TEA REVIEW: Chapters Holiday Tea Blends 2024
There are two things I'm an absolute sucker for: inventive tea blends and limited-edition seasonal Stuff. Chapters Tea & Co. has me covered on both fronts, regularly launching book-inspired seasonal and holiday tea blends. The 2024 holiday season sees the return of two of last year's limited-edition blends, plus a new limited blend and one that looks like it'll be sticking around for a while.
If you want to know more about the Candy Cane Forest and Gingerbread Bookshop teas, check out last year's reviews. For the new ones, read on. And if you decide to purchase anything, remember to use the code KARAD15 at checkout for 15% off your order. I do get a small kickback when you use this, but I also fully support Chapters both as a small business and because they give a portion of all their proceeds to mental health charities.
Caramel Cabin (Limited Edition)
The black teas from Chapters are always perfect for tea drinkers like me, who prefer their black tea very strong ("oversteeped," some might say). You don't have to make it this way for it to taste great; but if you do, it will actually survive the long steep and taste fantastic. Even the strongest of their black teas are surprisingly mellow, which is something I noticed with their Second Breakfast blend.
Caramel Cabin is coziness in a cup, and is a great alternative for people who want something akin to the Magical Library Butterbrew blend but aren't butterscotch fans. The caramel flavor is balanced out with a little bit of vanilla, and it's absolutely sweet and flavored enough to enjoy on its own. Though I have a feeling it would also make an amazing milk tea.
Starry Night Bedtime Blend
I'm not a big herbal tea drinker, but sometimes I need something relaxing and uncaffeinated. The Starry Night Bedtime Blend is Chapters' second bedtime blend, the first being the Shakespeare-inspired A Dream Within a Dream. That one smells fantastic with lots of apple notes; sadly, because the St. John's Wort in it interacts with one of my medications, I can't drink it. So I was hopeful that Starry Night would be a good alternative, and it definitely is.
Out of the bag, the peppermint and spearmint come more to the forefront. But the lemongrass is more prominent when steeped, with the chamomile and mints a little more subdued. While I imagine it's not as potent as A Dream Within a Dream, it's no slouch. It's a bit heavier on the lemongrass than I personally fancy, but it's still nice. And it absolutely will relax you, especially if you steep it strong, which is the main draw.
Of the two, Caramel Cabin is (at least to me) the MVP. Get it while you can, and definitely pick up the other holiday blends while you have the chance! And if you've been putting off getting A Dream Within a Dream because of medical interactions, definitely give Starry Night a try.
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