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The lavender in this blend is way too strong and overwhelming. I wish I could taste more of the vanilla… It’s unfortunate, because Lavender London Fog had so much potential.

Purchased a sample of this green tea in a recent DBD order, and boy oh boy, is this one FLORAL! As strong as the lavender is (both in scent & taste), it still manages to make room for its counterpart: the coconut. Although, I will say that my mouth is somewhat confused. The potency of the lavender is one hand soothing/relaxing, but also feels like I just took a bite out of a spa aromatherapy candle. As for its namesake, I think it’s done a pretty good job of capturing the flavour of a lavender coconut macaron, but much less sweet. It’s subtly sweet with a nice creaminess and unmistakable floral presence.

It feels like the kind of blend that will be enjoyable any way you prepare it. Despite not always being the biggest fan of lavender (especially when it’s heavy handed), I could still see myself reaching for this tea every now and then.

At first glance, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this blend, mostly based off the fact that rose can be on the polarizing side, especially if there’s too much of it. But the lychee is what intrigued me the most about this tea, and ultimately, kept my interest. Not only is it bright, juicy, and sweet, it is a perfect accompaniment to the rose. If you’re not a fan of florals, this tea could come off a bit abrasive to the senses, but I really enjoyed it. I can see Shanghai Rose making a nice iced tea, maybe even with a splash of lemonade.

Currently enjoying this matcha as a latte, and spoiler alert… it’s SO good! To me, it tastes almost like a hybrid of a matcha latte & a London Fog, but sans the vanilla. There’s a very distinctive, classic bergamot flavour that runs throughout, in addition to the notes that you typically get from a traditional matcha – a bit grassy, but mostly a light vegetal quality. Ultimately, I really enjoy the 2-for-1 aspect of this tea, and will definitely be stocking up!

Cheers to my first tasting note of 2021 after completely abandoning my advent calendar entries…

I picked up a bag of this tea during a recent DAVIDsTea order, mostly to refresh my mind and palate on what it tastes like after having tried it one other time years ago. First things first, I was blown away by the dry scent which is sweet, rich, and very cake-like. The post-steep flavour is very similar. The candied fruit provides the perfect amount of sweetness that almost comes off as reminiscent to brown sugar.

This particular cup was prepared hot without any add-ins, BUT I definitely foresee a Coffee Cake latte in my future!

Day 10 of my DIY 24 Days of DAVIDsTea!

Glad to be starting my day with a hearty plain black tea! This one has a prominent astringency and bold flavour. There’s plenty of malty notes from the Assam combined with a brisk, slight fruitiness from the Ceylon. I made it about halfway before I gave in to my urge to add milk, which helped to make this cuppa more smooth tasting and palatable to my taste buds.

A decent breakfast blend overall.

Day 9 of my DIY 24 Days of DAVIDsTea!

Hot latte!

Banana Nut Bread is one of those blends that needs to be overleafed & oversteeped to get the best results out of it. I steeped it for close to 45 minutes, sweetened with vanilla agave, and topped with frothed milk. It’s rich, sweet, nutty, and very dessert like with a nice, creamy banana flavour.

It remains a favourite of mine, especially as a fan of banana, but I try to limit my consumption as to not use up my stash right away. It’s definitely costly to hoard…

As much as I wanted to like this one, the sugar cookie flavour was lacking. Not only that, but the mouthfeel was so thin, with not much of a finish to savour. Making this herbal into a latte is what saved it for me. Milk and some sugar helped to better solidify the idea of sugar cookies in my mind. Shortbread even. Latte will definitely be my go-to method of preparation going forward with my remaining handful of tea sachets.

Despite not loving this blend, it’s the best representation I’ve tasted of sugar cookies (in tea form) thus far.

Day 8 of my DIY 24 Days of DAVIDsTea!

I think Phoenix Oolong just might be in my top 5 favourite straight/traditional teas from DAVIDsTea… It was the first dancong I ever tried and fell in love with. It’s so flavourful, bursting with notes of plum and lychee. I love the natural, brown sugar-like sweetness and the roasted character of this oolong.

I try not to go overboard on this one, because I’d hate to run out too soon, but thankfully I can keep enjoying it through subsequent re-steeps!

10/10 – would recommend!

Day 7 of my DIY 24 Days of DAVIDsTea!

Let It Snow is great in theory; a festive blend inspired by eggnog – sweet, creamy, and spiced. It had so much potential, but here, the stevia is overwhelming in its cloying sweetness. And as much as I’d like to enjoy this one, ultimately, it’s not worth the stevia induced headache.