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Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

Ooh, a white tea with mango, bergamot, and almond? Sounds intriguing.

Honestly, it’s a bit meh to me, and I think it’s because of the white tea base. It’s quite strong on the musty hay notes, emphasis on the musty. I can definitely taste a bit of (very nice) juicy mango and a touch of floral bergamot. I think the almond is adding a bit of desserty sweetness?

Anyway, a shame that the base sort of overpowers the flavoring here, if it were a bit more delicate I think this could’ve been a really nice tea.

Nio Teas Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

So I think I may have ruined this by using water that had been sitting in a metal kettle for a few days. It tastes very metallic and I assume that’s why…

Otherwise, honestly it’s a bit weak? Maybe I should’ve used less water, but their website recommends 150ml… It doesn’t have that intensity that I expect from a gyokuro. It’s very sweet, and there is a nice concentrated vegetal quality, but it tastes almost watered down?

Nordqvist Moomin Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

So this is a chocolate truffle-flavored black tea. I’m not getting much flavoring (not a surprise at this point), but what’s there is almost buttery? And maybe a hint of very dark chocolate.

The Tea Practitioner Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

This tea has beautiful long, dark, twisty, spindly leaves. I’ve had Taiwanese Assams before that looked similar, but I don’t think I’ve ever had such a large-leaf Assam from India.

It’s very smooth and malty, and fairly light in body. There’s a touch of green beany savoriness that reminds me a bit of a Chinese black tea, along with those nice, deep brown sugar and raisin notes that are common among Assam teas. Definitely some woody and earthy qualities as well, which I would also associate more with hongcha.

This is an interesting one, to me it almost tastes like the fusion of a classic Assam and something like a golden monkey. I like both of those styles, so it’s quite enjoyable for me! Also love how incredibly smooth it is, and surprisingly light.

Provence d’Antan Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

So this is a sort of herbal chai, just the spices and nothing else.

It’s quite nice and I’m really enjoying it after having a lot of spiced teas with flavoring lately. It’s so refreshing to have a naturally spiced tea for a change. The spices here are well-balanced, with the cardamom and cinnamon being the strongest, and then the clove and ginger coming in later in the sip. The clove lingers in the finish, and it’s joined by a hint of black pepper warmth.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a chai with no tea or rooibos in it, but I’m really enjoying it this evening. :)

BrutaliTeas Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

So, why is there green tea in this…? It’s just weird, and doesn’t make any sense given it’s such a pitiful amount, and it’s totally overpowered by the rooibos and the flavoring. I don’t get it, but whatever.

Otherwise, it’s a pleasant nutty, desserty rooibos blend. It has a nice buttery nut flavor, I think I can taste both the hazelnut and the chestnut. And then there’s quite a bit of sweet caramel on top, along with some creaminess. So it ends up tasting a bit like chestnut cream or a mont blanc.

I find it a bit much, so I probably wouldn’t order it, but it’s tasty and definitely festive!

Nio Teas Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

At first I thought this was a duplicate, as I had a karigane from Sakamoto earlier in the advent. But they appear to be two different teas, even though they’re both made with gyokuro stems. I think this one has more stems, and the other has more leaves? Unsure.

Regardless, this is a tasty tea! It has the rich vegetal and umami flavor of gyokuro, but in a much lighter form. Sweet and smooth with a creamy kabocha note, paired with a clean, mineral finish with a touch of hay.

The second steep is much lighter, but still has a smooth vegetal note to it, along with fresh grass and a light nuttiness. It tastes a bit more kukicha-like, with less of the gyokuro intensity.

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This is such a nice nutty tea. It has the rich, creamy, buttery flavor of chestnut and a bit of a caramelized note that adds a nice candied nut vibe. Then there’s the grassy green base, and the matcha adds a bit more sweetness and richness to it.

Overall just a yummy tea that I’ll have to reorder next fall. Lupicia does chestnut so well! :)

Nordqvist Moomin Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

Another Earl Grey! This is meant to be a black tea with bergamot and orange, but sadly I’m not really getting any orange. Perhaps a hint of orange zest on the tail end? But mostly it’s a pleasant Earl Grey with a smooth base, good level of bergamot, and a hint of a citrusy edge. Tasty and very drinkable, but nothing special.

The Tea Practitioner Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

Sheng puerh again! I steeped this gongfu style in an adorable little grey ceramic houhin with mountains on the lid.

If I’m honest, I felt like I was missing something with this one. Not to say it didn’t taste pleasant, but I didn’t find a lot of complexity in it and that flavor didn’t change much for me over the course of the session. It reminded me of a combination of aged white and Chinese green tea – with cozy woody and lightly musty straw notes, hints of stonefruit, and a slightly astringent finish. I enjoyed sipping on it, but I guess I was expecting more? Then again, I don’t have much experience with sheng heh…

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