16384 Tasting Notes
So, a week ago I had a pretty fun date in the downtown park.
We took a thermal carafe of water, and a blanket and tea set and the man friend and I had a bit of an afternoon/evening picnic – it was actually really lovely. Though, it did start to rain for a moment. It quickly passed, though.
I had narrowed down the tea choices to four different teas for him and then I let him pick what he wanted to drink and this was the one he chose. I’m not super surprised; he seems to have quite a sweet tooth. When we’re both working (because we work in the same mall) I bring him a new tea every day, and so far his favourite has been DT’s Oh Canada! This seems relatively in line with that sort of flavour profile. Personally, I loved this one! It’s always so relaxing, with a very smooth creamy caramel flavour and floral undertones. Hints of the saltiness, in a nicely contrasting way.
I’m very sad to report that he couldn’t taste it though…
I don’t mean to say that his palate is shit (although tbh it kind of is) but just that he physically couldn’t taste anything other than hot water. He’s pretty nose and taste blind; he only smells and tastes at around 20-30% of the capacity that the average person does. That does make it a little tricky to share some of my favourite, more nuanced teas with him. I really thought this would be strong enough he’d pick up on it, though!
It was still a really fun time regardless.
Another cup where the chili in the blend was weirdly absent…
While I’m not loving the lack of consistency with this tea, I do really enjoying the soothing combination of lemon myrtle and peppermint – especially as something to sip on late at night or before bed. It’s very, very relaxing. Detoxing? Doubtful – but totally relaxing.
Sipdown (247)!
Finished this one off the other night; it’s so amazingly smooth and silky with such brilliant, beautiful vanilla notes on top of a smooth, malty black base.Plus, for the first time I also felt like I got some of the caramel flavour in my cup too. I really, REALLY love this one! Right now, I’m trying not to order more tea and if I do order more I want to focus on new companies so I likely wont be getting more of this any time soon, but it is something I’ll keep in mind if I order from Octavia Tea again!
Iced tea.
Grabbed this one as an iced tea while out for a walk with the man friend. It was my first time trying this one cold, and I don’t think I liked it as much as when I tried it hot. For starters, it had a fairly prominently roasty tasting body but also lots of sweeter, tropical fruit notes like mango and pineapple. Primarily mango, though. The roastiness of the oolong just feels weird contrasted with that much tropical fruit.
Plus, there’s just something weird about the mango on its own too. I mean, I can’t put my finger on what specifically about the mango bothers me but something does. It’s not that it’s artificial tasting, because it’s not. It’s just… eh.
Having something fruity to sip on during a nice summer walk is nice though; and this was refreshing even if the flavour wasn’t 100% on point.
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.
Iced.
I wanted something sweet, fruity and refreshing and this was one of our TOTDs yesterday so I thought why not? I was definitely getting a lot of the sweet, smooth berry notes: not just blackberry but more of a mixed berry type of thing. With the creamy undertones, this all came together in a way that was giving me mad Campino vibes. You know, the creamy fruit and yogurt candies? I’m pretty sure they never had a blackberry flavour, but I know they definitely had a strawberry one.
It’s been a long time since I last had a campino; now I’m really craving one!
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.
- With added milk and sugar… kind of
- More elderflower than currant; but still both present and jammy
- Was trying to go for really “British” steep of it by using milk/sugar
- Since black currant is such a British flavour
- It didn’t quite work because my hipster ass only had coconut milk & coconut sugar
- Still pretty tasty, but coconut was not the most complimentary flavour
Decided to treat myself to a bubble bath with a cute little teacup of this tea, one of my favourites to ‘reward’ myself with when I’ve had an off day or just need a little something special. As always, it was warm and toasty with the perfect sweet, nutty flavour profile that just felt like a warm, inviting hug. Though, there was almost a salted peanut sort of thing going on too.
But I wasn’t mad at it.
Latte Sipdown (248)!
Slowly getting those sipdowns in…
This one wasn’t a bad latte, it reminded me a lot of DAVIDsTEA’s Creme Brulee rooibos blend that I was always such a big fan of. It was very creamy, with a super rich mouthfeel and strong, full bodied vanilla notes. I think it would have definitely benefited from a secondary flavour though because it did feel a little one-note. Perhaps the softest hint of cinnamon or nutmeg? You could totally add that yourself by just lightly dusting some onto the latte, though. Anyway; it was a nice enough sweet treat! Very comforting, for sure. If you’re looking for a good, point blank vanilla flavour this would be a dependable option.
Western.
God, I love the little curly snail looking tea leaf for this one. It’s just so strikingly fun and whimsical; I could look at it forever.
- Can’t decide if I like this one or not
- Very, very buttery with a sharply smokey finish
- The body is very, very vegetal: artichoke, green beans, peas, squash
- It’s unlike your typical white tea for sure; just don’t know that I’m into it
Maybe it’s a bit of an acquired taste and I’ll just have to try it a few more times to get into it; or perhaps I just need to approach this one with a different style of making it. I’ll hold off on rating in the meantime, until I’ve tried this a few more times and know what I think of it a little better.
