4557 Tasting Notes
Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 3
I was excited to try this one, as I love peanut butter and chocolate (as I’m sure most people do!). However, sadly I’m not tasting much of anything other than just rooibos. There’s a toastiness that actually makes me think of coffee, but otherwise it’s just woody rooibos. Maybe there’s a slight peanut aftertaste? :(
Flavors: Coffee, Peanut, Red Rooibos, Woody
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 3 (bonus!)
Theme: A recent discovery
Song: There Is No Rose by Z. Randall Stroope
Cold steep! They always recommend a short time for these, but I left it for several hours so that it would be stronger. It’s still quite mild, I probably would use multiple sachets for a punchier flavor. But it’s very refreshing, and I like that it has a bit of tartness, but it’s not Hibiscusville. The peach is a little bit like a Peachie-O, but that tangy quality helps it to not be cloying. The mango is a nice touch as well to add a bit of interest and a tropical note. There’s a slight mustiness in the finish, that I assume is coming from the blackberry leaves. For some reason, places feel the need to add them for sweetness, but they don’t really have the more pleasant flavor to me. Thankfully, it’s just a touch.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdAiJP241VQ&si=h44r6bOTBVRroZJj
Flavors: Artificial, Candy, Fruity, Juicy, Mango, Musty, Peach, Sweet, Tangy, Tropical
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 3
Theme: A recent discovery
Song: There Is No Rose Of Swych Vertu by Mediaeval Baebes
Not gonna lie, was not excited to see this one. I don’t think I’ve ever had a flowering tea that I thought tasted very good, and it doesn’t help that you have to steep it for a long time to get it to fully bloom. But oof… this tastes like soap to me. I assumed it would be a jasmine green tea, but this is definitely flavored with some kind of strong floral, and it mentions fruit too in the description looks like. Very, very perfumey sort of chemical floral taste. :|
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=5YybkDkcTV0&si=LH-HQ3ddETcYDOlK
https://www.instagram.com/p/DR0kEGTj1ia
Flavors: Chemical, Floral, Soap
Preparation
Casting Whimsy Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 3
Angelov
Another one not on their website, this is a coconut lime green tea. I didn’t use much water because it had a lot of lemongrass and dried rose petals and things mixed in, and not a lot of green tea. It’s okay. The lime is very cleaner-y to me, and the green tea is a little sharp as well, despite my 2-minute steep. The coconut helps to add a bit of creaminess and smooth it a little, but overall just not great.
Rating: 60
Flavors: Artificial, Chemical, Coconut, Creamy, Dry Grass, Grassy, Lime, Sharp, Sweet
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 3
This one… It just tastes like Darjeeling to me, I can maybe detect a tiny hint of spice if I squint, but I wouldn’t know it had any flavoring additions at all by the taste. It’s pleasant enough, definitely a later flush sort of Darjeeling with bready and hay notes. Maybe it’s better this way, since I am not a clove lover anyway heh heh… :P
As for jam, today it’s Plum Pear Star Anise Spread. Plum might be my favorite fruit for jam, so I was excited to see this one. It’s a nice mix of plum and pear, with the plum adding that stonefruity tang and the pear adding syrupy richness. I don’t actually notice the star anise, even trying it plain, but I’m enjoying the two fruits together so I don’t mind!
Flavors: Bread, Grain, Hay, Light, Musty, Smooth, Soft
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 2
Oops, apparently I forgot to write a note for this one last night!
It was pleasant enough, I was expecting a generic Forever Nuts type blend and was happy that it wasn’t. Pear was the strongest flavor, and it was sweet and syrupy, like canned pears. The cinnamon was subtle but added warmth and a bit of a baked goods vibe. However, there was a slight Juicy Fruit or bubblegum note in the finish that wasn’t my favorite. Still made for a nice evening cuppa though!
Flavors: Apple, Artificial, Bubblegum, Cinnamon, Fruity, Pear, Sweet, Syrupy, Warm
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 2
Theme: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Song: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee
One of Marjorie’s own custom blends! Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan. This has a bit too much of Adagio’s black tea in it for me, which I don’t enjoy. It tends to have all the downsides of Ceylon but not a lot of flavor, and it upsets my stomach. Otherwise, it’s mildly pumpkin spiced with an undertone of rooibos. I don’t notice the caramel or butterscotch? Just not a good match for me today.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=O1x-hOOrl5E&si=Q4_T0I0v39IoQWUx
Flavors: Acidic, Astringent, Brisk, Metallic, Pumpkin Spice, Spices, Tannic
Preparation
Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 2
Next year I really need to have an unflavored advent calendar, because it’s so nice to have a break from all the flavor-y things ha ha. This is a lovely vegetal and very nutty sencha with great umami from the added matcha. Really tasty spinach and edamame notes, and a touch of refreshing astringency on the tail end. It just feels so restorative…
Flavors: Beany, Butter, Creamy, Cut Grass, Edamame, Fresh, Green, Nuts, Roasted Nuts, Smooth, Sweet, Toasty, Umami, Vegetal
Preparation
Casting Whimsy Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 2
This is nice! To me, it’s more of an orange spice tea than cranberry orange, as I don’t notice the cranberry at all. But that makes sense, given it has orange flavor but only dried cranberries. It’s very mellow, but not weak. Orange is the strongest flavor, bolstered by a touch of sweet cinnamon. Not sure what kind of black tea this is, but it has a good balance of briskness and flavor.
Flavors: Acidic, Brisk, Cinnamon, Citrus, Orange, Sweet, Tannic
Preparation
Stash Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 2
Toasted Vanilla Caramel
This is very toasty indeed, it has a very dark burnt sugar sort of flavor to it. I don’t notice the vanilla at all, and the burnt sugar paired with a fairly brisk base is honestly a bit much. It’s not awful, but not one I would want to drink again.
Rating: 55
Flavors: Astringent, Brisk, Burnt Sugar, Caramelized Sugar, Tannic
