Apple Strudel

#tiffanys2021sipdown Tea #43 overall / Tea #10 for February

Friday 2/5 I forgot that this was my third sipdown of the day (well technically #2 and #3 was sweet ginger heat because I normally count by finishing tea not when I make it but I’ll let it go this time). This is a stevia forward dessert tea from david’s tea.. Nice to finish a normal size dt tin (cold brew pitcher at home) although I’m sure there is more of this somewhere.

#tiffanydrinkstea #tiffanys2021 #tiffanysfaves #tiffanyinthe614 #tiffanysteasipdown #sipdownchallenge

I used to stop into DTs every time they brought in a new season of teas to pick up small batches of the ones that showed promise to steep up at home.

It was around the time of Apple Strudel that DTs started dropping the ball.

I came across an unopened pouch of approximately 12 grams of this. Apple softened by the coconut. Hint of cinnamon. It’s ok. No pastry here though. The steeped tea is a bit on the thin side. I’d like a bit more body.

I imagine that it will be nice chilled tomorrow.

*edit—chilled, it is still just ok.

Nice enough when you want something that you can drink mindlessly. A bit disappointing if you want a delicious cup. However, the flavours I have here taste natural and just barely sweetened, so there is none of that imitation and stevia flavour blast that DTs will become so fond of in near future.

HOT: This tastes exactly as it is described- black tea with apple and coconut notes. I did not think I would like it very much, but was pleasantly surprised. I am not a huge fan of cinammon and was pleased to find an autumn tea that was not overly spiced. If you add a splash of cream, it mellows out the tartness of the apple and brings the coconut flavour out more. I personally prefer it plain though.

ICED: the apple/pineapple tartness comes out much more strongly iced. It actually tasted nice with a splash of cream, though i still prefer it hot.

Last shift I was doing tin refills and trying to pick a tea to drink…

When I got to this one I knew I had to make this one for myself; the aroma was so rich and buttery, with thick apple notes. However, I was a little disappointed by my brewed up cup. I even, for once, followed our steeping guide that prints out on the tea labels to the letter/number. However, my tea still came out very weak/watery. Not exactly what I was hoping for…

Oh well; next time I’ll just do things my way.

Friendly reminder that I’m not currently numerically rating DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently seasonally 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.

EDIT: Apparently this is the first time I’ve ever logged this tea on Steepster. However, this was definitely not my first time drinking it. So, it doesn’t count for Project Tea Wall. Also, since I’ve apparently not logged it before I feel I should note that the fact it was weak is an abnormality; usually it’s not nearly so bland…

Went into DAVID’s today to pick up some of the Halloween teas and decided to give a cup of this a go, though I recall not hearing great things.

In general this tea was just kind of confusing, though overall not great. At times it tasted exactly like apple strudel. At times it just kind of tasted like an apple-y English Breakfast. Most of the time, however, it just kind of tastes like stevia…

Now I know I knew it had stevia. I know reviews were negative because of it. I know stevia is terrible. It’s always terrible! And yet I bought this anyway. Sigh…

At some point I should stop getting mad at DAVID’s for putting this disgusting stuff in their tea and just be mad at my self for buying it anyway. Fool me once…

1st steeping:
Steeped to a nice cider looking color (the small amount of black tea adds to the color, I believe. I didn’t notice any odd taste from the Stevia other than it made it seem more like a fruit juice than a tea, which was nice with the flavor it had. The hot grounds gave off a smell that matched the apple flavor that the tea had, a nice full apple flavor. Coconut appears more as an after taste than in at the forefront of the flavor.

2nd steeping:
Second steeping. Much more subtle apple flavor, more prevalent in the after taste, coconut all most gone. In the mouth it tastes like a weak black tea with a splash of apple flavor. Perhaps a much longer steeping time needed for second steeping.

If you like apple flavor, then this tea is pretty good. I might suggest steeping longer than 4 minutes maybe the full seven and even longer for the second steeping. I have notice after two teas that with fruit infusions it seems harder to get additional flavor from them in the second steeping (more so than just tea leaves).

Guys.

Guuuuuuys.

This tea smells just like alcoholic apple cider. Cider is my jam, it used to be the only thing I drank. Since I found out about my diabetes, cider (both alcoholic and non) are big no-nos and I miss them so much. I nearly cried at how good it smelled dry. Reading my wife’s and Brooke’s reviews, I used way more leaf than I usually would and let it steep twice as long as I would usually steep a black. We bought 14 grams of this the other day, my wife used enough leaf for a single cup, and dumped the rest into my steeper for brew and then pour over ice. With ice add, I had about 30 ounces of this tea.

And it’s good. It’s sooooo good. It’s so good that I’m kinda depressed that we really shouldn’t buy any more tea. So I’m trying to convince myself that the black tea is too astringent, but it’s just a touch dry, not really that bad. It is still a little light, but it’s so good I don’t mind. It really does taste like apple juice with just a touch of that cidery bite.

Nope, I can’t do it. I am head over heels in love with this tea.

Sweet but not overly so. The apple is definitely prominent, which is nice, but the suggested serving leaves too faint of a taste to my liking. I will try again using more and update this later.
Overall, it’s pleasant.

Okay so round 2. I added more tea before resteeping, and steeped for much longer. Still a very mild flavor. I guess that’s just the nature of this tea.

STEEPDOWN (1)!
You guys have no idea how much I’ve been dying to type that. Everyone else has so much speed and gumption in their tea drinking, whereas I meander from tea to tea to make sure no one feels left out.
(I used to rotate my stuffed animals in the same way. There was a system. Sammy The Seal always stayed, but the second plush changed nightly, with the least-loved stuffed animal getting the cherished beside-me place. This was based on sadness of expression, time since last cuddle, and whether it was “married” to another stuffed animal. Married stuffies require less attention from humans, since they have each other, obviously.)
… ANYWAY, THE TEA…
I hated this tea hot, but it’s okay cold. Icing a tea is sometimes my last-ditch move to make it palatable. I often do it when a tea is in the Naughty List.
Hot, I hate this tea and the horse it rode in on. It tastes like sad, sad halfhearted watered-down apple juice mixed in with a black tea that’s already been steeped a few times.
Cold, you can appreciate the apple more, and get a glimpse of coconut/cream. The fact that the black tea is weak is fine, because I typically cut my iced tea with half fruit and half black tea anyway.
I don’t taste any of this alleged almond anywhere.
Cold, it’s still “meh,” but it’s drinkable. I shall soldier through the end of my time with this tea. Toodles, tea. You sufficed.

The use of stevia in this one is unfortunate as I found the other flavours in here to be quite nice. I am sensitive to stevia and it has a anesthetic-type freezing effect on my throat. The taste of the apple on the aftertaste is okay.