Kaylee Send Message

I unjustly left this off the list of Hanukkah teas I made in a recent comment! This one gets points for being both kosher AND Hanukkah-themed (and an herbal so I can enjoy it any time). It still reads more “fluffy apple pancakes” than “potato pancakes” to me, but a lovely and thoughtful fall blend nonetheless. 

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 15

I wrote a whole long note for this and then Steepster ate it! Long story short: I like this, I think it tastes like a milkshake, I downed the mug pretty quickly.

Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 15

I can’t find this exact Yunnan Craft Ya Bao in the Steepster database, so putting the note here. (Also, the website is being very slow and glitchy for me today, so it’s definitely still up in the air whether this note will even post!)

This is pretty light, which is kind of a nice contrast with the usually heavier flavors this time of year. It’s sweet and a bit floral. The description notes that this has a peach note and I can see it (er, taste it). I enjoyed it!

Plum Deluxe Hanukkah Sampler (caffeine-free) – Night 1

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! With the website acting up, I don’t think it makes sense to create new entries for teas that are sampler/advent/countdown one-offs, so I’m just going to put those all under Random Steepings.

I got both versions of PD’s Hanukkah sampler this year, with and without caffeine. So I figure I’ll do the herbals at night and caffeinated during the day. They’re not numbered, more like a regular sampler/variety pack. I’m going to try to avoid looking, though! The herbal I pulled out tonight is called “Eight Nights Herbal.” The name is cute but I’m not really sure what makes this blend Hannukah-y other than the name. The ingredients are basically rooibos, apple pieces, lemongrass, cherries, plums, and blue mallow. Mostly I’m getting “apple rooibos” from this, with a gentle lingering citrus note from the lemongrass. Tasty! Just doesn’t really match the name.

Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 13

Day 12 was a very pretty ceramic tea canister shaped like a persimmon. I’m not sure yet what I want to keep in it, since I already have a lot of tea tins. But maybe tea bags or hard candies? It’s definitely too cute to not use. Day 14 is a teapot sticker.

I brewed this up gong fu and got many steeps throughout the day. Didn’t take great notes though! Mostly what I remember is it having strong roasty and mineral notes. Good for a cold day.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 14

Today’s tea! This one would be great for Rosh Hashanah. No hay note here! Delicate apple and cinnamon, with a nice sweet note. This is such an easy drinker – it goes down very smoothly. Gonna see if it resteeps.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 13

I appreciate how many teas are in here from companies that are harder/more expensive to get in the US right now! I feel like I’m going on a little European tour in my mug.

This mostly tastes like almond and cloves to me, which seems like a weird combo? I had enough leaf for a second mug. I made that as an oat milk latte. The oat milk tamped down the clove flavor a bit, making the cup much more pleasant.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 12

Fell a couple days behind on my tasting notes, but I’ve been keeping up with actually drinking the teas. So the next few notes are going to be based on memory and whatever contemporaneous handwritten notes I made.

AJRimmer noted that she loves this one, and I can see why. I think this does need a bit of a sweetener to really bring out the caramel, but after adding some agave this was delicious. I’m not a big fan of bergamot so tend to shy away from Earl Grey blends. The bergamot is relatively light in this one, though. And the base is pretty hearty, which grounds the citrus and sweetness nicely.

Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 10

This is a roasted dan cong, no specific brand. Day 9 was a sticker and Day 11 is a pu’erh that goes straight into the rehoming box. The leaves of this tea are so long and wiry that I had trouble getting them out of the bag. Since I had to go into the office yesterday, I just put them directly in my travel mug and grandpa brewed throughout my very long meeting. It worked reasonably well – nice and toasty brew for a cold wintry day. I was too distracted for proper notes, though, so next time I’ll try to pay better attention to this one.

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 11

Yay, a 52teas banana blend! I love the banana flavor she uses, and it doesn’t disappoint here. I’m not really getting a distinct peach note. I see some folks mentioned this being good as a cold brew, so I might try that with the leaf I have left.