TEA REVIEW: Chapters Tea Holiday Winter Box
I have become, frankly, infatuated with Chapters Tea — as you've probably seen on my various blog posts and social media. This small business creates tea (and now coffee!) blends inspired by your favorite books, authors, and literary vibes. And I've yet to find a tea from Chapters that I don't love.
For their first festive season in business, they launched their Holiday Winter Box. While it's sold out (which is great news for them!), some of its selections are still available. I got to try all three new seasonal flavors. The short verdict is that, once again, everything's fantastic. But that's hardly surprising. Let's take a closer look at each. And if you choose to buy anything from the site, make sure to use my code KARAD15 for 15% off your purchase at checkout!
Note: I am a Chapters Tea & Coffee affiliate. While I may receive a percentage commission for any purchases made through these links, I purchased this box myself and am offering my honest review.
Magical Library Butterbrew
Magical Library Butterbrew is not listed as a limited-edition, and boy am I glad of that. Inspired by magical libraries where wizards hone their spellcraft, this black tea is full of butterscotch flavor. It smells delightful in the package and tastes even better steeped. In addition to the tea itself, this blend has sunflower, jasmine, and calendula petals in the mix — making it very pretty to look at and infusing the tea with flavor naturally.
One thing I've noticed about Chapters teas in general is that, no matter how strong you steep them, they always taste relatively smooth. I steep my tea "too much" as a rule because I like it strong, but that never ruins the flavor. I also tend to take it without milk or sugar; however, this blend in particular tastes like it would make an excellent tea latte. This one has quickly become my second-favorite tea in the Chapters catalogue, just behind Poet's Study (their super-strong dark academia-inspired Earl Grey).
Gingerbread Bookshop
This is one of the two limited-edition holiday teas; however, as of the time of this writing, it's still available. And if you like warm gingerbread-y things, I can't recommend it enough. Just because it's not my favorite of the bunch doesn't mean Gingerbread Bookshop isn't really good. It reminds me (as the package art implies) of Christmas shopping trips, treating myself to a book and some cookies after I'd finished buying things for everyone else.
The blend of cinnamon, cocoa beans, star anise, and ginger does a great job mimicking the spicy coziness of good gingerbread. I was a little hesitant about the inclusion of anise because I'm not huge on licorice-tasting things; however, it blends into the rest of the flavoring nicely.
Candy Cane Forest
Sadly, this limited-edition tea is now sold out. However, I would be remiss in not reviewing it, as it's a really lovely one provided you like candy canes. If you don't, give this one a miss — because it mimics the flavor to a tee. But if (like me) you love 'em, keep your fingers crossed for a reissue next year.
In addition to the inclusion of natural peppermint, this tea includes crushed-up candy cane bits. It's another one that looks lovely in the tin (the first tin for a Chapters product!), and it's delicious steeped once all the candy cane bits have melted.
While Chapters has assembled some of its regular flavors into summer and autumn gift boxes, the Holiday Winter Box is their first foray into limited-edition flavors and markedly seasonal offerings. Seeing that it's sold out already is a good sign. I'd love to see Chapters explore other themed boxes with more seasonal flavors and vibes, and potentially other limited-edition blends and art.
If you're still looking for some last-minute gifts, check out Chapters Tea & Coffee for literary-inspired teas, coffees, and accessories. And save yourself a little money at checkout with code KARAD15 for 15% off!
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