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I created this blend just before Christmas for a swap I was participating in … my recipient likes chai, vanilla flavored black teas, and almond flavored black teas … so I decided to have Ovation Teas put them all together in one fantastic blend for her. I decided that I had to try it too, so they were nice enough to include some for me to try.

And it is, indeed, fantastic! The chai comes through good and strong, and the vanilla and almond accent each other really nicely to provide a sweet, nutty, creamy taste that melds deliciously with the warmly spiced chai. It isn’t a strong, spicy chai, but it isn’t what I’d call mild either … it has a nice balance of spices. Warm and comforting … perfect for a chilly, grey Pacific Northwest day.

I was greatly saddened to learn that Ovation Teas is closing its doors … they are a “local” company (they’re in Washington, anyway), and that saddens me, as well as the fact that they had some pretty amazing blends and I hadn’t even scratched the surface … there were so many others I wanted to try! And really, they are such awesomely nice people, the kind of people I felt good about doing business with … I am sad to see them close their doors.

I guess I’m not going to rate this one since it is a custom blend that I created.

I’ve been drinking this tea almost every other day for the last week or two now, I found it to be a very comforting drink while I was feeling under the weather. But, because I didn’t trust my taste buds while being sick … and quite frankly, because I didn’t feel up to writing a whole lot, I didn’t record any of those tasting notes.

Now that I’m feeling better, and now that I have spent so much time with this tea … I can say that I really REALLY like it. The sip starts with a taste of brandy – that sweet, fruity, almost-wine-ish kind of taste that hits the tongue, and then I notice a sweet, caramel-y note that is quite delectable. About mid-sip, the baked cake notes start to shine through. It’s really good … and while I have never tasted a butter brandy cake before, if this is what they taste like (sans the taste of the rich black tea base) then I would certainly be willing to try one in the future.

A really tasty blend!

I’m enjoying this. For the last few days, I’ve kind of been hiatus … I’ve been reading tasting notes, and checking things out, but, my head cold that I had at the beginning of this week kind of put a damper on my joy of writing as well as my ability to really taste much … I’d say that my taste buds have been up and working properly for at least two or three days now, I’ve noticed them getting progressively better … and I think they’re functioning well now.

I was a little worried about this tea before brewing it, although I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the blends that I’ve tried thus far from The Whistling Kettle, so I don’t know why I worried. I just tend to be apprehensive when it comes to Pu-erh in general. Maybe eventually I’ll get over that. I hope so, because I’ve enjoyed most of the pu-erh I’ve encountered over the past couple of years … since I’ve learned how to brew it to my liking.

This tea has a very compelling balance of pu-erh and white tea … I was surprised that I can taste the white tea here, and I think that I can taste it a bit more than I could in the other Whistling Kettle tea blends that I have tried. The sip starts out with a sweet, slightly hay-ish vegetative note that is distinctly white tea and toward mid-sip, I notice the earthy character of the pu-erh. The lemon is slightly tart, and the tartness builds as I continue to sip. It has a vibrant flavor, and it really brightens the cup. The ginger is less distinguished than I thought it would be … the lemon is definitely the stronger of the two flavors. The ginger is a bit more like a sprinkling of peppery heat that sort of dances over the palate – it doesn’t overwhelm.

I like the way this tea plays out. Nicely done.

I’m going to be focusing on teas that I’ve already tried over the next day or so because I think I’m coming down with something (again … gah!!!) My taste buds are definitely impaired as I feel that sort of icky feeling in my throat and in my mouth where it feels like everything is lined with scratchy wool or something. Like I said, icky.

So, I’ll seek comfort with teas that I know. This is my absolute favorite Coconut tea. I don’t think I’ve found one that’s better. It’s so deliciously coconut-y. I love it, and even though my taste buds aren’t working oh so great I can still taste the goodness here.

On the 12th Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent this tea to me!

http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/25/on-the-twelfth-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

This is really yummy, and I was super excited by this blend, because I love sugar plums. As I mentioned in my full-length review, I haven’t ever had the traditional sugar plums but, I’ve had the jelly belly version of sugar plums, and those I love. I suspect that this tea is a bit more like the traditional sugar plum with the spices and everything, but, I loved it. YUM!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent me this tea!

http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/24/on-the-eleventh-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

I liked this more than I expected to. My biggest hang up with it – before tasting it – was that I was sure it wouldn’t have a creamy texture that I felt an egg nog would need. Rooibos tends to feel rather thin on the palate, and it’s hard to get that creamy feel with rooibos. And while this IS a little lighter in the texture department when compared to some of the other eggnog inspired teas that I’ve tried this holiday season, for a rooibos this is surprisingly creamy. The creaminess is primarily in the flavor but some of it translates into the mouthfeel as well.

And I liked the way the nutty notes of the rooibos tasted with the sweet nog flavors. It was really quite enjoyable.

I’m a day late on posting the Tenth Day of Christmas tea … but oh well! Yesterday was a very busy day for me, and I wasn’t on the computer very much (we celebrated our holiday yesterday since my oldest daughter wasn’t able to visit either today or tomorrow).

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent me this tea!

http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/23/on-the-tenth-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

I really REALLY like this interpretation of the candy cane … I love the chocolate addition … it adds such a delicious dimension to the cup. Oh, ok, sure, it does interfere with the peppermint just a wee bit, and makes it taste maybe just a little less like a candy cane in the traditional sense, but, as for this chocoholic, I’ll take a chocolate dipped candy cane over the tradional candy cane any day!

YUM!

Thank you Sil for offering this as your interpretation of 11 pipers piping!

This smells VERY smoky … but it tastes less smoky than it smells. It still has a distinct smoky presence in the flavor, it just doesn’t taste as smoky as the aroma might lead one to believe. The aroma made me think that this HAS to be at least part Lapsang Souchong but the flavor changes that thinking because it does not taste like Lapsang Souchong. It tastes smoky, but, not in the thick, pine smoke kind of taste for which Lapsang is known.

I get the peaty earthiness too… the sip consists primarily of a rich earthiness and the smoky notes, and then the citrus tones come through toward the aftertaste. Someone else mentioned an Earl Grey/Bergamot note, I don’t know that I taste bergamot especially, I definitely do taste citrus though. It is bright, sweet, and tangy. The citrus notes become very clear in the aftertaste.

A very pleasant and unusual blend … very glad I got to try it.

On another note, I was dismayed when I attempted to visit the Majesteas site and could not. (My virus protection says no, and I’m in no mood to try to remove malicious stuff off my computer) I would be very interested in seeing what other teas this company might have to offer.

today I am having teas that I’ve already had before, because I don’t have time to compose long tasting notes since it’s our holiday and I’m busy cooking the holiday dinner. The cupcakes just came out of the oven, the ham is now in there doing its thing, and now I need to go prep the apples for baking. :)

This is yummy and it is giving me another boost of energy, which is needed today!

Thank you to KeenTeaThyme for this representation of Day 10 in our 12 Days of Christmas tea swap. It’s really tasty!

I like the combination of the cinnamon and the mint … the cinnamon is warm yet sweet, and the mints add a crisp, invigorating taste to the cup. I don’t taste a lot of the Guayusa here, the cinnamon, peppermint and spearmint seem to be overpowering it just a tad, but, it’s still really good … a very nice way to get motivated on such a chilly day (the kind of day that you’d rather just stay curled up under the covers … but I can’t because today is the day we are celebrating our holiday, so I have a bunch of stuff to get done for our feast)

Nicely done, KeenTeaThyme!