New(ish) tea alert!? Also, cold brew!
So, earlier in the week DT brought back a bunch of old retired/seasonal fruity teas to the website! These guys are limited edition and, while everything is online exclusive right now because of the store closures, these all would have been online exclusive even if the stores weren’t closed. The range in which they go back is pretty drastic, so I think there’s something for the new DT customer as well as the longtime one! This is, I think, the oldest tea that was brought back – so old, in fact, that I remember it from when I FIRST started shopping with DT about eight years ago. I only ever had it once, and it was long enough ago that it actually predates my having a Steepster account so I never even logged it here!
I’m definitely not going to write a note for all of the returning teas – but I will include a list in this tasting note of everything that returned, and some of the returning ones I also picked up for myself so notes might pop up for fresh batches of those teas eventually. I also already had a bunch of them still in my cupboard from before they were retired so there are a couple that I just never stopped writing about…
So, here’s the list:
Exotica
Kiwi’s Big Adventure
Lime Gelato
Berries & Cream Matcha
Fantasy Island
Strawberry Lemonade
Bear Trap
Goji Pop
Tropicalia
Magic Dragon
Pink Lemonade
White Nectarine
Copabanana
Green and Fruity
Blackberry Blizzard
Green Seduction
I nabbed enough of this tea to make a cold brew (which is how I’m drinking it now), and to try it hot at a later date. I don’t have a strong memory of it from before, but the note that does stick in my memory is that it was super lemongrass forward and since lemongrass typically isn’t my thing (especially lately) I didn’t want to have too much to sip through…
Sure enough, there is A LOT of lemongrass going on in this brew but it’s definitely not the only thing I’m getting. This is a surprisingly nuanced and layered herbal tea; it has that lemony note but it’s also very “pina colada” in its tropical fruit and coconut notes. It bounces playfully between that tiki drink kind of profile and a fruitier chai profile that feels very rooted in Thai inspiration. I had also forgotten how forward that cardamom flavour is, though! It’s kind of a refreshing break from this massive array of very juicy fruity teas, though I think it would probably taste nicer hot.
I find this a very refreshing change of pace from the type of herbal teas that so often seem to be released now; I don’t know that it’s exactly working for me but I commend it for taking that different approach. I wonder if this is the type of thing that would even be released now, if it were brand new? It feels so decidedly “old school” DAVIDsTEA, and while I’m sure long time fans will love it I can’t imagine how anyone who’s only experienced DT in the last year to two years will receive it…
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.
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Oh yay bear trap!
Bear Trap was one I was super excited about – along with Kiwi’s Big Adventure and Tropicalia.
Well it looks like I’ll be making a DT order tonight! Anything else you guys would recommend as a must-have, returning tea or regular blend?
What kind of tea are you in the mood for/have you been drinking lately? I can play TG a little bit and give you some recommendations! Though, personally the two teas I’m obsessed with at DT right now are Golden Lily and Thailand Black.
Yes, please! I love black teas most, flavored or not. My favorite tea from DT is Nepal Black. I’ll check out the two you mentioned, thank you!
Ooh! If Nepal Black is one of your favourites then I really recommend the Thailand Black. If Jasmine isn’t a turn off, then I think the Jasmine Black Pearls would be a good one to try out too; they’re super full bodied and complex and the black tea used is very rich and malty tasting. Fantasy Island would be a good, more flavoured, option too – when it was first carried by DT is was quite popular here on Steepster and I like that it’s flavoured (raspberry/coconut) but that the black tea used in it is still really clear in the flavour. And of course Blueberry Jam is my personal favourite tea from DT, and it’s a black tea base :)
Thank you, thank you! All of these sound really good. I have heard a lot about the Blueberry Jam black tea but have never been able to find it on the US site. Is it available in Canada only? Already found the others and added to cart! :)
It’s sold in the US too, but might be out of stock right now. Restocking teas has been a slower than usual process right now, as I’m sure you can imagine with everything going on in the world.
Ah, good to know. That makes sense, of course. I’ll keep checking back. I’m glad to hear I might be able to get my hands on some down the road!
Oh yay bear trap!
Bear Trap was one I was super excited about – along with Kiwi’s Big Adventure and Tropicalia.
Well it looks like I’ll be making a DT order tonight! Anything else you guys would recommend as a must-have, returning tea or regular blend?
What kind of tea are you in the mood for/have you been drinking lately? I can play TG a little bit and give you some recommendations! Though, personally the two teas I’m obsessed with at DT right now are Golden Lily and Thailand Black.
Yes, please! I love black teas most, flavored or not. My favorite tea from DT is Nepal Black. I’ll check out the two you mentioned, thank you!
Ooh! If Nepal Black is one of your favourites then I really recommend the Thailand Black. If Jasmine isn’t a turn off, then I think the Jasmine Black Pearls would be a good one to try out too; they’re super full bodied and complex and the black tea used is very rich and malty tasting. Fantasy Island would be a good, more flavoured, option too – when it was first carried by DT is was quite popular here on Steepster and I like that it’s flavoured (raspberry/coconut) but that the black tea used in it is still really clear in the flavour. And of course Blueberry Jam is my personal favourite tea from DT, and it’s a black tea base :)
Thank you, thank you! All of these sound really good. I have heard a lot about the Blueberry Jam black tea but have never been able to find it on the US site. Is it available in Canada only? Already found the others and added to cart! :)
It’s sold in the US too, but might be out of stock right now. Restocking teas has been a slower than usual process right now, as I’m sure you can imagine with everything going on in the world.
Ah, good to know. That makes sense, of course. I’ll keep checking back. I’m glad to hear I might be able to get my hands on some down the road!