A2ShedsJackson / MrsPremise Send Message

This is reminiscent of the Blue Mountain Twirl, but slightly muted in comparison. This feel more masculine, which is a funny adjective, but it has more tannin and earth flavors than the bright peachy tones of Blue Mountain Twirl. I’m not an expect, though I love to drink tea, so I would probably have a hard time telling this apart from Blue Mountain Twirl and things like their Yunnan black tea. As I drink this without sugar or milk, the primary flavors are gently earthy with hints of peach or other fruit sweetness, finished with a more tannin feeling and the light flavor of green grapes on my tongue. Worth a taste, and also worth finding the opinion of an actual black tea aficionado for a more in depth review.

I picked out this tea today, thinking it was one of the holiday flavors, but I think this is a staple at Davids Tea. No regrets! The chocolate and black tea together make for a rich, coffee-like flavor, coupled with the cinnamon-spice flavors of a chai tea. The peppers are definitely more low-key, even when I oversteeped this, almost undetectable in the scent of the dry leaf, and very mild in the brew itself. I like the idea of this blend and it is an enjoyable brew, but I’m someone that likes my tea with a lot of spice, so I think Davids could kick it up a notch next time.

I would have to try this back to back with David’s other chais to have a true comparison, but on its own this is a pleasant blend. More sweet and cinnamon than spicy, this is a comforting cup and would go well with milk or as a late. The vanilla is forward, more creamy than vanilla-bean flavor, followed by a gentle black tea base and cinnamon accents. As the tea cools, there’s more of the herbal licorice root at the aftertaste, again sweet rather than sour or too herbal. All in all, a nice chai, though I prefer my chais with more of a ginger kick.

This is the first yellow tea I’ve tried and the only one that Davids Tea offers. They dry smell of the leaf is slightly muted, smelling sort of dusty, earthy, and grassy. I had the baristas at David’s brew this for me, so I hope the temp and time are good to go. The first sip feels almost caramel-like with something sweet, almost like honey. Further tasting brings out fruitier notes, maybe currant, maybe peach, maybe grape. This is lighter and nuttier than the other limited tea from Davids, the Blue Mountain Twirl. I’m not sure what yellow teas are known for, but this does feel somewhere between a green and a black tea, with light color and grassier, hay flavors, along with something tart and savory. I think I like the Blue Mountain Twirl better than Yellow Gem because prefer slightly bolder, brasher flavors, but both are delicious to this inexperienced tea sipper. Worth the try!

I bought a cup of this flavor as an indulgence, since I knew it would have a sweet kick to it. There is a good strong coffee flavor to this tea, since there are literal coffee beans in the mix, but the caffeine lift ends up being mostly from the mate tea. This tastes like a sort of grassy version of a coffee late. The white chocolate chips are very sweet and creamy, and the blend is not too bitter overall. It actually errs more on the dusty, green mate flavor side of things more than a true coffee flavor. It was a fun cup to order but too sweet for me to order on a regular basis.

I’m always looking to expand my caffeine free flavor palette, so I can take some of the overcaffeinated burden off my heart. I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while and got a chance to try it today. This tea is rich with red rooibos and its medicine-herbal flavor, but it is tempered with some barky, nutty honeybush. Creamy coconut is very forward and adds much of the sweetness to this blend. I have a hard time detecting the lavender when brewed, but the loose leaf certainly looks pretty with cornflowers and lavender.

This tea is a famous staple at events hosted at my work, often served with lemon. I prefer my tea without sugar or lemon, generally, though the citrus is nice with this tea. It is definitely smokey, but less of the bacon-like smoke some brands of lapsang souchong seem to have, this is gentler and more woody. The smoke flavor is not as noticeable in the scent of the leaves or the tea, but comes through the most when drinking. There is a traditional black tea feel and taste to this, not bitter but full-feeling and with a sort of rich tanin flavor and texture. Some kind of spicy, almost cinnamon-like, secondary note comes in the aftertaste which really adds a coziness to the forward smoke flavors. I thought I had heard somewhere that this might be close to the kind of tea drank in Boston historically, but I could be making that up. Overall a bold cup with just the right amount of smoke. It’s famous around here for a reason!

I was excited to try this limited edition, serious-sounding tea. I usually drink tea with flavors, chai, or in blends, so this is not necessarily my area of expertise. However it was a very enjoyable cup. I had the baristas as Davids Tea brew this for me, so I’d like to think the steep temperature and time were right on the money. The leaves are beautiful, long, skinny, blue-brown spirals (the “twirl”) and the scent was much more earthy than the tea brewed up to be. The wet fragrant was almost buttery, as was the first few hot sips. The flavors at the core of this tea are sweet-tart berry flavors, I tasted currant most prominently, although there are also some sour-grape notes as well. For a straight tea, the sweetness and fullness of the flavors were stunning. I’d recommend this even to a more novice taster who simply liked fruity black teas. The texture and mouthfeel are very smooth, an easy on the tongue and throat. In the aftertaste, especially as it has cooled, there’s a touch of something more mineral or astringent, not quite the full tanin bitterness of black tea. It is a delicious green and black tea hybrid. Definitely worth the try during its limited release.

I got this tea since I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather and I have a soft spot for anise and licorice flavors. Licorice is the main flavor, despite the varied ingredient list, with mint being a close second. It does not taste like candy, not like black jelly beans; it’s a softer, more herbal flavor. On the aftertaste there is a bit of the fennel flavor, but I don’t taste any pineapple, cloves or cocoa. It’s caffeine free, and an unusual flavor, so it might be a nice change of pace from the roobios or ginger nighttime teas I drink lately. It definitely looks colorful and fun with real chunks of licorice root in the mix, but probably not a great tea if you aren’t a fan of black licorice.

I was craving something rich and coffee-like today so I opted to get a hot up of Coffee Pu’erh. This tea smells amazing as a dry leaf and when brewed. It is definitely related to coffee but made more gentle by the smooth, earthy pu erh, instead of coffee’s usual acidity. Chocolate is present throughout the flavors, perhaps even more strongly than the coffee flavor. This is an example of a blend that tastes sweet in a rich way instead of just a candy-like way, and I enjoy it much more than the usual sugar-inspired blends at Davids Teas. I took this tea without sugar or milk, and let it steep a little long. I bet as a late this is amazing. This satisfied my coffee/late cravings without sugar, acidity, and lighter on the caffeine. This might become a new staple for me as a way to drink less coffee. Every bit as satisfying in mouthfeel, taste, and smell.