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Kittenna drank Razzmatazz (Organic) by DAVIDsTEA

6117 tasting notes

Comparing this one to Raspberry Nectar tonight, just for kicks, because I didn’t like that one and am not expecting to like this one. But had to try. Had to!

So initially upon steeping this one, I sniffed it and thought “raspberry lemonade”! There’s a sweet, fruity, lemony tartness that actually smells rather good, and made my mouth water. Until I made this fateful association… Sourpuss. Blue (or possibly red) Sourpuss. A drink I consumed far too much of back when I was… yeah. So now that I have that lovely association in my mind, the mouth-watering-ness has turned into a bit of nausea.

Luckily, the flavour isn’t quite the same, but it’s too close for comfort. I can taste a nice lemony tartness that is tamed by sweetness (stevia?), and the raspberry is not inyourface, but present moreso than it is in Raspberry Nectar, and becomes even more apparent in the aftertaste. Actually, compared to Raspberry Nectar, this tea is pretty fantastic.

I agree with aisling of tea that a splash of lime could go well with this. It might also work well in a mojito. Overall, I feel like this tea will probably be a hit with people who enjoy raspberry/lemongrass/rooibos, but I can’t help but wish for something that reminds me a touch less of an alcoholic drink I’d rather forget!

ETA: Re-steeped this one for curiousity (and noted just how large/fresh-looking the lemongrass pieces are… wow! Look like diced scallions, almost!) and the resulting brew actually smells pretty good. Gone is that strong alcohol association, and in its place is a light raspberry juice. Very reminiscent of the (melted water from) raspberry ice cubes a friend of a friend made for our mutual friend’s birthday last Saturday. Wow. Gone is anything gross or offputting, it tastes like real raspberries with just a touch of lemon in the background. I’m really glad I gave this one a shot and have a bit left to play with… this might make a very good iced tea! Upping the rating a touch :)

Also, I added some lime. Too much lime. It tasted like lime juice. I still think there’s serious mojito potential here though.

Preparation

205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more

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Sandy Stith
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I have Raspberry Nectar, too, and need to try it again. I have a fairly uneasy relationship with DAVIDsTEA. I haven’t had very good luck.

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Sandy Stith
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I have Raspberry Nectar, too, and need to try it again. I have a fairly uneasy relationship with DAVIDsTEA. I haven’t had very good luck.

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I have always been a tea fan (primarily herbals and Japanese greens/oolongs) but in the last year or so, tea has become increasingly more appealing as not only a delicious, calming drink, but as a relatively cheap, healthy reward or treat to give myself when I deserve something. I should clarify that, however; the reward is expanding my tea cupboard, not drinking tea – I place no restrictions on myself in terms of drinking anything from my cupboard as that would defeat my many goals!

My DavidsTea addiction was born in late 2011, despite having spent nearly a year intentionally avoiding their local mall location (but apparently it was just avoiding the inevitable!). I seem to have some desire to try every tea they’ve ever had, so much of my stash is from there, although I’ve recently branched out and ordered from numerous other companies.

I like to try and drink all my teas unaltered, as one of the main reasons I’m drinking tea other than for the flavour is to be healthy and increase my water intake without adding too many calories! I’ve found that the trick in this regard is to be very careful about steeping time, as most teas are quite pleasant to drink straight as long as they haven’t been oversteeped. However, I tend to be forgetful (particularly at work) when I don’t set a timer, resulting in a few horrors (The Earl’s Garden is not so pleasant after, say, 7+ minutes of steeping).

I’m currently trying to figure out which types of teas are my favourites. Herbals are no longer at the top; oolongs have thoroughly taken over that spot, with greens a reasonably close second. My preference is for straight versions of both, but I do love a good flavoured oolong (flavoured greens are really hit or miss for me). Herbals I do love iced/cold-brewed, but I drink few routinely (Mulberry Magic from DavidsTea being a notable exception). I’m learning to like straight black teas thanks to the chocolatey, malty, delicious Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea, and malty, caramelly flavoured blacks work for me, but I’m pretty picky about anything with astringency. Lately I’ve found red rooibos to be rather medicinal, which I dislike, but green rooibos and honeybush blends are tolerable. I haven’t explored pu’erh, mate, or guayasa a great deal (although I have a few options in my cupboard).

I’ve decided to institute a rating system so my ratings will be more consistent. Following the smiley/frowny faces Steepster gives us:

100: This tea is amazing and I will go out of my way to keep it in stock.

85-99: My core collection (or a tea that would be, if I was allowing myself to restock everything!) Teas I get cravings for, and drink often.

75-84: Good but not amazing; I might keep these in stock sparingly depending on current preferences.

67-74: Not bad, I’ll happily finish what I have but probably won’t ever buy it again as there’s likely something rated more highly that I prefer.

51-66: Drinkable and maybe has some aspect that I like, but not really worth picking up again.

34-50: Not for me, but I can see why others might like it. I’ll make it through the cup and maybe experiment with the rest to get rid of it.

0-33: It’s a struggle to get through the cup, if I do at all. I will not willingly consume this one again, and will attempt to get rid of the rest of the tea if I have any left.

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