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This is another one of those evening teas that I take a while to actually write up. Don’t hold that against the tea though – this one is fantastic. I got it as a sample with my Extra Sleepy Bear and I actually like it better. This definitely deserves a spot in the regular rotation.

10 minutes is a long time to wait for such a yummy smelling tea! It’s like inhaling manuka honey. And you know what? It tastes like honey too! There’s a nice thick mouthfeel and it tastes like hot honey water with a hint of citrusy tartness. A touch of mintiness rounds out the sip and lingers on the tongue. This tea usually leaves a comforting touch of warmth in my chest, though that’s perhaps less comforting in the summer heat.

There is stevia in this, which I’m always wary of, but it’s deployed really well in this blend to support the other flavors without being overwhelming or cloying. I will say that it’s a bit too strong in the aftertaste, but the mintiness keeps it from being awful.

Mmm. Smells like spiced apple cider. Flavor is apple-cinnamony, with a hint of ginger. Creamy almond on the back end. I’m not picking up on the coconut per se, but I think the coconut is adding the creaminess. I really like the apple/cream combination. Another DavidsTea I like!

Thanks to whatshesaid for the sample!

Sample sipdown! This sample courtesy of Laurent at Nina’s Paris.

The dry leaves are so small they look like fannings. Some time in hot water, though, and the leaves unfurl, showing themselves to be a lovely green leaf. The tea has a delicate minty scent. There is a nice dry mouthfeel to this. As for the flavor, the mint is present but not overwhelming. Actually, it’s a bit light for my taste. I like this better cold – the coolness lends some oomph to the mint.

Overall, glad to have tried it but I wouldn’t buy it myself. It’s a good tea but there are other mint teas I like more.

Sample sipdown! Thanks to whatshesaid for the sample.

The dry leaves smell just like dried strawberries. They make up a pretty strawberry-colored brew with a lovely natural strawberry smell. It tastes just like a strawberry too! Looks like I’ve found a DavidsTea I like! I’m especially surprised because I usually don’t like stevia in a tea blend. The aftertaste is all hibiscus, but I don’t mind that.

Chilled, it’s still sweet and juicy, but the stevia flavor really comes out and I really don’t like stevia. So the iced strawberry tea idea was a bust.

Had this again as a wake-up tea today. It’s just consistently good and my hands-down favorite mint tea. Very well balanced, very refreshing. I hate when stores make you buy a minimum of two ounces, but honestly I’m glad to have this much of it on hand. It’s likely to be a tea cabinet staple.

Sample sipdown!

This smells just like real cookie dough… chocolate chip maybe? Brewed, it smells more like sugar cookies fresh from the oven. This is a lovely amber color. The flavor is dead-on for cookie dough, but… it turns out I don’t want to drink cookie dough. It’s just weird and off-putting. I’m starting to think that David’s dessert teas just aren’t for me. Many thanks to whatshesaid for the sample, but I’m glad this one’s a sipdown.

No rating, since it’s as advertised but not to my personal liking.

Sample sipdown! Thanks to Stacy at Butiki Teas for including this with my last order.

This is a really lovely tea. Another home run for Stacy (and props to Sil too!). The dry leaves smell beautifully of strawberries, though a little fake. There are some nice big chunks of strawberry in the blend though! First sip – tastes just like real strawberries. Sweet, juicy, tangy. There’s a touch of graham cracker flavor too, which rounds out the sip nicely. The tea gets juicier as it cools, inspiring me to try this iced. Putting the rest of the mug in the freezer to see how it tastes cold.

So tasty cold! Very strawberry. Not as sweet as the DavidsTea Sweet Strawberry, but nice and tangy. Very juicy too. The graham cracker flavor is gone, though, so this tastes more like a straight strawberry tea. This is definitely better as an iced tea than the Davids. I’m reluctant to decide which one I like better hot, since the Butiki isn’t actually a straight strawberry tea. The Butiki is definitely more complex and interesting though.

Many thanks to whatshesaid for the sample.

I thought I’d be clever and have this with some actual popcorn while watching the new Arrested Development. Maybe that’s the reason this didn’t actually taste like popcorn. The dry leaves smell of apples and cinnamon. The brewed tea pretty much smells and tastes the same. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good apple/cinnamon combo in just about any form, but I was hoping for something more popcorn-y. The actual popcorn I’m eating might just be obscuring the popcorn flavor of the tea. No ranking until I try it alone.

Mmmm tiramisu in tea form. This is just dead-on. There isn’t even much more to say. Very creamy, strong caramel/toffee and cocoa flavors. I’m also detecting vanilla and coffee, though neither of those are in the ingredients…

Many thanks to whatshesaid for the sample!

My notes from the first time I had this:

This tea is definitely a special treat. It smells amazing – exactly like pistachio ice cream, all roasted pistachio with a hint of sweetness. The flavor is equal parts cream and pistachio goodness. It survives a second steep nicely. Just steep it for a good long while and the nuttiness really comes out. Yummy!

Notes from the second time:

I must have used a different proportion of leaves to nuts, because the green tea flavor was much more prominent this time, with a grassy note and very faint pistachio flavor. The creaminess only came out on the end of the sip.

I decided to add vanilla agave to see if that would help. The agave brings out the creaminess beautifully. The nutiness comes out more too, though still not as prominent as it was last time. Ah, but the second steep brings that flavor out in scores. Amazing. Now it just tastes like drinking a roasted pistachio. No creaminess, but let’s see what the vanilla agave does to a nuttier steeping. Ok, it no longer tastes even remotely like ice cream but my goodness is this delicious! the vanilla and pistachio complement each other so extremely well… happy Kaylee!

Note: Don’t drink this cold. Just don’t.