16384 Tasting Notes
- I’d forgotten I’ve tried this one before! It seems very different from the last time…
- Just based on skimming the old tasting note; that is
- More roasty/toasted in flavour
- Has a bit of a peppery/spicy finish to it
- Body is sweeter; more like honey and rye?
- I suppose it does have some floral undertones
- And a woody quality though, like in the company description
I did enjoy this one initially, but just looking at the old tasting note it definitely raises a few flags for me just how wildly different these two infusions were considering they were both no frills Western style infusions…
So, I’ve been putting off trying this tea because I was kind of scared about the degree of spice it might have – I’ve had a Frank era 52Teas blends with OBSCENE amounts of Spice (Napalm Ferret, anyone) and I definitely wasn’t in the mood for that…
But…
- This had very mild overall spice, which was surprising
- Does sort of have the light back of the throat tickle peppercorn teas have to me though
- I like the strawberry; it reminds me of the strawberry in Strawberry Genmaicha
- Has a roundness to it
- Really mellow, soft tea overall;
- Enjoyed it even though it was very UNLIKE the description
And yes – I DID shake up the package first. I just didn’t find this one all that impactful.
Cold Brew!
Made this one as part of a more elaborate breakfast during my days off this week. I added a pinch of creamed honey to the tea to sweeten it because it had a pretty strong tangy/sour lemon quality to it. Even though it didn’t even remotely taste like orange, the whole “strong citrus drink for breakfast” type thing definitely had me in that fresh squeezed orange juice and hearty breakfast mindset.
My breakfast was actually a really good garlic sesame seitan and egg scramble with a very sharp cheddar, red pepper, and onion. It was a great balance of savory elements and spices, and and that also was just a very good contrast to the brighter, sweet fruity flavour of the tea. All put together, both tea and breakfast had this very nice almost artisan kind of feel.
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.
Mmmm…
I’m really loving the complexities of this one.
I just made it as a simple, late night Western mug but I feel like I got such a great array of flavours even with that straight forward preparation. The sip started off with sweet hay notes and hints of white peach, and it sort of evolved into this mix of gentle spice notes, herbaceous rosemary/thyme, driftwood. It finished with a very clean, crisp soft honey note, and the entire time all of this had smooth undertones of very floral chrysanthemum. It was both very relaxing, and also quite engaging because of the complexities. I very much enjoyed it.
My mom and I had a nice moment last evening where we each had a mug of tea, and were both relaxing listening to an album we’re both fans of while comparing notes/thoughts on the music; it was really nice!
She wasn’t actually drinking this tea though; she doesn’t seem to appreciate the delicate nuances of white teas all that much so I’ve stopped sharing them – why waste the tea on someone who wont appreciate it?
This was great though; like other times, I observed some soft hay notes, cooling almost cucumber like vegetal notes and a sweeter honey finish. Additionally, I also felt like I got hints of some herbaceous notes in both the very tippy top of the sip and then also in the finish: sort of a rosemary sort of thing. It was kind of weird; not that I haven’t experienced it with other white teas, just not as much this particular white tea. Still pleasant though: I’ve got a few other cups left, so I’ll definitely need to look for it in the future.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OdazEVnFDM&index=9&list=PL4_RV82NfwS_dmptFTLCtk2JnlLwA50vO
Midday cup of tea from yesterday.
A new friend introduced me to a pretty cool band yesterday, so I spent a nice chunk of the afternoon just going over their music and discovering the different songs. This was a good “pick me up” or, rather “keep me up” during that midday slump.
I don’t drink this one often because it’s the kind of tea I feel I could easily get sick of, but every now and then I like that burst of sweet berry flavour. It’s a good mix of acai, currant, and raspberry notes that doesn’t fall into that trap of tartness a lot of DT berry blends seem to.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC1do2pAc0c&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=3
I think this one is tied for my favourite track off the album; and I think the upbeat tempo compliments the sweet, bright lively berry notes that feel like they’re about to pop!
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.
Wasn’t paying too close attention to this one when I was drinking it, honestly. However, I did noticed it was pretty floral, and smooth overall with some buttery notes. Hints of spicyness in the undertones. I don’t know; I used to love this one a lot, but honestly I feel as if I’m growing out of it a bit.
I guess, thankfully, I’m almost out of it so I suppose that’s not the end of the world.
From the BC/Vacation Haul.
First cup of the day! I’ve been working on tasting notes, but I’m caught up now so I feel less guilty steeping something up now.
This isn’t really anything new to me or particularly unique; I just wanted a Ginseng Oolong on hand for a while since it’s been some time and I generally like the flavour profile. Plus, not gonna lie something about those moss green stone/pebble looking tea leaves just makes me whimsically/childishly happy. I like that this doesn’t overwhelm me with the sweetness of ginseng though; just teases me with it. Also, it’s pretty grassy which is totally enjoyable too.
Basically, it’s what I want from it. So no complaints.
Iced Sipdown (240)!
The Forest Witch offers samples, so when I ordered I decided to throw one it and let the owner pick what it was. I think generally speaking, when you let the owner of a tea store choose a tea for you you’re bound to get something REALLY good. I mean, they know both what their best sellers are and just what in general is REALLY top notch that they carry. It’s also, for me, a good way to sometimes try things that would be outside my comfort zone.
This is the one that she chose for me, and honestly part of me what to be all “Ahah! I’ve been sorted!” because whenever I do the Pottermore quiz I’m VERY close to Slytherin, but then also part of me is like “Hufflepuff forever, bitch”. So…
Anyway; this sounds really good and the dry leaf smells amazing so I’m stoked. Actually, both me and a coworker kind of agreed that it reminded us a little bit of DT’s Cranberry Pear just in that the cherry smelled similar to the brightness of the cranberry, and it had this sort of creaminess to it like Cranberry Pear did. Honestly, the only overlapping ingredient is the black tea so it’s maybe a weird observation/comparison. Still, I think it stands.
This tastes AMAZING.
Honestly, I was a touch skeptical because of the lemongrass but it feels very well balanced, and has such a good range of flavours. Mostly, it’s a lot of sweet, nutty pistachio from top of the sip until finish but also that pistachio does kind of have the creaminess to it that was in cranberry pear. It’s almost like pistachio pudding, which really does take me back to my childhood and gives me solid nostalgia pangs. There’s also fruity brightness from the cherry; sweet, a little bit tart. Maybe it’s because I’ve already drawn this mental comparison so I’m projecting this flavour onto the tea, but the cherry actually does remind me a bit of cranberry too! The lemon grass is subtle; just hints of it in the undertones. The black tea is smooth and malty, with the faintest astringency at the top of the sip, though it very quickly subsides and with the pistachio pairing I do think that bit of astringency reminds me a little of the dryless of the “skin” on most nuts. I mean, it just reminds me of Cranberry Pear. I know they’re dissimilar, but also they’re sort of not?
Point is I fucking LOVED this sample, and it’s gone now and I’m already crushed over that. So, I’ll probably try the one last tea I ordered from The Forest Witch sooner rather than later and since everything was so reasonable price wise I’m probably going to order more of this immediately after payday.
Just, it was SO good. Everything I could have wanted from a cup of iced tea.
Sipdown (241)!
I know I said I wanted to do a side by side with this one a Creme Caramel Rooibos but I kept putting that off, and then I forgot I even wanted to do one in the first place and I used up all the leaf of this on one last latte. An iced latte. A fucking AMAZING iced latte.
True, most of this tea’s original wonderful flavour is gone now but there was still a wonderful custardy/eggy vanilla flavour that took hold of the cup, and hints of burned/carmelized sugar a top that very woody rooibos base. I miss this tea, but this was a bloody brilliant way to finish it off. Plus, I suppose I have Jasmine Creme Brulee now for my Creme Brulee tea needs, and while that one is different it’s also similar enough.
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.
