172 Tasting Notes

87
drank Pumpkin Chai by DAVIDsTEA
172 tasting notes

Alright, this HAS to be my last tea of the night. Last night I didn’t fall asleep until three in the morning because I just had to have those late cups (I thought I was playing it safe going with white tea). Anyways, this is a nice cup to finish off the day. Unfortunately, I think I overdid the cream this time so the tea flavor isn’t as strong as I would like it to be, but it’s still very good. To me, this tastes EXACTLY like a pumpkin spice latte, but that’s not a bad thing…I love lattes. And yes, I do drink coffee…I’ve tried to replace it with tea in the mornings but I’ve found that tea doesn’t come close to giving me the energy that coffee does. As you can see I tend to ramble off-topic sometimes. But anyways, I am enjoying this tea. As a side note, I love the little candy pieces and other assorted decorations that DavidsTea puts into their blends, it’s a little cheesy but it makes the experience a little more fun and I imagine buying from one of their stores would be like being in a candy shop of sorts.

Bonnie

Last is right! You drank a lot of tea today…gurgle…trips to the john…up all night…oh yeh…you’re a student…you’re up all night anyway right! Hope you had a good time with it since that’s what it’s all about ;)

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87

You can pretty much understand what this tastes like just by the name, not much else to say. It is indeed creamy, I would say the vanilla aspect outshines the bergamot a little bit in this blend. Both flavors are subtle and blend together very well into a very pleasant tea.

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72

Another one from Bonnie. I was a little perplexed when I smelled the dry leaf, as it smelled strongly of what I perceived to be strawberry. It reminded me of the strawberry zabaglione I had earlier today. The taste was also similar, just without the creamy aspect and with a slight floral flavor. I would say this one is similar, but a little more refined and less dessert-like.

Bonnie

If you read my review…this is often served as dessert with chocolate or jam…yes …jam in the cup with the tea and a spoon and you slurp it up. I mean a big tablespoon or so of sour cherry jam. This is the Russian way! It should be sweet…but I understand 2 sweet tea’s in one day…like too much candy!

Scatterbrain

Exactly. Haha, I’ll see what I think tomorrow. :)

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80

First dance with pu-erh. Bonnie sent me this one and judging by the name, it seems like the perfect introduction. Being a bit apprehensive, I went shorter than recommended on the steeping time and added a little sugar and just a splash of cream. Well people, it’s delicious. It’s super creamy, caramelly, butterscotch-laden and delicious. The only way I can tell this isn’t a regular black tea blend is that there is a musty, earthy flavor that pops through the creamy sweetness and gives the tea some character. It’s a little woody, and causes me to think of the taste of cured tobacco and, well… damp caverns. Don’t take that last statement as a bad thing though, it’s very good. Overall, this was definitely a new and different experience to me. I was a little apprehensive about pu-erh, but this blend at least is very good and approachable. I like it. Now to try some unflavored pu-erhs…

Bonnie

I’m glad you were brave…and I agree that cream and sugar is the way to drink this but I also admit that I drink it a bit stronger than most people would.

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90

A package arrived for me today with a bunch of samples generously provided to me by Bonnie. Many thanks to her. All of the teas smell DELICIOUS and I can’t wait to try them. When I came home, I was in the mood for something sweet because this one just SCREAMED sweet when I smelled it. I tried it plain and it wasn’t quite up to satisfying my massive sweet tooth on its own, so I added a packet of sweetener and now it’s perfect. Smooth and very sweet, a little creamy, and I like that the tea base isn’t overpowered. It reminds me of this strawberries and cream oatmeal I have at my house. This is very good. Thanks again to Bonnie.

Bonnie

Welcome!

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89

I’m enjoying this more tonight than I was last night. Although I enjoyed it then, I found it a bit too heavy on the floral notes at the time. But… that was totally my fault. I have a really bad habit of gulping and quickly finishing tea rather than sipping it and savoring it. Anyway, I’m bumping the rating up. This stuff’s great.

ashmanra

I really loved this gong fu style. The later steeps were so amazing. I ordered the one soaked in organic honey, and it is very good also.

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98

Wow. All previous ideas of what Chinese green tea is are shattered. I’ve enjoyed other Chinese greens I’ve had before, but originally thought them inferior to Japanese greens taste-wise. This proved me wrong. This was transcendental. Light and brothy, super buttery and silky. I’ll have to add this into my “permanent collection” along with my beloved Japanese sencha. Blew me out of the water. Now, I’m off to go drop the ratings for other so-called dragonwells I’ve had, they don’t hold a candle to this. Nicely done, Teavivre.

Bonnie

Wow indeed!

ashmanra

Yep, bought it on my first Teavivre order. Transcendental indeed.

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89

This sample was generously provided to me by Teavivre and I am very thankful. This is my first milk oolong and this is probably the one I was most excited to try. The first thing I noticed was that the “milkiness” was not as pronounced as I had imagined it to be, but it was definitely there. I guess I just imagined it in a different sense, because what I got from it was better classified as “buttery” like I was used to with a Japanese sencha, just more mellow. While the floral taste of the Tie Guan Yin I tried sometimes got a little too intense for me, I felt that the balance of flavor in this one was just perfect. This was a very pleasant tea to drink on a late night.

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61

This is my first white peony, and my second white tea experience. It was fairly good, but definitely not my favorite that I’ve had out of my Teavivre samples. It’s got that soothing hay/fruit/floral flavor that I loved when I had Rishi’s silver needle, but to a lesser degree. I feel this may have been partly my fault as I’m still a little shaky on how to properly brew a white tea (all I have equipment wise is a basic cooking pot to heat the water in and I have to totally guess on the temperature). This one was just so-so for me. I’m sure it’s a high quality white peony, it’s just not my favorite.

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100

I thought the Tie Guan Yin I got from Teavivre was good but this stuff right here is AMAZING. I didn’t even consider myself a big black tea fan before because I was naive to what a truly high quality black tea was. I didn’t even know that black tea could possess the kind of flavor “wow” factor that this does, my eyes are now open. For me, the most dominant smell/flavor in this is that of maltiness with little hints of chocolate and raisins, in a more refined sense it kind of reminds me of those Whoppers candies (the malted milk balls). This is smooth, comforting, a little sweet, a little earthy, chocolatey, malty… Just all around delicious. I drank it with homemade General Tso’s chicken and fried rice and it really complimented the meal. I will definitely be buying some of this.

K S

This tea has been an inspiration to many of us. Golden Tips and Jasmine Dragon Pearls are also awe inspiring.

Bonnie

How long did you have to wait to get your first samples from Teavivre? I can’t wait to try the tea! It’s been 3 weeks…I’m impatient I know but the reviews sound so amazing!!! Whoppers! No kidding?!

Scatterbrain

It took two weeks and five days for mine to get here, and it looks like customs tore through it too.

Bonnie

Ok, should be here soon then! Thanks!

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Bio

My name is Kyle. I love good tea, a good book, the great outdoors, and I am passionate about music. I also find enjoyment in writing and mountain biking here in beautiful Central Oregon.

Tea is a hugely misunderstood and under-appreciated gift in the western world, and my hope is to spread the gift of quality tea. It is communion between the passion of man and the raw beauty of nature. It is art, and it is therapy. I hope you enjoy my writings.

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Bend, Oregon

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