4936 Tasting Notes
(DavidsTea 121)
J is for… Jasmine Peony!
Yay, a straight tea (in my estimation, anyhow)! One that, once I found it, was really appealing today for whatever reason. And it satisfied – a nice, light jasmine infusion with some pleasant hay-y notes. I believe I like Verdant’s jasmine white better (was it jasmine silver needle?) but that could have been because of the base. However, this was pretty good.
(DavidsTea 120)
J is for… Jolly Jellybean!
Unintentional that I picked two “Jolly” teas for today. This tea was mild and pleasant today, vaguely fruity and creamy but nothing in particular. I’d had a recollection that it was supposed to taste like strawberry, but the flavour notes suggest I’m wrong (my tastebuds were no help in validating my memory). There was only one jellybean left in the bag; I left it for the last cup (to brew or as a snack, who knows).
J is for… Jolly Jammy Linzer!
A little short on “J” teas too, and didn’t want to go digging, so I grabbed this one. Unfortunately, I recall absolutely nothing about it today. I know my first attempt was too heavy on the yucky medicinal rooibos flavours, but if those were present this time, they weren’t as apparent. All I can really say is that it was drinkable, and I drank it. Lots left, better review to come later.
I is for… Irish Cream Cheesecake!
My favourite of the three “Irish” teas I’ve had today, this is a light, mildly sweet and creamy tea, with the noticeable flavour of irish cream. It tastes a bit more muted than I remember, but is still good, and I particularly like the oolong base.
Funnily enough, I didn’t have a single “Irish” tea for I in my collection (my options were “It’s Snowing!” from 52Teas which is the one I ultimately went with, and “Issaku”, a Japanese sencha. …As a St. Patty’s day baby, I should probably get some “Irish” teas at some point…
I is for… Irish Coffee Keemun!
This tea smells good, nice and creamy, but there’s an odd, vegetal(?) note here that reminds me of some white teas – and that I don’t really care for. It’s… almost minty?But not quite. It’s possible that it’s the “whiskey” flavouring, or alternately, an element of the “irish coffee” flavouring is responsible, I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s coming from the keemun base. (It actually has occurred to me that this has sat so long, it’s possible that it was adjacent to a minty tea and absorbed some flavour, but hopefully not). The flavour has this same vegetal note, along with coffee/cream flavours, but that note is definitely affecting the experience of drinking it.
Either way, an ok cup, not a favourite, but obviously for the best since it’s unavailable!
I is for… Irish Rock Shandy!
First tasting note on a years-old tea? Ok!
Really had to dig through my stash for “I” teas for today – the only DavidsTea one I had I finished off last month (Irish Breakfast). Definitely a theme with the names here, though!
This was not ever a favourite tea of mine; I didn’t really care for the citrus – it’s just edging toward a cleaner sort of flavour, and there’s also a flavour in this tea that I can’t place but don’t really care for. It’s not a terrible tea, but just not matched to my preferences, which generally don’t include orange-flavoured teas.
(DavidsTea 119)
H is for… Hot Chocolate!
Very sweet (maybe too sweet?), rich, not particularly fishy or anything. A bit artificial? If I really want a less-sugar hot chocolate, I’m going to pick straight-up cacao shells every time, because it’s 100% chocolate, but this tea isn’t too bad for a puerh version.
Sidenote, I did not really drink tea today (Saturday) for whatever reason; it was supposed to be “I” but I’ll just defer to tomorrow.
(DavidsTea 118)
H is for… Hibiscus Punch!
Well, if this isn’t an accurate tea name… It was definitely a big, sour hibiscus punch to the tastebuds! With backup rooibos notes, and cinnamon. However, strange as it sounds, I actually did not hate it, and drank it unaltered. It was ridiculously puckering but for whatever reason I appreciated it; I believe that some sweetener could have made this into a decent iced tea. Not a tea I’d keep around, but certainly appreciate that it was true to its name!
(DavidsTea 117)
H is for… Happy Valley Darjeeling!
All I can say is that I enjoyed it; I don’t really remember much else. I’m not always a darjeeling fan, so it was a nice surprise (although I see my previous note indicates I felt the same last time, so this particular version must just fit better for me).
(DavidsTea 116)
G is for… Grapefruit Rose Starburst!
Of the multitude of grapefruit options, I picked this one. Good choice, it was quite delicious. Bright grapefruit but without the bitterness, and a great base that paired well with it. I’m sure the supporting players (candied pineapple, apple) also helped. It really did invoke thoughts of a grapefruit starburst, if one exists (do they?) but no sign of rose that I noticed, which is fine with me. Grapefruit’s not one of my top flavours, but this hit the spot today.
It is a silver needle.
My memory didn’t fail me!