Bird & Blend Tea : Advent Calendar Revew

I don’t think it’s a secret that I whole heartedly love the Bird & Blend brand. 

I love their flavours. I love their commitment to making reusable or recyclable packaging. I love how they market for everyone from the newbie to the experienced tea lover. 

What I don’t love is how they are located on another continent. 

Last fall I began seeing their marketing on Instagram and Facebook about their Halloween countdown but then they starting promoting their Christmas advent boxes and I KNEW I had to order. I got both the Halloween countdown and their special Tea Lovers Advent. 

The shipping was very fast through DHL. The original price of the Christmas advent was $49 USD plus conversion to CAD plus duty and import fees. 😵‍💫 Yikes, I started thinking maybe I shouldn’t have done that. But I did, and there was no turning back and as soon as I’d received them I knew I treated myself well. 

The Halloween countdown was GLORIOUS and if you’d like a review of that on its own let me know. 

What I always feel is important that with a lot of European brands they curate in smaller amounts than what we’ve come to expect in North America.  For instance, one B&B tea bag makes 6-8 ounces of tea so if you use a large mug which is often the case in my house you need at least two tea bags for one cup and then you have to prepare yourself that it still may not be as strong as you are accustomed. There were 2 teabags behind every door of the 24 day Christmas advent calendar. Sometimes I used both and sometimes I only used one, depending on the cup I was using. So…the cup makes all the difference!

It’s a dream to visit the UK so it was very special that the Tea Lovers version of their calendar included blends that are curated especially for their different Bird & Blend locations and what their best sellers are. At first it seemed weird to have a tea from the seaside in something Christmas themed but I soon appreciated it because these boxes are so carefully curated with everything in mind so the holiday flavours soon followed. My favourite may have been the Christmas Cake or Mince Pie flavours.  I don’t know how they do that but they taste EXACTLY like the real thing. 

There was a terrific balance between caffeine and decaf tea blends. That made it easy to decide when or how I was going to drink each day. There were instructions on the box for making regular tea or lattes or whatever they recommended. Each tea tag had clear details of whether it had caffeine and if you should use milk or not and even if it should be enjoyed hot or cold! 

Bird and Blend just does it right. They had a digital advent option for each calendar which took you to a special page which had details on each tea, the ingredients and tips on how it’s best enjoyed. They also had a downloadable tea tasting journal! I admit that I tried to keep up with it but I just lost track…

Would I buy this again? OHMYGOD YES! Sadly, due to the cost of shipping it’s not likely it’s going to be soon though. I’m glad I purchased it and fully enjoyed it. Yes I’d recommend it to everyone but beware there could be extra fees depending on where you live…

…but maybe you live right there and can enjoy Bird & Blend whenever your heart desires. 

Lucky you!

I hugged it…I seriously did!

Advent Adventures 2023

Every company seems to have an Advent Christmas Countdown Calendar of some kind these days. I really enjoy finding out what little present lies behind each window leading up to the big day. So what calendars did I purchase for this years holidays? Read on!

The first calendar I purchased was from The Body Shop. I had gotten one last year and it helped me to relearn how to relax and take care of myself. As with everything the prices have gone up and this year I purchased the smaller version. It’s called The Advent of Change and comes in lovely blue packaging. The display isn’t as stunning as the larger version but the smaller rings in at $95 CAD. I purchased it back at the end of September and used my birthday rewards coupon for it. It says it’s a value of $181 so we will see when I get to start opening on December 1st. 

The second countdown calendar I got was from Bird and Blend. I TOTALLY splurged on this and for those reasons I’m not going to include all the extra fees I paid. As well I had ordered the Halloween countdown at the same time so charges were a bit more. I LOVED this one from a few years ago. The packaging is 100% recyclable and very festive. The main Tea Advent Calendar is priced at $49 USD. However, the one I purchased was specially curated for the tea lover and Bird and Blend customer. It’s called the Ultimate Tea Lover’s Advent Calendar and lucky comes in at the same price of $49 USD. They also have a Matcha calendar!

That was going to be it, but just this afternoon I found a coffee 12 Days of Christmas. I purchased the Grove Place Market keurig cup coffee countdown at Peavey Mart for $18.99 CAD. It does not appear on the Peavey Mart website but similar boxes seem to be available elsewhere. The cashier said they were also waiting on a hot chocolate one. 

Okay, but what about your husband? You can’t forget your husband! 

Right you are. I have found 2 calendars for him this year. The first is the Walkers Shortbread calendar which is a 24 day countdown. I originally ordered from Tea At The White House but they sold out twice. Since I’ve been informed it can be found at London Drugs and a few other retailers. I spent $40 but apparently they can range in price. 

The other countdown I got for my husband I stumbled upon. I bought it at Canadian Tire for $24.99 CAD.  It’s the National Lampoons 12 Days of Jelly Advent Calendar.  We had the Bonne Maman calendar last year and really enjoyed it. This quirky calendar has repeats, comes with a knife and I’d say the packaging is a real “beaut”. 

There you have it. My countdown extravaganza. 

Only 6 days to go!

Merry Christmas

Before we all get super busy with our Christmas celebrations, I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has followed and read along with my posts over the last month or more. I’ve received some very nice comments and appreciate the conversations. 

I had wanted to share a few more things, but our schedules get so jam packed this time of year so those memories and stories will have to wait for another time. I will do some follow up posts about my advent calendars, which I loved and which I thought were the best for my money so stay tuned for those.

I plan on keeping up this blog now that I’ve attracted you all here but if you’ve found yourself here from ABC Football and wonder where that talk is, don’t fret, I fully intend on getting back to that site as the CFL season ramps up for 2023. 

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas shared with those you love and you get a moment to rejoice and marvel in the glow of the lights, bask in the sounds and immerse yourself in the delicious smells of the season.