Tea advent calendars are huge right now and I had to jump in and pick up a few for the holidays. One of the calendars I picked up was Plum Deluxe’s Advent Calendar- one of the more expensive ones I came across, but loving Plum Deluxe, I knew this would be amazing.
Unlike other tea advent calendars I’ve seen, Plum Deluxe’s calendar comes with a reusable 25 day “goodie” holder that you can reuse year after year. The goodie holder is made out of canvas and is done amazingly well. I’m quite taken with this calendar and actually wish there wasn’t a winter theme to the artwork because I would love to hang this in my office all year long to help me drink down my current tea stash. Unfortunately, my office is in the corner area of my family room, so it would look a little odd with snowflakes coming out of a tea pot in the crazy hot days of summer. Nevertheless, I’m in love with this holder and can’t wait to use it during the next few winter seasons to come. 
This particular calendar contains a mix of treats and Plum Deluxe teas- sample size. Being a huge fan of Plum Deluxe teas, I was excited to jump in and get my kettle going. I used to subscribe to their monthly tea plan, but found that I had to cancel just because I had so much tea on my hands. If you haven’t had Plum Deluxe teas, I encourage you to check them out. Beyond having delicious teas, they have the most amazing customer service and community behind the scenes. If you ever had any dealings with Plum Deluxe, you know exactly what I mean.
So, without further ado, I’m going to run down the first five days of treats/teas. . .
-Day 1- Sample Size of Apple Cinnamon Warmth Black Tea–
Not being a huge fan of black teas, I was still really excited about trying this tea. Like I said, I took a break from Plum Deluxe for a bit and haven’t had this tea as of yet. Brewed with water at boiling and allowed to steep for 4 minutes then topped with frothed warm almond milk, I was in heaven. This tea was everything I needed on a Mid-West brisk evening. The cinnamon was the star of this tea with a subtle apple note in the background and a touch of orange. I didn’t so much taste the black tea base but I don’t think this tea really needed that. This tea is one for sure I could see myself reordering.
-Day 2- Soul Warmer Herbal Tea (Red Rooibos)-
Unfortunately, this tea contains red rooibos, an herb that I have a strong (insanely so) aversion too. I’m one of those that adores and loves green rooibos but red rooibos is and always will be my arch enemy- so I have added this tea another’s Sisters tea package to send to them shortly. I hope they love it. It looks really pretty and I’m sure is amazing.
-Day 3- Berry Pie Dessert Tea (Honeybush)
This tea right here is hands down the best tea I’ve ever had from Plum Deluxe. The honeybush is crisp and provides this luscious dessert feel with a vanilla backdrop, the cinnamon and cardamom provide this subtle but solid spiced feel that is reminiscent of pie, and of course the berry flavor is spot on. Just so good, so right, so simple and yet so perfect. I want a gallon of this tea at the ready for me at any moment. That’s how much I love and adore this tea.
-Day 4- Self Care Blend Herbal Tea (Honeybush)
Brewed up with freshly boiled water and allowed to steep for about 4 minutes, I was hoping this tea would be a gorgeous blend of apricots and apple with a vanilla background based on the ingredient list. And that is exactly what the taste was but it almost seemed like this tea needed a touch of something else to really bring the flavors to life. The tea was good but it didn’t blow me away like I thought it would. With the second steeping, I threw in a few cinnamon chips and this tea popped to life. The sweet cinnamon brought the apricots, apple, and vanilla into this gorgeous spiced fruit note that blended perfectly with the vanilla flavors the honeybush was provided. I’m now quite addicted to this connection I created.
-Day 5- 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Heart
I do like how there is a mix of teas and treats in the mix, but I was hoping for more tea related treats than a chocolate heart. I’m sure it will be delightful with the right cup of tea and will keep it for a treat later when I have a chocolate craving. (I’m actually not a huge chocolate fan)
So overall, I did enjoy the first week’s offerings. Some hits and misses, but planning an advent calendar to appease the masses would be a huge undertaking and I can’t even imagine getting together something of this nature. I’m hoping for more hits next week!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description- A daily tea based advent calendar to enjoy through the holidays.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Quarter to Tea’s Tea Box. . .
Last year for my birthday I was gifted an A Quarter to Tea monthly subscription for 8 months. When the gift ended, I wasn’t ready to give up my monthly box of delicious so I continued on the subscription myself. In March, I received what I like to call my “Anniversary Box” as I had come to a full year of A Quarter to Tea tastiness being brought monthly to my door.
This box has some great options including Green Velvet Cake, a flavored green tea; Pistachio and Cream Cookie, a flavored white tea; and Whisky Chocolate Truffle and Hot Cross Buns, which are both flavored black teas.
Green Velvet Cake: This is the tea I was most excited to try given my love of cake and all things dessert. First thing I noticed was that the dry leaf and the steeped tea capture the scent of cream cheese frosting perfectly.That frosting comes through in taste too, albeit not as strongly as the smell would suggest. Peeking over the edge of that sweet icing flavor, is just a touch of the kukicha base – slightly grassy yet fresh. Personally I could do without the vegetal input of the base tea and with a touch more actual cake notes. The frosting is nice but it isn’t called “Green Velvet Cake Frosting”.
Pistachio and Cream Cookie: This blend combines white tea, sprinkles, pistachios, rose petals, and natural flavors. Though the “cream cookie” calls to me, pistachio is a flavor I am indifferent to and rose just isn’t appealing. When I had this before, it had a creamy note to it, though today it has less cream. Instead of that cream, this has almost a touch of spice and definitely more rose. There is also more pistachio flavor which comes through clearly and helps sell “baked good”. When I think about it, I can see this as a cookie with a hint of brown sugar, a hint of spice, and the distinct pistachio nuttiness. The rose is what takes me out of that cookie mindset so my preference would be to eliminate that ingredient altogether. However, that is more due to personal preferences than a reflection on the rose’s contribution to the tea.
Whisky Chocolate Truffle: This was the one I was least excited about trying. As cute as the shamrock sprinkles are, whisky just isn’t my favorite and chocolate can be hit or miss, especially when cacao nibs and shells are used like they are in this tea. Other ingredients include marshmallow root, semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, and natural flavors. As I drink this, I know it is not for me. It has a chocolate undertone but one that is more dark and bitter than milky and sweet, which is my preference. There is also a definite alcohol vibe here that again isn’t really to my tastes. Something about this tea overall comes off very dried fruit/raisin/prune to me and though I can see this being nice for others, I am just not part of the demographic this was blended for.
Hot Cross Buns: Comprised of black tea, lemongrass, calendula, raisins, and natural flavors, the steeped tea smells lemony and sweet with a touch of raisins. It is certainly selling the baked good scent with lemon glaze. Now I should say I have never actually had a Hot Cross Bun but if they taste anything like the first sip of this tea, I would devour mountains of them because this. is. good. The yunnan base has a strong bread flavor and the lemongrass tastes like a sweet glaze drizzled on top. The raisin pops up every now and again as an explosion of juicy sweetness, just as a raisin in a bun would explode when you bit into it. Honestly, this tea just captures fresh baked goods perfectly…warm, spicy, sweet, doughy and delicious!
As far as the teas in this box go, Hot Cross Buns is by far my favorite, followed by Green Velvet Cake and Pistachio and Cream Cookie. Whisky Chocolate Truffle was a miss for me but I can appreciate that there is quite the variety here to appeal to all tastes. What worked for me might not work for others and vice versa. That is what makes subscription boxes like this so fun!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Subscription Box
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
The gift that keeps on giving!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
EggNaughTea from The NecessiTeas. . . .
The holidays are fast approaching and that means eggnog. Lots of eggnog. And eggnog means eggnog lattes!!! They don’t say “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” for nothing.
I figured what better tea to make as an eggnog latte than EggNaughTea, a caffeine-free blend of honeybush, nutmeg, marigold petals, marshmallows, and flavoring? However, to be able to discern the tea from the latte, I also decided to make it as a plain tea. Both were brewed in 200F water for a little over 5 minutes.
Sipping on the hot tea, I can tell this is a high quality honeybush base, especially since it is one of the only things I am tasting. Sweet honey flavor. I wish I could say I was tasting the nutmeg, vanilla, or rum that is supposed to be here but alas they are lost on me.
Nevertheless, while I may find it a little lackluster tea plain, this is making for an ah-mazing latte! It boosts the nutmeg and vanilla in the regular eggnog, while the honey of the base makes this scream “decadent dessert”. Think sweet creamy custard deliciousness.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea is a holiday blend so check out The NecessiTeas site for all of their great holiday blends!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Whisky Chocolate Truffle from A Quarter To Tea. . .
Here are two little-known facts about me, friends: I don’t really drink much alcohol if at all (hashtag my bounce-back time is not what it used to be and all that jazz, hashtag old), and I am SO VERY PICKY about chocolate teas. So clearly, when this whisky chocolate truffle tea arrived on my front door step… well, it already had the odds stacked against it, to say the least.
But y’all: I am nothing if not continually amazed at the tea-magic that Lauren at AQTT is able to create in her flavors on a regular basis. This malty black tea is the perfect vessel for both the slight hint of whiskey, balanced by the not-at-all-fakey bittersweet chocolate notes. I’ve had many, many bad chocolate teas in my life– but consistently, AQTT’s chocolate teas are not among them. Rather than tasting like weird, weak hot chocolate, this brew is almost a touch bread-y and a hint savory while still feeling like a decadent, velvety chocolate treat. A splash of cream really takes this one to the next level, and I feel like I’m in college again, with not a care in the world (and the hangover resilience of a 21-year-old).
Almost 30-year-old Mary, though? She’ll stick to her whiskey non-alcoholic, in a tea latte, please and thanks.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
This tea was part of the subscription plan, click below to find out more!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Limoncello from The NecessiTeas. . . .
When I started up the kettle I had a plan. I was going to brew up Magic Potion by DAVIDsTEA, get a cool timelapse video for my #365daysoftea challenge, and write a kickass review about the tea and its magical color changing effects. Although I can say that it was pretty to see the rich blue of the butterfly pea flower give way to a deep purple when mixed with lemon juice, I have to say everything else was a bit of a mess. The timelapse wasn’t all that interesting and the tea was undrinkable as a result of my distaste for stevia. I scrapped my first tea plan and went for something else I thought I might enjoy more…Limoncello by the NecessiTeas.
I steeped two perfect teaspoons of the dry leaf in a 16 ounce mug. I brewed the tea for 5 minutes in 200F water, per the recommended steeping parameters.
I have to say, after the disaster that was Magic Potion, this tea felt like making a new friend after being stood up on a first date. My first attempt at a tasty evening tea may have been a bit of a disaster but this tea was there to pick up the pieces.
The lemon is front and center – crisp and true to the fruit without being bitter or overly sour. I think that is due to the combination of lemongrass, which is a bit more savory than lemon, and lemon peels which bring the bright lemon zest flavor. What surprised me as I drank is that this tea has a lot more body than just a typical lemon tea. I think the addition of the brown sugar gives this an almost baked good vibe and that is where the body and richness is coming from. Moreover, the tea has a bit of a vanilla creaminess. I should say that in light of my description, this tea that has body and cream is not at all heavy and in that sense “lemon meringue” feels like an accurate description.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this tea. It is both new and different from teas I’ve had and yet at the same time it feels very familiar. I would most definitely classify this as a dessert tea but not one that is overly sweet, which is surprising given there is sugar right in the leaf.
Ultimately, this tea might have been the second tea I grabbed but it is by no means anyone’s second choice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Rooibos
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
The Italian dessert drink has made its way into a tea. Imagine lemon meringue teasing your taste buds, while sweetly melting in your mouth with a blend of vanilla and brown sugars. The lemony brightness shines through with lemongrass and a sprinkling of golden marigold petals, all topping a green rooibos tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!