1466 Tasting Notes
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 5
I absolutely butchered this one. No one to blame but myself. I got distracted and oversteeped by at least ten minutes, so the resulting brew was very astringent and made my stomach hurt. It was, however, still pleasantly fruity! I got the mango and lemon, not so much the strawberry. But with the bad steep, it’s entirely possible that the strawberry is more present under normal conditions. I’ll just have to be more careful :-)
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 4
Yay, another Deb tea! Admittedly, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a mimosa (as in, over a decade at least), so I don’t really remember what they taste like. Putting aside whether it lives up to the name, I like this blend! I’m getting lightly tart and sweet lemon and orange, with the turmeric lending enough earthiness to keep this from from feeling overly sweet.
Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 4
Day 3 was a cute floral gaiwan sticker. Day 4 is a Jin Jun Mei from a wholesaler, so can’t really make a distinct Steepster entry for it. This was a lovely accompaniment on a long and stressful workday – tasty and soothing enough to make the day easier, but not so distinctive that it’s a distraction. I hit my caffeine cap long before this steeped out, so throwing it in the fridge for a cold brew to be enjoyed later. Very smooth and malty, with a bit of natural sweetness. And no attendant tummy pain!
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 3
Ooh, this one’s fun. Spicy at first, then tart lemon. I added a bit of honey, which made for a very smooth drink. I’d call this medium spicy – not super hot, but spicy enough that it would be unpleasant for someone who doesn’t like a peppery kick. Didn’t expect to get to try any Bird & Blend teas for a while, so very excited to have had the chance! Thank you, AJ!
Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 2
Day 2 is an Icelandic Puer from a wholesaler, so can’t really make a distinct Steepster entry for it. This isn’t the worst tea I’ve ever had, which is higher praise than it sounds like coming from me for a pu’erh. The first steep was a bit thin, which was fine by me. Still the same boggy, fishy flavor I always seem to get from pu’erhs, just not as overwhelming. Subsequent steeps, however, were stronger and more boggy, with a touch of fishiness. Alas, another pu’erh wasted on me.
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 2
Ooh, another tea from a company I’m fond of, yay! The raspberry here is just the right level of tart and not particularly sweet, and it pairs nicely with the mint. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was great after a big lunch. Even better as a tea soda. Very happy with this one.
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 1
AJRimmer is my Steepster diy calendar swap buddy this year! She did a cute playing card motif with hers, which I find charming. I was excited about day 1 being a Deb tea, but I’m not quite sure whether I like this one. It’s definitely best as a sweetened latte; that treatment brings out the flavor (mostly banana). I have some more leaf, so I want to play around with it a bit.
Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 1
Adventageddon is here again! I’m not feeling well at the moment so today’s notes will be pretty brief, but I didn’t want to fall behind on the first day. This little compressed cake has a lot to give. I started steeping first thing in the morning and kept resteeping all day. I hit my caffeine cap long before the leaves were steeped out. They’re not kidding about the recommendation to do flash steeps – even with a long rinse, there’s a bitterness that comes out with “longer” steeps (like, longer than 30 seconds). Mostly I got roasty, creamy, and slightly kale-like bitter notes.
Sipdown of a teabag or sachet tea for ashmanra’s sipdown challenge. I hoarded this tin from last year’s Lupicia advent calendar a bit, but it’s time to finish it off while it’s still good. I really like the sweet grape flavor here! Would happily drink more of it. Also, keeping the empty tin for now because it’s so cute. Maybe I’ll use it as a travel tin for other teas.
Sipdown of a bedtime tea for ashmanra’s sipdown challenge. I absolutely plowed through this tin. Something about the combination of sweet mango and just-sharp-enough-to-make-itself-known ginger made this such an easy sipper. Will probably restock next time I see a Spice Professors stand at a street fair!
