Thirsty Elf Elixir Blend

I can’t believe there are no tasting notes yet for this tea. Mine is #50/150—c’mon people! How do I know what I’m supposed to taste if no one is on Steepster telling me what it is I’m supposed to be tasting? So selfish :)

I suspect this has Ceylon as a major component. It definitely doesn’t seem like Assam or Keemun, from my limited experience with them. Or maybe some darjeeling. It has a bit of astringency to it at the end of the sip that reminds me of Darjeeling, and it seems more like an afternoon blend of tea (whereas their Holiday blend strikes me more as a morning blend). Maybe this a Yunnan base? I’ve only ever had one cup of Yunnan, a while ago, so I’m not as familiar with it. Now, really, I’m just pulling things out of the air.

Definitely an afternoon tea. It is a more delicate black, it isn’t as robust, though still somewhat lively. I like it! Not quite as much as I like some other Andrews & Dunham teas, but it is still quite tasty. I’ll try resteeping the leaves a bit later to see if there is anything left in them.

A surprisingly mild and mellow tea (somehow I was expecting something more “vigorous”?). Very soothing, though.

The flavor is a bit fruity (like grapes). Woodsy with a hint of dampened earth and sea salt.

I can smell a maltiness—but I can’t taste it, for some reason.

Hmm…

This particular tasting is okay—I’m soothed but not very wow’ed. It’s just too mild—meek even. Not much “heft” or body. Thin.

Next time I will use more leaf. I used 1 teaspoon to 12.85 ounces.

Just got my tin of this a few days ago. It reminds me of the last Holiday blend, but possibly with more ceylon in it – as it’s less bold. Not my favorite from A&S, but still a good cup.

EDIT: I originally thought this tea had Keemun in it, which I don’t particularly like. As it turns out, it doesn’t have any Keemun in it! But this blend does contain something that tastes like Keemun to me. However, to keep from confusing people, I’ve edited my original review. Where it used to say Keemun, it now says T3LK (tea that tastes like Keemun).

This has T3LK in it. Drat! I really despise T3LK. I can detect even a hint of it, sort of like how I can always detect a tiny piece of cilantro in an entire plate of Thai noodles. Bahh, cilantro is nasty. Probably worse than T3LK. Anyway…I’m really sad about this blend.

But more than sad, I’m extremely surprised to read the reviews here! Everyone thinks this has a Ceylon base?? Well, maybe it does. But see, I love Ceylon and I despise T3LK. So, any Ceylon in this is masked by the smoky, dirty T3LK taste.

On the other hand, it has the cutest packaging I’ve ever seen! I love the Christmas Elf themed wittiness. Lucky for me, this is a blend of T3LK and other teas (emphasis on the other teas). If it were pure T3LK, I couldn’t drink it. But somehow, I am able to stomach this, despite the nasty aftertaste that lingers on my tongue.

Still, I’m very sad over this blend. I’m afraid I overspent on a tin I’m likely not to touch again. I missed the sale others have mentioned. So I paid full price, which I think was around $25. More than I usually spend on one little tin of tea. But I’m sure I can find others to share it with. Hey, any excuse to throw a tea party, right? :)

But oh, how I wish that I had more of the Damn Fine Holiday Blend. Now that was delicious tea! Maybe the most delicious!!

This is a great black tea. I drank it on the way to work this morning and enjoyed every sip. It was not a super bold tea a la a breakfast blend but it had some body and a nice mouthfeel and woke me up just fine.

What a nice black tea! I find it being a little more toned down black, but it certainly produces a very nice flavor (whatever the 5 teas may be).

I could taste the malty sweetness and a TANG of smoke that others have noted. The blend of teas is not listed specifically but I think I love the combination – there is also a tad note of malt.

This is a great blend of straight teas. Yum!

From the LiberTEAS sampler I bought a while back

Both dry and whilst brewing this smelled much like a breakfast tea – there was that almost-astringent note on top with that earthy black smell underneath – so I had high hopes for how it would taste once finished. I sweetened this one with a little sugar and honey (as is my custom for breakfast-y blends) so that may affect the flavour.

Post-sip it tasted just as expected – it’s a basic Irish breakfast sort of blend that hits all the right spots when I’m craving coffee. There’s a lingering woodsy note at the back, strong wake-me-up flavours in the front and it leaves you just a little dry, but not so much that it’s unpleasant.

I think in the future I would choose to mellow this one out a bit with milk, but otherwise it’s a solid, repeatable sort of breakfast-esque tea. Would recommend.

I got #17! A nice blend. I have completely forgotten what I was going to write here.

I agree, this is very similar to the prior holiday blend, but lighter. I enjoyed the last one more, but you really can’t go wrong with a high quality blend of black teas. #15 of 150 here, but that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone.

Brews to a light but rich amber. Smells pleasantly musky, floral and citrusy, like a good Keemun. Taste is rich, milky and roasty with bit of spinach, seaweed and salt that I associate with a Ceylon tea. A lemon, charcoal and pepper finish. A creamy mouthfeel. Mild astringency. A superb breakfast blend in the English tradition. I like it!

I agree with the rest of the reviews, a little lighter and no smokiness for this seasons tea. As with some others I picked it up as part of the sale.
It seems to have a slight sweetness as well, it’s a nice blend. The second steeping seems almost too light, so I’m guessing there won’t be a third.