“Now, this is one of our newest teas!” the very enthusiastic saleslady chirped at me, and presumably thrust something under my nose. I was already irritated because unlike at David’s, you can’t actually stick your face right into the canister to have a good whiff, and so I couldn’t really reach out with my hands and have a reference point for when i was supposed to “smell hard” and yeah, annoying.
It did smell delicious though. This was a few weeks ago, so I can’t say it smelled identical to David’s version, but I remember liking the smell so much I requested a cup of it right then and there. Milk and rock sugar, obv.
“What kind of tea is this?” I asked.
“Rooibos.”
Womp womp womp!
“Whoa, back this thing up.” I requested. “Can you really taste the rooibos in here?”
“No, I promise you can’t. Rooibos is some nasty stuff, i agree, and there’s no way you want to be tasting that.”
“Word.” I agreed. But I had my reservations. How can you not taste rooibos? It hits you in the face and is just so…rooibosy.
Honestly, I remember thinking this tea tasted interesting, but I have to admit I likely didn’t give it a proper chance because I created a mental block upon hearing this was rooibos based. That’s just so nasty.
Yup, sticking with my David’s version! White chocolate frost all the way!

VariaTEA

I have both the DAVIDs and the Teavana version of this and I 100% agree that DAVIDs is better – glad to see someone feels the same way

keychange

I’m glad also!! The david’s version is perfecdt as far as I’m concerned!

VariaTEA

Agreed! I tried the DAVIDs one as a latte (AMAZING btw) to-go and I almost turned around to go and buy the tea but I knew I had this on its way so I hoped the two would be the same, especially given that Teavana has the 50g minimum. Needless to say they are not even close and I am stuck with a bunch of White Chocolate Peppermint tea I won’t drink. Plus, I did eventually go and pick up the DAVIDs version so there is a fair bit of White Chocolate mint tea in my house right now.

keychange

Hey,, an abundance of white chocolate mint (well, the david’s version) is never a bad thing LOL. And yeah, see I would have tried more of Teavana’s, but there’s no way I would have wanted that much. I must try this as a latte next!

JustJames

yes you can stick your nose in and sniff. or you can with my guys. inhale only. fair enough. no one wants cough or sneeze on their tea. if i can sniff a fresh sample then i don’t buy. they let me sniff. bludgeon them with no vision + no sniffing = no buying

keychange

Oh yeah, I was just hoping for a pg-appropriate inhale—not, like, r-rated panting or epic sneezing. hahahaha! but I must also admit I’m the least germaphobic person on the planet.

JustJames

then it’s completely appropriate that we’re friends….isn’t that what the hot water kills? sheesh. be candid is my advice. bottom line when it comes to a sale usually speaks volumes….

VariaTEA

I have never been able to sniff the tea at Teavana but they do fan the smell at you which I always thought was fine. And I tried this as a latte this morning and it went down the drain. I thought the mint didn’t shine through like it did with the White Chocolate Frost latte – instead it sorta just tasted like hot melted butter and I was not a fan. I hope it bodes better for you.

keychange

Oh yeah, no wallflower over here. And I think it’s quite appropriate that we’re friends too!

keychange

Yikes! Oh, definitely not going to try the teavana version as a latte…going to try the david’s one! mmm!

TeaLady441

I understand the hygenic reason (I guess) behind fanning the tea towards me, but it just seems… pompous? And I feel outclassed like I shouldn’t be at a store where they waft their wares over towards me. OH, and they don’t give you a chance to talk or back off. I was just in last week to see if it was as bad as I remembered, and I only got out of their because Joe came in and interrupted my polite nodding and backing away. :P

But there really is something about having the tins you’ve selected on the counter so you can look at them, read the ingredients, think about them, and then wave someone over when you’re ready.

VariaTEA

Yeah Teavana is definitely not the best for customer service. That is why whenever I want their product I order it online.

keychange

agreed on all fronts. I just like to be able to make my tea-related decisions in peace.

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VariaTEA

I have both the DAVIDs and the Teavana version of this and I 100% agree that DAVIDs is better – glad to see someone feels the same way

keychange

I’m glad also!! The david’s version is perfecdt as far as I’m concerned!

VariaTEA

Agreed! I tried the DAVIDs one as a latte (AMAZING btw) to-go and I almost turned around to go and buy the tea but I knew I had this on its way so I hoped the two would be the same, especially given that Teavana has the 50g minimum. Needless to say they are not even close and I am stuck with a bunch of White Chocolate Peppermint tea I won’t drink. Plus, I did eventually go and pick up the DAVIDs version so there is a fair bit of White Chocolate mint tea in my house right now.

keychange

Hey,, an abundance of white chocolate mint (well, the david’s version) is never a bad thing LOL. And yeah, see I would have tried more of Teavana’s, but there’s no way I would have wanted that much. I must try this as a latte next!

JustJames

yes you can stick your nose in and sniff. or you can with my guys. inhale only. fair enough. no one wants cough or sneeze on their tea. if i can sniff a fresh sample then i don’t buy. they let me sniff. bludgeon them with no vision + no sniffing = no buying

keychange

Oh yeah, I was just hoping for a pg-appropriate inhale—not, like, r-rated panting or epic sneezing. hahahaha! but I must also admit I’m the least germaphobic person on the planet.

JustJames

then it’s completely appropriate that we’re friends….isn’t that what the hot water kills? sheesh. be candid is my advice. bottom line when it comes to a sale usually speaks volumes….

VariaTEA

I have never been able to sniff the tea at Teavana but they do fan the smell at you which I always thought was fine. And I tried this as a latte this morning and it went down the drain. I thought the mint didn’t shine through like it did with the White Chocolate Frost latte – instead it sorta just tasted like hot melted butter and I was not a fan. I hope it bodes better for you.

keychange

Oh yeah, no wallflower over here. And I think it’s quite appropriate that we’re friends too!

keychange

Yikes! Oh, definitely not going to try the teavana version as a latte…going to try the david’s one! mmm!

TeaLady441

I understand the hygenic reason (I guess) behind fanning the tea towards me, but it just seems… pompous? And I feel outclassed like I shouldn’t be at a store where they waft their wares over towards me. OH, and they don’t give you a chance to talk or back off. I was just in last week to see if it was as bad as I remembered, and I only got out of their because Joe came in and interrupted my polite nodding and backing away. :P

But there really is something about having the tins you’ve selected on the counter so you can look at them, read the ingredients, think about them, and then wave someone over when you’re ready.

VariaTEA

Yeah Teavana is definitely not the best for customer service. That is why whenever I want their product I order it online.

keychange

agreed on all fronts. I just like to be able to make my tea-related decisions in peace.

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Bio

Well, it’s been slightly over six months since I’ve joined steepster, and I can’t say enough wonderful things about this community. Like many of you, I began my foray into the world of loose-leaf tea by discovering David’s Tea, and although I’ve ventured out and have discovered many other companies that I’m extremely fond of, there are still many of David’s teas that I hold close to my heart and I will always appreciate it as a starting point for my journey.

As for my preferences, I tend to prefer bold black tea, flavoured and unflavoured alike, and I almost always take my blacks with cream and sugar. This isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy a good, flavoured white though, and I’m slowly making my way through the incredibly confusing world of oolongs and greens. I am also not a fan of rooibos, although I am starting to suspect green rooibos may be ok, but you know how it is: when you’ve decided you detest a certain ingredient, you’ll notice it everywhere—perhaps even where it doesn’t exist!

Things other than tea: I’m engaged to be married to my best friend, and feel like the richest woman on the planet because of it. I am also a veracious reader, and I also happen to have an obsession with fragrances, and have amassed quite a collection, although it pales in comparison to some collections out there! As a result of this obsession, I also follow several fragrance blogs, and am always up for a chat about scent. I’m also almost completely blind, and this does indeed mean that I come complete with a guide dog, who unlike me, hales from the sunny California campus of Guide dogs for the Blind. I think I’ve rambled on long enough, but if there’s anything you’d like to know or if you just feel like chatting to someone, please don’t hesitate to send me a message.

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Ontario, Canada

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