52 Tasting Notes

100

Running low on this! Amazing my first 50 gram bag has lasted this long, but I really wanted to make this last as long as possible.

For me it still deserves the 100 rating because I just love it so much. It definitely solidified my love of pu’erh, that’s for sure, and I’ll probably be getting a full tin of this when I stock up again.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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88

I don’t think I’ve blogged this or the reguar Echinacea from Traditional Medicinals before, but they’re actually one of my favourites!

Both of them definitely help sore throats when I get them, and when I feel a stuffy noise and dry, cling-y throat starting up? One of these with a good dollop of honey takes care of it. This is for minor stuff, of course, things that I doubt would blow into full-on infections or colds, but it’s still incredibly helpful when I’ve got a meeting to attend or late night finishing papers to get through. Between which one might be more effective… I honestly have no idea. The only difference I notice is the taste. The Plus definitely has more of a herbal, medicinal taste than the regular, and I find myself preferring a bit more honey in this, but other than that, sampling it over longer periods of time would be needed.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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81

Finishing off with a very nice treat!

I’ll admit, I’m both wholly unfamiliar with darker oolongs and completely ignorant of darjeelings, so I’m not the best to score this in comparison to other oolongs or darjeelings, but an oolong from Darjeeling, apparently rare and an experience all by itself? I had to give it a shot. I bought a sample from Adagio months ago, but never got around to trying it, and having it now, it’s quite nice (and a definite palate cleanser after the other, not very good teas I’ve had this evening).

Dry in the bag, it smells sweet and husky. Brewed, the liquor is a dark hazelnut with some amber tinges, a very warm and inviting colour. It smells a bit nuttier in the cup, but I’m not sure if that’s the best word to use in describing how darjeelings smell. Either way, it’s not a disappointment. Brisk in the mouth, sweet and malty. As an introduction to darjeelings, I am very much not disappointed.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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70

I’ve finally gotten around to trying this! Bought a Tea of the Month pack a few weeks back for one reason: it smells just like these amazing cinnamon rolls that a shop by my place used to sell. Right down to the icing. That’s it. Sometimes it’s a bit more chocolate-y, but, well, that’s not a problem for me. And, I’ll be honest: it even tastes like them a bit. I thought it was a long shot, because smelling AND tasting like my favourite cinnamon rolls? Too much to ask. But it actually does.

The assistant who helped me when I bought this said that it was a great alternative to hot chocolate, to which I thought: hah, ‘alternative’.

One thing I definitely would have done is brew this stronger. I used about 1 and a half teaspoons in one of my larger pots, about 2.5 cups, because I tend to be careful when brewing new black teas for the first time, but I would definitely recommend both steeping a bit longer and using more tea to get the sweetness and flavour from the chocolate bits, cinnamon, and everything else to their full strengths.

In terms of a creamer, I tried it with some vanilla soy milk and it was quite nice, but I think this tea deserves full dairy, at least 2% milk or Half & Half. The extra vanilla didn’t add much, but a chocolate flavoured non-dairy might be better. I imagine almond milk would also do very nicely with it. But for me, especially since it’s such a sweet and decadent tea by itself, I think going the full way with a creamer would definitely be called for.

I sweetened it with both honey and brown sugar and brown sugar was definitely better. The honey didn’t add sweetness so much as its own flavour, and I wasn’t particularly fond of the result when mixed with the tea. Your mileage may vary, I suppose, but definitely a sugar for me if I even do want this sweetend.

All in all, it’s a decent tea, and something very good for the fall and winter, but I haven’t fallen in love with it. The liquor is very dark, obviously, but there’s also a very definite oily sheen to it. I’ve noticed this in a few other blends from David’s, like their Blood Orange Pu’erh, but particularly with their teas that have flavouring added, whether it’s natural or artificial. Some might not appreciate seeing that in their cup.

All in all, it’s a warm, winter tea; not for icing, not something I’ll be stocking up on regularly, but I’ll enjoy it while I have it.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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80
drank Korean Sejak by DAVIDsTEA
52 tasting notes

I’m bumping my rating up for this a bit; it’s really a lovely green, and I think exemplary of the best that David’s has to offer.

I used a bit more tea when brewing this and only made enough for one mug, rather than my usual 1.75 cup pot, and I think I prefer it lighter. A bit too bitter this time, and not as sweet as my last brewing. I think you could get away with multiple brewings, but I wouldn’t do more than two unless you only steep the tea for a minute or less. But it’s still a lovely tea, and I just wanted to say so!

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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80
drank Korean Sejak by DAVIDsTEA
52 tasting notes

So I bought a small $1 pack of this today because I always have an affinity for green teas and I’ve been meaning to try a Korean green for a while! This most definitely did not disappoint. The package actually contained twice the amount of tea that I usually use for a single serving, so I still have some extra to have later, but I definitely think I will be searching out more for purchase.

I’ve always been experimenting with steeping times when I brew green tea, and brewed this with a more mild temperature than my usual method for greens, and the results were fantastic. Sweet and mildly salty, with pleasant green after taste. The leaves, as others have noted, come in drastically different shapes and sizes, but I don’t know if that’s typical of Korean greens. Either way, I very much enjoyed this, and… don’t have much else to say! But will definitely be enjoying in the future.

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 3 min, 30 sec
Faith

I’m curious, they didn’t brew it for you in store? Just gave you enough to steep, in a teabag? Or package?

Kittenna

IIRC, at least at my location, they had Korean Sejak, Ginseng Oolong, Tung Ting Vietnam, White Peony, and 2nd Flush Darjeeling. I wish they had the others. They’re like the little sample packs you get in online orders, although they have the right # of grams printed on the bag. Enough for a couple cups, I think. Great deal IMO!

Buy the Stars

Oh my, I sweare I replied to this, or maybe Steepster glitched and lost my comment? Either way, yes, what Kittenna said! I’ve been very pleased with the samples I’ve tried so I think it’s both a really great deal and a good way to get acquainted with new tea. Even more so than the in-store $1 deal, since you can brew the tea how you want, rather than rely on the staff at David’s.

Kittenna

That’s the strangest thing! You totally had replied (I read it!), and I was just adding a bit to what you said (namely, specifying the teas in tiny packets, and the sort of packets they were).

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70

Steepster! It has been a while. I have been very busy, not having much time to blog about tea, and unfortunately that trend is likely to continue. I was, however, enticed in by David’s $1 straight teas deal for the month, so I decided to try something new.

I’m a big fan of jasmine green teas, though I’m picky and particular with how I like them brewed. Between this and the new Genmai Hojicha I went with Jasmine Black Pearls, both because I’ve never tried rolled pearl tea before and I’m attempted to expand my knowledge and experience in black teas.

I hate to be the first to give an average review, but I do think most of my ambivilance with this tea comes from the fact that the service I received from the David’s location I got this from was atrocious, but that’s a different story.

I should have asked how many pearls were used for this, but I forgot to and didn’t keep the teabag when I took it out. Steeped for 4-5 minutes, but I honestly would have done it a bit longer. The jasmine notes are wonderful in this, though I didn’t get much of the Hunnan notes. When I got home I tried adding a little bit of milk and honey to some of it and I would not recommend for that. The jasmine becomes completely lost under it, but, well, it was an experiment.

I might like to try this again if ever I get a chance to pop by David’s, but I don’t think I’ll be making this a large or regular purchase for me. On top of being fairly out of my budget, I prefer my jasmine greens. It is still a lovely tea though, and I enjoyed this rare treat.

Preparation
4 min, 45 sec

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45

Conclusion: I think I just don’t like green rooibos as much as red rooibos. Even with lots of agave I’m just not getting any flavour. Someone who likes rooibos but would prefer it less sweet and a bit more medicinal might like this, or maybe I’m just spoiled by fantastic rooibos blends from local shops, but I’m just not a fan of this. Too bad, really.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec

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78

So while out on a tea run with my mother, we stopped in at a David’s to pick up some matcha. And while browsing and picking out refills of teas I still like from David’s, one of the workers recommended me some of this (apparently they’re one of the only stores in the city that still has it in stock).

It smelled? Amazing. Absolutely so, so amazing. I had to get some. This might just be the solution to my conundrum between loving the scent of coffee shops but hating coffee.

Dry, it smells very strongly like vanilla; think a vanilla bean latte. When brewed it’s not as strongly vanilla, but still sweet and aromatic and pleasing. I’ve never had a straight-up chicory tea before and Idefinitely noticed the bitter aftertaste drinking it straight. I used one teaspoon and 6 oz of water and set it to steep for 7 minutes, but I was a bit lax with watching my timer so I’m sure it steeped longer, which is why I’ve selected 8 minutes or more. I definitely see it as not being very forgiving, though, if the bitterness I’m getting is any indication.

With a little bit of milk and brown sugar it is delicious, and even with brown sugar on its own. I wish I had some almond milk to try it with, because I’m sure that would be even better. If it is being phased out of David’s I’d be sad, but I might go back to the same location and stock up on this to have it over the winter. I think it’s a new-found love.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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75
drank Vanilla Chai by Pukka
52 tasting notes

So I decided to cold steep this today simply because I was lazy and I wanted a good tea that I could just toss in a mug and I didn’t want to bother boiling water so I just tossed a bag of this in a mug, filled it with some fresh water, and plunked an ice cube in (atrocious, I know). The results have actually been pretty good!

It’s not nearly as spicy as if I had brewed it properly, but the vanilla really comes through. It’s like drinking liquid vanilla with a hint of spice at the back of your throat, and I really love it.

Preparation
8 min or more

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Profile

Bio

Canadian tea addict! Also a fandom nerd and perpetual student. My favourites are greens (genmaicha and a good jasmine), pu’erh (any kind—I love pu’erh), lapsang souchong, yerba mate, and guayusa. I almost seem to be one of the lone Pukka fans of Steepster, but I’m all right with that.

It’s been about two years since I’ve done anything on Steepster, but we’ll see if I find myself moved to post anything here on out. Till then, whenever that may be!

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