I can’t believe that we’re through with the second week of advent because that means I have slightly over a week to Christmas! Where has the time gone?? Did I do this same panicked lament last year? (Possibly) I’ll have to start writing my year in review posts soon because the rest of December is going to be hectic but first, my recap of the past week’s advent teas and hot chocolates.

Tea Advent

Day 8: Ruby Cocoa – This was like the chocolate mint rooibos from last week but without the minty notes.

Day 9: Maple Kind – The leaves were kind of dark for a green tea and I’m wondering if it’s related to the smoky note that I found pretty strong. It smells sweet but doesn’t taste as strong as the smell indicates (as mentioned, there’s a stronger smoky note). If we’re talking about a maple green tea, I prefer Kindred Tea’s Maple Vanilla Green Tea.

Day 10: Cookie – Was super excited for this because I love cookies! It was pretty nice but I got fruity notes instead of cookie notes. It did seem more like a cookie with milk, but I was also reminded of Lupicia’s teas.

Day 11: Ruby Chaiii – The smell of spices was pretty strong but the rooibos managed to stand up to it. It was pretty good with milk too – if anything, I liked it better with the milk. Would definitely drink this again if I was in the mood for non-caffeinated chai.

Day 12: Eggnog – I don’t know what eggnog tastes like (just bought a carton to try) but this was pretty good: fruity with festive spices (I hope I didn’t get the wrong introduction to eggnog)

Day 13: Spiced Tulsi – I was actually a little under the weather on the 13th so this helped. I have no idea if tulsi is as great as the internet says, but I liked the fruity and herbal blend. Even the pepper notes in the aftertaste were pleasant.

Day 14: Pancake Stack – This reminded me of the Maple Kind tea but without the smoky notes. Which reinforces my theory that the green tea leaves may have been roasted a bit too heavily. But at any rate, the sweet caramel-like notes seem to go better with black tea.

Chocolate Advent

Day 8: Campfire Marshmallow – I was super excited for this because I loooove marshmallows but then I realised that marshmallows are distinctive because of their texture. In terms of taste, they’re just sweet and this was what this hot chocolate was.

Day 9: Cinnamon Socks – It reminded me of the Christmas and Santa spice but more pleasant somehow. I guess I’m okay with cinnamon and not the other spices?

Day 10: Enchanted Forest – This reminded me of the Strawberry Achoo tisane from last week, which you’ll remember I strongly disliked. It had that weird almond taste which is a pity because the name is awesome. It is a bit better as a hot chocolate compared to a tea, but I still didn’t like it.

Day 11: Xmas Pud – This reminded me of Cadbury milk chocolate rather than Christmas puddings (which I associate with fruitcake). It’s nice a sweet – reminded me of a caramel hot chocolate, actually.

Day 12: Can’t Catch Me – This last flavour was another Christmas-spice sort of blend. I liked it, but it was very similar to the other spices.

Day 13: Pumpkin Spice – This was the first flavour of the calendar and worth a note because I made it with milk! Definitely a lot better with milk than water :p

Pic of the Week

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Since we’re done with the hot chocolate flavours, I won’t be talking about them anymore, unless I have a lot of new thoughts on my second time drinking them. And if you’re wondering about the lack of tea posts this month, I am so sorry but between the usual December hecticness and the daily advent teas, I don’t have time to look for and try new teas.