I grew up drinking tea almost every evening and I still do. I actually have an entire cabinet devoted to tea: bagged, canned, loose leaf, cold brewed, whole flowers, dried stems – you name it, I have it. As a long-time fan of Palais des Thés teas, I was particularly excited to get my hands on this set. They’re a bit luxurious in my opinion.

Even though this advent calendar didn’t have any special features, the cardboard packaging was quite festive. And for $38, my expectations were measurably subdued.

Spoiler: Inside, I found a variety of teas, including green, black, and herbal flavors like grapefruit and lemon peel. Each tea bag was hidden behind a numbered lid that, when pulled back, revealed a proverb or quote.

I enjoyed tasting different teas, but I also found myself “jumping ahead” looking for different flavors I wanted to try. After a few days the tea bags started to slide out of their slots and I removed them from the cardboard for easier access.

Verdict: Skip it. With this you pay extra for packaging. For context, a box of 20 tea bags (in a single flavor) costs between $17 and $19. If you want the experience of a diverse set and don’t mind compromising on advent calendar packaging, go for the slightly cheaper option Discovery Gift Set, $28. While there are six fewer tea flavors, there’s solid overlap between the two box sets.