touch more water, but it is fine since the sweeter flavor of the tea sort of balances out the bit of astringency I’m getting off the base. When I’m not in such a terrible rush, I’ll weigh the leaf properly to get a good leaf-to-water ratio going forward. Today, I’m lucky I managed to brew anything at lunch at all.
This has been one of those days, and at least this should make the afternoon a little more pleasant.
Flavors: Astringent, Burnt Sugar, Caramel, Malt, Toffee, Wood
Preparation
Advent Day 2
I have a bird on my shoulder who isn’t happy about me using my hands to type this instead of give her head rubs!
After going through loving rooibos blends to hating them, I’m starting to come around to the idea that they are okay in certain circumstances. I’ve seen it used acceptably in blends with black tea and green rooibos isn’t bad. It’s okay in this cup. There is more flavor in here than I expected which may be due in perspective to the weaker T2 cup I had earlier and I purposefully used the entire packet, overleafing slightly from my usual. I get a caramel butterscotch flavor for sure, but it isn’t as bold as other butterscotch teas I’ve had. It says there are apple pieces, but I don’t taste them and am chalking them up more to decoration. It’s an okay cup overall.
Preparation
I feel like I started out hating rooibos blends and am slowly coming around to loving certain ones haha!
I’m feeling the same way about hibiscus. I usually hate it, but there have been a few blends that use it in moderation and it really rounds out the flavors well.
Dustin – I have a bird…not on my shoulder but it won’t GO AWAY! Ha ha! My husband found an injured bird on the road and brought it home. We nursed it back to health and now it sits on the window sill looking in. It CAN fly, but it won’t. It is either a do e or a white racing pigeon. We spent three days tracking down the owner and he doesn’t seem to want it back. It should have flown home on its own.
Looks like you might have been adopted and it’s attempting to slowly peck it’s way into your heart!
We just fostered a green cheek conure that a neighbor found until we located the owner, an injured crow before that and raised a nest of starlings until they were big enough to fly off. All since covid.
I actually ordered myself an ounce of this along with the advent calendar, so I’m hoping I enjoy this sample since there’s more on my shelf! Last year the advent samples were in resealable tiny bags, but this year they’re not resealable, which I don’t love since sometimes I wouldn’t have the whole sample at once. The flavor is mostly that of green rooibos. There’s some very mild fruitiness, maybe peaches or oranges. It’s refreshing cold, but I wish the flavors were a little stronger. I’ll probably steep it stronger with my ounce of it.
Yeah! I’ll probably only be drinking the uncaffeinated teas this month and will drink all the caffeinated ones throughout the following year, which is what I did last time. But they’ll all be reviewed eventually!
Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 2
I hope everyone is having a good morning! I think the matcha earlier made me a bit chipper… XD
So this is a black tea and rooibos mix with caramel and butterscotch flavors. This sort of thing always sounds yummy to me, but manages to disappoint. (Luckily I have some Caramel & Rum from Lupicia now and I know that one is yummy!)
Anyway! This is okay. The flavoring is actually lighter than I expected, yet still manages to come off as artificial. I definitely get butterscotch, and it reminds me of those butterscotch disc candies wrapped in the golden cellophane. But it does taste a bit more artificial than those. The rooibos here does help with the caramel flavor as it can taste a tad caramel-y on its own. It also adds a light woodiness which makes me think of vanilla. I don’t taste the black tea, but it adds a little astringency and I suppose some body.
Overall, it’s fine but not something I would consider ordering. And I question the purpose of the black tea here.
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CITQgxTAHBz/)
Flavors: Artificial, Astringent, Butterscotch, Candy, Caramel, Rum, Sweet, Wood
Preparation
Plum Deluxe Advent Calendar – Day 1
This is so fun, there are several people doing this calendar at the same time! I love reading everyone else’s thoughts. :)
This is an interesting one. I get a noticeable lightly roasted pecan flavor from this? Which wasn’t mentioned by anyone else, or anywhere in the description. I have no idea what sea buckthorn berry tastes like, but I’m sure it’s not pecan…
There’s also a sweet orange note that reminds me a bit of vitamin C tablets, and I think I’m getting a little hint of mango as well. Or maybe it’s apricot?
Anyway, it’s mildly sweet and slightly herby with orange. And I get pecan, though no one else does. So there’s that… XD
(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQxllmAUip/)
Flavors: Apricot, Herbaceous, Mango, Nuts, Orange, Pecan, Sweet, Tangy
Preparation
Plum Deluxe Advent Day 1
A green rooibos! I’m smelling and tasting maple, but there’s definitely nothing that would indicate that in the ingredient list. I’m getting a bit of orange peel, that’s becoming more and more apparent as the cup cools. A bit of a slightly synthetic lemon flavor peeking through as well. Overall not too excited about this one.
Brewed this as my evening tisane, the full sample packet in a small 500ml teapot. Just left the teabag is, as I tend to do with my evening tisanes.
The light orangish colored brew smells a bit herbaceous and slightly cinnamony, with strong citrus notes as well as some tropical fruitiness. The flavor is strongly orange, with some citrus tang and a very pithy orange peel vibe. There is a sweeter fruity note as well, I’m getting a subtle touch of mango and stonefruit, but it is definitely playing second fiddle to the strong citrus orange. I love the green rooibos base and wish it were utilized more! A lot of times fruity/citrusy flavors like these used on red rooibos end up bringing out a “medicinal” note in the rooibos to me, which I don’t get when those flavors are paired with green rooibos. It’s mellow, slightly grassy/hay-like, and just a touch woodsy (which I think with the flavors here I’m reading more as a cinnamon taste for some reason!)
It’s a pleasant evening cuppa. If I had more, I’d probably enjoy it cold brewed.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Citrus, Herbaceous, Hot Hay, Mango, Orange, Orange Zest, Stonefruit, Sweet
Preparation
Advent Day 1
Dumped this entire packet in my cup before realizing it may have been meant for two cups. Too late now! I’m very appreciative that this is a green rooibos. Way nicer than /red/ rooibos. It smells bubblegum like when dry and very orange when steeped. It also tastes very orange. I know there are a lot of different fruit in it, but they all blend in to support the orange. The rooibos is pretty mellow. It’s a good cup, but not one I’d buy.
Preparation
I used a 12-ounce mug and used the whole sample, too. The amount is in line with how much leaf I would normally use.
Ya, I tried it in 500ml and surmised I probably would have enjoyed the flavor better if I’d used 350ml (12 oz) instead. That will probably be the plan going forward, but depending on the base (black vs. herbal) I may weigh the leaf before making a judgment call. I do tend to especially like my herbals really leafed.
I got this as a free sample with the advent calendar that I ordered for my sister. It came yesterday (at last) but I was too tired to drive over to Minnesota to give it to her last night.
This tea was nice. I didn’t LOVE it, but I enjoyed the flavor a lot more as it cooled. The cinnamon was a bit drying on my tongue. I don’t think I would order any more of this one, but if a friend served it I would have no trouble drinking the cup.
Banana?! Okay, now I’m not sure if I should steep this… (I didn’t know what cherimoya was either…)
Oh no! Well it’s not super banana, I think it’s worth a try…
My aversion is very extreme… there can be a single slice of banana in a smoothie with 20 other fruits in it and I’ll taste that little bit of banana and retch… is wary
Hmm I dunno dear, I’m not sure I would’ve even thought banana if I hadn’t read it somewhere. And no one else mentioned banana?