16384 Tasting Notes
Hot cuppa.
Kind of sweet and muscatel, but more than anything this just had a really pleasant and smooth malt note throughout the sip. Malt isn’t something I often strongly associate with Darjeelings, but paired with the brightness/sweetness of the muscat I think it was a very unique flavour note duo that kind of highlighted the differentiating sweetness of each respective flavour.
Also, since astringency has been a button issue with this tea…
Not astringent at all, this time!
Cold Brew.
- Lots of raisin, cranberry, and other ‘red’ fruits
- Very tart initial taste
- However the intensity fades out fast, leaving for a more watery feeling finish
– Some lingering lemon and raspberry notes after the finish
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.
Saw this at Cuppa’T and I HAD to own it. Why?
Tomato.
I’ve only ever tried ONE tomato tea and it was really fucking weird. Not bad though, just weird. It was also a savory tea, and this one is certainly meant to be sweeter/more fruity, what with the lime and apple in it. I wish I’d taken better notes when I drank this cold brew because there was some interesting complexities to this one, but alas my jot notes and shitty and don’t do the layers of flavour real justice.
Next time.
- Top notes are really fruity; lime and apple with a soft tartness
- Body is still mildly fruity, with a refreshing ‘break’ in between the fruity from the cukes
- The tomato IS there too; but it blends into BOTH the tangyness of the fruit
- As well as the refreshing, vegetal taste of cucumber
- The mouthfeel is very smooth but the flavour of cucumber & tomato pulp is strong
- So, it’s sweet, tangy, umami, and a little savory
- All while being REALLY refreshing and juicy
Honestly, my feelings were ALL OVER THE PLACE while drinking this one. I liked it, but I kind of hated that I didn’t feel at rest while drinking it – if that makes sense at all. I don’t know what I expected though, honestly.
I think it delivered?
My morning cup of tea today that I sipped on while watching the Sense8 season two finale. Anyone else a big fan of the show? Almost everything about it is breathtaking to me, and I care about all of the characters so much…
Wolfgang and Kala are my favourites though, so anyone who’s finished the season will understand why I understandably cried like a baby. Like, I’m pretty sure at least 30% of the tea I drank from my mug was actually just tears. Soft, floral and sharply lemon flavoured tears…
‘Kidding’ aside though, this is a nice tea. It’s VERY citrusy, but still has a delicate quality to it from the jasmine. Not totally balanced, but the asymmetrical flavour hierarchy works for me. I want a little more lemon than jasmine, honestly. Especially when it’s so bright and completely NOT pithy.
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.
Kandyce brought in some of her personal stash of this tea today for some of our new hires who’ve never tried it before to drink, and I got in on the action and made myself a hot cup of it since it’s been a while…
In the past, I’ve not liked this one much and while I still didn’t LOVE it I do think that it worked better today for me. Maybe that’s because Kandyce made it iced for me, and that’s not typically how I’ve drank it before. It was sweet and apple-y with cinnamon, coconut and nutty notes. Still a little cider like, but a super unconventional cider. A little too much hibiscus in the finish of the sip, 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.
Iced Latte Sipdown (234)!
I felt a little bad asking my friend/coworker Kandyce to make this tea for me when she was working drink station – she’s allergic to chocolate and that’s essentially all that this tea is. Thankfully, it’s a very, very mild allergy as far as allergies go but even still…
This tasted super good though! The timing of it was perfect too as we had a mall evacuation not even five minutes after it was finished steeping. Some idiot pulled the fire alarm in the downstairs of the mall, and everyone had to clear out for like twenty minutes. We all walked to our muster point, about five blocks away, and I was lucky enough to have a refreshing tea in hand while doing so!
I like the creaminess of this as an iced latte, and while I’m not generally a chocolate tea person this one works for me because it’s light to medium bodied and very, very natural/unprocessed tasting. You know, real cacao and not some waxy block of chocolate sold over the counter. Mmmm!
Iced.
I was craving the bold flavour of orange, which is why I picked this tea over something lighter and citrusy like Citron Oolong or Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was shocked however with the intensity of the stevia/sweetness in the cup. I know this is a sweet tea, but that was just… unbearable.
Suffice to say, I passed the tea cup off to another tea guide that I know enjoys this one a lot and I just moved on to the next cup of tea for the day. Sometimes, this one really works for me but this was not one of those times.
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 sipdown (235)!
Tasted too much of straight hibiscus to be enjoyable. I finished the cup, but only because I shared with coworkers and that meant ultimately not needing to drink a full cup of it myself.
Sorry VariaTEA – I WANT to love this one, but it does not taste like Black Forest Cherry to me at all…
Hot cuppa, with some cinnamon honey.
I like what the cinnamon notes in the honey brought to this tea; Darjeeling already often feels pretty autumnal to me but that added warming spice note really nailed that feeling/aesthetic for me. I felt like I could have been sitting on the porch, watching beautiful orange leaves fall from our front yard tree, cup of tea in hand and enjoying a gentle autumn breeze. Very… homey.
Flavour wise, there was the obvious cinnamon, some muscat, malt, floral undertones, and a bit of a very light toastiness. Really pleasant, and I think the cinnamon only added to the well balanced complexities of the tea.
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 latte.
I kind of hate that this tea is growing on me so much as a latte, hot or iced. Really, I don’t find it to be an impressive tea at all when you prepare it straight but add a little milk and the entire profile seems to change to me. It’s creamy, and the taste of the white chocolate seems to be a little more exaggerated/brought into focus. Plus, I’ve always been a sucker for creamy pineapple notes. They remind me of pina colada, and make me feel relaxed/at ease – it’s one of the reasons DT’s Tropicalia works so well for me.
Also, while I NEVER get “Vanilla” vibes from this one prepped straight I somehow get them when there’s milk involved? I don’t really understand where they’re magically coming from, but suddenly they’re present!
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.