Nutcracker Sweet

This was the first time I’ve tried this tea. The box says, “Now with richer vanilla flavor!” but I can’t comment on that because I haven’t tried previous versions.
I was shocked at how quickly the teabag colored my water! It’s definitely a quick-steep tea, not unlike the PG Tips black tea that’s usually in my house. I think I left the bag in for less than a minute. My parents stock the cabinets with pretty small teacups (maybe 6-ounce cups), so depending on how much water you use, you might want to leave it for maybe 2 minutes. The tea steeped really darkly and I added 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp evaporated milk, so it ended up looking sort of muddy. Even with the short steep and adding sugar and milk, it turned out a little bitter. The black tea was pretty satisfying, though, and I got quite a bit of smooth vanilla flavor with some cinnamon background notes. It tasted smooth and would probably have tasted better if I took the teabag out even earlier! Overall, the flavor was rich (maybe no richer than last year) and I definitely think I could have brewed this in a 16-ounce cup without losing any flavor with one teabag, which is great because I like really strong flavors in my tea. For a tea this affordable, I think it’s a great purchase.

This tea is my favourite amongst Celestial’s Holiday Tea collection!
It has a fun and heart-warming taste and makes me wanna watch the Nutcracker movie from 2010.
Great tea!

The tea bag smells worryingly like fake butter flavor. The tea itself smells a bit like gingerbread, but mostly it just smells fake. I definitely won’t buy this again…

This is actually a blacker tea than the other black teas I’ve tried from Celestial Seasonings. It’s a good thing! Perfect amount of spice.

I’ve been spoiled by loose leaf tea. As I drink this, I’m comparing it to all of the nutty, wonderful loose leaf teas that I like better. That’s not really fair to this tea, but there it is.

This is a light, sweet treat. I think that’s what it is…I’m used to black teas with a little more “Oomph”. I’d like it to have more kick. That being said, it tastes like a cookie when you add a packet of raw sugar and some milk. Yummy.

This a nutty, mild tea. They don’t go overboard on the spices, either. I do love it with milk. I am glad it’s not sweet! You could certainly make it sweet, but I prefer it without. That way it goes better with cookies! I drink it year-round. For a souter cup, add 2 bags to a mug.

This is the one bagged tea to which I look forward every year. I enjoy it’s mild sweetness (I enhance it with honey and milk) but most of all I love the nostalgia of it. This is a core component of Christmastime to me and also one of the first teas I remember purchasing. I like spiced holiday teas a lot (like Mariage Frères’ Esprit de Noël) but this is a nice change of pace, nutty and vanilla and still holiday-rific in every way.

This is one of my absolute favorite black teas. The heavenly scent of it takes me back to memories of winter…when I make this, I hold the cup under my nose and smell it until it cools down. Full-bodied, smooth, and very pleasant. It’s great plain, but a splash of soymilk takes it to the next level…

(First review. Please bear with me.)

Received this tea as present from my mom. I tend to brew it using two teabags in about two liters of boiling water, for around seven minutes. This process was reached by no scientific process, but suits my taste well enough.

The tea smells a teensy bit artificial (the dry leaf moreso), but very similar to the German Roasted Almonds that used to be sold in the mall by my home; vanilla and cinammon over a toasty nut base. The black tea isn’t terribly apparent in the scent, but is the main flavor I taste when drinking. When sweetened, the vanilla becomes more apparent, but unsweetened, I taste mainly black tea and cinammon. Maybe almonds, but maybe I imagine that. The taste is pleasant; the scent is delicious.

I like brewing this one first thing in the morning, because it makes my room smell fantastic. It’s a nice, easy way to wake up. I prefer it unsweetened and without milk.

I’m a sucker for flavored black teas and this is no exception. This has a very sweet aroma, and does well with sweetened original almond milk, I would say to the point that it compliments the “nutty” flavor and adds a sweetness I suspect would be absent had it not been for the addition. The flavor is pretty nice, I would say that the vanilla comes off as a bit artificial but the cinnamon kind of brings it together and reminds me a bit of vanilla wafers or shortbread cookies. It’s not quite what I’d look for in an every day tea, almost appropriate that it’s seasonal for the Holidays (something I’d look forward to coming home from after being out in the cold), but will serve as a nice dessert tea. Will likely stock up on a few boxes to last me for such occasions. Not disappointed in the least.

Tastes so yummy and sweet I had to check the box to see how many calories were in it!!