11 Tasting Notes

25
drank Caramel Shortbread by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

It’s been a while since I’ve posted (life has a way of taking you from things you want to do sometimes). Anyway, here I am, back to my sipping ways. It’s cold outside, I’ve resumed my courses after a year hiatus – I find this combo draws me to drinking tea. I would probably drink more if I got one of those programmable kettles. I do have a tea thermometer, but it’s so much easier (and more efficient) to having temperature presets rather than guestimating when to shut off the kettle.

…besides, the fiance has found enjoyment in preparing tea for me (something he did when I got sick from a massive burnout this time a year ago). I pointed out the Breville IQ – a bit pricey – but according to Consumers Reports, worth it. Hopefully I get that for Christmas this year.

Anyway, on to the review. I got this tea a part of a Christmas gift from my fiance’s brother and his fiancee. After having drank a lot of Chun Mee as of late I decided to change it up and having something with some flavour (although I love Chun Mee). I looked at the package and decided to give it a try.

2 PS (David’s Tea Perfect Spoons), 1 PS of Rock Sugar, let it steep for 5ish minutes.

In a word, YUCK. I found it way too sweet. Got pummeled by a ton of sweet. I couldn’t discern any individual flavour. After a couple of sips I dumped the cup into the sink. Thankfully I got 32 grams of the stuff. I’ll probably give it a shot another time and scale back the amount, knock off the rock sugar and see if my opinion changes.

…I wish I was asked for my preference, or even better, just give me a gift certificate so I can buy what I like.

PS I’m washing the taste out of my mouth with some unsweetened Happy Kombucha. LOL

Flavors: Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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90
drank Moonlight White by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

Sipdown!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. Had gone through a burnout late last year, and finally hit the wall mid-February. Gave myself a time out, recovery time was about 4 months. Sadly during this time it affected my tea drinking (I really didn’t feel like doing much of anything)!

I took advantage of the sale at David’s Tea. Got more Coco Colada (so I have about 400g of the stuff mmmmmmmm) and stumbled upon both the Butter Sencha, and this lovely Moonlight White.

I had accidentally oversteeped the tea, having forgotten about it while I got lost in a video game. Surprisingly, even with this boo-boo, I was impressed with the taste of the tea! It’s light, and I do definitely get that hint of honey. I used 1.5 PS…and I threw in a bit of rock sugar. My second steep is just as good (I wonder how may times I can steep?). I actually kept my eye on the clock this time, steeping for around 7 minutes, and again, throwing in a bit of rock sugar (1 PS).

Lovely, just lovely.

I’ll definitely pick up some more, even though I think the tea is still rather overpriced, even with the discount…

Flavors: Honey

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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50
drank Snow Day by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

Hello and Happy New Year Fellow Steepsters!

I know I’m not a regular poster…I was starting to when I joined the site in 2014, but then my personal plans took over my life. The good news is that I got what I needed to do done – college upgrade complete and divorce done. The bonus is that I got engaged to my long-time fiance in early December, and a few days later, landed a fantastic job! I am now a full-fledged visiting nurse. :)

Now that I have a more stable schedule, I’m getting back to living life and doing the things I enjoy, two of which are writing and being an amateur tea connoiseusse!

On to the review.

Snow day – I got this on a whim, having taken advantage of the semi-annual sale at David’s Tea. The smell of the tea reminds me of After Eight/Mint Ovation chocolate, which I inhaled as a kid (weird, I know). I also figured that this tea would be similar to Teavana’s White Chocolate Peppermint.

Boy was I wrong.

First sipdown last weekend – brewed using 1 PS (perfect spoon) in boiling water, steeped for 4 minutes, no sweetener. In a word, yuck. The taste was not only chemical but there was some weird bitterness as well. I was quite disappointed and had considered going back to the store and asking if I could swap this with another tea.

Then I remembered that Teavana sweetens their samples and thought, “Why not?”

I had better success with this last night. I used slightly less than 1 PS, boiling water and steeped for 2 minutes as opposed to 4. There is still that weird chemical/bitter taste but it is a little more tolerable this time when using Teavana’s rock sugar. For this first batch I used 1 PS of rock sugar (a little too sweet but better than drinking it straight!).

Tonight I decided to brew a teapot of this. Slightly less than 2 PS of tea, boiling water, 2 PS of rock sugar, steeped at 2 minutes. Again, it’s palatable but not amazing. I much prefer Teavana’s White Chocolate Peppermint (of which I bought a healthy amount at 30% off, woot woot!).

I really thought that this would compete with Teavana’s tea, so I foolishly got 100g of this. Needless to say, there’s SNOW way (see what I did there) I will get this again. Perhaps to help me get rid of this batch I’ll give a couple people a fairly generous sample…

Flavors: Bitter, Peppermint

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 45 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML

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50
drank Apple Custard by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

Having earned another free tea I decided to check DT and here for recommendations on what to get and decided upon this one.

On its own it’s rather unimpressive. As one other poster mentioned I also found myself tasting something rather “mineral-y”. I would have to agree that it’s the chamomile giving this taste.

Adding milk and turbinado sugar does help improve the taste, but it’s still not enough to win me over. I like to have the option of drinking tea straight as well as with milk/turbinado. Apple Custard doesn’t offer the former choice. Pity.

Flavors: Apple, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 250 ML

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80
drank Peaches & Cream by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

This was THE tea that got me to take notice of David’s Tea.

It had been quite a brutal winter last year and I needed something to keep me warm. My typical green tea (Sencha) and Orange Pekoe weren’t cutting it. I needed something new and different.

I got this as a free sample and fell in love with it. It was my go-to when I was taking an insurance course a year ago.

On its own or with milk and a bit of sweetener (I use raw sugar/turbinado) it’s a great tea for someone who wants a fruity, non-berry tea. I definitely think of peaches and cream when sipping on this tea. It’s got a light creamy texture (which is especially highlighted when you add milk or cream) with a touch of peach that doesn’t hit you in the face.

I had actually forgotten about this tea, having overdosed on it a little while studying for the finals. Having recently acquired the Apple Custard tea it got me to revisit this little gem that started my addiction to David’s Teas.

I’m hoping that they’ll bring back this tea in the future.

Flavors: Creamy, Peach, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 250 ML

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85

Having sampled this the other day I thought I would get a small amount to have at home.

For the first sipdown I steeped this for 3 minutes at just under boiling water.

While I can’t actually make out any of the fruit contained in this tisane I certainly picked up on the mint. Surprisingly it isn’t overwhelming (perhaps this is due largely in part to the slight understeeping?). It makes its presence known, but not obnoxiously so. I find it quite soothing and comforting. As with a few other teas I’ve had from DT there doesn’t appear to be any aftertaste.

I’m really enjoying this tea. To me, this is the kind of tea you have on a cool autumn night (and we are certainly feeling it here in the GTA this evening!). You’re kicking back, winding down. Perhaps you’re doing a little nighttime reading (or in my case, studying), listening to music (smooth jazz for me).

With the change of season happening tomorrow I can definitely see me having a good amount on hand. This is a great tea to have during this time of the year.

An added bonus – I read up online that not only does valerian root help to promote sleep but it can also help in managing stress and migraines. Looks like this will be my review/study tea as I make my way through my course. :)

Flavors: Mint

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 250 ML

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77
drank Cold Zing (Organic) by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

Having had a touch of congestion and sore throat last week (you have to love that rapid hot/cold temperature change going on) I decided to purchase a small amount of this tea and sample it today.

I can definitely pick out the lemongrass and minty flavours and it’s pleasant whether you drink it hot or cold. It’s a nice clean tea without any nasty lingering aftertaste.

If anyone is drinking this while battling a cold, I would love to hear from you. At this point I’m not sure if this is something I would buy in a large quantity (I would have some on hand just in case, though). If it does work, definitely I will. I prefer to deal with ailments more naturally wherever possible.

…besides, since taking away PPA from cold medicines I find NOTHING works with congestion and stuffiness.

Flavors: Lemongrass, Mint

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML

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67
drank Magic Dragon by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

Having tried a sample of this tea at the store I picked up a small amount to enjoy at home. I absolutely love dragon fruit, so I thought, “Why not?”

I finally had a chance to make a batch of this last night. I used 3 tablespoons and 1.7L of boiling water (as I have when preparing other herbal iced teas) and let it brew overnight.

Again, nothing was added to the tea.

Sadly I’m not loving this tea like I thought I would. The hibiscus is just a little too overwhelming (unlike Pink Flamingo and Guava Cadabra I found that it is quite front and centre rather than being a supporting flavour). There’s also the added rosehip and cornflower petals which is also throwing me off a bit. I don’t believe I’m even tasting any dragon fruit (however, in DT’s defense dragon fruit is a very light and subtle tasting fruit).

It’s not a horrible tea, but I don’t believe I would purchase this one again…unless if someone has any suggestions on how to better prepare this tea? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Flavors: Hibiscus

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 9 tsp 57 OZ / 1700 ML

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85
drank Guava Cadabra by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

Being a Frequent Steeper member, I got this tea for free as I spent over $100 earlier this year (I had gone a little tea crazy back around March/April LOL). I had looked at the ingredients as well as the reviews here (thank you!) prior to picking this up.

Made a batch for the iced tea pitcher I bought from David’s Tea – I used 3 tablespoons with 1.7L of water @ 100C/212F, let it steep overnight, and left the tea in the strainer. Nothing was added.

I served this as an iced tea for a party we had here last Sunday. It was well received and went pretty quickly! It’s got a nice fruitiness that isn’t overwhelming, and no one flavour dominated another.

Side note – I also tried this as a hot tea and liked it.

I bought a tin full of this to add to my tea cupboard. :) This is definitely a tea I’ll make sure to stock up on.

Flavors: Apple, Fruity, Guava, Mango

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 3 tsp 57 OZ / 1700 ML

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50
drank Big Apple by DAVIDsTEA
11 tasting notes

As mentioned in my review for David’s Tea Sweet Apple Cider, I had been looking for an apple tea for some time.

Big Apple was the first one I tried. Sadly, I wasn’t at all impressed with the tea. In following the directions with steep time and water temperature I found it bitter. I was rather surprised that they recommended 90C for this tea, considering it’s a white/green hybrid.

I tried it a few more times tweaking both the steep time and temperature but to no avail.

Flavors: Apple, Bitter

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 250 OZ / 7393 ML

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Profile

Bio

I’ve enjoyed a cup of tea now and then for many years. It was only when I stumbled upon The Tea Emporium ten years ago that I took a keen interest and began to learn more about this wonderful beverage.

Since then I had been a huge fan of Japanese and Chinese green tea. Recently I decided to broaden my horizons and check out the other types of teas out there. Thanks to DAVIDsTEA I developed a palette for herbal and oolong teas.

I came across this site earlier this year when looking up teas to try. The reviews have been most helpful (and I hope what I post offers some assistance too).

Aside from tea a few other things I enjoy are playing the piano, dancing, skiing, kayaking, shooting some pool and having a night out with my foodie friends.

Location

Canada

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