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Well, I know I probably shouldn’t be drinking caffeine this late at night but I’ve been craving black tea all day and I only just had the chance to make myself a cup…

Mmm! This is really good! Honestly, I’m a little tipsy and I know my observations wont be the most astute but the creamy, decadent chocolate notes I’m getting from this tea are just divine. Seriously; the whole thing is rich fudgey chocolate from top of the sip all the way until the brief, playful aftertaste. I can’t wait until I get a chance earlier in the day to actually steep this Gong Fu because I imagine watching this lovely chocolate flavour evolve over infusions is going to be a real treat!

Last tea left to try from the fall collection (‘cause I’m not revisiting Pumpkin Chai)!

So, of all the teas this year I personally thought this was the most “question mark” worthy before smelling things in store – and then when I picked up my sample, I hated the aroma of the dry leaf the most out of any of the blends. Don’t ask me why; it just didn’t sit well with me. So, I put off making it. But the more I put off making it the more I actually found the dry aroma growing on me. Instead of smelling weird/funky/plastic like it gained more of a creamy, peanut butter aroma and that intrigued me…

Fast forward to me actually brewing this one up, and I’m basically drooling as I hover over the infusing mug because it smells exactly like peanut butter toast and creamed honey. Mmm! Comforting, and kind of the epitome of “fall” if not just breakfast in general. Quite the turn of events, no?

Taste wise; I think this was the clear favourite from the collection and at this point in time the only one I see myself actually buying again. If I close my eyes, shut down my brain for a second and just drink it as a “whole” rather than breaking down ingredients it tasted exactly like creamy peanut butter and honey. It’s really soothing and comforting, and quite refreshing because it’s not really a “fruity” blend but not exactly a sweeter, “dessert” blend either. If I do look at it more as the parts that make a sum, I notice the apple notes in the blend a little more, especially in the top of the sip, and I pick up on the coconut a touch which I think it virtually non existent when you flip back to looking at the sum of the parts. This was just a pleasant experience overall, though!

And trust me, I’m quite surprised that after all four teas THIS was the one that’s initially won me over. I wouldn’t have called that, but it’s how it worked out.

Fall Rankings:

1. Nutty Granola Crunch
2. Pom Cider
3. Blueberry Muffin
4. Carrot Cake

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NXnxTNIWkc&index=131&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ

Time to talk about another fall tea…

Of the new collection, despite some iffy ingredient choices (stevia, and SO MUCH fennel), this seems like the “safest” of the new blends. It’s not overly creative or ambitious, but it seems like a solid flavour pairing as well. So, I was hopeful – but reserved also because this collection has been a bust so far.

It’s not bad, honestly. The blend does have an AWFUL LOT of fennel in it – like more fennel than actual tea leaf. And I’m someone who really likes fennel so I can’t imagine what someone who dislikes fennel is gonna feel when drinking this one. Despite that overload of fennel though, I didn’t find it overwhelming. Basically, the sip starts off with almost candy like pomegranate flavour. It’s similar/comparable to the pom’ in the summer collection’s Pom Diggity blend. Middle/body notes are more muddled pomegranate/apple notes with a touch of hibiscus like tartness and then a strong, sweet fennel/licorice finish. I expected more tartness to be perfectly honest; so I’m happy with what I got in that regard. Also, for a “cider” blend I expected more apple as well, and in that regard I do feel a bit let down.

Ultimately; I think this could have wound up being a much, MUCH bigger disaster with some of the ingredients and proportions of ingredients in the blend – but I found it better than both Carrot Cupcake and Blueberry Muffin so we’re moving in the right direction with the rest of this collection. This is really rich and sweet so ere on the side of less leaf, though. I think I used 2 tsp for my 16 oz. mug, and in the future I’d want to try 1 1/2 tsp of leaf instead to cut down on some of the fennel and built up pomegranate notes.

But not bad.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT2_F-1esPk&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=6

Sipdown (133)!

Hmm, I could maybe see myself buying this again…

Finished it off last night while I was bingeing some Netflix – they just put all of season two of How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix so of course I watched all fifteen episodes in one day. Honestly, once I started I just could NOT stop watching. Many cups of tea were enjoyed in between and during episodes.

This was good; vegetal with specifically buttered artichoke tasting notes and then a light peachy fruity undertone and whisps of smoke. If nothing else, it makes me more interested in trying a higher quality Mao Feng now that I’m done with this one.

Cold Brew!

So, I think DT has actually been carrying this one for all three+ years I’ve been really into tea, but to be perfectly honest I’d never really considered even trying it up until last week when the associate pulled the tin down for someone else to smell and I caught a whiff…

Funny story about them pulling the tin down; the lid was so warped that it took like two solid minutes for him to pry it off and then like another three minutes after measuring the leaf out to jam the fucker back on. Apparently it’s the acidity of this blend that causes that which is something I’d never even thought about; but if that’s true it’s a little freaky to think it has that much effect on the material used in the big wall tins.

This was good; I actually think it had a really, really lovely balance between the natural flavours of the oolong and then the added ingredients. And, it was a balance I honestly wasn’t expecting so it was even more appreciated. The base itself was nice and vegetal/grassy with slight buttery undertones and then a really pleasant floral, almost lily like, quality that seemed to blossom up from a subtle background note alongside the added jasmine in the blend until it was about as prominent as the citrus in the blend. I definitely have a preference for darker roasted oolongs, but these qualities in greener oolong are all ones I really appreciate.

The added flavours were interesting in how the interacted with the natural notes. I’d say at the top of each sip was the bright, brilliant citrus notes: a mix of lemonade and freshly squeezed, unsweetened orange juice. By some miracle this manages to be a blend with an impactful, full bodied flavour but that still feels really nuanced and delicate and these fruit notes are the best example of that. Alongside that brilliant fruity note was the vegetal/grassy combination of flavours from the base, and personally I think the almost ’sharp; quality of those notes really well suited the acidity of the citrus.

The mid sip and bottom of the sip was more where the floral notes rested; a combination of lily and soft, natural tasting jasmine. Starting off as a very subtle background flavor both of these notes rose to a more developed floral note in the aftertaste that lingered lightly and pleasantly.

Personally, I REALLY liked this blend. It’s the best offering I’ve had from DAVIDsTEA in recent memory – and I look forward to playing around with the rest of the small sample I picked up. If nothing else, it’s just a shame that I waited three years to try it.

This is a queued tasting note.

I’m so tired… So; quickie tasting note!

- Cold Brew
- STRONG mango and passionfruit notes
- Something just a touch off about the passionfruit, but hard to place what?
- Finish borders a bit on cloying
- Floral undertones
- Do I taste orange? I think I do?
- Decent overall; not quite as good as last time though

I think this has just become my unofficial, ‘official’ rainy day tea. It’s my instant go to! I think one of the things I like most about this one, though, is that it brews up fairly consistently but because of the big range of ingredients in really varied sizes it’s still not the exact same drink every time because it still depends a little bit on what you scoop up.

This cold brew (yes; cold brew for a rainy day – not a hot tea) was mostly cinnamon, rose, cranberry, citrus and pineapple – no real flavour from the coconut shreds because I didn’t get any significant amount of them scooped up in the leaf. And no pomegranate or vanilla, either.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WK-vRhz9xs

Yeah, this is kind of an obvious one…

This is a queued tasting note.

Cold brewed this one; it was really enjoyable but in this particular cold brew I didn’t find that the watermelon notes were actually all that strong. Maybe this is because I didn’t get any dehydrated watermelon pieces in the leaf I used for the brew; maybe not? It’s one of those things that’s a bit hard to pinpoint.

But the oolong base itself is really nice; I like that it’s kind of weirdly creamy and buttery but still has that cooling, vegetal crispness as well. In addition to being a bit floral and buttery, the vegetal notes specifically remind me of cucumber skins/peel.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruxTT6hjbWQ

Can’t think of anything better to listen to this with than a little bit of Surf Music, and Jack Johnson is my favourite when it comes to that kind of music!

This is a queued tasting note.

I guess thanks to my mom for picking this tea out for me a few months ago when she was on vacation in BC? Though, personally, I don’t think I’d have picked it for myself. It seems very all over the place – probably ‘cause there are like a dozen added ingredients. And that’s not an exaggeration. Quantity of ingredients isn’t the same as quality…

Mostly; I just remember this cold brew tasting REALLY muddled. Really the only flavours that stick out in my memory are ginger, cinnamon and generic citrus? I’m definitely feeling really meh towards all that bullshit.

The thought was there; but I think this will take me a LONG time to finish.

Still greatly enjoying the simplicity of this blend; grabbing another sample pouch was a good idea to tide me over until I can clear a tin for it. Good, solid cinnamon and mint notes that were well balanced, though dare I say I tasted a sort of fennel-like taste creeping in the background? In a good way, since I quite like fennel. Just a small bit out of place?

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0kFqbg7VEw

Ahh, that feeling when one of your favourite bands drops a new single. I’m really loving this one, too. The last two days I’ve found ways to incorporate it into my morning commute both days…