Well, I really must admit that this 12 Days of Christmas box has really brightened my holiday season. Every tea thus far has been new to me, and that alone makes me happy.
I don’t really have anything clever to say right here, so instead, I think I’ll just jump right in to the review of today’s tea from Della Terra Teas.
Orange Brulee Oolong
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the fifth day, Orange Brulee!
As golden as five golden rings, so is a delicious, juicy orange. That mixed with a wonderful caramel brulee creates a perfect holiday season tea. Enjoy this Oolong tea any time of the day. You’ll thank your personal Santa.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment I opened the pouch of this tea I knew it was something special … well, actually, I knew that just by reading the name of this tea. Orange Brulee? Um… yes please! Creme Brulee is my favorite dessert, and so the idea of having it recreated in tea form makes me very happy. And while I’ve never actually had an Orange Creme Brulee, I can only imagine what an incredible dessert that would be!
And then when I did open the pouch and smelled the fantastic aroma of the dry leaf, I knew I was in for a real treat. It smells like candy orange slices. Sweet and juicy and distinctly orange, but with a lovely sugar-y note too. I could even smell a hint of cream. I was treated to this fragrance throughout the brewing process.
Once the tea was brewed and poured into my teacup, though, there was less of that amazing scent. Oh, it still smells yummy … just not quite as incredible as it did before or while it was brewing.
But it tastes oh-so-good! The flavor is sweet and creamy … custard-y even! The caramel is a little less distinguishable here than the custard, but, that is also true of every creme brulee I’ve ever eaten. Once you finish that bit of caramelized sugar crust, the caramel notes are pretty much gone. Here, I notice a sweet, burnt-sugar caramel note that arrives at the start of the sip, but wanes toward the finish. The creamy, custard-y note remains from start to finish, and then there is the bright, sunny orange notes that really perk up the whole cup. Every once in a while, I taste a note that reminds me of creamsicle, and this alone is enough to bring a smile on my face.
But this delightful treat would be far less interesting if I didn’t actually taste the tea – and I am glad to say that I do. This Oolong is a darker Oolong, and it offers a lovely texture as well as a pleasing fruit note that seems to enhance the orange notes rather than attempts to emerge as a real individual flavor. There are some woodsy notes as well as a hint … just a hint … of flower.
When I first read the description of this tea, I wondered if Oolong was the best base for these flavors, but after tasting it, I’m really happy with the way this tea turned out. It is certainly different, but, I like the way the smooth, luxurious Oolong interacts with these flavors. It is such a comforting and happy beverage!
On the Fourth Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent to me …
Good day, and welcome to day four. Oh … wait, I guess I should save that for day twelve, right? (Anyone who is unfamiliar with Bob and Doug McKenzie probably don’t get that. For those of you who want to know what I’m talking about, click here.)
And now that I’m sitting here, listening to that, I think maybe I should have used “French Toast” as my inspiration behind the the 12 Days of Christmas tea swap I told you about yesterday. I should have been able to find a French Toast tea. Right?
Anyway, on to today’s tea that Della Terra Teas sent to me . . .
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the fourth day of Christmas your the calling birds will be calling for some of your Chocolate Raspberry Truffle!
A festive blend of the rich chocolate and tart raspberries create a decadent truffle in your cup. Being it’s the holidays, it’s perfectly fine to overly enjoy this one. Grin away!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened today’s package I was really excited! I mean, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle??? Hello? YUM!!!
I had very high expectations for this tea, because Della Terra Teas has one of the very best chocolate teas that I’ve yet to taste (which I’ve just realized I misspelled … it should be “Dubbele Chocolade” … sorry Della Terra Teas!) so I wanted chocolate – lots of it – and true raspberry flavor. I wanted liquified Chocolate Raspberry Truffle!
And that’s just what I got! 
This is rich and chocolate-y, and with just the right amount of raspberry flavor. The raspberry is sweet and tart. The sip starts out smooth and sweet and chocolate-y, and then about mid-sip, the raspberry comes in … it’s almost as if I were biting into a Chocolate Raspberry Truffle … I’d notice the chocolate first, and then the raspberry would come in. The finish is sweet with that berry tingle that tickles the tongue.
And, with all that flavor going on, you might be wondering if there is any tea to taste … and yes, I do taste the tea. It is a fairly mellow black tea base, it doesn’t really come forth in a very strong or powerful way. It seems kind of content to just work the background, and it does provide a very solid background.
Overall, this is a very satisfying Chocolate Raspberry Truffle flavored black tea. And certainly a treat that is perfect to enjoy this time of year … I’m really happy this was part of Della Terra Teas’ 12 Days of Christmas tea box!
On The Third Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent to Me …
The third day of Christmas has been a very meaningful day for me this year, as it was the day that I’ve been busy with these past couple of months. For two swaps that I was involved with (12 days of Christmas swaps) the day that was chosen for me was day 3. Three French Hens.
The first swap I was involved in was one I facilitated on Steepster. It was a tea swap, and each participant needed was assigned a day from the song, and they needed to come up with a tea to send out to each of the other participants … and their tea choice needed to be inspired by the lyrics of the song … that is to say, they needed to choose a tea that was inspired by the day that they were assigned. I needed to choose a tea that said “Three French Hens.” Instead, I chose three teas that were somewhat French-like, and presented them in a large egg. Three French teas that were laid by French Hens. At least that was the message I was trying to express with my swap. Hopefully it made sense to the other participants.
If I happen to glance at the “French Hens” sort of carelessly and quickly, I instead read French Horns. Then I think of “How I Met Your Mother” and the blue French Horn that Ted pilfered from the restaurant where he took Robin on their first date. Maybe for my contribution for the 12 Days of Christmas art swap I took part in I should have done something French Horn inspired. Instead, I made Smash Books. I hope that everyone liked them.
So… without further babbling, I present the tea that Della Terra Teas sent me for the Third Day of Christmas:
The Gingerbread Man
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tisane Description:
On the third day of Christmas a gift of tea for you! The Gingerbread Man!
We don’t believe a french hen flavored tea would have been a grand idea, so we present to you a delicious gingerbread rooibos blend! So creamy and full of flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve stated many times that rooibos just isn’t my favorite thing. But, I do drink rooibos, pretty regularly, in fact, and so I guess I should stop saying that. While it is true that they aren’t my favorite, I don’t really dislike most of the rooibos blends that I try. In fact, the majority of the ones that I’ve tried over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve enjoyed … some more than others, but for the most part, I’ve enjoyed most of the rooibos blends I’ve tried. So I really DO need to quit saying I don’t like rooibos, because there’s quite a bit of evidence to the contrary.
This rooibos blend is pretty darned good. The description above is correct, this rooibos blend actually tastes creamy. But I don’t agree that this should be called “Gingerbread Man.” I just am not getting a whole lot of anything here that makes me think “Oh … this is Gingerbread!” It’s tasty, and that’s a good thing, but, it’s not really gingerbread to me.
I’m liking that that this is sweet without that “funky sweetness” that I sometimes get from rooibos. I taste a somewhat nutty flavor from the rooibos, and this contributes to the overall freshly baked cake kind of taste … but there really needs to be more ginger for this to be something I’d be able to say “oh yeah, that’s gingerbread alright.” I’m just not getting much ginger at all here.
What I do taste is the aforementioned creamy tone, notes of nutty flavor from the rooibos, as well as pineapple. I taste more pineapple here than I do ginger. Perhaps we could rename the Gingerbread Man to Pineapple Bread Man.
Now I’m being silly. That’s what happens when I start drinking tisane too late at night.
It is sweet, creamy and I taste very subtle spice notes, hints of ginger and of cinnamon. And from the currants, I get just a hint of a berry tartness toward the tail end of the sip.
Overall, it’s really kind of an odd – as in unusual – tisane, but, I am finding it really tasty, even if it doesn’t live up to what I would expect from something called “Gingerbread Man,” and I’m really glad I tried it.
On The Second Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent to Me …
I am generally slow at getting into the holiday spirit. I think it’s pretty much like everything else with me, I’m a procrastinator … and somehow I convince myself that if I don’t put my tree up yet, Christmas won’t come until I’m darned good and ready for it to.
Truth be told, though, we’re more ready for Christmas this year than we have been in previous years. Usually, we seem to have to wait until the last minute to do our shopping because the budget won’t allow us to do anything but. I guess things must be getting better … because most of our shopping was complete with the arrival of Black Friday. We still have some minor shopping to do, but for the most part, I think we’re done. Woo hoo!
And I love how my Christmas TEA tradition starts to get me all excited for the holiday. Really, I couldn’t HELP but be excited this year, with this amazing box from Della Terra Teas.
So … for the Second Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent to me ….
Cinnamon Crackle Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the second day of Christmas a tea was steeped for you, Cinnamon Crackle, pop-pop and a snap too.
Oh, how the turtle doves would of been intrigued by this enticing cinnamon tea! Listen closely as you pour water over this tea, you’ll hear a bit of a pop and a crackle!
Learn more about this tea here.
Note: While this tea is part of the 12 Days of Christmas tea box, it is not an exclusive to the Christmas box tea … so it is available on the website.
Taster’s Review:
This smells deliciously cinnamon-y and from the moment I opened the pouch, my kitchen was filled with the delightful (and strong!) scent of cinnamon. I looked at the dry leaf, mostly checking it out to see if I saw any pop rocks which are supposed to be in this blend, but I didn’t see them. I did see big chunks of cinnamon though, as well as some cloves and pieces of orange peel amid the black tea leaves.
I was a little disappointed when I poured the hot water over my leaves and did not hear a single snap, crackle or pop. But I tried not to let that bum me out too much, because really, what’s important is the taste, not the sound of the tea (although I do think it would have been fun to hear this tea crackle!)
As this tea brewed, I sort of built up some expectations in my head about the tea I was about to sip … the strong cinnamon-y note suggested to me that this would be the strong, spicy-hot-cinnamon tea that tastes a bit like liquified red hot candy. Not that a tea like that would be disappointing to me, because I love those teas! But, I was pretty prepared for that kind of tea by the time I was pouring it into my teacup.
And at the start of the sip, that’s pretty much what this tea delivered. A fairly hearty black tea base with a strong, somewhat spicy-yet-sweet cinnamon-y taste, with notes of clove in the background and a hint of orange. But, the finish on this tea is DIFFERENT from those other teas that I’ve tried that are similar to this one. This finishes smoother and sweeter … and the heat seems a bit less intense than some of the other strong cinnamon teas I’ve encountered. Yes, the cinnamon is strong, but, it doesn’t overpower the orange or the clove … or the tea!
And you know what? I love this tea for its differences. Sure, I love those strong, “hot tamale” kind of teas, but, I like that this one has a slightly more subtle approach, because it allows me to explore the dimensions of the tea a bit more than one that is an all-out assault on the taste buds and nasal passages. While those other teas are very effective at clearing the throat and the sinuses, this tea is allowing me to enjoy what it is … TEA! And that, alone, is enough to bring a smile on my face.
On The First Day of Christmas … Della Terra Teas Sent to Me …
It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to have a 12 Days of Christmas box to help me count down the days until Christmas Day. This will be the third year that I’ve done this, and this year, I chose the 12 Days of Christmas tea box from Della Terra Teas … the same box, incidentally, that we featured a couple of weeks ago in our Season of Giveaways!
Here’s how this works: every day from now (December 14) through Christmas Day, I’ll be reviewing the tea of the day from the Della Terra Teas box … starting with today’s tea.
But before I get in to today’s tea, I want to talk a little bit about the presentation of this box … because it really is fabulous. It’s a gift in itself! The package arrived wrapped up in Kraft paper so that we couldn’t see the festive box inside (see the photo above!). So on the outside, it appeared kind of ordinary and maybe even a little boring (although, it’s never boring to receive tea in the mail!) but as soon as you open the box, you’re greeted with this very bright and cheery box warning you NOT to open the box until December 14. Ahhh … the anticipation!
Inside the box, there was this lovely sight! 12 little sparkly boxes, each with individual tags telling us which day to open the box. There was a note tacked on the inside of the lid of the box telling the recipient how to proceed with this 12 Days of Christmas Tea celebration. This is a really awesome presentation … I am really overjoyed. It really IS going to be like a little present each day leading up to Christmas!
Day 1, Day 6 and Day 12 are to feature teas that are available exclusively to the customers who purchased this box, which makes it even more special and exciting to me!
Which leads me to today’s tea …
Partridge in a Pear Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the first day of Christmas a tea was given to me, and that was Partridge in a Pear Tea.
On this first day of your 12 Days of Christmas, please, sit back, and enjoy a cup of this delightful, fruity pear tea that is exclusive to this set of twelve! What a lovely way to start!
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf is beautiful! Lots of white cornflower petals amid the black tea leaves and pieces of dried pear, and little golden candy bits that add a nice bit of sparkle to the dry leaf … what fun! It smells very much like pear, and I do love a good pear tea. 
Although, I must admit, that it seems more often than not that I am disappointed by pear teas, because the pear flavor is just … off … somehow. I’ve found a few really good pear teas, but I have also had some disappointing pear teas. I’m hopeful that Della Terra Teas won’t let me down. I’ve been really impressed with their teas thus far, so I think I’ve every reason to be optimistic.
And I can say that my faith in Della Terra Teas is not misplaced! This is really quite good. The pear flavor is delicious and sweet … even juicy, reminiscent of a ripe pear. It tastes very authentic to me, this doesn’t taste like an artificial pear taste.
It is a bit sweet, and I am sure that has a bit to do with the candy bits in the blend that melt when coming in contact with the hot water while it brews. But I don’t mind the sweetness, and I’m not finding it to be too sweet or cloying.
And I like that even though the pear flavoring is strong here, it doesn’t overpower the black tea. It is a mellow, pleasant black tea with a moderate amount of astringency, not overly robust (I think a stronger or bolder black tea would have overpowered the more delicate notes of the pear, and I really like the way the pear flavor is represented here), and very satisfying to drink. Not something you’d want for that eye-opening, first cup of the day, but, more of a tea that you’d want for an afternoon pick-me-up … it would also make a great dessert tea!
Overall, a really good pear tea, and an excellent way to start off my 12 Days of Tea countdown! Be sure to stop back by tomorrow at about the same time to see what tea Della Terra sent to me for the Second day of Christmas!