New Tasting Notes

Received this mini as a free sample with my order – I can agree with Roswell’s previous tasting note. Yes, all those notes are here. I would add that I get those nice cotton candy notes I love from this one. There is some bite, though. It’s not all sweet and happy, but that’s what I love about young shengs. That extra edginess can serve to elevate things. My mini weighed 7.66 grams on the kitchen scale.

Sipdown! (18 | 121)

Really enjoyed this blend from the summer subscription box. Somehow pineapple and lemon together ended up tasting like stonefruit to me. The black tea being cut with lemongrass also made it lighter in body, which I really liked. I think they intended this to be an iced tea, since they described it as having “Arnold Palmer energy”, but I drank it all hot with a touch of clover honey and enjoyed it that way!

Cold steep!

The last one from my S&V fruit infusion order. I think this particular blend needs to steep a bit longer, because it’s a little bit weak, but otherwise it’s quite good! Definitely my favorite of the order. I’m not sure how to describe the flavor really, it’s mostly sweet with a bit of tang, and I can taste the pineapple mentioned in the description. Otherwise it just tastes fruity and nice.

I think I may try mixing some of the other blends, since some had a lot of hibiscus and some could have a used a bit of tang. But happy to have tried them all! I don’t think I would reorder any of them, since I much prefer the ones I’ve tried from Tealyra and Harney.

Last single serve! (although I did order more, oops?)

This is fine, but mostly just tastes like a generic peach-flavored black tea to me. Which makes sense given peach is the only flavoring, even though it’s described as peach, mango, and vanilla. There are mango chunks, but not sure where vanilla is supposedly coming from… Anyway, it’s a peach black tea. The base is smooth but doesn’t have a ton of flavor – I get a slight minerality/earthiness but not much else. Peach flavor isn’t quite fully peach gummy ring but somewhere between that and dried apricots.

Fine but forgettable.

This past February, while on the Island of Kaua’i, I discovered a little shop called Aloha Matcha. Handa-san

Dry appearance: Stems and leaves covered in a bright green matcha. The appearance of the stems suggests that this is an unfinished or leftover material tencha. But not a tencha you would ever use for grinding.
First infusion. Nice but a bit lacking in depth. A bit of umami an a touch of sweet grass.
Second infusion. VEGGIES. Green pepper. Fresh green beans. A bit of cabbage.
3rd Infusion: Still veggies. I think the matcha hid it on the first one. This is really nice. Now with a bit of umami.
Aroma: Vegetal like above.

If you are ever in Kaua’i be sure to stop in Hanapepe and have a matcha with Aloha Matcha.

Artichoke, Starbucks Sumatra blend coffee, a touch of maple syrup but not too sweet, and a little bit of oakiness. Smooth and much more satisfying to me than yesterday’s Prosbloom. I like it. I could drink this one once in a while, and think this is definitely pretty good for a basic everyday shou. Don’t notice much in the way of wet pile taste or aroma. My mini weighed in at 6.95 grams on the kitchen scale.

This is really warming and nice! I feel like I taste pumpkin and a bit of spice, though I wouldn’t have said caramel. I can also taste the oolong and appreciate it, even though I’m not usually an oolong lover. This could definitely have more caramel, but I think the flavors that are there are quite tasty.

No Caffeine TTB Tea

This is very hibiscus heavy. I brewed this one fairly trong with sweetener (~30 minutes, then 45 minutes on second steep) in 350 mL cold water. Even with sweetener it is very tart. I mostly get that cinnamon fruity flavour of the hibiscus with a bit of sour lime. No honeysuckle, though. I was interesting to try. If you really like hibiscus, this might be a nice choice for you. I’m sad I could not find the honeysuckle.

This is one of my favorite flavored teas out of any brand, especially for milk tea. I would never have thought that puer would be this good as a flavored tea, but this is delicious. The earthiness of the puer compliments the chocolate so well, and the strawberry isn’t overwhelming, but just strong enough to cut through the other strong scents to round out the taste.

45 minutes in cold water. About 1.5-2 tsp leaf in 400 mL

This is my first time trying papaya leaf and coffee cherry tea. I really don’t get any vanilla. There’s a vegetal and dry leaf flavour as well as a lightly tart fruity flavour that reminds me of orange blossom and citrus peel. It is interesting, but not something I’d look forward to drinking all summer.

Chocolate and Strawberry Puer 5577. Lupicia
Lot no. 605155H1 (?). BB: 03/2027.

[Ingredients: China Puer tea, India Black tea, Roasted cacao, Rose petal, Heath flower, Flavourings.]

GONGFU:
2.5 g leaf prepared Gongfu style wih 8 serial infusions of 3 oz. boiling alpine spring water (without wash), for 30s, 30s, 30s, 30s, (pause), 20s, 40s, 80s, 3m.

Like drinking a chocolate bar! Dry leaf strong aroma of milk chocolate, ripe strawberry. 1st–4th infusions with aroma and flavor of strawberry & chocolate dominating; notes of geosmin, malt and black tea, silky smooth and sweet in the mouth; no compost or fishy or seaweed or astringent or sour or bitter notes at all. Just smooth, sweet, sips with a long-lasting finish. Primary flavors began tailing off by 4th, with a note of assamic varietal slipping through now and then. In 5th, a petrichor aroma burst through the declining strawberry while the primary flavors remained balanced, if reduced. Trends continued in 6th, which had a lighter amber liquor despite the lengthened steeping. In 7th & 8th the infusions were notably weaker, though still sweet and having notes of chocolate and strawberry, so I concluded the series here.

WESTERN:
2.5 g leaf prepared Western style wih 3 serial infusions of 8 oz. boiling alpine spring water (without wash), for 1 min., 2 min., and 4 min.

The first and second were combined and tasted: delicious liquor, tasting the same as the 1st–3rd gongfu infusions above. The remaining combined tea was allowed to cool, sweetened with sugar, and iced (see below). The third infusion was sipped as-is. In the 3rd, the ripe puer nature asserted itself, among the strawberry and chocolate notes, contributing an earthy base note that rounded out the entire experience. Very satisfying, with a long pleasant finish.

ICED:
The iced preparation was outstanding, and is right up there with my favorite peach or blackcurrant iced teas. Very refreshing and the sweetness worked well with the chocolate and strawberry flavors. Unfortunately, splashing milk into the sweet iced tea seemed to quench the cocoa and berry flavors, leaving a rather dirty or earthy impression. Maybe there was just too much going on. Nevertheless, the hot-sweetened and sweet-iced preparations were wonderful and will be my choice of method for this tea, going forward.

Overall, I recommend with emphasis, no matter your choice of prep method, and rate this as 92. I guess that aligns with the notes of many others here, so I’m running with the crowd! Thanks Lupicia, for broadening my flavored-puer palate!

Charred wood, but not as woody as the Lumber Slut mini I tried yesterday. Brews darker than that one. Maybe some licorice. A little bit of dark chocolate. Some bitter edge, but not unpleasant. Some brown sugar sweetness. I find it most like a basic cup of coffee, flavor-wise. Reminds me of a Folgers brew or something like that. Nothing really pops. Smells like a pile of mildewed towels.

Shou is not my favorite type of tea, though, so don’t take my opinion too seriously on this. I do appreciate some of them. Sometimes a good change of pace for me.

This mini weighed in at 6.97 grams on my kitchen scale.

After a few weeks I have received a bunch of postcards from postcrossing; and soem with tea in. This one of those teas and it smelled through the envelope. It was so strongly scented, but sadly a little falls flat in terms of flavour. It was rather a bit like generic tropical fruits like and not that much of mango itself.

Nevertheless, it was nicely refreshing and not so sweet (even when stevia is added); and I would like to hear opinions of others. Sadly, I have received a single tea bag wrapper and I can’t it put in the TTB. Of course, I can order that from Germany, but I don’t think that will happen.

Gongfu!

Though this sheng pu’erh doesn’t have the strongest body, it still has quite a presence to it with a slick, unctuous, and brothy liquor that navigates an interesting line between soft, floral and peachy top notes and a more saline, resinous and sap-like body and finish. Such a great huigan. I’ve been snacking on tomatoes a lot lately, and they actually made for a very interesting pairing with this tea by mirroring the umami in the late sip, and bringing out more of both the natural sweetness and brothiness. Deeper peach notes, and a more rich and fatty finish! I’m curious to see how this sheng will age. It’s nice now, but it definitely feels like there’s lots of room for it to mature to a place flavour-wise that matches the phenomenal energy of the session.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMsqCTLRGSf/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhwgivFHQiI&ab_channel=DurryVEVO

Colour me surprised when I woke up a few mornings ago and just had the strongest craving for this tea in particular. Thankfully, it was easy to find in my stash and before long I was happily slurping away. On the spice side, this is sweeter and more warming with strong notes of cinnamon and allspice that play up this sort of pastry or “pie-like” flavour comparison. There’s also, however, some clove and ginger notes as well.

The coconut is very creamy and thick, reminding me greatly of the filling of a coconut creme pie. Kind of a sweetened condensed milk note to it, too. This is only doubled down on with the sweet, brown tasting undertones which are almost flan or pudding-like in nature. They marry really nicely with all these baking spices. A little milk probably would have bolstered the richness, but I was honestly just very happy with this tea as is.

Pedernales. CatSpring Yaupon.
Lot no. 062125. BB: 07/01/2027.
1.5g leaf, western style, 8 oz 200°F spring water, steeped serially. Take a deep breath, because my opinion varies dramatically from those of others!

1st (6 min) resulted in a greenish-golden infusion with the typical yaupon aroma. The flavor was neutral and sweet, non-astringent, vegetal and woody. There was an interesting and subtle aftertaste. Inoffensive, but not to my liking.
2nd (8 min) infusion was deeper in color, yet softer in flavor, with only a hint of bitterness. Watery and unsatisfying. The weak aftertaste is insufficient to make me want to continue steeping, let alone sipping even this cup. I’m done with yaupon. If Cat Springs Yaupon finds a way to process the herb that substantially changes the flavor profile, I might be persuaded to try their changed product. Not recommended, rating 15.

Lost Maples. CatSpring Yaupon.
Lot no. 062125. BB: 07/01/2027.
1.5g leaf, western style, 8 oz 210°F spring water, steeped serially.
1st (6 min) amber infusion with subtle aroma of toasted mint, notes of hay. Unique flavor combining notes of pepper, straw, wood, something close to aniseseed, with mild sweetness, and non-astringent.
2nd (8 min) steep was similar in shade and fragrance, but was immediately bitter to the extent I could only tolerate a few sips. Yuck. Dumped the remaining liquor. The olive green leaf has become nearly black in color, with only traces of green remaining.
3rd (10 min) steep was a pale greenish-amber, the color of old water from boiled spinach. If only it tasted as good. The pepperiness is gone and the aroma is receding, the flavor is slightly smokey, mildly bitter, faintly of wet cigarette ashes (don’t ask!). A few sips and I was done with this infusion, too. No further infusions, as I’m done wasting quality spring water on this miserable product. My prior rating of 10 stands, again without recommendation.

Cold Brew!

More minty cold brews, though this one is a touch more summery feeling because of the watermelon. It’s very, very peppermint forward and though the peppermint does exactly what I want it to with that cooling, menthol finish that hits the back of you chest I am finding it a lot more earthy/muddy and less “clean” tasting than many of the other peppermint blends I’ve had lately.

The watermelon does balance it nicely though! It’s milder, but that juicy undertone contrasts excellently with the mint which makes it come off as a touch sweeter despite the fact it’s not a particularly bold flavour. I also appreciate that it’s not super candy-style watermelon. Don’t get me wrong, I love a tea that tastes like watermelon Jolly Ranchers. But there’s a time and place for that, and in a tea so peppermint heavy I think type of watermelon note would feel out of place.

Cold Brew Sipdown (2965)!

I’ve been big on mint based cold brews the last week because that crisp, cooling menthol note that comes with this just feels especially refreshing for what has been a really, really hot feeling summer. In fact, I think I liked this more cold than I did when I had it hot!

Aside from the crispiest peppermint note, it had gentle notes of ginger, a mild peppery quality, and an undertone that was almost basil or tulsi-like though I don’t believe either basil or tulsi are actually ingredients in this tea. Regardless, it was just mighty refreshing with a clean, simple and natural flavour.

Single teabag from a TTB! This is not for me. It’s the classic hot sweet cinnamon flavor, and there’s nothing else going on here. I shared it with my dad, who hasn’t had a spicy cinnamon tea before, and he was a huge fan. He said it was the best tea I shared with him the whole trip. It’s just a little straightforward for me.

Gotta be honest, I haven’t thought about this tea in ages. I was looking through my oolong drawer a few days ago trying to find another tea, and I just couldn’t locate it. I did find this one though, which was close enough feeling to satisfy what I was seeking in the moment. Honestly? It’s a nice tea. Smooth, sweet orange notes with a well integrated spearmint taste that I’d totally forgotten was in this blend. The combination of mint and orange could be very painfully juxtaposed, but ingredients like the titular turmeric and some ginger do a good job of weaving them together to create a fresh feeling yet soothing profile grounded by the warming earthiness of the spices.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Gongfu!

Oriental Beauty is a style of oolong that I don’t find myself gravitating as naturally towards as others, but when you find a good one it can be truly mind-blowing. Sam shared this one with me a few months ago, and it wound up being my favourite of all the five or so different teas that were brewed up that evening. It starts off a little more mineral and earthy with a pleasant mix of medium-bodied stony and petrichor notes. So clean tasting, and smooth. However, it quickly explodes into sweet notes of dark honey, lychee, and pine berries. Not quite a buckwheat honey, but more on that side of the spectrum. Super fragrant, with the floral aspects of the lychee notes flooding my tea space it the best possible way. The finish, especially in the mid session, is very rosy and almost muscatel. Overall just a lot of complexity alongside a really enjoyable taste.

Also, it’s not immediately apparent in the first shot of the loose leaf, but if you swipe to the last photo of the leaf still in the bag you can see how insanely fuzzy and downy this tea was! Like, just a SOLID layer of trichomes that my intrusive thoughts wanted me to wipe off the side and lick like cheeto dust. Logic brain won in the end, though.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMlKDczpkA5/?img_index=1

As far as teaware goes… I know I probably shouldn’t pick favourites, but the teacup I got from Melissa Fillion at 1001 Pots last year ended up being my most used piece from that haul, so I was very excited to pick up another this year. Even though there weren’t melon notes in this session, it still feels like it was well paired with this tea!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bbZZQXKQyA&ab_channel=JacoJaco

Gongfu!

It’s a bit overcast today, and it feels like it could erupt into a thunderstorm at any moment, which is, I think, why I gravitated towards this tea so much this morning. It’s got such a beautifully clean, crisp smokiness to it that slowly tapers off in the session, gradually revealing more of a really sweet earthiness with hints of green melon rinds, cucumber pulp and a whole lot of petrichor. The whole mood of the tea is that calm, cooling stillness immediately before and immediately after a heavy summer rainfall, and, really, there’s rarely a moment where I feel more clarity or peace than either of those two brief windows in time. In a way, this session almost feels like a dare or a challenge to bring on the rain. It just feels like the right day for it. Please.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMnsc3bJ8A1/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGeNxj3qBBw&ab_channel=JeffLamb-Topic