December 24, 2015 - Santa's Secret

David's Tea - Santa's Secret 

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Medium caffeine

Ingredients: Black tea, peppermint, sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, corn starch, natural and artificial flavours, cellulose gum, red 40 Lake, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan, titanium dioxide.

Review: This is the third year in a row that Santa's Secret has been the last tea in David's Tea Advent Calendar. As I wrote three years ago, the aroma is of mint is nice, while the flavours of the mint and vanilla go well with the strength of the black tea. Overall, quite nice but as usual I could do with a little less sweetness.

Rating: 8.0 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Sufjan Stevens - Hey Guys, It's Christmas Time!

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December 23, 2015 - Gingerbread Cookie

David's Tea - Gingerbread Cookie  

Gingerbread Cookie

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 85° C

Notes: Stimulant

Ingredients: Rooibos, green rooibos, honeybush, cinnamon bark, currants, candied pineapple (pineapples, cane sugar, citric acid), crystallized ginger (ginger, sugar), maple sugar, white chocolate.

Review: The dry leaf aroma is strong, peppermint with noticeable cocoa. When brewed, the tea is quite fragrant and the flavours, strong. There is a strong chocolate-mint aftertaste, which is somewhat cooling and refreshing. As it cools, the tea becomes more and more bitter and the aftertaste is fairly artificial.

Rating: 7.4 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: The Grapes Of Wrath - All The Things I Wasn't

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December 22, 2015 - Snow Day

David's Tea - Snow Day  

Snow Day

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Low caffeine

Ingredients: Peppermint leaves, cocoa beans, cocoa husk, chocolate drops (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sunflower lecithin), white chocolate pieces (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, sunflower lecithin), sugar sprinkles.

Review: The aroma of the dry leaves is very minty and sweet. The chocolate comes out more in the taste of the brew. But it also tastes somewhat artificial and slightly bitter. Not quite to my likely.

Rating: 6.9 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Simon & Garfunkel - A Hazy Shade Of Winter

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December 21, 2015 - Cardamom French Toast

David's Tea - Cardamom French Toast  

Cardamom French Toast

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Low caffeine

Ingredients: Black tea, cinnamon, lemon peel, coriander seeds, cardamom, coconut sugar, cane sugar, natural and artificial flavouring.

Review: The tea smells quite good, and even while steeping it effused a delicious aroma. The taste, however, loses much of this promise and becomes muddled and muted. Still not bad, just not as good as I thought it to be.

Rating: 7.9 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Frankie Cosmos - Family with a Dog

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December 20, 2015 - Moment of Zen

David's Tea - Moment of Zen  

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   3 - 4 min
Temperature: 85° C

Notes: Low caffeine

Ingredients: Green tea scented with jasmine, blackberries, mallow blossoms, cornflower blossoms, natural blackberry flavouring.

Review: The aroma from the dry leaves is jasmine with a bit of fruityness thrown in. Stepped, the flavours seem a little too convoluted - blackberry becoming more dominant and working against the jasmine.

Rating: 7.0 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Kendrick Lamar - Chapter 10

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December 19, 2015 - Dark Chocolate Delight

David's Tea - Dark Chocolate Delight 

Dark Chocolate Delight

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Medium caffeine

Ingredients: Black tea, spiced dark chocolate (cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, ancho chili, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, allspice, clove, chipotle chili, ground vanilla), blueberries, cocoa shells, natural chocolate flavouring.

Review: I am addicted to dark chocolate but am usually not very fond of Chocolate-based teas, but the strong cocoa smell of the dry tea was intriguing.  I was also curious about the dry blueberries. I was impressed by the brew, rich and chocolaty with a slight hint of the blueberry.

Rating: 8.0 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Father John Misty - Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)

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December 18, 2015 - Forever Nuts

David's Tea - Forever Nuts

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time: 4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Caffeine free.

Ingredients: Apple, almonds, cinnamon, beetroot and artificial flavouring.

Review: This is the third year that David's Tea's Advent Calendar offered up Forever Nuts. The aroma is still one of my favourites nuts, apples, and spices).  Brewed, the tea becomes a pinkish colour due to the beetroot and the almond and cinnamon flavours are great. As usual, my gripe is that the flavour could be ramped-up a bit more. Still, a wonderful tea.

Rating: 8.2 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: The Magnetic Fields - Absolutely Cuckoo

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December 17, 2015 - Mulled Wine

David's Tea - Mulled Wine 

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 85° C

Notes: Low caffeine

Ingredients: Oolong tea, apple, orange peel, cinnamon, clove buds, ginger, natural flavouring.

Review: The smell of the dry leaves is rather strong and fruity. Once brewed, however, the flavours take on a muted tone, with citrus notes and a bit of a mineral taste near the end from the oolong. I am not really sure what to make of the tea.

Rating: 7.2 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Summer Wine

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December 16, 2015 - Japanese Sencha

David's Tea - Organic Japanese Sencha 

Suggested serving

Amount: 0.75 tsp
Time:   2 - 3 min
Temperature: 80° C

Notes: Medium caffeine

Ingredients: Sencha tea.

Review:  A pretty straight-forward Sencha tea, this one hails from Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.  It's flavour is vegetal and grassy but is smooth with some astringency.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Harper Simon - Wishes And Stars

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December 15, 2015 - Honey, I Dew

David's Tea - Honey, I Dew 

Honey, I Dew

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 5 min
Temperature: 90° C

Notes: Low caffeine

Ingredients: Apple, white tea, pineapple (pineapple, sugar), melon (melon, sucrose, citric acid, natural melon flavouring), mango (mango, sugar), rose petals, natural watermelon flavouring.

Review:  The floral aroma of the leaves is light with hints of eucalyptus. Steeped it smells a little medicinal. On the palate, the tea is a little sweet, with a touch of woodiness and some melon and apple notes.

There is a bit of back of the tongue bitterness. Overall, it's not bad but not overly exciting either.

Rating: 7.4 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Courtney Barnett - Depreston

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December 14, 2015 - Alpine Punch

David's Tea - Alpine Punch

Alpine Punch

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Caffeine free

Ingredients: Rooibos, coconut chips (coconut, coconut fat, sugar), coconut rasps, apple, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, rose blossoms, almonds, natural and artificial almond cream flavouring.

Review:  The aroma of Alpine Punch's dry mixture exudes almonds and vanilla. While the flavours of the brewed tea are a little more tempered it still tastes wonderful, rounded out with rose, apples, and ginger. A pretty wonderful concoction.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Tame Impala - Let It Happen

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December 13, 2015 - Buddha's Blend

David's Tea - Buddha's Blend

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   2 - 3 min
Temperature: 80° C

Notes: Medium Caffeine

Ingredients: White tea, green tea, jasmine pearls, white hibiscus blossoms, natural and artificial flavouring.

Review: The aroma of this is floral, jasmine. The taste is similar but with a bit of peach-flavour though it also has some astringency. In small doses this is quite nice, but the astringency can be a bit overwhelming if steeped a little too long.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Waxahatchee - La Loose

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December 12, 2015 - The Spice is Right

David's Tea - The Spice is Right

The Spice is Right

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   3 - 4 min
Temperature: 85° C

Notes: Low Caffeine

Ingredients: Organic cinnamon, green tea, orange peel, cloves, chili pepper. With natural flavouring.

Review: For a while I was utterly addicted to this tea but then just got tired of it. The cinnamon and chili are just a little too overwhelming, though the orange flavour is refreshing, it's just a matter of getting the balance right, which is tricky with this one.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Leonard Cohen – So long, Marianne 

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December 11, 2015 - Hot Chocolate

David's Tea - Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Medium Caffeine

Ingredients: Black Tea, Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Flakes, Cocoa Nibs, Pu Erh Tea

Review: Being both a chocolate and tea fanatic, I was really looking forward to this tea. The aroma is inviting and the first few sips were well-balanced, earthy with just the right sweetness to it. But near the end of my cup the chocolate flavour got to be a bit too much for my liking.

Rating: 7.4 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Joy Division – Love will Tear us Apart  

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December 10, 2015 - Organic Nepal Black

David's Tea - Organic Nepal Black

Organic Nepal Black

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Medium Caffeine

Ingredients: Black tea from Nepal.

Review: I hadn't actually heard of this tea before but am very glad to have discovered it in the calendar. The aroma and look of the dry leaves is intriguing – kind of like assam and darjeeling in its maltyness and grassiness.The leaves unfurl to nearly three times their size when brewed, and turn a brown color. When brewed the tea smells a bit floral but also earthy. There is a bit of astringency to the taste but is a well-rounded robust brew.

Rating: 8.1 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Gwenno  – Patriarchaeth  

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December 9, 2015 - Cinnamon Rooibos Chai

David's Tea - Cinnamon Rooibos Chai

Cinnamon Rooibos Chai

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 5 min
Temperature: 90° C

Notes: Caffeine free

Ingredients: Rooibos, apple, cinnamon. With natural cinnamon flavouring.

Review:   As with many of David's teas, there is a strong, rich aroma to the dry leaves. When brewed you can still smell the cinnamon well with a hint of cloves. The liquor is a deep reddish-brown. The cloves do pair nicely with the cinnamon but the falvour was a little lacking especially compared to the aroma - it may have been a fault in my brewing but it leaves me wanting more.

Rating: 7.2 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Bruce Springsteen  – Hungry Heart  

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December 8, 2015 - Cherry Blossom

David's Tea - Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 5 min
Temperature: 90° C

Notes: Low Caffeine

Ingredients: White tea, green tea, cherries, coconut chips, rosebuds, natural and artificial cherry flavouring.

Review:  I really wasn't sure what to make of this after sipping my first brew. I was extremely intrigued by the scent of Cherry Blossom, one of the loveliest smelling teas I've come across. There is a somewhat floral background to the tea but the cherry seemed a little artificial tasting. There are some citrus, plum, and even slight metallic notes that pop up while the coconut is barely apparent at all.

Rating: 7.3 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Youssou N'Dour (feat. Neneh Cherry)  – 7 Seconds 

December 7, 2015 - North African Mint

David's Tea - North African Mint 

North African Mint

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   3 - 4 min
Temperature: 85° C

Notes: Low Caffeine

Ingredients: Green tea, ginger, peppermint, cardamom, licorice root, fennel, clove, black pepper.

Review:  I'm not normally found of minty teas but this one is quite good. The various flavours are subtle and yet you can still make out notes of chai, cardamom, licorice, ginger, and cloves. I might try a slightly longer steep to try and get the flavours out a bit more but otherwise a good mint tea.   

Rating: 8 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Amadou et Mariam – Je pense a toi 

December 6, 2015 - Glitter and Gold

David's Tea - Glitter and Gold

Glitter & Gold

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Medium Caffeine

Ingredients: Black tea, lemon peel, sugar sprinkles (sugar, rice flour, partly hydrogenated canola oil , shellac, titanium oxide, iron oxide, potato starch), sugar, cloves, natural and artificial flavouring.

Review:  The aroma from the tin reminds me a bit of Christmas, cloves, citrus, cider, vanilla. Maybe I didn't steep it long enough, but I found the flavour to be a little watery. Still, there is something cinnamon-y and orang-y about the flavour that is nice. 

Rating: 7.8 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: T. Rex – Children of the Revolution 

December 5, 2015 - Banana Nut Bread

David's Tea - Banana Nut Bread

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Caffeine free

Ingredients: Dates, currants, almonds, banana, artificial flavouring.

Review:  The aroma of the dry tea is very reminiscent of banana bread. When steeped a more nutty aroma emerges and in fact the tastes is a little like Forever Nuts but sweeter and of course with notes of banana flavour. It is also fairly buttery and creamy with a bit of a toasted after taste, which may be due the artificial flavouring.

Rating: 7.8 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Sufjan Stevens – Should have known better

December 4, 2015 - Organic Sweet Almond Green

David's Tea - Organic Sweet Almond Green

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   3 - 4 min
Temperature: 85° C

Notes: Low Caffeine.

Ingredients: Green tea, almonds, marigold flowers, cornflower petals. With natural almond flavouring.

Review:  I was extremely excited to try this tea after opening the little canister and smelling the sweet almond aroma. I was arrested slightly, however, by the taste. Not that it was bad, but the sweet flavour of almond with corresponding walnut, vanilla, marzipan notes against the grassy green tea seemed at first a strange marriage. But after a few more sips things became more blissful.

Rating: 8.0 / 10

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Mood music while sipping away: Nick Cave – Into my Arms (live)

December 3, 2015 - Orange Pekoe

David's Tea - Orange Pekoe

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 7 min
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Medium Caffeine.

Ingredients: Black tea

Review:  I have never tried David's Tea's Orange Pekoe before so am very thankful it made into the advent calendar! The scent is unassuming and after steeping for a few minutes and with no sugar or cream, the Assam flavour was brilliant. Unlike some other Orange Pekoes this one had no bitterness - though perhaps I didn't steep it long enough. And like most black teas (at least I find) there was some astringency. Overall though, I nice pick-me-up tea.

Rating: 8.4/10

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Mood music while sipping away: John Coltrane – Resolution

December 2, 2015 - Mango Madness

David's Tea - Mango Madness

Mango Madness

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time:   4 - 5 min
Temperature: 90° C

Notes: Low Caffeine.

Ingredients: Apple pieces, white Bai Mu Dan tea, orange peel, pineapple, mango, orange slices, freeze dried tangerine pieces, safflower petals, freeze dried strawberry pieces, marigold blossoms, artificial flavouring

Review: I haven't drank this tea in a while. It is definitely very fruity, very cistrusy - in fact the mango flavour is a little lost. The white Bai Mu Dan tea is very muted in the mix.  I suspect this would make a much better summery cold tea than a hot one. 

Rating: 7/10

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Mood music while sipping away: Grimes – Vanessa

December 1, 2015 - Sleigh Ride

Sleigh Ride

Suggested serving

Amount: 1.25 tsp
Time: 4 - 7 mins
Temperature: 96° C

Notes: Caffeine free.

Ingredients: Apple, hibiscus blossoms, pineapple, papaya, beetroot, cinnamon, raisins, coconut, roasted almonds, popped rice, natural and artificial flavouring.

Review: This is my third year reviewing David's Tea Advent Calendar (24 Days of Tea) and this is the third time the Sleigh Ride is making an appearance. I had initially rated it 7.5 and last year I rated it slightly higher at 7.8. This year, the little canister of Sleigh Ride seems slightly smaller than usual, but the lovely, nutty, aroma has not changed. In terms of taste, I find Sleigh Ride less tart than I remember it but I also find the apple cinnamon flavour to be a little muted. I think my original rating is more fitting.

Rating: 7.5/10

Mood music while sipping away:  Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes