United StatesOverview
Art of Tea made the Ritual Calendar to celebrate 20 years in the tea business and sells it as a limited edition. It runs for 12 days, with a new hand-selected sachet each day, and opens to about 14 inches tall and 18 wide. The twelve blends are Dark Chocolate Peppermint, English Breakfast, Egyptian Chamomile, Earl Grey Crème, French Lemon Ginger, Happy, Matcha+, Mint Green, Orchid Oolong, Pacific Coast Mint, Tali's Masala Chai and White Coconut Crème.
Orchid Oolong comes from Taiwan, where the leaves are hand-picked on the hilltops and rolled into kernels. Pacific Coast Mint is made from organic peppermint and spearmint grown on the Oregon and California coasts and is caffeine-free. Art of Tea, whose Master Tea Blender is Steve Schwartz, hand-blends to order, so the shop asks for 3 to 5 business days before dispatch.
The calendar costs $31 at artoftea.com, with free US shipping from $60.
Taste & variety
Read as a menu, the twelve cover a whole day of drinking. English Breakfast, Earl Grey Crème and Tali's Masala Chai handle the mornings. Mint Green, Happy (a jasmine green with guayusa and berries) and Matcha+ keep the afternoon bright.
Orchid Oolong is hand-picked on the hilltops of Taiwan and rolled into kernels, with a buttery body and a lilac and orchid finish, and White Coconut Crème pairs white tea with safflower and cornflower. Pacific Coast Mint is organic peppermint and spearmint and nothing else, with no bitterness even steeped long, which makes it the evening cup.
Dark Chocolate Peppermint, Egyptian Chamomile and French Lemon Ginger complete the set.
Packaging & gift appeal
Art of Tea made the Ritual Calendar for its 20th anniversary and calls it a limited edition, which is a better reason to buy it than any seasonal gimmick. A new hand-selected sachet waits each day, and each one is individually wrapped for a single brew, so every door holds a complete little ritual.
The shape of the thing is the compromise. Twelve small doors on a sheet that large leave a lot of bare wall from the thirteenth onward, so decide in advance whether it comes down with the tree or stays up as a poster until you have looked at it enough.
What is in the box
12 individually wrapped tea sachets, one of each blend, in a fold-out calendar about 14 inches tall and 18 inches wide when opened.
Key features
- 12 different blends, one wrapped sachet per day
- Black, green, white, oolong and pu-erh teas, plus three caffeine-free herbals
- Opens out to about 14 x 18 inches
- Each sachet individually wrapped for a single brew
Our verdict
Twelve wrapped sachets across black, green, oolong, matcha and herbal, behind a fold-out front made for the brand's 20th year. It is a short, well-judged calendar for someone who likes to try a little of everything and would not finish a longer one.
Order it early, since the tea is blended to order.
What we like
- Twelve different blends, no repeats
- Almost every tea style, from pu-erh to matcha
- Hand-selected blends from a specialist tea house
- Opens out to about 14 x 18 inches as a wall display
A few things to know
- Only 12 days and one cup a day
- A limited edition, so stock is not guaranteed into December
- Most of the twelve contain caffeine, so evenings rely on the herbals
Questions about Art of Tea Ritual Calendar
What is in Art of Tea Ritual Calendar?
12 doors. 12 individually wrapped tea sachets, one of each blend, in a fold-out calendar about 14 inches tall and 18 inches wide when opened..
