Della Terra Teas

Another tea from Janelle! Again, don’t really recall anything I’ve read about this tea… definitely thought it was just a herbal, but it sure looks to me like there’s black tea in here!

Anyhow, first impression: omg, hibiscus. Definitely purplish hue to the cup, which had me pretty worried. And the hibiscus is certainly noticeable, although I found it fairly tolerable (also, I kept the infusion short). Once I got past the hibiscus, though, I noticed two things: 1 – awesome cherry flavour, 2 – a stale tea sort of taste. The cherry flavour (totally sour cherry-esque, no cough syrup here!) was perfect, but I wish it wasn’t so covered up by the hibiscus. And, unfortunately, I’m thinking that the black base was contributing the stale, old teabag flavour. It wasn’t unpleasant enough to dump the cup, but made it such that I’ve never purchase this, despite loving that cherry. Oh well. A better cup than I expected, since for whatever reason I had been anticipating a hibiscus nightmare, so there’s something to be said for that! (Also, I doubt that freshness is an issue here, as in, I don’t think Janelle had it overly long, though the company could have used old tea for it. Or, it’s just a wierd flavour that I’m perceiving as stale.)

Sipdown! I think I brewed this one a touuuucchhh too strong today. Great creamy lemon flavours, with a definite sour zing to it (hibiscus?), but also that damned unpleasant woody note that’s gotten into most of my samples from Janelle. How frustrating. There’s enough flavour here, though, that it’s not as completely flavour-destroying as it is in some other teas, but I’m now fairly sure that all of the teas from that package are going to have a similar flavour. Bleh. Anyways, I remember liking this one, and I see I rated it highly previously, although I do prefer Lemon and/or Lime Chiffon (and don’t find the sour hibiscus zing necessary, though it’s not off-putting here with a short infusion).

Aiming to get through a few samples today, since it looks like I’ll be going through my larger quantities at work! Anyhow, thanks to Janelle for a sample of this tea! It’s been so long since I last read about it that I couldn’t even remember if I thought I’d enjoy it… but I do! It does taste like a lemony dessert. I was pretty worried about the hibiscus being overwhelming (since it looked pretty pinkish after brewing), but it was perfect. Quite tasty, and an herbal I think I’d be happy to have around. Definitely a different flavour from the Lemon/Lime Chiffon rooibos. Less creamy (but still not sharply lemony), and quite desserty.

I recall I had wanted to try this one for a long time and then last year pre-baby a sample was sent to me in a swap from Dustin…it’s been awhile, but thanks!

It tastes like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms. It’s good, I mean clearly there’s nothing natural about it and it’s purely a decadent, indulgent dessert tea, but it is definitely good if that’s what you are looking for.

I’d almost consider this as a replacement for hot chocolate if you were trying to “watch your figure” (vs “watching it expand”).

A winter tea for sure! Definitely comparable to DTT’s S’Mores tea. And that other one, the one that is similar to S’Mores. It’s been awhile and I forget.

I put a bit of cream in my cup and it held up pretty well, even though I think I put a bit too much. I would consider buying this in the winter, if I ran out of S’Mores!

It pains me to say this, but I almost think I’m over the whole super sweet fake dessert tea thing :/

Coldbrew Sipdown (328/310)

Eh. I like the raspberry, it’s good (also, I don’t think the picture used for this tea is the right one). But the ginger is kinda off-putting. I’m not a fan of ginger, though. It’s a good coldbrew, very refreshing, but I’ll take Razzmintazz from Tealish any day

Second sipdown of the day! I don’t have much to add to my previous tasting note, except to say that I was surprised how much I liked this one. Chocolate and pumpkin don’t make the most natural of combinations in my head, but this tastes soooo good. Definitely one I’d look to restock next autumn.

I’m a bit late coming to some of my autumn/winter teas this year. I went a little crazy and over-ordered, I think, and I’m just about beginning to catch up with them now. This is one that languished, unfortunately. Once I found Bluebird’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie, I put all other pumpkin teas on hold. I think that might have been a little unfair.

This one is goooood. I brewed it for about three minutes, and made no additions. The first thing I can taste is pumpkin pie spice, then chocolate, then pumpkin. There is a buttery, pastry-like note lurking around in the background, although it’s subtle. The scent of this one is the truly wonderous thing — it’s so rich and creamy and chocolatey. I have a feeling this would make a good latte, so that’s something I definitely need to try before spring really gets going.

As pumpkin pie teas go, this is a really good one. All of the elements I’d want to taste are there, and the spicing lingers beautifully in the aftertaste. My only sadness here is that I didn’t try this one earlier, on a really cold day. It’s nice now, but it would have been perfect then. Possibly I’ll keep a little back for next year, if I can hold off drinking the rest until then!

T&C TTB 3/23

This is good, more nutty than chocolate. That works for me because I don’t always like chocolate flavoring. I was surprised how nutty it tasted and that I waited for the correct temperature.

Thanks Kat_Maria for sharing :)

T&C TTB 2/23

I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I do. It was on my maybe list of teas to try from the box but as soon as I read bluebelle’s latest note on this I knew I must try it.

It is a yummy apple tea with sweet syrupy like molasses with a little spice. I’ve already had two cups and I think I would consider getting this come Fall.
Thanks Pyroxy for sharing!

I wasn’t convinced by the scent of this one…it’s mostly just cinnamon. So as I sat there thinking “how is this ever going to taste like a cookie?” I took a sip. I’m pleased to report that it does, in fact, taste like a cookie. An oatmeal raisin cookie, to be precise. The initial sip is cinnamon, but then something blossoms behind that…a warm, oaty, sugary, vanilla flavour, tempered with a rich overtone of dried fruit. It’s fair to say that cinnamon is the strongest flavour, but the wonderful bakey, ineffably cookie-like aspect of this tea really makes it something special. I’d never have believed it possible, but there you go. An intriguing and delicious treat!

T&C TTB 1/23

I have no idea why I picked this as my first tea last night because I remember checking out the not very positive notes on this one while anxiously waiting for the box to arrive and knew I did not want to try it. I think it was the word coconut and vanilla, two of my favorite things and it smelled good. It tasted how I would imagine coconut vanilla lotion would taste if it were sweet and edible and seemed as if it was missing the tea. I can see how someone could like it and I’m tempted to see what my brother thinks of it.

Sipdown!! (161)

Thank you Roswell Strange for the chance to try this tea. It is definitely I was interested in sampling given its unique ingredient list. Now having tasted it, I can say it is good and definitely worth giving a try but it is not something I NEED to have stocked.

This particular cup is actually from last night and has cooled significantly. The most prominent element is the peach by far but the veggies provide a nice complimentary taste to round out the flavor. Also, the base is virtually undetectable thus allowing more room for the other flavors to shine. A really fun and delicious tea!

Well, this is pretty anti-climactic. I don’t know why but I was expecting something mind-blowing and unique . This is not that. It is slightly peachy with a hint of veggie flavor but mostly it is just meh. Well, now, thanks to the wonderful Roswell Strange (thank you!!), I have been able to try this for myself and realize that it is not as special as it might seem.

ETA: As I continue to sip, the veggies come out a bit more which is making this tea more notable and more than just another sorta fruity cup. Still it is not something that I need to have in my cupboard. Though I am glad to have another cup.

Herbal of the evening. I used my last bit of this tonight. It was so good. Lots of lemon flavor with a bit of creaminess. This one will be reordered at some point. I’ll probably pick it up when the vanilla mint tea is available again. Hopefully it’ll still be one of the holiday teas!

My nighttime tea. I drank it while watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The tea was enough of a treat to keep me from snacking during the movie. The lemon flavor is spot on, and there is a lightness to it, a creaminess from the honeybush, that hints at chiffon. Yum. The movie was good, but I’m kicking myself for not seeing it in the theater. Still, highly entertaining (but the book is far better!).

My before bed tea. My husband is planning on staying is staying awake so he can play the new Diablo III expansion. I, on the other hand, am counting down the seconds until my head hits the pillow. I’m happy to have this sweet, creamy, lemony treat to help me unwind. Tonight’s cup was really good. So bright and full of citrus without any of the woody rooibos flavor that I’m not overly fond of. Yay for yummy herbals!

I can’t quite put my finger on what I think of this tea…there’s a firm vegetal note at the base and lighter flowery jasmine flavours at the top; with a tsp of raw sugar to tone down the mild bitterness of the green it makes an enjoyable cup.

I’m not sure this is something I would want to steep again – since I think I’m more of a black tea girl – but this might go nicely for my green-drinking compatriots.

Oh, and as it cools the jasmine-flowery notes become far more prominent…in a surprisingly pleasant way. This is such a nice little tea that keeps surprising me.

Oh…wow. I’ve been rather in love with the Dreamsicle Puerh from 52Teas and I was a little curious about how the rooibos and orange would go together. Luckily, this tastes absolutely delicious!

The cream flavour is delightfully well-executed and curls around the inside of the mouth after every sip…the orange and rooibos twine in together to highlight the citrus and woodsy notes in an intensely delightful cup.

It doesn’t have the pure Dreamsicle sort of flavour that the 52Teas had, but in terms of simple and delicious (and slightly cheaper) orange dessert flavours this is an amazing cup.

I’d likely buy it again just to have an entry-level tea of this sort to give to my less-discerning friends. :)

Underwhelming hot, underwhelming cold. Underwhelming in the pot, nine days old!

…please ignore my childhood flashback.

This tea is forgettable and not worth my time. I’ll finish up the packet and then move on.

I have terrible news! The Pokemon Challenge is in danger! Ok, not really danger, I have just almost run out of dark grey and black meaning I will have to stop until I get more, and I have no idea when that will be and it frustrates me. Good thing I have other crafty things to keep me occupied until I can get more perlers. On a more positive note, this morning I had Dim Sum and spent the day hanging out with Ben, celebrating his Spring Break, yay!

Today’s tea is a tea themed around a dessert (or is it a snack) that just screams ‘time to go camping!’ S’mores by Della Terra Tea is a blend of Black Tea, Chocolate Bits, Chocolate Flavor, Mini Marshmallows, Marshmallow and Graham flavoring, and finely crushed graham crackers. Yeah, this tea has all the ingredients of a S’more without the needed campfire, which is good because I can’t have one in my house. The aroma is primarily marshmallow’s sugary sweetness that fades to chocolate and finally graham cracker. There is a faint hint of malt as an undertone that ties the other aromas together. The aroma is crazy sweet and smells just like a s’more. Delicious!

Once the tea is brewed and the delightful bits dissolve into the liquid the liquid loses a bit of its marshmallow intensity and is replaced with lots of chocolate. The aroma is richly chocolate, like dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate. The liquid is primarily creamy chocolate with hints of marshmallow and malt. The aroma is very rich and evocative of the dessert (snack) that it is named after.

Tasting this tea the first thing I notice is the lack of sweetness, which was surprising with all the marshmallows. It reminds me of dark chocolate with graham and marshmallow essence that fades into a mildly sweet aftertaste. I decided to go for all out decadence and add a bit of cream and sugar and boy was I glad I did, it transforms the tea into liquid s’more! The sugar highlights the chocolate and marshmallow and the cream adds the touch of silky creaminess you expect from popping a melted milk chocolate bar in your mouth. There is not an overwhelming amount of graham cracker or the base tea’s taste, but overall this tea is a good imitation of an especially sticky snack (dessert).

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/03/della-terra-teas-smores-tea-review.html

Sad sip down…this tea is seriously made of nomsome (noms + awesome!). I hope DT stocks it again soon, cuz I need a whole bunch of this tea. It not only smells like the real thing, it TASTES like the real thing too. It’s incredible. It makes a good morning tea (who doesn’t want cookies for brekkie…hmmm?) and of course after dinner, if you don’t mind caffeine in the evening.

CrowKettle and I put together a joint DT order and really wanted to get this, but they were out, so thanks to VariaTEA for sending me this, so now I know for sure this is a tea I want regularly.

A tea that both smells and tastes the way it is named? Uhh, yes please!

I thoroughly enjoyed this tea today. There’s something that was in the background that really added to the buttery cookie feel to this tea. I don’t know how they do it, but I can taste oatmeal raisin cookie with each sip.

This might be just first time love and second time fail, but I have another serving in my sample from VariaTEA. If I still like it then, I’ll probably get some in a group order with CrowKettle (and potentially whoever else in town wants to join in).