New Tasting Notes

Coconut custard with vanilla, not vanilla with coconut custard.

This being more of a coconut blend than a vanilla blend is one of those weird tea hills that I’m willing to die on. It’s still tasty, though.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Treating myself to some older Butiki blends from my stash!

I had this one yesterday afternoon, and though I oversteeped the tea leading to a pretty astringent cup the taste itself was good. Warming/woody cinnamon, hints of walnut, and a bit of banana creamyness/starchy quality over a really bready tasting black base. Should have sploshed in some milk to balance out the astringency but I didn’t think of it. Still a pleasant enough cup though!

I was really excited about this blend and the dry leaf visual is also SUPER cool looking but to be completely honest I was very underwhelmed by it when I tried it last night…

I’ve been trying to think of the kindest way to say it, but ultimately I think the best way is the most honest way and that’s that… it just tasted very stale. Really flat/muted and musty apple that’s not assisted in any way by the dull earthiness of the beet power that’s coating those apple pieces (even though they look bloody brilliant)! The cranberry is similar; tastes like the bag of Craisins that’s been sitting in your pantry for multiple years that you bought one day because you were going to “start being healthy” but then never finished. Doesn’t contribute much flavour at all.

Now, I believe this blend has zero flavouring in it – and that’s probably the root of the problem. It’s not that a tea needs flavouring to be good, but dried fruits rarely ACTUALLY contribute substantial flavouring to blends – they mostly look nice and sometimes work as good flavour carriers because they soak up flavouring like little sponges (depending on the fruit). A blend comprised only of dried fruits, though, is just trying to win and uphill battle.

Brewed this one hot with milk as a sort of “redemption cuppa”! Three weeks ago, when I had Cinnamon Bun Chai last, my taste buds were greatly impaired, so I figured I would attempt to give it another shot…

This time around, I am able to pick up on a better defined flavour that I can actually liken to cinnamon buns/rolls, BUT it’s really faint and appears more so in the finish. The overall flavour is still predominantly spicy; a combination of the cinnamon, ginger & even the clove. I appreciate that there is some sweetness to this tea, and not just 100% spice.

Sadly, it’s still a big fat nope from me. I wound up pouring the remainder of my cup over ice for a much more palatable and less intense tasting sip.

From Monday…

This tea is overpriced for what it is, but if you want more rant/exposition on that you can check out my review on the Zach’s Breakfast tea from the same company. Ignoring the mark up, I think it’s a fine but relatively boring tea.

Like, for the ingredient composition nothing is off tasting – it’s very mint forward, with chamomile and earthy turmeric undertones and a bit of a lingering/cloying throat sweetness. It’s deeply not a flavour profile that appeals to me, but it’s super “classic feeling” as an evening/sleep type of tea blend and for that reason I think it probably has mass appeal even though it’s not reinventing the wheel at all.

Overall… it’s fine.

Sipdown (1151)!

This grew on me a little bit over time, but it’s something I’m mostly pretty relieved to be finished with – especially because my rooibos/herbal tea sample drawer is so full right now that I can hardly close/open it. It was mostly creamy pistachio in this cup, but it always has a menthol peppermint note and is a bit too apple-y/fruity to work all fit together nicely. Long steeps are better though – more pistachio/almond.

The last time I had this, I made it as a tea infused hot chocolate. At the same time, I made a plain hot chocolate for my sister the same way. Turns out she really liked it because about two weeks later the ingredients I need for the hot chocolate showed up in our grocery shop. When I asked what they were for, she told me so I could make her another hot chocolate.

Well, today is the day she wanted her hot chocolate. And I’m not just going to make it and not make one for myself. That would be silly. So I pulled this tea out again because this is the best way to work through it.

The hot chocolate really should be made with dark chocolate instead of milk, which is how my sister likes it. It’s just way too rich but in a sweet way, not a decadent one. The earl grey made for a nice counterbalance to the chocolate at least.

This was part of a package sent by a friend. It sounded so good! Didn’t enjoy it much. It smelled okay. I could smell the maple and the apple, and I thought it would be a nice after supper tea to enjoy while I knitted. But the flavor was flat. There just wasn’t anything super appealing about it. Maybe it was old. it is not one I will go out of my way to have again.

Wow, this tea is good. Made several cups towards the end of my work day, brewing no more than 2 mins each. The leaves expanded so much! It was cool to see and the smell/taste is similar to a sweetened milk. It reminds me of vanilla, but I don’t think it tastes like vanilla.. (haha, it’s a hard flavor/smell for me to pinpoint!) Very very enjoyable and light. The smell of the loose leaves is super sweet to me, so I was worried it would taste overwhelming and artificial, but it was very pleasant. I could ramble about this tea and the Jasmine pearls I got for a long time, but I have to get back to drinking the tea!

This one has a lost a bit of its luster with age.

It’s blander than it used to be, with a very light banana flavor on an unremarkable base. It does still have a pleasing creamy quality to it that reminds me of banana pudding. Perhaps a hint of cocoa in the aftertaste? The chocolate was never very apparent to begin with.

Ah well, I don’t feel too bad about neglecting it so, as there were only a couple of cups’ worth left anyway…

Lex had back to back Zoom calls all afternoon, so I made this one up just before they all started to attempt to not have the kettle going quite as much.

This one is always super tasty. I forgot about it about halfway through and had the last half quite cold, but nonetheless it was great! The sweetness comes out even more once it cools.

I haven’t been able to figure out how I want my coffee in the morning, which has led me to having no coffee the last couple days. But that’s okay, because I have this awesome blend!

I always make this the same way: hot water, my simple syrup (made with coconut sugar), and my homemade creamer. So tasty!

…what a weird tea this is.

It sounds good in theory, I love plum and enjoy bergamot. But the plum here is very odd and candylike, and a bit chalky. The bergamot and clove combination becomes very perfumey.

Overall, it’s a weird artificial and medicinal mix and the rest of the sample is getting tossed. A shame, this was one of their teas that I was most interested in.

It’s been a long day, so I’m having a cup of black tea this afternoon (something I normally make a point not to do, because sleep). As a treat, I added some sweetened condensed milk to this cup instead of my regular honey and oat milk. It’s not overly sweet so the flavors are still coming through, but it’s also mega creamy which makes my soul happy today. This is an interesting blend from Gnat & Bee. I’ve bought several of her teas, and some are really good while others are not so great. I would say this one falls squarely in the middle. It’s certainly not a repurchase for me at this point, but I’m really enjoying the cozy vibes I’m getting from it in this moment. It calls to mind a decadent hot chocolate, but light on the chocolate. If that makes any sense at all. It’s faintly floral but also earthy and a bit spicy in the way that ginger is spicy – more of a punchy heat than a spicy heat.

I only tried this tea with milk. I will say that the ingredients list was very intriguing! It says Fireside S’mores; however, this does not contain any marshmallows. I know Deb makes organic, wholesome tea blends free from any artificial/natural flavourings. I appreciate this so much about her company! But I am sure it requires more creativity to mimic the flavours of well-known desserts.

I absolutely loved this tea. It smells very smokey, like the fire from a bbq. For preparation, I steeped this on the stove in boiled water. I then added some milk to it, and brought it to a boil. The chocolate had melted and incorporated nicely into the drink.

As far as taste goes, it tastes like a smokey, chocolate, creamy drink! I really enjoyed this tea because I have never had Lapsang Souchong before, and I thought incorporating it into a s’mores inspired tea was super creative!

I would highly recommend this tea! I will repurchase it for sure.

My only constructive criticism for this is that I wish it had more Lapsang Souchong. But this might just be because my taste buds love stronger, bold flavours.

Definitely a bit harsh on the first steep, but I maybe oversteeped it. (Note to self: go less than a minute next time.)

It has that asparagus taste but sweetens out over steeps, hitting a good stride on the third steep. Mineral and sweet with grass. Maybe some green beans too.

Light to medium body.

Good amount of l-theanine hit to the back of the head.

This would be better if it had a bit more sweetness to it, imho.

As I sip, I am watching the falling snow and listening to Vespertine. It’s a nice moment and it seems to fit together well.

This was another of my Adagio mini tin residents. I find those tiny tins useful for storing opened sample packets without worrying about taping them or something. It doesn’t say what year the harvest was, but the “best by” date is in late 2018, so I’m guessing it was a 2017 harvest? This was the end of the sample, so I only steeped it for 2 minutes because of the more broken leaves.

Such a yummy and comforting green tea! It has a very creamy, sweet, and smooth flavor with corn and edamame notes. There’s also a lovely grainy quality that makes me think of raw oats. At the end of the sip, a little apricot pokes its head out, and there’s a very slight astringency that accentuates it with a feeling of fuzzy skin on my tongue.

This is a great green tea to keep around, and I’m sure it was that much tastier when it was fresh. I’ll be sure to add it to my wishlist to be restocked at a later date! I’m being a bit conservative on the rating for now, since I’m just coming back to tea and this isn’t fresh.

Sipdown (278)

This was the oldest tea in my stash. It’s from Sil from back in September 2017. Thanks for sharing Sil! but no commenting on how old my teas are!

This one was so good and so fruity. Unfortunately I don’t remember specifics because I had it while steepster was once again acting up. I just know it was so delicious!

Tea of the morning!

This is such a yummy tea, it’s like Yunnan and Taiwanese black teas had a baby. It has those lovely thick sweet potato and bread notes that I love from Yunnan teas, but also the rich honey and dried fruit flavors of a Taiwanese tea.

Such a rich and flavorful, but light and easy-drinking tea without the slightest hint of bitterness or astringency.

Perfect for a lazy breakfast in a mug. Nom nom nom.

Still making my way through my B&B backlog… This was my caffeine-free selection last night.

I admit, I am not a red rooibos lover. So perhaps I’m a bit biased, but I really did not get anything cake-like from this blend. It was perhaps slightly sweet, and I got a hint of some form of red fruit or berry rather than dessert. The rooibos itself wasn’t that bad, not overly medicinal or strong.

But still, it was mostly just rooibos. Meh.

Another tea from last night’s Steepster meltdown.

This was much better than I remember it being previously. I actually got a very recognizable vanilla cream note, which I often struggle to find in Earl Grey cream blends. The bergamot was strong enough to stand up, but not perfumey and it still let the vanilla shine. Overall a tasty cuppa!

This is probably the best Earl Grey cream blend I’ve had so far, as I almost always find myself dissatisfied with the lack of vanilla/cream notes. Good on you, B&B!

I had this tea last night, but wasn’t able to post since Steepster was having issues.

This is a mix of black tea and houjicha, which was intriguing to me. However, I found myself not enjoying it because the houjicha autumn leaf flavor felt very discordant with the dessert-y marzipan black tea combination. Although thinking about it, a marzipan-flavored dry leaf doesn’t sound particularly appealing… XD

I think I might have liked this one if it were either a darker roasted houjicha or perhaps a houji-kukicha, which would have been more sweet and less leafy. Ah well, you can’t love them all! I’m glad I got the chance to try a sampler packet.

I wonder how different this tea is from what it had been almost 8 years ago (time stamps on all the other reviews). I don’t get fruit, but I do get florals. Similar in aspect to a black jasmine, though not exactly like it. It completely passes my astringency and bitterness tests, which is a plus.

I think my problem is that its a gray, rainy, and cold Seattle October day and florals are absolutely not what I’m in the mood for right now. Maybe come early spring when the bulbs are starting to bloom and I’m more in the mood for something perfumy.

Right now I’m craving warm, cozy, and spicy.

I am incredibly mood driven, so I’m not going to rate this right now. lets see how I feel come march.