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I’m drinking this one right now as a soy latte, with a bit of chocolate agave.

I actually finished all my opening stuff for work today a good twenty minutes early so it let me sneak in this early morning latte/tea review! Hooray for preparedness and efficiency!

I added the chocolate agave not because I thought the latte needed the extra sweetness but because I was hoping for a bit of a “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” flavour and to my delight that’s exactly what this tastes like! It’s indulgent, and smooth and really quite a good recreation. The downside to the cup, because it seems like there’s always a downside, is actually the soy milk I used for it. Normally I’m not a big soy milk fan but I wanted the extra protein. Flavour wise, I don’t think it’s negatively effected my latte but it definitely is separating MUCH more easily than cow’s milk would have and I find myself CONSTANTLY having to stir it/rewhisk it to get a good texture.

So my mom went on a two week vacation to British Columbia, and of course she brought back tea for me as a present/souvenir of sorts! Some of it wasn’t a surprise because it’s things I’d asked her to grab, but some of it was things that she chose on her own or with the help of shop keepers!

All in all, I wound up with fourteen different teas to enjoy from the following shops:

- Terroir Tea Merchant
- Murchie’s Tea & Coffee
- Janet’s Special Teas
- Silk Road
- Cloud Mountain Tea House
- The Fairmont Hotel (Not a tea store; but they do a High Tea where you can buy tea)

Silk Road was one of the places I had asked her to stop; I specifically wanted their Black Currant & Elderflower tea and a higher grade Dragonwell and then this is a tea she chose out for me on her own because she thought the country of origin was kind of unique – and it kind of is! I think I’ve actually had Tanzanian tea before in my Sommelier course but it’s certainly not something you see a ton of.

I was a little disappointed to see it was a CTC grade tea; but I’m not at all surprised by that either. Something like 90% of all tea produced in Africa is CTC grade, generally for tea bags or blends like breakfast blends. That said, even if I’m not really a fan of the strong, full bodied brisk and often greatly tannic brew that CTC produces I’m going to go into this mug of it as open minded as possible.

Honestly? It’s not bad.

Definitely a full bodied, brisk flavour with very round, lingering notes but it’s not unpleasantly strong and I don’t find it too tannic/astringent at all. In fact, one of the first words that comes to mind while sipping on this is “smooth”. There’s a very grainy, malty flavour that coats the tongue and is pleasantly sweet and very silky both in flavour and mouthfeel. I’m greatly enjoying it. Additionally, there’s a bit of lemon flavour in the undertones of the body and finish and while my personal experience with a lot of African black teas has been a more pithy/lemon rind kind of citrus note this is sweeter and almost sort of juicy. All in all, I think this is just a very pleasant tea not just as a CTC but just in general. Good pick, mom!

So, I followed through and bought myself some of this one because I liked it so much!

It’s been so sweltering hot, so I made it up into a cold brew because I figured that would ultimately be delicious, but also just very relaxing/cooling. My mom just got home tonight after a two week vacation in British Columbia, just as I was straining out the cold brew, so we shared it while she showed me vacation photos and videos. The best thing was all the footage of sea lions; those cute like zucchinis with faces will be the death of me. I just want to hug them until they explode.

Anyway; this tea as a cold brew? Fucking delicious.

It’s really similar to the iced tea in that it’s a sweet, tropical and very well definited passion fruit flavour. However, as a cold brew it lacks a bit of the same punch/acidity and is a little smoother and more mellow overall. I feel like I’m tasting the white tea base more clearly, as well. Neither of these things make this style of prep any more superior or less superior than icing it; it’s just different – still similar and delicious, but some differences for sure.

I was right though; it was GREAT to sip on to sort of ‘beat the heat’.

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, this afternoon I’m doing a side by side competition style tasting of White2Tea’s 2015 and 2016 Brown Sugar pu’erhs because I recently purchased samples of both. I’ve tried different years harvests of the same tea, but I’ve never really done a side by side compare before and I thought that would be interesting – especially in the case of Pu’erh.

For both tastings, I’m using 2.2g (because that’s what I broke off from the first cake, so I kept it the same with the second) of Pu in 6 oz. of water – both steeped for three minutes using 95 degree Celcius water. Consistency, bitch.

So without further ado…

Dry Leaf: Comparatively, this seems to be less compressed. The cake breaks up much more easily; though the pieces are smaller/more brittle. Same sort of leaf colouring, though.

Liquor Colour: A dark brown with red undertones. It has a very slight cloudiness to the liquor but overall is pretty clear. Noticeably darker in colour than the 2015 Brown sugar. Not nearly as dark as I’d expect the liquor for a Shou to be; but certainly closer in ‘generic Shou appearance’ than the ’15 .

Aroma: Aroma is stronger overall than the ‘15 and has more presence. It’s very earthy, with a bit of a mushroomy quality too. Has an almost molasses like sweetness.

Taste: Immediately this tea feels more full bodied than the ‘15. The top notes are very earthy/loamy and evoke immediate, intense feelings of wet wood/the forest floor. Body has a little bit of a mineral taste, and some sweetness. It’s also a little woody, not unlike the ‘15 but in a more wet way. Undertones are a little fruity; sort of date like I suppose. While the top of the sip is very unctuous, the finish is short, clean and without lingering flavour not unlike what I experienced with the ’15. It’s interesting to me how this tea is so similar in the second part of the sip to the ’15 but so wildly different at the start.

Having tasted both years now, this is the one I think I prefer. It’s not arguable that there are a lot of similarities, but I think this year has more overall body even if it finishes in the same sort of way that the 2015 does. Plus, something about that more wet, petrichor feelings foresty note that this starts off with really does something for me. Both are very smooth though, and I think would make really good every day drinking type teas.

Link to 2015 Brown Sugar from this tasting:

https://steepster.com/roswellstrange/posts/358855#likes

So, this afternoon I’m doing a side by side competition style tasting of White2Tea’s 2015 and 2016 Brown Sugar pu’erhs because I recently purchased samples of both. I’ve tried different years harvests of the same tea, but I’ve never really done a side by side compare before and I thought that would be interesting – especially in the case of Pu’erh.

For both tastings, I’m using 2.2g (because that’s what I broke off from the first cake, so I kept it the same with the second) of Pu in 6 oz. of water – both steeped for three minutes using 95 degree Celcius water. Consistency, bitch.

So without further ado…

Dry Leaf: Very dense/tightly compressed with a very dark overall colour; black and near blacks with some umber. A few flat, more tan looking leaf fragments visible too.

Liquor Colour: A darker red/brown with good clarity. Has the same amber-like colour I’d expect to see from a Chinese black tea, such as a Keemun. Noticeably lighter and brighter in colour than the 2016 Brown Sugar.

Aroma: Quite earthy and dank but supported by a brightness/sweetness: reminds me a little of dates. Perhaps also a little nutty.

Taste: Top notes are earthy with mineral qualities; very structured but not persistent. Overall, the body is pleasant but a little bit flat: none of the notes have robustness or body. It reminds me a little of dry wood, as opposed to the wet/damp wood and forest notes often gotten from shou. Maybe a little nutty, but not in any distinct sort of way. Some sweetness, overall. Finish is very clean, and short lived. No lingering tastes; no real presence. It’s not an unpleasant cup but nothing about it stands out or really has any depth.

Having tasted the 2016, I can definitely say that of the two this is the one I prefer less. I think many people would appreciate the overall clean profile of this tea and how smooth it is in general, but I really like the long lingering earthy notes at the start of the 2016 and how it’s woody but in more of a wet/forest-y way. Nothing about this one was unpleasant, I just think it’s going to be a touch forgettable too.

Link To 2016 Brown Sugar from this tasting:

https://steepster.com/roswellstrange/posts/358856#likes

Sipdown (227)!

Day two of it being so hot in the house that you could melt off a nutsack.

So, I’m starting the day with a cold brew! This one has been going in my fridge for days now because I’m forgetful – so it’s very strong/potent. Mostly, it tastes like sweet candied strawberries with melon and plum undertones. However, that extended brew time has really drawn out a lot of grassyness from the base teas and it’s a little bit harsh. I mean, for something like a 40 hour steep time it’s pretty amazing it’s not bitter though; just strong and astringent. Kind of a chlorine taste too, if I’m being honest.

Despite that it’s still not an awful brew, though I have a few regrets about going hard with this 25 oz cold brew on an empty stomach…

So, recently placed an online order with Chapters for a couple new tea focused books; I’m trying to expand my tea book collection a little more! Right now, I’m at something like seven tea themed books, give or take a few, with a new one on the way. But of course if you’re gonna order from Chapters you’re adding in something tea related!

I’ve tried a few Pluck teas now, most of which I have got from Chapters and they’ve been a little hit or miss honestly. However after browsing the tea options online right now, this one sort of jumped out at me because it’s just kind of unique/different. So, I tossed it in. What could it hurt?

Well, it showed up yesterday so I brought it along to work and made an iced cup!

This tea is weird – though not in a bad way.

So, it’s definitely a smoky flavour overall but it also has a lot of sweetness to it. Basically, it’s kind of like a smoky maple flavour, which is weirdly delicious! There are a lot of ingredients here as well that just seem a little out of place; like the jasmine for example. I don’t know that I particularly tasted jasmine in the cup so it wasn’t an issue, but why even include it? What is it doing? Also, it’s got licorice root which I worried would give it that really unpleasant sweet aftertaste but no… that didn’t happen either.

So, as much as this is kind of just a weird burnt sugar/smoky maple toffee flavour I have to admit that the woodyness of the rooibos in combination with the smoky notes actually do really make me thing of summer campfires, which kind of actually hits the nail on the head in regard to the name of the blend. It’s strangely outdoorsy feeling, which is weird because it’s kind of just smoked maple but yeah. I totally get that camping kind of vibe from it.

This also probably would have made a lot more sense as a hot tea as well, but I’ve gotta say the iced sweet smoke flavour wasn’t bad. Again, and I know I’m getting repetitive, it was super weird/strange – but pleasantly so. Yeah, I’m going to tentatively say that I really enjoyed this tea and will probably enjoy it a lot in the future too…

So, I revisited this weird tomato tea today.

It’s been hot/sweaty enough inside our house today to melt a man’s nuts off, so I definitely opted for an iced tea over trying this one hot – though I definitely want to try it that way too, eventually. Like an idiot I forgot to measure when I was scooping the leaf for my concentrated hot brew of this before pouring it over iced. Obviously my guesstimation was wrong, because when I did pour the hot brew over ice to make my finished product it was WAY too strong/intense.

Honestly, I hardly tasted the tomato this time around at all! What I did get was a punch in the face of intense, sweet apple and orange notes with hints of lemon lime and a refreshing, pulpy vegetal cucumber note. The cucumber was actually my favourite part of the blend; I’ve just honest to God never found a cucumber tea I didn’t love. It’s just cooling, and refreshing and one of the most hydrating tea ingredients, point blank. Oddly, I think because of the cucumber as well, this had an almost melon like taste too. I think that’s because the white part in watermelon rind and cucumber skin sort of taste the same? So, they’re a little interchangeable flavour wise.

So yeah, this still had some great things going on for it flavour wise – but bottom line it was just too strong/intense, and the fruit notes were really sweet.

Stocked up on more of this in my recent Tea Desire order! It’s been absolute ages since I last had this one since I had such a low stock of it – I felt guilty using it, so I hoarded it. Now I’ve got plenty though, so bring on the Caramel Pu!

My first time dipping into this new reserve actually wasn’t for a mug of it though – I decided this would be the perfect tea to infuse into a brown sugar syrups to drizzle over a sliced up Red Delicious apple! I mean caramel and apples – that’s a no brainer! I made it the same way I do any of my brown sugar syrups (ask if you want more details; happy to share ’em!), but with a slightly heaping tablespoon of this tea mixed in. The sauce was obviously very sweet, it definitely had that brown sugar flavour but you could taste the caramel as a distinct and separate sort of sweetness in combination with the molasses-y brown sugar. Basically, the exact same caramel notes you get when you steep up the tea.

Plus the pu’erh base obviously has a distinct flavour so of course that was infused into the syrup/sauce as well. Very rich, indulgent and sweetly earthy, with cocoa/dark chocolate notes too. It just all came together to pull off this very rich, luxurious caramel syrup that really tasted quite nice with the bright, sweetness of the apple.

Yummy tea infused snacks for the win!

So a few months back for Easter I got my little sister one of the cute little iced tea pouches/bags with five different samples in it; I figured the bag would easily double as a make up bag for her since she’s getting into that stuff and the teas all make good iced teas which is something she’d expressed interest in learning to do!

However, when she cracked the package for this one she took a smell and decided she didn’t like it at all; to be fair she doesn’t really like blackberries in general though. She refers to them as “lesser raspberries”. So, I decided to cold brew the sample so it didn’t go to waste.

Personally, I think it was delicious! Very, very candy like though in its berry flavour. It reminded me less of blackberry specifically, and more just a plump/juicy blackberry flavour in general with hints of sweet cream. I’d honestly say an improvement upon the iced version of 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.