16384 Tasting Notes
Iced at work today.
In concept this one sounded really nice to me, other than the green tea base. I’d have been a lot more thrilled to see the flavour pairing on a black base, but that’s just me.
I actually think I totally understand the idea behind the name of this one though; it’s very light, refreshing, bright and sunny – sort of just like someone with a good sense of humour is? Like, just one of those people who’s presence is just super uplifting and pleasant! So in that sense – I think AU’s more artistic/creative marketing actually reads really well/clearly. I instantly made that connection.
Flavour wise, mostly this is a strong lemon flavour! It’s both bright, sunny and sweet but also oddly creamy? Like, not overtly so but it finishes with the same sort of delicate pastry like creaminess that I get from DAVIDsTEA’s Lemon Pound Cake. It’s also got that distinct lemongrass flavour, too. Pretty tied into that lemon note is a strong apple flavour too; not overly tart but not overly sweet either. Just sort of generic apple? Though in hindsight that creaminess COULD possibly be a ‘buttery apple’ sort of taste and I’m just poorly attributing the buttery flavour to the wrong ingredient?
Anyway, those are the strongest flavour notes – but apart from those, there’s also a bit of a sharp, grassy undertone. I don’t know that the sharpness is inherently from the green tea itself, but maybe just exaggerated by the lemon/lemongrass in general. The top notes are a bit more fig-like, and I think the fig also just adds to the overall pastry flavour too. The finish is more rosey, with some other general floral vibes to it.
I honestly think this tea could grow on me/might be more of an acquired taste sort of thing but as is I’d say it’s maybe just slightly above average for me? Like, good for a green tea and just kind of alright for a tea in general.
Sipdown (242)!
Finished this one off hot at work.
People come in all the time and comment about how the store smells REALLY good, and it’s weird because as staff I can smell exactly what they’re smelling… the first five minutes of my shift. After that it’s sort of like I go nose blind? There’s just so many different smells/aromas that unless I’m opening up a tin of tea to measure something out or make tea for someone I don’t pick up on the aromas anymore.
Except, when this tea was brewing it filled the WHOLE store. One of my coworkers even went and bought us all blueberry muffins because this tea made her crave them that badly. It’s a good blueberry tea! Like, very smooth and well rounded with a jammy sweetness that doesn’t read as cloying at all – more natural, and fresh. I was pretty infatuated with this one, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m super sad this is a sipdown.
Goodbye yummy blueberry tea.
This review is for the Peachy Lychee infused White mini chocolate bar…
…seen here: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/gifts/product/tea-infused-sweets/white-chocolate-with-peachy-lychee
So, I really fucking loved this one! I mean, I tend to often like the white chocolate bars better because I just like white chocolate better than milk or dark but the flavours of the tea are actually really complimentary! I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised the sweet, juicy peach goes well with creamy white chocolate because ‘Peaches and Cream’ is definitely a BIG thing. Even the lychee shouldn’t be a shock, because it actually worked really well in the iced latte I made a while back, and lychee milk tea/bubble tea is pretty good too. So, all of those creamy components/drinks just tie in really well.
Essentially, though, this is just peach and lychee on blast with creamy backdrop. It feels super fun and summery! I’m down with 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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Another iced tea from the week.
I don’t know why I made this one iced, though – I’ve tried it iced and of all the ways I’ve had this in the past that’s definitely the most disappointing way flavour wise. Also, the mouthfeel reads as especially oily too when you ice this one. I guess I forgot all of that though, because there I was with an iced cup of this one…
Eh; wasn’t bad honestly – really heavy on the rose. It just would have been better if I’d made it hot.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2GsQCiAuI
Paired with the tea, this just makes for good late night walking music.
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.
So lately I’ve developed the habit of stopping at the downtown park after work for an hour with a cup of tea, and a playlist of music before I catch my bus home from work just to enjoy the time spent outdoors.
It’s really relaxing, and without fail I feel very stress free and at peace afterwards.
This was a good tea to take along with me; the cold brew was refreshing on a hot day but the natural, smooth floral notes of the tea and grassy undertones made me feel tethered to the part; grounded and immersed for lack of a better description. I think this does taste strongly of magnolia, but also of orchids and lilies and occasionally with jasmine like elements too. There’s a bit of a woodiness too that crops up every now and then, too.
Mmmm.
Haven’t been a huge fan of this one in the past, but the other day I found myself really craving it so I had a nice hot cup of it on my bus ride home. I think it was one of those cases where the lack of being able to have something makes you want it more; in this case that would be the fact we’re not allowed to drink this one on shift because doing so would take money away from the charity.
So, I actually did buy the mug of it I drank. That’s how badly I was craving it.
It was very good though! Like a tangy, sweet fruit punch with emphasis on the apple, cherry and fig – in that order. I’ve actually been eating a lot of cherries at home this week because I bought a HUGE bag of them, so I can say that the cherry notes from this cup were pretty spot on to the sweet, juicy and well rounded flavour of actual ripe cherries. It was very satisfying, especially because there was no trace of peppercorn flavour to be found.
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 actually found myself really craving the strong, tangy mango notes of this tea so I prepped this one as a cold brew. Of course, by the time it was done I wasn’t craving that mango note nearly as strongly – but it was still really good. Very bright, vibrant flavour overall if not a little bit artificial, and a touch woody from the base.
From my mom’s vacation/BC trip haul!
- Smells very sweet/grapey as dry leaf and while brewing
- Taste wise it’s great! Strong, sweet grape notes and lots of supporting apple flavour
- Black base is soft but present; somewhat malty
- Reminds me A LOT of grapples!
- Floral undertones
- Very aromatic
- Actually better than a lot of other icewine teas I’ve had in the past
Definitely pretty stoked to have this one in my cupboard for a while!
Have you guys ever stopped to think just how many teas, from DAVIDsTEA specifically but also just in general, use apple in them!? I’ve been reflecting on that a lot lately.
Not just randomly – mind you. I went on a date Sunday with someone who’s really allergic to apple, and it was legitimately a struggle finding an iced tea I wanted that didn’t have apple in it. For the record though, at the moment every single oolong and pu’erh tea currently carried is apple free, all of the straight/traditional teas, and then a handful of others. Some of the better apple free ones I’ve found are La La Lemon, Earl of Chocolate, White Chocolate Rose, Banana Nut Bread, and Blueberry Jam.
Also this tea (which I got iced) – which was just a smart date option in general because mint is refreshing and good for calming a stomach full of butterflies. Trust me, there were a lot of butterflies. It was fun though; we hung out in the park downtown and had actually a super nice talk for hours. In fact, we were out there so long that I got pretty badly sun burned on the side of my face/neck that wasn’t under shade. I look a touch funny because of it, if I’m being honest.
But yeah – apple is in fucking EVERYTHING. I mean, it’s a cheap filler that actually has nice flavour, so I get it. Damn is it irritating avoiding it, 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.
Cold Brew Sipdown (243)!
So, now that I’ve finished off Creme Brulee I don’t have any reason to hold onto this tea anymore; hence the sipdown! It was pretty tasty; kind of like a liquified Werther’s caramel. It was also really one note/one dimensional.
Yeah; I still COMPLETELY understand the appeal of this tea and I’ve enjoyed the brews I’ve had of it too but it’s not the caramel tea for me either. I need either a lot more richness or if I’m not gonna get the richness I need more nuance or depth of flavour.
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.
