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Day 11 of my 25 Days of Tea calendar.

Since becoming a DavidsTea devotee, I haven’t been drinking many unflavoured teas (and haven’t had any from DT!). I’ve ordered up lots of green tea from Den’s Tea, though, so maybe this is a good re-introduction.

I am definitely not an expert when it comes to green teas, so I don’t think I have a lot to say about David’s organic sencha. It’s nice. While I was brewing it, it smelled quite grassy so I was a bit worried. No need, though. It’s pleasant and mild. It tastes like the green tea served at some of the nicer Japanese restaurants I’ve been to, so I will interpret that as a good thing? With so many flavourful combinations out there I tend not to go for the straight teas, but this is nice and relaxing after dinner.

It took me a while to try this one, and I’m not sure why. Probably it was because I am a longtime fan of Earl Greys. And, I perhaps didn’t want to fix what wasn’t broken.

But Cream of Earl Grey is delightful! It’s nice having the twist on an old classic. I can be picky about creaminess, but really like it here. The vanilla blends surprisingly well with the the bergamot. This is a tea I can drink any time, but especially times like this when I’m trying to calm my nerves. It’s very soothing. Soothing to the point where I often crave it at bedtime despite the caffeine.

Hm. I don’t know how I feel about Buttered Rum.

I like it, but it also scares me. The scent is interesting, but kind of knocks me backwards with how pungent it is. It does smell incredibly like rum.

It’s very buttery, and I’m thinking that’s not quite my thing. I like the taste, but am perhaps not accustomed to how it feels in my mouth. I’m liking it more the further through the mug I get, though. I think this one will just have to be saved for when I am in the right mood. With what looks like lots of nasty weather ahead, maybe that’ll be more often than I think.

Okay, second steep:

It’s holding up quite well! The peach is diminished somewhat, but the oolong is just as nice the second time around. I’m seeing why oolong is recommended as a tea to re-steep (novice, here).

I also made this in a Libre tea glass and I’m kind of mesmerized by watching the leaves and stems and almond slices and other bits swim around the glass.

I cannot believe how good this tea smells. It makes me want to use it as potpourri. It looks pretty cool too, so that idea isn’t all bad. It’s a slow night at work tonight so I’m hoping this is my chance to try multiple steeps with this tea.

First steep:
I steeped for about five minutes, and love the golden colour it produces. The peach isn’t as show-stopping as the smell has me hoping, but it’s very nice. Subtle, and smooth.

I can’t say I’ve learned to love this one yet. I want to, because it looks great and smells pretty good (and mostly I want to experience its “jumpy” properties!). I haven’t been a fan of the mates I’ve tried, though.

This just tastes kind of bitter and rather woodsy to me, without much of the chocolate or almond. I think I need to try 1) steeping it for a shorter amount of time and 2) perhaps sweetening with a touch of stevia. It will be getting another chance.

This tea is nice and refreshing. The big chunks of fruit are great. I can’t believe this! A couple months ago I balked at any tea mentioning fruitiness. Anyway, yes. Fruity and refreshing. I haven’t had it iced but will someday when there is nicer weather to get me in the mood.

I often choose rooibos as my take-to-work tea; I make it in my travel mug as I’m rushing out the door as it doesn’t get bitter on my way to work. I like to carry it on the streetcar and have it to drink once I get to the office. I need to learn that this tea isn’t so great for that; if you over-steep it, it starts tasting kind of off. Like bad wine, thanks to the fruit.

Otherwise, it’s a standby for me when I want something fruity!

I forgot about this one for a while! What a joy to come back to.

This is the first and only pu’erh I have tried so far. I introduced myself to DavidsTea right in the midst of the fall collection so this is one that made a big impression on me. It’s very satisfying, especially after a meal. It’s a big hit with any visitors, most of whom are not typically tea drinkers. I think that’s because it has a pretty big personality compared to what most people think they’ll be getting when I offer them tea.

I wish I had other pu’erh experiences to compare this with, but Cocoa Paradiso is mostly just a hint of cocoa. I can’t figure out if I can taste the coconut. But, it all blends together perfectly to make a delicious rich, creamy cup.

This tea is pretty hard to pass up when you get a whiff and see it in all its fun, fruity glory. I couldn’t place what it smelled like but knew I had to taste it.

It doesn’t exactly taste like Christmas to me, but I like when DavidsTea takes any excuse to release new teas. It is definitely bold, but it’s not out of control. It kind of tastes like a fruit punch and as bad as that sounds, it’s great. I don’t usually tend towards fruity teas (though DavidsTea has got me re-thinking that with several of their teas) but I enjoy this and don’t find that the flavours completely overpower the sencha. It’s a nice pick-me-up in the dreary early winter, and I’m glad I bought enough for several brewings.

I get a hint of vanilla from this but not a huge flavour. I’m not very familiar with straight oolongs or with oolongs in general, so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. It’s a nice flavour, which I find pretty subtle. It is a bit thicker but that doesn’t bother me at all. Nothing really jumps out of me so I don’t know if I would buy more of this, but I will use what I have happily.

I brewed this in my travel tea glass, so I steeped for about 4 minutes before drinking but the leaves stayed at the bottom of the glass. It was good throughout.