Kirsten Rose Send Message

I had a day off classes today and had heard about David’s Tea launching their range of chocolate bars, so I used the excuse to take a trip and pick up a new tea flavour. I sipped on some Glitter and Gold while sniffing different teas, and the full-bodied aroma of Ceylon Star hit me straightaway. It was on offer as a 25g sachet so I added some to my shopping.

I’m pretty disappointed. Either I didn’t put enough tea in the bag, my filters aren’t letting the tea steep properly, or this is just plain weak, but the flavours aren’t strong at all – even after about ten minutes of brewing. I can imagine this would be lovely and comforting before bed, but until I got to the bottom third of my mug I couldn’t really taste much at all. A shame, but I recommend it to anyone who can get more taste out of it.

Peppery overtones, smooth liquorice tinged with cinnamon in the middle and warming ginger beneath, this is a firecracker of a tea and one of my long-time favourites. I brought it over from Britain with me on my year abroad to Vancouver and brew up a cup whenever I need a boost. My acupuncturist recommended it for my time of the month, so when it comes around I can drink this by the pint!

This should be steeped for 2-3 minutes but I use a huge mug and have a habit of leaving the teabag in for this one, which suits it fine, though if you don’t like it strong you can stick to the recommended time. The complex, delicious flavours and instant warming feeling make this perfect as the cold nights draw in.

I am having a really bad day and have turned to my tea cupboard for solace. Last night my friend and I made our first proper visit to David’s Tea and I bought four different flavours along with some bags (as all of my infusers are back in the UK!). So I thought Stormy Night would be comforting during my, er, stormy day, and brewed some up. I’d read that some people find it really weak, so steeped the tea for the maximum recommended six minutes just off boiling point and added a splash of milk.

Given the negativity of some reviews, I was surprised – this is like a warm hug when all your family and your boyfriend are four thousand miles away and you’re feeling low, exactly what I needed! I still might have brewed it even longer, but I can still taste a divine combination of cinnamon, coconut and chocolate which rolls silkily over the tongue. Its best feature, after the gorgeous smell, is the aftertaste, with the sweetness of the chocolate and tingle of cinnamon most prominent after each sip.
Definitely good for comfort or warming up on a grey day.

This has been in my cupboard for quite a long time now, which might explain the thin flavour. However it still tastes nice enough, and the best thing about it is it often tastes better the stronger you steep it; you can walk away and forget you’ve started a brew, come back, finish the process and end up with a great cup of tea! An uncontroversial one, great to sip while reading or studying in the evening.

This has been my go-to tea since I started university two and a half years ago – now my whole family drink it! I’ve only been in Canada a couple of months and was sure I wouldn’t be able to find it, so my parents posted me a package full. This is fantastic when dragging yourself out of bed in the morning – the scent as it brews is therapeutic. I love a full-bodied tea and this is one of the strongest and most delicious I’ve tasted. Perfect with breakfast, and then in the afternoon – especially when you need the energy for studying like I do!