This year, the holidays bought to me an advent calendar full of tea forte teas. This post tracks my thoughts as I sip each one of these little treats, one for each day leading up to the big day.

Day 1 – Caramel Nougat Black Tea – Sweetened with brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Delicious tea to end the day by the fire…okay, it’s an electric box with a “flame” light pattern…but that’s what works in Florida!

Day 2 – Strawberry Apple Herbal Tea – Sweetened with sugar. Light and crisp, tasted like apple cider with a hint of strawberry. I could see drinking this on a sunny spring day.

Day 3 – Citrus Mint Herbal Tea – Sweetened with sugar. Not for me. The mint tingles the tongue, but the citrus doesn’t shine through.

Day 4 – Cherry Marzipan Green Tea – Sweetened with Sweet-n-Low. (I hear screams of noooooo!?) Prior to today, I have only had green tea in ice cream. Today’s flavor was good, but wouldn’t be a regular for me. It balanced nicely with some sweet treats from Starbucks however.

Day 5 – English Breakfast black tea – Sweetened with brown sugar and a little sweetened condensed milk. This is one of my standard go-tos for tea at breakfast; just as good for after dinner.

Day 6 – Cherry Blossom green tea – sweetened with cane sugar. Light taste and pleasant smell. Still not a fan of green tea though.

Day 7 – Ginger Lemongrass herbal tea – sweetened with cane sugar. The ginger is strong with this one. I enjoyed the first few sips, but the burn of the ginger got to me. Good palate cleanser after a sweet dessert.

Day 8 – Raspberry Ganache black tea – sweetened with brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Dessert in a cup! I enjoyed this with a slice of cheesecake, but to be honest, I could have just enjoyed the tea.

Day 9 – Jasmine Green green tea- sweetened with sugar. I love flowers, don’t get me wrong. I even love jasmine rice. But no, just no. I felt like I was about to inhale a floral bouquet and tasted soap as I brought the cup to my lips. A couple drops made it to my tongue, then I slowly took the cup away. This is not a tea for moi.

Day 10 – Earl Grey – Added a drop of vanilla, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk to make it into a London Fog. Yes!!! This is almost like my daily tea from another tea company. The bergamot is stronger in this variety, but not to an overpowering state.

Day 11 – Black Currant black tea – sweetened with sugar. Lovely gentle taste of currant. Not tangy, as currants can be. May consider as an occasional tea. Enjoyed with a nice little slice of stollen for the holiday.

Day 12 – Belgian Mint – did not try. I know I do not enjoy mint tea, so I will be passing this pyramid on to one of my tea lovin’ coworkers.

Day 13 – Blueberry Merlot herbal tea – sweetened with sugar. This tea brews to a merlot color. It has a nice berry taste; I wouldn’t equate this to a typical tea, but it is a nice alternative for a fruity drink.

Day 14 – Apricot Amaretto herbal tea – sweetened with sugar and sweetened condensed milk. I want to like this tea, but I don’t. I believe the amaretto flavoring is off a bit.

Day 15 – African Solstice herbal roobios tea – sweetened with sugar. Hints of berries and rose. The rose is not too overwhelming but it is definitely there. I prefer to see and smell fragrant flowers, not really drink them. Good tea if you like that kind of thing.

Day 16 – Winter Chai herbal roobios tea – sweetened with brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. The winter chai has hints of vanilla..now I know! That’s how I order it at Starbucks! This variety has a bit more spice (ahem, kick) to it.

Day 17 – Green Mango Peach green tea – the journey through teas this season just confirmed for me I do not care for green tea. I really wanted to, but I’m opting to save this for a green tea aficionado at work.

Day 18 – Masala Chai – sweetened with brown sugar, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk – Chai tea was one of the first teas I enjoyed when I started drinking tea. It is still a favorite way to relax and decompress after a busy day shopping or working!

Day 19 – Sweet Orange Spice black tea – sweetened with honey – holidays in a cup. The cinnamon and clove was bright and fragrant. I’m not a crazy spice girl, but at the holidays, this was a real treat to improve my spirits.

Day 20 – White Ginger Pear white tea – sweetened with sugar – enjoyed the hint of pear, but I can’t get past the ginger….

Day 21 – White Ambrosia white tea – sweetened with sugar. The package says coconut and vanilla…I need to go to a tropical isle where it’s warm and sip on this by the lapping waves on the beach! It’s a gentle tea, pleasant and not overpowering.

Day 22 – Peach Brûlée- sweetened with brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Peaches and Cream…what could be better? It’s peach cobbler in a cup with a hint of tea.

Day 23 – Chamomile Citron – sweetened with brown sugar. Smooth and calming. Nice way to end the evening while wrapping presents.

Day 24 – Harvest Apple Spice herbal tea – sweetened with brown sugar. Smells like a spiced up apple pie as it brewed. Tastes like a warm apple pie…and I love apple pie!!! Great way to finish off my advent calendar of teas.

I hope you enjoyed reading my taste journey. Now the year is coming to a close and new adventures will soon be upon us. Have a wonderful 2023!