16384 Tasting Notes
Cold Brew!
A bit of an anomaly, though – for the first time I think ever I wound up with a batch of this without any hibiscus in it. It brewed up a cloudy white/soft yellow colour without even a trace of a pink tinge to it and flavour wise it was really good. Very strong coconut flavour, very strong pineapple and no stupid hibiscus getting in the way and muddling that pina colada goodness.
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 (232)!
So, this cold brew isn’t bad per say, but I definitely do kind of regret finishing my sample as a cold brew because it’s nowhere near as good as the hot version. I don’t know, it’s a little hard to explain because the flavour profile is essentially the same, only A LOT stronger – and in this case, stronger kind of equals a lot less good.
A touch too lemony, and a bit of a sickly sweet finish. Not quite cloying but totally verging on it…
Sipdown (230)!
I feel like this gif kind of perfectly sums up the hot mug I’m drinking right now, so I think I’m just gonna leave you with that…
Flavors: Artichoke, Asparagus, Butter, Creamy, Floral, Garden Peas, Spinach, Vegetal
Cold Brew!
Man, this tea has been a part of my life for four years now! How absolutely insane is that to think that it’s been that long since I tried my first Butiki tea. I mean, I just finished skimming through four years worth of tasting notes for this tea, and it was a bit of a roller coaster! It also reminded me both of some of the ‘phases’ I’ve gone through here on Steepster as well as some of the various life events that’ve occurred, and people I’ve crossed paths with.
Do y’all remember back when I felt the need to specify the EXACT amount of leaf I used with each cup as well as the exact amount of oz. in the cup? That was when I was working of perfecting precise brewing techniques, and I think pretty close with when I got into Gong Fu brewing for the first time? Or how about the summer I was really into making tea infused simple syrups for tea soda! I still kind of love the tea soda thing, but I’ve totally evolved past the sweetened/simple syrup style of making it.
And non tea related, but what about “Word of The Day”!? That was actually kind of fun, but I don’t even remember now when that even came about/why it became a thing. Most funny to me though was seeing myself reference in old tasting notes “hot DAVIDsTEA guy” at a point in my life when I didn’t know his name and hadn’t yet dated his best friend/got piss drunk at his house. Ah, life…
So, this is just me saying thank you, Watermelon Xylophone, for being such a constant in my life the last four years. It’s going to be really, truly upsetting when you’re finally gone.
Flavors: Cream, Flowers, Melon
Tag a long tea for a jaunt to the pet store; the stupid rat/guinea pig go through bedding like crazy. They’re not really stupid though; I love ‘em. They just make my room smell like hay and farts, and that’s annoying sometimes.
Here’s a cute, recent, picture of Eilert though!
Anyway…
Last time I drank this I kind of complained that I couldn’t taste the chili in it at all, but the flavour definitely came through in this mug! I don’t know if it’s because I let this steep longer since we were driving to the pet store or if I just a better representation of flavour in the leaf I had scooped out of the tin. Also, a bit more lemon myrtle in this cup as well. Lemony peppermint with spicy chili finish…
Doesn’t sound great, but actually was pretty solid.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfYf6RIxZ3Y&index=1&list=WL
Enjoying a smooth mug of this while I read some Spider Gwen! Of course, because I knew I was going to be reading dome Spider Gwen I had to drink this one out of my spider man mug…
It’s been a pretty chill day off, and I haven’t really done much all day. I guess I caught up on tasting notes, and I went out for supper and to the pet store – but nothing really exerting. Sometimes I think that’s important for a day off, though.
The creamy, silky vanilla notes and lavender of the tea are actually pairing really well with the food I’m eating too – a lemon flavoured yogurt/chia cup. The creamy yogurt and the vanilla in the tea are a solid pairing of similar flavours, and then the juxtaposition of the delicate, aromatic lavender notes and the slightly acidic, tangy lemon is really fun and playful while also enhancing each respective aspect. The floral brings out sweetness in the lemon, and then the lemon makes the lavender feel more exotic.
Divine!
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMVH_3EuFhw
Ms. Strange, is this tea seasonal or when does it become available? I notice that it is absent on their website.
Cuppa’T doesn’t really have a super consistent stock – the owner tends to just buy what’s selling well/what her customers request, as well as consistently bringing in new things to try and rotating between things which are more seasonally appropriate. I didn’t see it last time I was in the store, so she might have decided not to carry it/to test out something new in the mean time.
Thank you.
Cold Brew Sipdown (231)!
It’s definitely better as a cold brew – the flavours kick into place a little bit more, and the hibiscus is more toned down – if only a touch. Mostly, I’d call this a sour hibiscus and sour pineapple medly, without a lot more substance. However, in the finish after much of the tartness has subsided I do feel like I can taste the faintest glimmer of raisin and rose. Maybe that’s wishful thinking, and maybe it’s not. I just know it’s the only thing keeping this from feeling really one dimensional to me.
Glad I got to try this one, because it’s definitely something that I think I’d have been
curious about had I stumbled upon it myself – but I wont miss it.
I liked the last tea from Pure Leaf’s Tea House Collection that I tried, so I’m trying another one as well. Honestly, it’s not bad – actually, it’s better than I’d anticipated. I definitely still prefer the other one though.
I actually thought the lemon would be more more intense, pithy, and either sweet or artificial tasting but it’s pretty mellow and smooth, with a very natural flavour. It reminds me in a lot of ways of lemon water, but with the black tea backdrop and some floral notes married with it from the honeysuckle. Really crisp though; hydrating, refreshing…
I don’t think the black tea itself is stellar quality; but certainly a step up from what you’d taste with a normal Pure Leaf beverage. It doesn’t really have distinct flavour notes at all, unless of course part of the floral flavour is coming from the black tea in addition to the honeysuckle.
It’s one I’m happy to drink, but wont revisit.
Haha, I just picked up one of these for the first time yesterday, and very nearly grabbed this one. Ended up with the orange one though.
I can’t find the orange one locally! I really liked the Apple/Ginger one, though – certainly not the same are brewing loose tea yourself but by far one of the better ready to drink options I’ve had in a long time.
Shoot, and my store doesn’t have the apple/ginger one! Don’t they understand that we want to see the whole collection? I did like the orange, but it was a hot day and the 14 oz. went down in about three gulps.
Hot and straight this time.
This one still doesn’t taste like eggnog to me, but I do feel like I got a bit of creaminess in this cup that sort of grasped at those flavours. I mean, it was more of a vanilla flavour than anything else but it’s definitely better than nothing. Apart from that, I tasted cinnamon and clove, with hints of a sweet ginger note in the finish. In so far as mouthfeel, it was a bit murky/muddy and definitely not the smoothest liquor in the world. Still a decent flavour overall.
I think better than the last time, with milk.
Hot with a splash of milk.
You know, it tasted really good – very much like a Moroccan Mint with that hint of creaminess in taste and mouthfeel from the added milk. There was something sort of weird to it though, perhaps from the seaweed? It just had a bit of a powdery sort of feeling mouthfeel as well that was a little strange. Didn’t seem to affect the flavour though…
