Spicy Rasam

I was sufficiently intrigued by the idea of soup tea to buy a sample cup. I really liked the smell of this one, warm and earthy – perfect for those rainy autumn days.

I initially had it unstrained and my first thought was, despite the strong spices, that it lacked substance. It needs something like lentils or vegetables of some sort otherwise it’s basically just salty water with spices. All the spices were a bit too overpowering so after the first couple spoonfuls I strained it, which still left plenty of spices in the soup. I’m not sure if it’s the matcha but there was a strong bitter-herbal flavour that came out especially as the tea cooled that I found quite unpleasant. It shouldn’t be from scalded matcha because the water temperature was only 80C.

I did a bit of research and rasam (the Tamil word for juice btw) is supposed to have a tangy flavour profile as it’s made with either a tomato or a tamarind juice base which this tea most definitely isn’t. On the bright side, I had some cornbread left over from chili night and dipped in the soup it actually tasted quite good.

I’ll be honest and say that I’m not really impressed with ‘soup tea’ thus far – of course this is the only one of the collection that I’ve tried, so the other two might be amazing for all I know.

Second soup tea!

This was the one that personally I was most hesitant about – I’m not a huge fan of spicy dishes/curries, and that’s where this one gets its inspiration from. That said, when I steeped it up as a tea I didn’t hate it, although it is my least favourite of the three.

I find it’s actually pretty reasonably spicy though – I think it’s a nice middle ground for people who don’t like spice and those who do. Plus, you can always water it down if it’s a touch too intense for you. What it strongly reminded me of was Chicken Noodle Soup/Butter Chicken and for that reason I think that it would be a really nice, natural compliment to poultry dishes. Also, of the three new soup teas I think this is actually the one that tasted the least salty to me.

If I drank this one again, it’d be because it reminds me of Chicken Noodle Soup, so I think it’d make a nice sick tea/soup. I’d totally cook with it though! I think it would work well used in any of these sorts of things:

- As a rub (for poultry)
- As a seasoning to mix into homemade turkey burgers
- A stock for a heartier soup/stew
- Popcorn seasoning
- Mixed into sour cream or cream cheese for a dip
- Either with noodles in it or as a seasoning for noodles (like Ramen)
- Breading/batter for deep fried meats
- Marinades

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.

Tasted a sample of this in store yesterday and it was really quite good! They had prepared it as a clear ‘broth’ and the flavours were nicely balanced with a bit of heat. I can see myself sipping this at work in the fall/winter months when I want a hot drink and something savoury to get me through til lunch. I will likely go back and pick up a bag. I like the novelty and the convenience of these, but they do seem a bit overpriced for what is essentially soup mix with a bit of green tea. That being said, it’s mighty delicious soup mix and doesn’t seem to have as much sodium or as many preservatives as are in the commonly available alternatives.