34 Tasting Notes
This tea tastes a million times better with a bit of milk and sugar, but I don’t have any here at work and it’s still an enjoyable morning cup. The slight spiciness, especially the ginger, is a nice way to wake your brain up. But the lemongrass and coconut give it a lightness to the flavor. Chai normally makes me think of fall and winter, but I don’t mind drinking this one on a nice spring day.
One thing that I find frustrating is how much loose tea you have to use to get an acceptable flavor. It also doesn’t have the best re-steep value. For these reasons, even though I enjoy it, I don’t know if I’d buy this blend again.
Preparation
andy.lacy gave me a bit of this to brew a few cups so I could decide if it was one I wanted to order.
It smells incredibly juicy and fruity, and the tea is a deep amber color, so I was expecting a pretty sweet and fruity taste. It was not as aggressive as I expected it or wanted it to be — it was pleasant, but too weak. With some teas I find that you have to add a bit more when using the Breville, so I will probably try this again with more leaves in the basket to give a better opinion.
Preparation
I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend who works at Teavana when I told her I was looking for an oolong. The associate mentioned that they grow the tea plants next to raspberry plants to infuse with the aroma while it is growing. The ingredients listed on the Teavana website are oolong tea and artificial flavoring. When you open the bag, there is a definite raspberry scent, but it’s not sickly artificial like Adagio’s Raspberry Green (eugh). I thought we were off to a good start.
I made it iced, so I used five heaping teaspoons of tea for 500ml water.
It’s an all right oolong. The “raspberry and strawberry notes” don’t come through at all.
At $18/2 ounces, the less-than-extraordinary flavor, and having to load up the Breville with so many leaves to prevent it from being too weak… I don’t think I’ll buy this one again.
Preparation
I generally love floral, perfumey teas (and for that matter, foods), so it’s natural that I like this tea.
I do wish it was more of a true orange blossom, instead of being mostly overwhelmed by a lemongrass flavor. But it is still very good, and a nice afternoon tea since it’s a bit lower in caffeine. In fact, I wish I hadn’t brewed a cup this morning. In the future, I think I’ll save this tea for afternoons after stressful mornings.
Preparation
This is a tea I bought quite a while ago and then forgot I had… I think I got it because an idea I had for a blend which I have now forgotten. Maybe it will come to me.
Anyway, when you open the package, it does smell pretty much exactly like caramel. Not an overwhelming artificial smell, just sweet and slightly burnt smelling.
I usually drink my tea straight but I read a few of the reviews here and decided this would probably be enhanced by a bit of sweetness, so I used a tiny amount of Really Raw Honey.
So, overall? Tasty, but nothing too special. Would probably work well in blends.
Edit: Maybe not… while drinking this tea I became nauseous and a little bit lightheaded. It could be unrelated, but I can’t say I’m excited to try this tea again after this experience.
Preparation
I picked up this tea on the recommendation of a very nice employee in the San Francisco Polk Street DAVIDsTEA… oh. man.
The package recommends a 4-7 minute steep time, but I prefer it with a bit of a shorter one — I think it brings out the creaminess and light floral taste, as well as the velvety texture — I didn’t get that as much with a longer steep.
I will purchase more of this every time I am out for as long as it is available.
Preparation
I generally drink this as an evening tea, as the chamomile can knock you out a bit. For that reason, it’s a great tea to sip on when you’re feeling a bit restless before bed.
The taste is overall very pleasant. However, I think the peppermint overwhelms a little bit, at least in the first infusion. Like another reviewer, I prefer spearmint over peppermint; if this blend included spearmint instead, I think it would help with the overwhelming mintiness. As it is, I only make this tea when I know I’m going to have the time and desire for a second infusion. Once the peppermint is toned down a bit by the first one, this tea really shines.
Preparation
This genmai cha is one of my favorites. The green is vegetal without being too grassy, and the proportion of toasted rice is just enough to give a robust toastiness without overpowering the taste of the green. Perfect lunch tea.