Another new holiday blend from DT!!

I’ve been excitedly waiting to talk about this one for a long time – the development for it was just wrapping up when I started working at the head office, and it was something that everyone in the tea department was really excited about. It was actually supposed to launch as a web exclusive on November 1st but as I’ve mentioned there were just some delays in updating the website with the new design changes, so I’ve been checking daily waiting for it to get updated so I could publicly talk about it!

This is honestly such a cool blend. I know people are going to be sad that it’s not in stores, but the availability of a lot of the ingredients used in this tisane were just really limited because it’s blended with a mixture of very North American/Canadian specific ingredients – some of which were actually foraged. So, the quantity just isn’t at the level it would need to be to supply all stores. And to that point, it’s also a very limited quantity available online as well – more so than any of the other web exclusive holiday blends this year…

So what makes this blend cool!? Well, personally I love the taste of both wintergreen and juniper so the fact they’ve both major ingredients in the blend is a strong win for me – and this is the first blend that DT has done in like seven years (if not longer) that uses actual wintergreen leaves and not just wintergreen oil! So, with wintergreen leaves over oil you still get that signature sweet taste of mint but it’s a little gentler and takes a longer time to really steep out. One of my favourite things is actually sucking on the wintergreen leaves after they’ve steeped, it’s sweet and cooling and kind of like a natural breath freshener!?

The best part is the fir though! I really, really love basically any tea that has fir in it – it’s so woody/pine-y and refreshing and makes me feel like I’m right out in nature going for a hike surrounded by crisp mountain air – and as far as I’m aware this is actually the first time that DT has ever used this ingredient! I anticipate that it’s going to be a somewhat polarizing flavour – I know that thinks like fir/pine/spruce scented candles and things tend to either strongly appeal to people or really turn them off. For me it’s just relaxing and nostalgic, but also something with a strong Christmas association for me. I loved the years, as a kid, that we had an actual Christmas tree and not an artificial/plastic one – that smell was simply the most amazing thing. Plus, growing up in Saskatchewan there were fir trees all over the place – and while they’re awesome year round there’s something particularly magical about them in the winter time when they have that sheet of snow draped over and everything just smells so crisp and woody. That moment, standing surrounded by snow covered fir trees in your toque and woolen mittens catching snowflakes on your tongue, kind of just feels like the summary of what a “Canadian Christmas” is…

Now, there are some other things going on here – and I’ll be honest I’m not a fan of all of them. There’s a few berry flavours in the blend; raspberry and blueberry. I think I’d like this tea a lot more if it didn’t have the berry in it, but I respect that both of those play into the whole “forest” vibe/story of the tea, and they don’t taste unpleasant. However, my least favourite thing in the blend? The cranberry (and to a lesser degree the rosehip/seabuckthorn). Yes, cranberry is a Christmas flavour and it feels appropriate for the story this tea is telling – but the tartness that it brings to the cup is unwelcome to me, and I find it detracts from the magic of the wintergreen/fir/pine tasting juniper mix for me. I’m certain that people will enjoy that aspect, especially those that might not want to drink a cup of hot pine water, but this is just personally what I view as the weakest element of the blend. I could do without it. It doesn’t overpower the woodier elements though, and it’s not the level of tartness or sweetness you might see from blends like Queen of Tarts, Caribbean Crush or Dandelion Detox – much more toned down.

So yeah, that’s Wintergreen Wonderland!! If any of what I described sounds appealing to you, then I’d check this one out – as I said it’s really limited. I don’t know if it’s a little too out there for most people, but I’d like to think this is a cool tea!

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.

amandastory516

I was excited to hear your thoughts on this one! I love anything with pine, so I was super excited to see this released. I just ordered 4oz…can’t wait to try it!

Roswell Strange

Awesome, I hope you love it! Definitely let me know what you think when you try it :)

Michelle

Pine and Wintergreen sounds great, I do have a small bit of pine left from Vitaleaf that I need to sip down maybe I should find some wintergreen to go with. The cranberry doesn’t sound so appealing here.

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Comments

amandastory516

I was excited to hear your thoughts on this one! I love anything with pine, so I was super excited to see this released. I just ordered 4oz…can’t wait to try it!

Roswell Strange

Awesome, I hope you love it! Definitely let me know what you think when you try it :)

Michelle

Pine and Wintergreen sounds great, I do have a small bit of pine left from Vitaleaf that I need to sip down maybe I should find some wintergreen to go with. The cranberry doesn’t sound so appealing here.

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Bio

Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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