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Wasn’t sure what to expect from this tea, because I’ve never actually had a Kumquat before…

However, it sounded really unique and different, and that’s what I love about 52Teas in the first place so I decided I’ve give it a go – and I’m really glad I did because it was so weird, different and unusual, but also really tasty!

For starters, I think this might actually be the first 52Teas blend where the cheesecake flavour really does taste like cheesecake to me – and in a positive way. It’s sweet, it’s tangy, it’s creamy! It does all the things that good cheesecake should do! As for the kumquat? I can definitely tell that it’s there – however, as someone who’s never had one before it’s kind of hard for me to describe. The closest thing that comes to mind is kiwi? And you know what, I’m down for a kiwi cheesecake sort of flavour. It works for me! Tangy fruit with tangy cheescake? Fuck yeah, why not!?

Also – I think the honeyed quality of the base is just a phenomenal touch as well: it’s like this natural ‘graham base’ that cheesecake usually has. Great! Definitely adds another layer of flavour in a really good way. Really ties together the imagery/profile.

Iced Tea Sipdown (333)!

I think, for what this tea is, it was very simple – but I kind of liked the simplicity.

Flavour wise, the rooibos base was pretty strong but I thought it actually complimented the more medium bodied orange notes; it gave it a honey sort of quality rather than the woodyness or peppery quality I think it COULD have added. The orange wasn’t overly sweet in and of itself; very orange zest/peel like in flavour – however the sweet, silky vanilla flavour combined with it in such a way that it gave that orange more of a sweet quality.

I do actually think this was a pretty good “Creamsicle” flavour – although it COULD have been richer over all. It reminded me a lot of DAVIDsTEA’s Orange Blossom blend, but without the floral elements. I’m actually a huge fan of that DT blend and since it’s retired now, this is a good one for me to keep in mind if I ever wanted a pretty solid replacement for it.

The boyfriend brought me fancy cheese the other day, because he knows I’m hipster as fuck and cheese makes me happy. It was really thoughtful. And then, like an idiot, I forgot it at work – so I had to head back to work to grab it so it wasn’t sitting there all night.

I, of course, had to grab a tea too.

Since this one is being retired, I decided to grab an iced cup of it because when we finally run out of it I don’t want to have any regrets about not getting a finally cup of it/not saying goodbye properly.

I’ve had an off and on relationship with this tisane; I really didn’t like it when I first tried it years ago. It’s still not a favourite, but I’ve come to appreciate it for its uniqueness; it’s literally so different from all of the other herbals in our collection. Nothing that will be left will be a perfect match for if people come in looking for replacements…

Also, soft, sweet juicy watermelon notes! I love the subtle watermelon.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Sipdown (334)!

So, the boyfriend nailed his interview! I knew he would; but I’m incredibly happy for him regardless. He had a bad start to his week, so this was the perfect mood boost for him! Plus, I got to be the incredibly proud, supportive girlfriend.

This one wasn’t bad – I finished it off as a hot cup, which did make for a more tart flavour but despite there being some really obvious hibiscus flavours and a pretty sour top note it was still really good, and sweet. It definitely channeled some of DAVIDsTEA’s Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait notes, both in creaminess and juicy strawberry flavour. No rhubarb. I was surprised by the cream though; normally I don’t find this one to be a creamy tasting tea.

Anyway; glad this was a sipdown! It’s not a bad tea, but nothing to hold onto either.

Midday cuppa.

I definitely steeped this one way longer than I had originally intended to. When I saw how intensely, deeply orange the liquor was I knew I was in for an experience – I just thought it’d be a bad one. I expected it to be pretty bitter, but it actually wasn’t. The flavour WAS really intense though. It was very savory/herbaceous with a mix of really strong, dominant chrysanthemum, dandelion, rosemary, pine/wood, and hay notes.

I actually liked how unabashedly herbaceous this tasted! It was brilliant, and different and very comforting. I’ve enjoyed that element of this tea in the past, it was just ten fold here.

So, with this new Harvest Collection I definitely 100% caved and bought a matcha maker. I’ve been holding out on getting one since they were first announced because honestly I just 100% prefer making matcha the traditional way with a matcha bowl and whisk. However, the new green one, with the sprigs on it? WAY TOO FUCKING CUTE.

So it’s mine now.

I brought it with to work yesterday, with matcha in it, and then made a matcha at the end of the day in it to bring home with me – this matchal. It’s the only one of the new three fruity matchas that I don’t own so I decided I’d take advantage of matcha I can’t make at home. I didn’t do it as a full blown latte, but I did at some milk to it just ’cause I do like matcha milk.

It was pretty good – sweeter than I remember it tasting the first time I tried it. The vanilla flavour in this still bothers me a little bit, but milk softens it a lot and makes it more palatable. The finish is more artificial. Very much like a mixed berry/yogurt candy kind of vibe. And it looks so pretty in the new matcha maker…

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Last of the new Harvest teas, since tea #5 in the collection is a core tea.

Personally, this is the tea I was least excited about of the new ones. It kind of sounded boring to me? Plus, I don’t love ginger so that didn’t do anything to make me more hyped about it. However, it is the only tea of the new ones that DOESN’T have apple in it, so I wanted to really like it because then I could share it with my boyfriend – who is very allergic to apples…

Something about the dry leaf of this one is REALLY unappealing to me. I can’t put my finger on what it is, other than I know it smells strongly of carrots. That’s not it though; while the carrot aroma doesn’t make me all that into it, it’s also NOT the thing turning me off. Side note; this tea DOES have more carrot than I think I’ve ever seen in a DT blend, including the carrot flavoured ones like Carrot Cupcake…

We did this one as a staff tasting, and we tried it iced. I will say, for a tea with dry leaf that smelled so unappealing to me the steeped up tea was actually surprisingly good. However, for me that’s only by comparison to the smell. Just based on taste alone, I still don’t like it much.

I was shocked that the flavour was so light though! It’s also sweeter than I thought it would be. Now, that’s not to say that it’s a sweet tea – because it’s not. Just, sweeter than expected. The orange note is very similar to the orange flavour in Orange Passionfruit, bit less tart. It’s the best part, imo. The ginger? Not a fan of it at all, and I think it tastes weird with the orange. I’m guessing that tiny bit of sweetness I get is from the ginger though because it IS candied ginger in this one – so I guess I have to thank that ingredient for contributing some sweetness even if I don’t like the rest of what it’s doing. The finish? Pretty carroty, with an earthiness to it. I think the pumpkin gets lost with the carrot…

A few people have told me this is just so much better hot, but honestly I just don’t feel compelled to try it again at all. Maybe I will – for science sake? Morbid curiosity? Sadism?

I do appreciate that this is meant to taste like some sort of tonic, or one of those fancy schmancy cold pressed and healthy ‘juices’ though because, you know what, as much as I don’t like it I think it kind of hits that nail right on the head. That means there’s DEFINITELY going to be an audience that appreciate this one a lot.

I’m just not that audience.

Also – for the record, I did make a cup of this for the boyfriend just to see if he liked it. He has so few herbal tea options that he can actually drink because of his allergies. He didn’t like it either though – which is a shame…

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Cold Brew.

I’m currently sipping on this one right now, while talking to the boyfriend on the phone. He has an important interview later this afternoon – so I’m crossing my fingers for him. I think he’s gonna kill it, but he’s definitely psyching himself out a little bit.

The tea is kind of boring, honestly. It’s very Monk’s blend like, though with a bit more of a bold/vibrant fruit flavour than typically in a Monk’s blend. Very pomegranate/strawberry tasting to me. It also has malty/cocoa undertones from the black tea. Even though there’s no actual cocoa in the blend the intensity of those notes in the black base mixed with the strawberry notes is making me think a little of DAVIDsTEA’s now retired Love Tea #7 blend. So, like a Monk’s Blend/Love tea #7 cross.

It’s not bad. Actually, it’s pretty smooth/refreshing. It’s also just not exciting, either.

Another from the new Harvest Collection!

I was thrilled to see a Mate in this collection; it feels like lately that section of the tea wall has really been pruned down, and the flavour diversity/options are quite limited. This is definitely unique, and I think it’s a really nice addition to the wall – even if it is only limited edition. I was a little worried it would be a little bit too beet heavy, but I try to be open minded – and I was intrigued to see what would come of this one.

I tried it iced for my first tasting, and I’ve actually had it a few times since then also as an iced tea. It was a little hard to put my finger on the first time I had it, but I think I’ve got a better grip on what to expect from it now.

For starters, I think the flavour of the beet is actually very, very light. Truly, I wish it had a more robust presence because that would be so refreshingly different, and I think would very much fall in line with the theme of this collection. Since the flavour IS pretty light though I’m guessing largely what it’s doing in this blend is contributing to the very pretty pink/red hue that it steeps up. It really is a GORGEOUS tea, both steeped and as dry leaf.

The flavour that IS present is great though: once I kind of let go of the idea of it being a beet-heavy tea it was easier to appreciate. It’s quite fruity, with a good natural sweetness and some tart undertones. I’d describe it as very much a balance of apple and berry. The berry could probably be further broken down though to a mixture of blackberry and raspberry, with goji undertones. I didn’t actually think I’d taste the goji because that’s a flavour I often have issues pinpointing but I think for the amount of goji in the blend it does come through well enough. Not a main flavour – but there.

I think this is likely my second favourite of the new collection, after Pear Blossom. I did buy a little of this one for at home – but not as much as I did for Pear Blossom. I think it’s probably going to be something I end up enjoying more in store, rather than at home. I’m curious to see how it’ll work as a hot tea, though!

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Hot, with a whole lot of milk and a bit of Irish Cream coffee creamer…

With all of the added things in the cup, this was a very light tasting brew with a really strong creaminess and rich, thick mouthfeel. That’s definitely what I was going for though: I just wanted something hot and milky, but not a latte with that hint of sweet, creamy chocolate and light bergamot notes. The soft trace of rose in the finish was an added bonus; I had actually expected all the milk to drown it out.

Very relaxing/comforting – although definitely not the world’s best representation of what this tea normally tastes like.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.