4754 Tasting Notes
I know it has been discontinued for a while, but my local store still has some, so I figured what the heck, may as well pick it up and try it when I’m also getting 10 other to-be-discontinued teas :)
This is such an interesting-looking tea. Sharp green-grey leaf pieces with hints of colour from the strawberries and peppercorns. The smell is truly odd though – sweet, but I’m definitely getting a whiff reminiscent of Christmas tree shopping! Which would make sense if this tea had juniper in it… but it does not.
After 5 minutes of steeping, this tea is a rather light brownish-gold colour, with only a light scent that’s herbally and sweet. The first sip is very delicate and leafy, but not in a green tea-vegetal/leafy sort of way, more like… apple leafy? I suppose it’s the bamboo, but since I have never met a real, living bamboo leaf before, it’s hard to know! I’m not getting the Christmas tree notes I had been getting before, which is completely ok, as I do not care for things such as gin.
I am still really intrigued by this tea! It makes me want to have fun with it, and try it in different ways! Not sure whether I like it enough to go buy out my location (haha), but have to make up my mind quickly… I don’t know exactly what March 6 is bringing about, whether teas will just disappear on that day, or whether they’ll keep them on hand until stock runs out (which I think would be better). The girl at DT recommended trying this iced, with twice the recommended amount of tea, so maybe I’ll try that out this evening/tomorrow. It’s different and pleasant enough – a nice change! Tentatively rating in the happy zone :D
Perhaps more notes as it cools… but I have another tea to get to as I sit here in my office, procrastinating from weighing out samples upstairs in the lab (yeah, I know, it’s Saturday evening… I’m so lame.)
ETA: Mmm, yes, liking it better as it cools. Definitely taste the strawberry now. Not really getting any spiciness from peppercorns though. This is really refreshing! Definitely icing it next.
ETAA: Second steep mostly tastes like leaves. Not bad, but much of the appeal is gone without the strawberries. Probably wouldn’t re-steep unless desperate (because it’s still better than hot water!)
Preparation
Roommate picked some of this up during Reading Week (I had yet to restock it myself, for confirmation as to whether or not I liked it).
We accidently used water that was too hot, though (brain was thinking it was a black tea), and I don’t think we used enough tea, as it’s rather weak. So unfortunately, I remain indecisive. I wish it was more like Banana Oolong though; I can’t taste the oolong at all, and it would be nice to taste something other than peach.
Preparation
Mmmmmmmm, another very delicious, very oversteeped cup. I am just loving the strong flavour. And unlike other teas when they are oversteeped, I’m only feeling the astringency in the front of my mouth, not down my throat, which makes it quite bearable (I hate when I get a sore-throat feeling from teas).
Also got a bunch more strawberry pieces in the mix today, and am tasting more fruitiness. So glad I tried this tea :) Can’t wait to get more! Even though it’s expensive…
Preparation
I want to try this. Sounds like it would bring on an early Spring.
Well if you’re up for a cross-border swap (I’m in Canada), I could probably indulge you if you want :) I’m really loving it. Probably picking up at least 50g in the next day or two, before it disappears off the tea wall!
I was lazy and using the other two tea balls in the house (for Movie Night and Caramel Spice) so just plopped the tea directly into the cup… Here’s hoping I haven’t oversteeped it!
Yum, my cup smells light and fruity and sweet. The tea tastes similar – and this is the first white tea where I’ve actually tasted the tea! It’s definitely oversteeped, but not that bad because of it…. except that I just somehow got some into my nasal passages and it’s BURNING (you know, like any foreign liquid does). Kind of ruining my tasting experience…
Anyways, this is kinda tasty, mostly because I’m getting the fruitiness AND tea flavour, and I quite like it. Further notes and rating to come once my nose recovers.
ETA: Ok, all better. And… yum :) Given that I’m enjoying this even with a horrendously long steeping time, I’m going to say it’s a winner for me. I can’t identify the fruitiness distinctly as strawberry, but that might be because either my tastebuds suck or I didn’t have enough strawberry chunks, but I am definitely pleasantly surprised. After not caring a great deal for either Mango Madness or Pom Power, I thought I didn’t like flavoured white teas… Happy to be proven wrong!
ETA: Upping rating farther. This is SO YUMMY even so very oversteeped. It’s hitting the tea-craving spot right now. Enough that I might have to make another cup.
Preparation
poor nose!
Haha, I have no idea what I did… got some tea in the back of my throat then breathed out through my nose? Either way ouch/ew!!
yech. find out what it was so you can avoid doing that again!
Hey Facebook buddy! :D
Loove this tea, to drink rather than inhale of course :3
Ahaha, I figured most people on here were also on Facebook, and naturally, the Canadians are part of the DT community! :D Definitely stoked about this tea. I really wish I could get this lovely white tea taste in all DT’s white teas.
So thanks to the notice of discontinuation (online only) regarding a ton of DavidsTeas, I went and picked up small samples of another 12(?) teas. As if I needed more to try!
Anyways, this is the first product of today’s expedition. I really only picked it up because of the name; the smell of the dry tea is kind of odd. It’s almost like lemongrass with a hint of orange peel? I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up based on the smell, but any tea with ‘caramel’ in the name warrants a taste test in my opinion :)
Steeped it also has an odd smell which I tend to associate with off-flavours/weakness, along with some orange peel. It just occurred to me that the crappy (hard) Guelph water might be contributing to strange flavours in weak teas such as whites. Hmmm. Mental note to try and remember to use filtered water next time.
Perhaps I steeped it too long; I’m tasting a somewhat (but not unpleasantly so) astringent black tea base, with general fruitiness overtop and a touch of orange. Every now and then I get a whiff of more sweetness. I’m really not getting much cinnamon or spice flavour though.
Overall, not bad, but this would fit into the category of a warming morning tea for me, and it isn’t likely to beat the deliciousness of Glitter & Gold, so glad I tried it, but that’s another one out of the way :)
Preparation
D: Do you know which ones are being discontinued?
If you follow DT on facebook they posted a list of teas which will be "discontinued on March 6 (I believe). They will all be available online permanently, but no longer in stores. It’s a pretty big list, but a lot of them seemed to be seasonal ones that hung around.
Beat me to it by a long shot, Uniquity :) I also now see that my wording was quite unclear! But yes, that’s the first official word about discontinuation I’ve ever heard. Still three teas I’d like to try that my location didn’t have in stock.
I like that they’ve finally said something, but it kinda sucks that they’ll only be available online. Since I live so close to actual DT locations, I never have any cause to order online (and pay shipping!) :D
Do you think it would be possible for you to order online and then pick it up at the shop instead of having it sent to your house? Perhaps you can save the shipping that way. The local tea shop where I lived before had a webshop as well, and they had that as an option to save shipping fee.
Did you realize that you can semi-cheat on the ordering online and get free shipping? I ordered some teas last time (to get online-only Swampwater, Mom’s Apple Pie) and they didn’t quite make my order up to $50… so I tacked on a $10 gift card. I’m not sure how much they would let you get away with this, but it’s worth a try?
Also, I kind of asked re: sending an order to the DT store so it isn’t left on my front porch (which is at a busy intersection) for 9 hours… The response was that it might get lost in the shuffle. Perhaps your best bet would be to make a joint order with someone else to reach the free shipping amount?
That’s a strange excuse, really. Isn’t it just a question of designating an area for that sort of thing where all the people working there know where that area is? Sounds more like they just didn’t want to bother with it and didn’t like saying so.
As for the gift card trick, it’s not really cheating though, because they can’t smell that you’re not planning on giving it to somebody. So how are they to know. (Is it worth it to avoid shipping though? How much does that run up in for you)
I wasn’t directly told no re:shipping to the store; perhaps if the issue was pursued one could get somewhere. Maybe something to bring up to DT on the Facebook page? Quoting, I was told ‘For future orders, we can look into delivering it to our Guelph store instead, although as they receive many shipments weekly, it is very possible that it may get lost in the shuffle.’ And there was no mention of eliminating shipping charges (although I hadn’t asked about that).
For me, shipping would only be $5, but given how much I spend there, supplementing a purchase with a gift card to get the free shipping would be worth it, since I’d quickly use up the card in the store.
Hmm, this didn’t taste as sweet today. Smelled sweet, but the taste was off. Maybe my taste buds are being weird. Forgot half the cup at home though, and can’t remember what exactly was off since it was four hours ago.
Drinking the cold leftovers, there’s a odd metallic-ish taste under the tasty caramel corn smell. I think I noticed it the first time I tried this tea as well, but it wasn’t as obvious. Maybe I oversteeped it.
Preparation
Steeped: smells kind of like apple cider.
Taste: nutty and barely sweet, with lemongrass in the background. Not really getting cider, nor green tea. Maybe I had the water cooler than I thought.
Will update this later. Gah homework.
ETA: Ok…. It’s now so much later I can’t remember anything more to say! Guess I will rate this properly the next time I have it (and I won’t have it an hour before I give a presentation!)
