Violin in C Sharp

In case you hadn't figured it out - NEWS FLASH - I love tea.      Like several other tea aficionados in my extended friend group, I have managed to make my love of tea more than a simple appreciation of a beverage - I've developed my love of tea into a full blown hobby.  I collect different blends, I follow different tea companies and their blend collections the way some hobbyists follow card sets.  I have multiple drawers and shelves full of tea related paraphernalia, I have an electric water kettle that has multiple temperature settings specifically for different types of tea.... tea is a part of my daily life.  When I take a vacation someplace special, I try to find a tea cup to bring home for my collection.  For Mother's Day last year, I took my mother out to a fancy tea house to treat her to a Mother Daughter afternoon tea as a way to mark the celebration of the day. I LOVE tea.      With this in mind, it should come as no surprise ...

Santa's Secret (festive peppermint treat) is a black tea blend by DAVIDs Tea that was featured as tea #24 in their 2019 advent calendar. First of all... for those who watch Drag Race, this tea name got real weird for me real quick... festive peppermint treat huh? Festive candy cane shaped peppermint pieces in the leaf mix Awkward name aside...   it’s black tea with cute candy cane shaped peppermint bits. I wanted to like it. I really did. Instead, it tastes like weak black tea that someone had dropped a forth of a peppermint candy into. So, it was sweetened, and smelled of peppermint, but just tasted.... weak. The peppermint pieces didn't dissolve as much as I thought they would and made cleaning my infuser more of a chore. Verdict:  No.  Just... no.

Valerian Nights is an herbal tea blend by DAVIDs Tea that was featured as part of their 2019 tea advent calendar   Yes, it tastes as sad as it looks The plethora of fruit in the blend gave me hope.... I was disappointed. Mum’s review is pretty succinct: “Well, it doesn’t taste like cardboard...” And really, that’s all that can be said about this one. It smells like caramel and tastes like sweetened coconut water. Verdict: I won’t spend money on this.

Satsuma Spice Cake is a black tea blend from DAVIDs Tea that was featured in their 2019 tea advent calendar. I thought this tasted like weak black tea that had a touch of orange peel and some sugar. Mum thought it was a cornucopia of flavors and a mug of cozy deliciousness. Mum and I aren’t usually so far off.... but then I remembered that when I was tasting this that I was sick and couldn't smell ANYTHING. She plugged her nose and suddenly agreed with me. Conclusion: this tea is 90% aroma. If you are nose blind, congested or sick you will need to do as I did and add whiskey to perk it up and give it flavor. If you’re NOT nose blind or sick- make sure to inhale before sipping to get the most out of this blend. Of course, this also means that it is NOT a good blend to ice as the heat is what carries the aroma.

Sleigh Ride is an herbal tea blend that was featured in the 2019 tea advent calendar put out by DAVIDs Tea. No Splenda here! It is pre sweetened though- just enough. I’ll be honest, sometimes apple cider is too sweet and too one note for me. This tea may be the answer. So pretty!  It even looks like winter spices in a cup in its dry form! It had more red color than I was expecting. Apples, pineapple, hibiscus, cinnamon, raisins, puffed rice..... and each sip brought a different flavor combination to the fore. Mom says she’d spend money on this one- I agree. It’s quite delightful and delicious - Straight off the steep with nothing added.

Hot Chocolate is a pu'erh tea blend that was featured in the 2019 tea advent calendar put out by DAVIDs Tea. Yes, those are MASSIVE chocolate chunks in with the tea leaves. Another pu’er tea- so penicillin allergy folk should skip it. Disclaimer: I do not like chocolate Another stevia sweetened tea- so yup, that nasty aftertaste is there in spades again. SO DARK!! No, that's not coffee or hot chocolate.... that's this tea in a cup with nothing added. The chocolate is soooo strong in this blend. That being said, the tea is well named. I added a bit of milk and suddenly I felt that I was drinking a sugar free hot chocolate instead of a tea. Verdict: if I wanted hot chocolate, I’d make hot chocolate and avoid the nasty stevia bs.

Forever Frosty is an herbal tea blend that was featured in the 2019 DAVIDs Tea advent calendar. Look at all those chunks of sugar in the blend!! Apple and almond and marshmallow. Flavor wise the apple came through but beyond that, I just got sweet Verdict: meh

Green Passionfruit is a green tea blend that was featured in the 2019 DAVIDs Tea advent calendar Such a pretty tea leaf blend!! This was nice. It has sweetness already so no sugar was needed. A nice stand alone sipping tea.

Tulsi Tranquility (fruity stress relief) is an herbal blend tea that was featured in the 2019 DAVIDs Tea advent calendar. I steeped this for 10 minutes and below is as dark as it ever got. It tastes like wet cardboard smells...... and only just barely. Basically it gives you a cup of stale water with a slight apple aftertaste. Verdict: fail