32 Tasting Notes
In the cup at work today.
This was the tea we recommended to trend-hopping puer drinkers back in my cafe days. You know, the ones who specifically asked for it because it would supposedly make them thinner. I forgot I still had it in my stash and was in the mood for puer.
Dry, this stuff can have the notorious fishy odor of puer as an aftersmell when it’s fresh but it’s not unpleasant. Then again, I like barbecued sardines so fishy isn’t really a problem.
Drinking it, I remembered why we rec’d it to first-timers. It’s all strawberry in the cup and on the tongue, no discernible chocolate to me but still good. Even my tea-drinking high schoolers who usually ask to try whatever weird tea I have really enjoyed it.
It also doesn’t taste a bit like puer, which is supposed to be a little challenging. This puer is tasty, but also a bit like drinking Tennessee Honey and telling yourself you like Jack Daniels.
This is a very very very fine Darjeeling from the tea stall at London’s Borough Market, Tea2You, which is a one-man show for tea with a webstore (www.tea2you.co.uk). There are only about six to ten kinds of tea for sale at any point but they are all top-notch. He’ll ship to the US free for orders over 13 quid (hear that, Ahmad’s? Only £13!), so even though I don’t live in London anymore I can still afford one of my favorite weekend treats on a Tuesday in California.
Anyway, the tea! This Darjeeling brews up amber and smells of honey in the cup. It has a rich mouthfeel and the taste is also reminiscent of honey with wood. Very easy drinking, I never put sugar or milk in this one. Delicious. Also good for a 2nd steep, takes 8-9 mins. At £4.95 for 50g of tea, price is comparable to other luxury brands. Highly recommended!
oof, my stash of this was so gigantic I somehow managed to not notice that this one got the axe. What a shame, it’s a tea for all seasons. Better enjoy the last few cups I have left of this stuff! It was the namesake-house tea for an old barista gig and it makes me really nostalgic. I also used to make awesome tea shortbreads with this stuff baked inside. Anyway, for history: good French vanilla front with a really easy blueberry back, not tart in the least. Cornflowers for funsies (and pretty shortbread!), delicious iced with milk and just a bit of vanilla syrup. Unlike a lot of Lupicia teas, this one doesn’t hold up to a 2nd steep.
This is my staple morning maté. Somehow Teavana makes my favorite maté blends, which is the only thing that keeps me buying from them.
I let this one steep while I do morning stuff; it can handle it. Great nose, smells like cocoa nibs and nutty vanilla. Visible bits of vanilla bean in the tea itself.
Brews up dark, the chocolate isn’t as strong in the cup but the vanilla is. Wish it had a richer mouthfeel. Love this, still looking for a really decadent chocolate maté.
So I’m catching up on old tastings today. I obviously haven’t had a cup of this in about five years…which happens to be exactly how long it’s been since I’ve gone to a Teavana (still order a few faves from the intertubes but their stores I don’t even).
This was my favorite herbal tea hands-down, and is one of my great lost tea loves. It also ranked among my best hangover cures, along with miso soup or a Bloody Mary.
So it’s not the “finest” tea out there. Who cares. It has a lemur on the box, it makes a great base for homemade chai, and it tastes like Cinnabon in my cup. Great with milk. Perfect balance of c+v, want a year-round dupe. Similar to Republic of Tea’s Dream By The Fire.
Not bad, just blah, less flavorful than plain maté. Even after crushing the coffee beans, with a long brew. I tasted none of the interesting flavors advertised, just what I imagine straw would taste like. DAVIDs sure is lucky they hit the other teas I got with my first order out of the park (Razzmatazz, Saigon Chai, and Glitter & Gold) because this one is a loser.
Okay, so I love chai. All of them. I’ve had chai hand-made over a stove by people’s grandmothers. I never have high hopes for Western companies’ chai. And this is really really good chai, maybe the best I’ve had commercially. The cardamom makes this one for me, and even though I love vanilla chais I really appreciate the lack of sweetness when brewed straight. Quick hint: the pieces in DAVIDsTEAs are usually too big so I roll my rolling pin over them a few times to break them up, and it makes this tea spectacular. It is also fabulous as rec’d on the package, iced with sweetened condensed milk.
God, I love cardamom.
Preparation
Very mild black tea at base. The vanilla-strawberry notes are more in the nose than on the tongue but that’s exactly how I like my dainty-flavored teas. This gets a rare 100; whenever I want vanilla black tea this is what I reach for. I also like to make double-strong for sweetened milk tea. Heavenly.
