The English Tea Room & Eatery

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 22
Theme: Jingle Bells
Song: Jingle Bells by Jim Reeves

I think this is just the Harney tea of the same name, but since I can’t be sure, I made a new entry for it. Dry, it had a lovely and tart cranberry scent, but in the steeped cup, much of that is lost. The cranberry is (sadly) subtle, and I taste more of the black base than anything. Orange is not noticeable at all. It’s been a while since I’ve had the Harney one, but I recall it being disappointing in the cranberry department as well. :(

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=2QGI2wOlTUs&si=7GA7oF4XSjTZ250R

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 21
Theme: A nostalgic song
Song: I Wonder as I Wander by John Rutter

Another one that is very light on flavor, similar to Ciao Amaretto. They were both in DIY teabags, so I wonder if that had anything to do with it… Anyway, I do taste a bit of the promised blackberry flavor, but I certainly wouldn’t know there was supposed to be bergamot or cream here. Mostly it’s a very mild blackberry black tea, with a rather acidic base. There’s a hint of an herbaceous or green note as well, maybe the foliage of the blackberry bush?

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=mF3s_yCWYm0&si=mutH71xx8j4VTu6q

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 19
Theme: An instrumental song
Song: Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Coconut and almond again… Here, the coconut is slightly past its prime, and I’m very sensitive to rancid coconut, so I was not a fan ha ha. The coconut was definitely the strongest flavor in the couple of sips that I had, with the almond in the background. And, of course, the soapy notes of old coconut!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=tQxINIyBejY&si=n5HLQAajuT9EwO8X

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 18
Theme: Joy to the World
Song: Joy to the World by José Carreras

Honestly, I can barely taste any flavoring in this one. Mostly it tastes like a generic Ceylon – brisk and very acidic with a metallic lean. There’s just a hint of amaretto in the background. Not sure if this was just on the older side, or if the tea is overly subtle. But I’m not a huge fan of amaretto in tea anyway, so not a big loss! XD

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=celXnS_h0Pw&si=vvfrbdXBqwENb23J

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 11
Theme: An underappreciated song
Song: Gaudete by The Mediaeval Baebes

Wasn’t too excited by the thought of two flavors I don’t always enjoy in tea (almond and coconut) together. However, similar to the Snowflake from Murchie’s that I recently tried, they seem better together. This is described as tasting like wedding cake, and I can see that, though the flavoring was quite mild to my tastebuds. It did have a butteriness that called to mind cake or buttercream. Very mellow overall, but a pleasant cup.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=INAdvWqPsIo&si=0EW8agUdT48QdBVJ

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 21
Theme: Sugar Plum Fairy
My pick: Thé de l’Abbaye from Dammann Frères

This happens to be one of those plum blends I was referencing in my other note ha ha, all cinnamon and hibiscus and not tasting much like an actual plum. It’s not bad, sort of a mulled wine vibe. The cinnamon is a bit much, and it tastes to me like there’s cinnamon flavor as well as the spice. Hibiscus isn’t terribly sour. It’s a pleasant enough cup to have once or twice during the holiday season.

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 20
Theme: A Black Tea
My pick: The Magician from Wild Coast Brew

I prepared this one with sugar and oat milk, which was maybe a mistake, as it came out a bit weak in flavor. I definitely taste the cardamom, but the black tea itself isn’t quite strong enough to stand up to this treatment. There’s something slightly savory about it, that’s reminding me of thyme or maybe rosemary. Not sure if that’s from the black tea or just how the cardamom is coming across. It’s not bad, but not what I was expecting for a cardamom black tea latte ha ha.

Almost forgot jam! Today it’s Mixed Berries Spread, which is a combination of blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry. To me, the blackberry takes the lead, but I can taste the tartness of raspberry and the syrupy sweet blueberry as well. It’s nice and very rich in flavor, but IMO it’s a bit too sweet overall. I think maybe leaving the blueberry out would’ve helped.

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 16
Theme: A White Tea
My pick: White Crow 2022 from Bitterleaf Teas

This is a blueberry, vanilla, and pomegranate flavored white tea. It smelled really good in the pouch, like blueberry muffins! Steeped up, it’s a bit more of a candy blueberry flavor, and I don’t really notice the vanilla or pomegranate. The white base isn’t my favorite, very different from the Bush Berry one, and a bit musty.

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 11
Theme: Fireside Glow
My pick: London Afternoon from Murchie’s

Ooh, an unflavored tea today! I like smoky teas, but I don’t tend to reach for them, so it’s always nice to have one once in a while. This smelled very smoky dry and steeped, but the flavor surprised me. It does have that savory lapsang smoke to it, but it’s actually a bit in the background compared to the other black teas. Mostly I taste the smooth and earthy Chinese black tea, and then at the end of the sip and in the swallow, the savory smoke comes to the forefront. There’s a lingering smoky finish as well.

A very pleasant blend, and perfect for a Chinese black tea lover like me! I bet it would be lovely with a bit of maple syrup and milk as well.

Our Bonne Maman jam for today is Pineapple-Yuzu Spread. I admit, I didn’t notice much yuzu here, but I didn’t care because I love pineapple! This tasted like sweet pineapple – a bit too sweet, really. I think a bit more tang would’ve been nice, and maybe that was their intention with the yuzu?

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 2
Theme: Hot Cocoa
My pick: Fengqing Dragon Pearl from Teavivre

I’m not a huge fan of chocolate teas or rooibos, but this is actually quite nice. The chocolate flavoring isn’t overly boozy, and gives a nice gentle chocolate flavor to the tea. The rooibos base is woody but not medicinal. Overall, a smooth and sweet evening cuppa that would probably go well with milk. Not something I would order for myself, but nice to try. :)