Delicious chocolate, a slightly puzzling jigsaw and some excellent shortbread have already featured in UK Recruiter’s Advent Calendar Challenge. This time, it was time to put the kettle on.
TeaPro kindly gifted me their Zero Waste Loose Tea Advent Calendar to try. I’m usually the one reaching for coffee, but the idea of discovering a different tea every morning had me looking forward to this review.
Rather than opening little cardboard doors, this calendar comes with 24 loose-leaf teas in compostable pouches, wooden pegs, string and 24 cards featuring tea puns and little sayings.
You hang up the numbered pouches, then replace each one with a card as you enjoy the teas throughout December. It reminds me of the way I hang up Christmas cards, and I love that it becomes part of your festive decorations.
The self-assembly version I reviewed costs £46. Putting it together gives you a chance to find the perfect spot for it – and you can keep the teas a surprise by resisting the temptation to turn the pouches over.
I chose day four to try during the live show: Clouds and Mist green tea. Each pouch includes the recommended water temperature and brewing time, so you don’t need to be an expert to get started.
TeaPro also sent me their glass infuser cup, which is lovely to use. You brew the tea in the removable infuser, lift it out and drink straight from the glass. My live demonstration was perhaps less elegant than the cup deserved, but we got there!
The tea smelled wonderful and tasted delicious. I’m no tea connoisseur, but I would very happily make this part of my morning routine.
I also spotted a flowering tea for day 24, which blooms in your cup. That feels like a lovely way to finish the calendar, and I’m looking forward to trying it.
The very scientific scores
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| The big reveal: packaging, presentation and opening excitement | 4.5/5 |
| Quality of the contents | 4.5/5 |
| Christmas spirit | 4/5 |
| The WTF factor | 4.5/5 |
For anyone new to the challenge, the WTF factor is about whether a calendar is weird, wonderful or something a little unexpected. This one earns its points for doing things differently: a hanging display, tea puns and a new tea to discover every day.
The presentation is understated and pretty, and the daily ritual gives you a reason to stop for a few minutes during a busy month.
Would I give it to someone I actually like? Absolutely.
At £46, this is a special gift for a tea lover rather than an everyday advent-calendar purchase. The appeal is in the whole experience: exploring different teas, making time to brew them and watching the display change throughout December.
I’ve only tasted one of the teas so far, but it was a very good start. The people at TeaPro were also delightful to deal with, and I’m grateful they gave this coffee drinker a reason to try something different.
You can watch my TeaPro review here.
The challenge continues throughout November, with more chocolate and a very traditional advent calendar still to come. I won’t be writing a blog about every calendar, so head to RecruiterZone on Crowdcast to watch them all.
Absolutely no recruitment advice. Plenty of festive taste-testing.
