Calendrier de l’Avent gourmand : 12 idées autour du thé et des infusions
In short
A gourmet Advent calendar built around tea and infusions means a new cup to discover every day from 1 to 24 December: spiced Christmas herbal teas, black teas, citrus green teas or caffeine-free blends for the evening. Here are 12 ideas to choose yours, give it as a gift, share it with someone or make it yourself.
A gourmet Advent calendar: a tea and infusion ritual for every day of December
Some rituals set the tone for December. Opening a little numbered window in the morning, guessing a flavour before even reading the label, boiling the kettle while the house wakes up… A gourmet Advent calendar is both cosy and playful: it turns the 24 days before Christmas into a little aromatic stroll.
And when the surprise of the day is a tea or an infusion, the pleasure lasts longer than a square of chocolate. You take your time over the cup, share it, compare your favourites. Cinnamon, orange, cocoa, liquorice, red berries, evening herbs: each sachet tells a little winter story.
In this guide, you will find 12 ideas for organic tea and infusion Advent calendars, to give as a gift or enjoy together, as well as tips for making your own calendar, a spiced hot chocolate recipe and our advice for preparing each cup.
Table of contents
- What is a gourmet Advent calendar?
- Why choose a tea and infusion calendar?
- 12 gourmet Advent calendar ideas
- How to choose your calendar?
- How to prepare the cup of the day?
- Recipe: spiced hot chocolate with Christmas herbal tea
- Which Provence d’Antan products should you discover?
- Precautions to be aware of
- Key takeaways
- FAQ
What is a gourmet Advent calendar?
A gourmet Advent calendar replaces the traditional chocolates with a treat to enjoy every day, from 1 to 24 December. It can contain biscuits, spices, sweets… or tea and infusion sachets, which makes it one of the most refined versions.
The principle remains the same: 24 windows, 24 surprises. The difference is that each surprise invites you to take a real break. You open, you brew, you taste, and little by little you discover blends you might never have chosen on your own.
Why choose a tea and infusion calendar?
A new discovery every day
A tea calendar is a tour of flavours in just a few weeks: bold black teas, bright green teas, white tea, rooibos, fruity or spiced herbal teas. Ideal for finally finding out what you prefer before choosing your next teas.
A ritual that fits any time of day
Teas go nicely with breakfast or afternoon tea, while caffeine-free infusions naturally find their place after dinner. A calendar that mixes both lets you vary the moments.
A gift to share
A cup is easy to share: as a couple, between flatmates, with a parent or at the office. Some calendars are even designed for two, with two sachets per day.
An alternative to the all-chocolate calendar
For those who already get chocolate from the Christmas tin, at teatime and for dessert, an infusion calendar brings indulgence in a different way: notes of cocoa, cinnamon or red berries, in a hot cup.
12 gourmet Advent calendar ideas featuring tea and infusions
1. The tea and herbal tea discovery calendar
For the curious who like to try everything. The Carrousel 24 organic infusions calendar mixes winter herbal teas (Christmas Tea, Father Christmas Tea, Liquorice Mint, Cocoa-Ginger-Cinnamon, Honey Lavender…), bold black teas such as Lapsang Souchong, and bright green or white teas. It comes with a magnetic metal tea bag rest that you will keep long after Christmas.
2. The 100% herbal tea calendar for winter evenings
For those who drink their cup in the evening or avoid caffeine. The Forêt Enchantée calendar brings together 24 organic herbal teas with fairy-tale names (Divine Caress, Childhood Sweetness, Frosted Crystal…). A lovely way to end each December day gently.
3. The duo calendar, for opening the windows together
The idea is simple: two surprises a day. The organic tea and herbal tea DUO calendar contains 2 × 24 sachets, so you can share the discovery of the day with the person of your choice… or have a tea in the morning and a herbal tea in the evening.
4. The big calendar for the whole family
With 48 tea and herbal tea sachets, the Duo Forêt Enchantée offers enough to serve several cups or to alternate the moments: tea at teatime, an infusion in the evening. Perfect for a family where everyone has their own habits.
5. The small calendar to give without breaking the bank
For a colleague, a neighbour, a teacher or a Secret Santa, the Secret Wishes organic calendar offers 24 infusions with festive names: Pink Sangria Orange, Turmeric Chocolate, Merry Spices, Forest Fruits… A light, gourmet gift to slip into a bag.
6. The “one cup, one treat” calendar
Already have a tea calendar? Pair each day with a little treat: a spiced herbal tea with a shortbread biscuit, a smoky tea with a square of dark chocolate, a fruity infusion with a clementine. Write the pairings on labels: it’s a little game the whole table will enjoy.
7. The Sunday hot chocolate calendar
Every Sunday in Advent, turn the window of the day into a teatime treat: a chocolatey infusion prepared with hot milk, a few spices and a spoonful of honey. You will find our recipe a little further down in this article.
8. The Christmas spice calendar
Cinnamon, ginger, clove, orange: these are the scents of Christmas. Choose a calendar that showcases them and take the opportunity to learn to recognise them in the cup, like a little blind tasting game.
These spices are not just there for their aroma: cinnamon bark is traditionally used to aid digestion, and ginger helps support digestion. Good companions for your cup during the season of festive meals. To find out more, read our article on cinnamon infusions.
9. The homemade calendar with loose-leaf tea
For creative hands: fill 24 small kraft pouches or mini jars with your favourite loose-leaf teas and herbal teas, number them and hang them on a branch or a washing line. To measure out each window correctly (about one teaspoon per cup), our guide to choosing, measuring and storing loose-leaf tea will come in handy.
10. The caffeine-free calendar for cosy evenings
For December evenings, go for fruit, herbal or rooibos infusions, which are naturally caffeine-free. Among evening herbs, lavender flower is traditionally used to relieve mild symptoms of stress and fatigue and to help you fall asleep (it is not recommended for children under 12 or for pregnant or breastfeeding women). You will find recipe ideas in our article Caffeine-free infusions: ideas for an indulgent evening.
11. The calendar with a tasting notebook
Add a little notebook to the calendar you give: each day, write down the name of the blend, a score out of 5 and a word to describe the aroma. On 24 December, you will know your top 3… and what to order for the winter.
12. The calendar paired with a gift box
For a more generous gift, pair the Advent calendar with a tea or herbal tea gift box to open on 25 December. The calendar opens the season, and the gift box takes over for the rest of the winter. All our ideas are gathered in the Provence d’Antan Christmas shop.
How to choose your gourmet Advent calendar?
Before choosing, ask yourself three questions: who will open it, at what time of day, and alone or with someone?
| Calendar | Contents | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
| Carrousel | 24 organic teas and herbal teas + tea bag rest | Discovering every family of tea |
| Forêt Enchantée | 24 organic herbal teas | Caffeine-free evenings |
| DUO teas & herbal teas | 2 × 24 sachets | Opening the windows together |
| Duo Forêt Enchantée | 48 organic tea and herbal tea sachets | One family, several moments |
| Secret Wishes | 24 organic infusions | A small gift, a Secret Santa |
Good to know: the calendar opens on 1 December. To give it with peace of mind, it is best to order it before the end of November.
How to prepare the cup of the day?
A few simple steps are all it takes to make the most of each surprise:
- Read the label: tea or herbal tea? This determines the water temperature.
- Heat the water without boiling it for too long: around 70 to 80 °C for green or white tea, 90 to 95 °C for black tea, and simmering water for a herbal tea.
- Respect the brewing time: 2 to 3 minutes for green tea, 3 to 4 minutes for black tea, 5 to 7 minutes for a herbal tea or rooibos.
- Taste before sweetening: many Christmas blends are already smooth and fragrant. A spoonful of honey is often enough.
- Note your impression: a word, a score, and you will know which ones to buy again.
Recipe: spiced hot chocolate with Christmas herbal tea
Ingredients for 2 cups
- 400 ml milk (or plant-based drink)
- 2 sachets of chocolate-turmeric Christmas herbal tea (or a chocolatey infusion from your calendar)
- 20 g dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- A little orange zest (optional)
Method
- Heat the milk over a low heat without letting it boil.
- Off the heat, add the sachets and leave to infuse, covered, for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Remove the sachets, add the chocolate in pieces and whisk until melted.
- Add the honey and cinnamon, warm for a few more seconds and serve with orange zest.
Why it works
Hot milk captures the aromas of the spices and cocoa well. Infusing off the heat stops the milk from catching, and adding the chocolate at the end brings body without masking the flavours of the herbal tea.
Which Provence d’Antan products should you discover?
Carrousel Advent Calendar – 24 organic infusions
Winter herbal teas, black teas and green or white teas, with a magnetic metal tea bag rest.
Forêt Enchantée Advent Calendar – 24 organic herbal teas
24 herbal teas with fairy-tale names, for caffeine-free December evenings.
DUO organic teas & herbal teas Advent Calendar – 2 × 24 surprises
Two sachets a day, to share each window with someone.
Duo Forêt Enchantée Advent Calendar – 48 sachets
Organic teas and herbal teas for the whole family, from teatime to evening.
Secret Wishes organic Advent Calendar
24 festive infusions, the ideal small gift for a colleague or a Secret Santa.
Organic chocolate-turmeric Christmas herbal tea
The herbal tea from our spiced hot chocolate recipe, to enjoy all winter long.
See all our Advent calendars · See our gift boxes
Precautions to be aware of
- Tea and theine: black, green and white teas contain theine (caffeine). If you are sensitive to it, keep them for the morning or afternoon and choose herbal teas in the evening.
- Christmas spices and herbs: according to ANSES recommendations, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and green tea are for adults only and are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Turmeric and ginger are also not recommended for people on anticoagulant treatment or with biliary disorders.
- Liquorice: for adults only, it is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for people with high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, or liver failure.
- Ongoing treatment: if you are taking any medication, ask a healthcare professional for advice before drinking herbal infusions.
- Allergies: read the ingredients of each blend, especially if you are giving the calendar as a gift.
- Storage: keep the calendar away from heat, moisture and light, and away from radiators or the fireplace.
Key takeaways
- A gourmet tea and infusion Advent calendar offers a new discovery every day, from 1 to 24 December.
- Choose according to the moment: teas for the daytime, caffeine-free herbal teas for the evening.
- Duo versions are made for sharing, and small formats make lovely gifts for colleagues.
- You can also make your own calendar with loose-leaf tea.
- Order it before the end of November so you can open it from 1 December.
FAQ
What is a gourmet Advent calendar?
It is a calendar that offers a treat to enjoy every day from 1 to 24 December. In the tea version, each window hides a tea or infusion sachet to discover.
When should you start an Advent calendar?
Traditionally on 1 December, with one window a day until 24 December. It is best to buy it or give it at the end of November.
Does a herbal tea Advent calendar contain theine?
Herbal, fruit and rooibos infusions are naturally theine-free. However, calendars that mix teas and herbal teas do contain some blends with theine: check the label on each sachet.
Can you share an Advent calendar between two people?
Yes, that is the whole idea behind duo calendars, which offer two sachets a day, making 48 surprises in total.
How do you make your own gourmet Advent calendar?
Fill 24 small pouches or jars with your loose-leaf teas and herbal teas, about one teaspoon per cup, number them and hang them on a branch or a garland, or put them in a pretty box.
What should you do with the leftover sachets after Christmas?
They keep very well in an airtight tin, away from light. It is the perfect opportunity to buy your favourite December blends again in a larger size.
