72 Tasting Notes
OK. I officially give up. I followed the steeping directions to the T(ea), and to no avail.
First impressions – This tea smells ok dry, very similar to Mom’s Apple Pie. It smells better once steeped, but still not unique or interesting. Also, I was super excited to be getting a kukicha blend, but… come on. There is simply nowhere near enough kukicha in this tea.
Flavour – Weak. Mild apple cinnamon flavor, not a hint of caramel, and this bitterness that I cannot seem to rid myself of no matter how I steep it.
Loveability – Unfortunately, this is a definate pass for me. Darn, I was really hoping for a flavoured kukicha to call my very own…
This tea really surprised me! I had no intention of bringing it home, but the smell of it was too intriguing to pass up.
First impressions – The blend smells wonderful. Once steeped, this tea has the most complexe, rich, warm, inviting smell of any tea I have tried yet. I REALLY love the smell of this tea. I think that is where the bulk of my enjoyment with a cup of this comes from: sticking my nose in the mug and inhaling…
Flavour – Very nice. Not chocolate, but I really didn’t expect it to be. However, it does have similar characteristics to chocolate, and is like a tea homage to the real thing. While the taste isn’t as complexe as the smell, it is still rather rich and creamy.
Also, I am astounded at how the four ingredients blend seamlessly together to produce such a smooth taste. If I had originally been asked to try this tea with no knowledge of what was in it, I really do not think I would have been able to identify any of its ingredient. Definitely intriguing.
Loveability – I tried this tea first as part of a tea tating party. (Yes, tea tasting is my idea of a party!) I have been craving a mug of it ever since. I finally got the time to enjoy one tonight, and it did not disappoint. I think I will definately have this as one of my top teas for the winter!
This was the underdog for my tea-tasting party for the fall DT teas. No one expected it to be good. " Another banana herbal? The summer collection one was bad enough, thank you very much!"
Bias – I love banana, and I enjoy it in teas.
First impressions – Visually, it’s one of my favorites. The smell of this one is really nice, and minimally “artificial banana”. Once steeped, it retains its smell, but it becomes more subtle and natural.
Flavor – I really enjoy it. It replaced The Glow as my evening herbal. Once it started getting really cold in the evenings, I transitioned this tea by blending it 50/50 with Exotica, and it’s awesome.
Loveability – It’s the only fall tea that I bought in large quantity. I won’t be heart-broken when I run out, but I’m definately happy I have this in my cupboard for the winter.
4 girls. 7 teas. 1 unanimous decision.
First impressions – This tea smells bad. End of story. It smells bad in the tin. It smells bad in the bag. It smells bad in the cup. Woah. We gave it a 0 out of 10 for smell.
Flavor – Reactions went from outright disgust to uncertainty. It doesn’t taste like figs and orange and cinnamon. So what does it taste like? Well, we all agreed that, whatever it was, it wasn’t good. 2 out of 10, just because we could still drain the cup out of necessity.
Loveability – If you’ve read this much, you know the answer to that.
I remade this tea today for a tea tasting with a couple of friends.
Why is steeping this to perfection so bloody hard?? We all agreed that this time it was understeeped. I tasted like hot water with lemon (where did that come from?). And we all agreed that it has so much potential and that it deserves another chance to show us how awesome it really is. I am certain that the third time’s a charm!
I have tried this tea twice now, with a year between those tasting experiences. My response is the same. It is a BEAUTIFUL tea. It smells intriguing. It tastes like, well, not like much. A hint of chocolate. A hint of spice. A lot of water. And not much interest on my part.
Today I hosted a couple of my close friends for a tea tasting event. We tried all of the winter collection, and some of the new permanent teas from DAVIDsTEA.
This was by far the winner of the afternoon, with three out of four choosing it as the tin-worthy tea. (I prefered Snow Bunny to this, but, heck, I can get more than one tin!)
First impressions – The yummiest smell possible. I could just bring Alpine Punch around with me, sniffing it periodically during the day. Amaretto all the way. And, surprise surprise, it smelled just as awesome once steeped!
Flavor – Oh. Goodness. Gracious. Wonderful. Warm and rich and complexe and just slightly sweet. I love it. I’m just confused as to how this wonderful tea that smells like almonds and tastes like almonds doesn’t even include almonds in its description. Let’s review the DT description:
‘’We like to think it’s with a fortifying brew like this spiced rooibos ( don’t even taste it ), with apple ( nope ), cinnamon ( nu huh ), and ginger ( wha? ).’’
ALMOND.
Loveability – heck ya. This one is a keeper.
First impressions – I sent some of this tea to my best friend while she was studying in Ireland. When she got the package, she thought I had sent her gummy bears, as that was the sent permeating the wrapping! And I must say, when I open the bag, I do smell those overly sweetened confections. Steeped, though, it smells like Earl Grey with a little something extra.
Flavor – I really like it. It’s simultaneously a subtler and revamped Earl’s Grey. A little lesss bergamot, and a nice berry finish. As with all black teas, I drink this with milk, and it actually works.
Lovability – I can go a month without drinking this tea, yet, when I do, it’s a love affair for at least a week. Then, it drops off my radar again. Amazing? No. Simply all-around good tea that fails to disappoint? Yes.
