Della Terra Teas

Sipdown (197/199)!

This one grew on me! So, I’m actually pretty sad to see it go. Thanks for the sample VariaTEA.

I had two cups over the last four days – both were really good, but also fairly different so if there’s one thing that’d keep me from stocking this it’d maybe be the consistency. That’s becoming a very important thing for me on my tea journey, and I’m noticing that some of my “must stocks” are only ‘80s’ taste wise as opposed to some the higher up teas I have, but I think I like them better overall because they produce a more reliable cup in a variety of steep methods.

The first of the two cups was very sweet and caramel with a kind of green candy apple flavour, and no noticeable spice. This was the better cup – because I think I like candy sweet much better, and I know I’m not the biggest spice person.

The second cup was also good, but it did have more spice to it – though it provided a warmth to the tea that did remind me of Autumn. The black base was also stronger, though I personally love the Della Terra black base. The caramel was also milder.

So yes – I would really consider getting this again. I was definitely sad when I’d finished it off.

I feel like I have an excess of Spiced/Chai blends right now, and that’s a flavour I’m not too fond of – but this one is fruity/sweet and gingerless, so I don’t mind so much that VariaTEA added in a few cups worth of this to my birthday package.

I made it up yesterday – and was actually surprised by how sweet the dry leaf smelled. It was like very ripe, almost candy, green apples. I expected a little more spice, I think.

taste wise – this was pretty good; I thought the apple flavour was done really well, and the caramel was pretty good too and added a nice level of sweetness. The spices? They added a warmth to the blend and I think helped the sweet apple pop a little bit – but I could really live with or without them. They just felt like they were “there” and maybe a last minute thought? Like Della Terra went: “Caramel Apple isn’t fancy enough – what could we add that wouldn’t totally derail this tea but would spice it up a little? Oh, I know! Actual spices!”.

But overall it wasn’t bad. It should be easy enough to finish off.

Another from my swap with miss Eva. Apparently I’m on a bit of a black tea kick. I’ve had a lot of different Earl Grey over the years, both bagged and loose leaf. I only recently started to try the offshoots of it, such as Lady Greys, Earl Grey Cremes, etc. When I brewed this one up, I was surprised at how subtle it was compared to its predecessors. The flavor was light and silky, with the bergamot immediately making itself known on the palate. The creme part was also present, but I feel like it presented itself mostly in the aftertaste. It reminded me, strangely, of marshmallow: sugary and creamy all at once. The hints of all that decadence made me wish that the flavor was just a little stronger. I suspect I’ll have to adjust my brewing technique and see if I can wrangle more out of it.

Tea & Cards TTB

Oh, another pastry tea…this one smells delightfully tropical in the bag and picks up interesting aromatic notes post-steeping. It smells nothing like I remember pineapple upside down cake being – but I was a terrible baker, so that says more about my cakes than this tea.

Upon tasting I’m mainly picking up hints of candied pineapple layered over that yeasty-pastry black tea note that Della Terra does so very well. It’s a delicious dessert-ish tea that would go equally well first thing in the morning or as a comfort cuppa after a long day…

Tasty tea and one that I really appreciate. I’m less-likely to buy this one since I’m quite smitten by Blueberry Crumble…but it’s a good tea nontheless and I’d happily have another cup in the future.

Tea & Cards TTB

This smelled delightful in the bag…all christmas-y spice notes and happy things. It’s a shame it didn’t brew up anything like that, though.

My first impression post-steep is that it tastes like potpourri smells. I mean, it SHOULD be delicious, but instead my tastebuds feel like they took a wrong turn into a craft shop…there’s a nice background black tea note that’s pleasant and some cloves or other baking-sort-of-spice that’s tasty, but overall it’s not a particularly memorable tea.

Solidly meh, this one. Not painful to drink, but I wouldn’t seek it out in the future.

it has a light chocolate taste with a twist just wish I had more of it

Birthday Cupcake is another tea that’s true to it’s name. Fresh steeped, it tastes like vanilla cake but after adding a little sugar, it tastes like vanilla cake with frosting! I should note that this reminds me of store bought cupcakes and has the same slight bitterness that their icing has (which makes the flavors much more realistic). I imagine that adding cream would really bring out the frosting flavors and turn this into a liquid dessert. Being a sweet-tooth, I’m a big fan of this one!

Another tea by Della Terra to add to the “keep stocked” pile.

Thank you Janelle for a sample of this! Sometimes Della Terra’s apple teas are hit or miss. This one is a HIT. I think they got rid of the apple flavor or whatever I really didn’t like. I’m glad they didn’t get rid of any that I DO like, since they are some of my favorite apple teas! This is a buttery sencha with a nice apple & cinnamon taste. For some reason it was tasting like strawberry to me though, especially as it cooled. I like this one, but there are a couple other companies who have a better version of this blend.

This tea has a very subtle green tea taste and prominent fresh apple flavor. It’s a nice change from the apple teas that always seem to have spices or other fruit mixed in but only hints of apple.

Oh dear, this was a sipdown and my previous note is gone!!
That’s fine. Today has been a very mixed day. On one hand, I got some stuff done, that really needed to be done, but then it’s also been a no good icky bad frustrating day.
So I’m not too bothered by the sipdown sans note. Actually, I seem to recall that this was a sample I either shared or inherited, but now I have no idea who to thank! Though it’s probably Sil since I see ya did review it awhile back. Or maybe Kittenna?
The tea itself was quite lovely. The puerh mixed quite nicely with the spices, and lent a nice hint of cocoa to pair with the spices. I had it without sugar or milk.
No one spice stood out too much, and it was not overly spicy. For me to not have any complaints, well that is rare! where chai is concerned heh.
In fact, this is one that I would consider ordering again. I bet it would travel well in a tumbler.

Late afternoon tea with R before he heads back out for a PTA meeting. This smelled promising but then lacked flavor as DTs are sometimes wont to do. Prefer Florence on one of its good days (is that tea moody as heck for anybody else BTW?). As husband noted, still better than cat pee, ha.

Really delicious, amazing smelling, malty tea. I like malty beer too. This is a great one, and I’m always grateful that Shmiracles keeps some in her cupboard for sure !

I haven’t pulled this one out of the drawer for awhile and thought I would maybe go for it today. This is from my first purchase from Della Terra in November last yeat and although it wasn’t quite the hot cinnamon candy I was expecting when I purchased it, I do really like it.

Today, with just a touch of raw sugar, it is sweet cinnamon candy, w/o the heat of cinnamon. Just a nice warm yummy cup which is great for such a chilly rain filled day. I would love a similar blend that did have that sense of heat to it from the cinnamon as well, but this fits just fine today.

I saw VarieTEA had a tasting note for this and I wanted another black tea this afternoon so I grabbed it. If you read my tasting note a bit ago, you’ll know I have a cold and can’t taste much, so don’t take my note as completely accurate :)

I’ve had this one several times before.. a sample I bought from Della Terra. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but still a good tea. I imagined a red hot or cinnamon disk candy when I ordered this one, but I get sweet candy cinnamon of a different kind, no heat, and maybe it’s the strawberry from the pop rocks that give it the odd sweet un-cinnamon smell/taste… ??

I don’t know if I’ll find that red hot/ cinnamon disk candy flavored tea, but I think I’ll be ok w/o it until next fall. I’m dreaming of warmer weather and Spring right now… even though the temperatures have fallen yet again and we are expecting heavy snow Sunday/Monday next week Ugh!

I had this tea a couple days ago and opted not to post due to my last of tastebuds with this crazy cold I’ve had. I would have called it blueberry black when I tried it then.

This morning I thought I’d give it another try since I’m gaining some taste back and wanted a black tea this morning. I completely forgot I had it steeping so I don’t think it fair to rate it this time either. Today I get lots of floral, raspberry black tea w/ no tartness/acidity you might expect with pomegranate.

I wouldn’t have picked this one out myself because I don’t often go for fruit (or floral)teas, except for apple, coconut, or pineapple, but I do find my tastes are changing and I’ve come to enjoy a few of them more and more. I guess up to now I’ve mainly avoided berry and banana teas.. Hubby likes the berry flavored teas (& even some floral), go figure!

I will give this one another try when I get my head cleared up and my tasters back, and give it a fair rating then. :) As it sits right now, it’s a more drinkable cup than I expected I would get from it.

I finally get to compare the Lime Chiffon to the Lemon Chiffon! -Thank you Courtney!
I’m a big fan of the Lemon Chiffon so have been really curious to compare the two. Like the Lemon Chiffon, this has a very sweet aroma that fills the room and the smell of each is almost indiscernible. Unlike the Lemon Chiffon, the citrus flavor of the lime really stands out and the acidity cuts back on the natural sweetness. Even though this doesn’t taste as sweet, it’s still a delicious fruity tea.

I swear every time I have this cup, it tastes different. Today it definitely tastes chocolatey but rather than a buttery and creamy white chocolate, it is more earthy and reminiscent of dark chocolate. The white base also has prominence in the cup which I think adds to the earthiness. Not bad, but not something I plan on keeping around after the sample is finished.

I don’t know what happened but there is something off in this cup. It is almost like having a stale chocolate. No creaminess and a lack of sweetness and something slightly dusty.

Well this is not that bad. I was a tad bit concerned because I found White Chocolate Coconut Cream to have an over-the-top richness. Luckily there is none of that here. The base is present but not at all overpowering and the white chocolate flavor is smooth and has just the right amount of sweetness. All in all, pretty tasty. Though, it is not something I am rushing to restock anytime soon and given it is no longer available on their site, I suppose others felt the same. However, I am intrigued as to how the White Chocolate Raspberry tasted as I could imagine a raspberry flavor blending quite nicely with this cup.

Oh cinnamon tea, why did I buy you? I think I found steepster too close to BF. I was so excited to TRY ALL THE TEAS that I decided to really take advantage of the many different sales to buy them all. Unfortunately, after some time realizing what my likes/dislikes are, I was left wondering why I bought half the teas I did when the orders finally came in. This is one of those teas. I find cinnamon to be rather finicky in teas and I really hate when cinnamon gets overly sweet.

This is just on the border of cinnamon sweetness. It is spicy enough that I can manage to drink the cup but I think this will be added to my teas to swap because I don’t particularly want to drink it again.