DAVIDsTEA

A sipdown! (M: 7 Y: 7)
A very sad sipdown of tea that I have received from Courtney — thank you a lot.

It is a wonderful mild and smooth oolong with warming cinnamon notes that was just perfect today evening. My family apparently likes oolongs, mostly because they’re not so heavy as black teas; and green tea is not always a good pairing or opinion.

The pot I prepared with this tea was finished so damn fast, and it was loved just by everyone; and now I want to get more… and I just see it is discontinued tea? Sad, so sad…
I hope to get a replacement somewhere somehow!

Raising rating from 78 to 86.

The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #35

Cozy, enjoable cup of evening tea; full of dark oolong tastes, molasses, brown sugar (I cleaned strainer throughly), thick and toasty. Smooth and highly drinkable, I can imagine this being a staple in my cupboard — if I had an access to DAVIDsTEA.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #17

I was getting a nice hazelnut flavor from my first few sips, followed by a strong stevia aftertaste. As it cooled down, though, the stevia took over and it honestly just tasted likely slightly nutty sweetened water. This is a pass for me.

Adventageddon Day 15

Just a straight up mug of hot, frothy matcha today. Nothing fancy or altered about it, and honestly that was a nice choice because all of my other advent teas today had something more elaborate about their either through drink additions or preparation methods. Instead this was a juicy and bright mid-afternoon pick me up with that succulent sort of ripe peach note balanced out by the freshness and umami undertones of the matcha.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDnXG-LSVmP/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdZ53o5lMRQ&ab_channel=Haute%26Freddy

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.

I feel like I’ve been really gravitating towards sweeter and more decadent matcha flavours lately, but today I just really wanted something bright and juicy. Usually I drink this tea iced or as a latté (for more of a peaches and cream vibe), but switching things up and whisking it up hot was a nice “rediscovery” of sorts. The peach flavour is really hitting that mark, with a lively flavour somewhere between a ripe summer peach and fuzzy peach candies…

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA6Snu9Oan5/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEyyQJmtAO8

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.

Iced Latte!

I think I saw something like ten coworkers drinking this matcha in our office this past week and that must have subconsciously gotten to me because I ended up making a giant tumbler of this as an iced oat milk latte to bring with my to my board game meet up last night. We played Castles of Burgundy (my first time – I loved it).

Perhaps matcha was a smart move, because I feel like I was killing it with the strategy games – just rapid firing neurons. Really focused in on the win. I mean, I’m competitive by nature when it comes to board games anyway – but I feel like this peaches and cream drink just lit a fire. So… maybe matcha again next week??

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.

I don’t know if this counts as a new matcha or not??

I think I maybe mentioned it in my tasting note for the organic Vanilla and Blueberry Matchas in wholesale right now, but we’ve been working hard over the past year to convert our flavoured matchas to organic formulations – and this is the first to “go live” on the website and in stores. Honestly, though, it tastes exactly like the non organic peach matcha it’s replacing. Still sweet and juicy, and delicious both hot, iced, and as a latte.

We’ve been so short on matchas this year as we make this organic transition, so I’m honestly just really happy to have this one back in the assortment again.

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.

I picked up some of this on a whim when I went to restock Pumpkin Chai (at this point it’s a fall tradition more than a matter of taste). You know what? I think I like this better than Pumpkin Chai. It tastes fuller and better balanced; needs less tweaking. I think it may even have more “heat” than the DT’s chai blend. The citrusy notes from the spices and bergamot taste delicious when milk is added too. Like a cheerful citrusy spice cloud. On top of that, the vanilla-caramel notes give it a London Fog vibe. I’m a huge sucker for my LF’s even more so than the PSLs. This is the best of both worlds.

For me, this is on par, if not better, than a lot of the commercial pumpkin spice latte things out there. Now, it just needs to work with my Eggnog. Turns out the nog I bought is not lactose-free or going to hold up past our upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #9

Not sure if I’ve had a Nepalese black tea before or not. It took me a while to figure out what this tea was reminding me of, but eventually I realized it was a honey oolong that TeaSource used to carry! Unlike my typical robust, full-bodied Chinese black teas, this one is very smooth with a light, slightly sweet mineral flavor and an astringent finish. Interesting to try, but probably not something I’d personally choose again.

I used to have a strong aversion to jasmine; my first experience was some green Jasmine Pearls that had SUCH a strong scent that all I tasted was “grandma perfume” and it gave me a headache. When I tried jasmine-scented black tea, I found the aroma more subdued from that early experience and really liked the taste on the black base. I really love these pearls; both warm and iced, it is delicious. It’s smooth, with hints of malt and smoke, a nice florality, and a lovely grape candy flavor. I think I’ve adapted to jasmine from jasmine blacks, because I’ve started to take a liking to jasmine greens now, too (as long as they aren’t too strongly aromatic). Between the two, I still prefer jasmine black tea to green tea, though!

Strange VariaTEA TTB #8

This is another tea I heard about on Geek Steep and wanted to try, so I was pretty excited to see it in the box. To my delight, this one totally exceeded my expectations! Seeing hibiscus so high on the ingredients list had me worried, but this is the rare blend where the hibiscus totally works for me, imparting just the right crisp tartness that my tongue reads as “cranberry”. The ginger is perfectly balanced too: not too sweet or too spicy. I drank it hot and really enjoyed it, but I think it might be even better iced!

Strange VariaTea TTB #7

I wish David’s Tea didn’t feel the need to add stevia to so many of their dessert blends! I like being able to control the level of sweetness myself and I do NOT care for the aftertaste of stevia. Aside from that, this one is really nice! The black/puerh base is robust without being bitter or to earthy and the flavor is a rich, buttery caramel.

I really like the coffee inspired teas. I was glad that this one is a decaf option I can have in the evening. Strong coffee flavor even though it does does not have coffee beans in it. Try the chicory root, roasted carob and date give it a rich flavor. I am glad that the monk fruit does not make it sweet. I like these coffee inspired teas because I can’t drink much regular coffee because of the acid. This tea is delicious with a little sweetener and almond milk. I would buy this tea again.

Y’know, interestingly the aroma of this steeped cup of tea actually kind of cut through the fog/haze of my stuffy nose more than Cold 911 did. I mean, there are a lot of really lovely and aromatic ingredients in here like the ginger and sage so I’m not super suprised, but it was just nice to kind of breath in the steam coming off the freshly steeped mug and not feel like a total zombie. The bright, zesty orange really cut through both in smell and taste. It was really relaxing.

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.

New tea!

This tea released a week or two ago now – but it’s something I’ve been working on for over a year now. Cold 911 and Throat Rescue are two of DT’s best selling blends – especially during cold and flu seasons. However, both of them are more the type of tea you would drink after you’re already sick or starting to feel under the weather. Not before. And, with cold and flu season in particular, you’re not really fully covered unless you have something more preventative.

Enter Immunity SOS.

I feel like this is the long missing third sibling to this trio of teas. Developing it was actually a lot harder than it might seem. We spent a lot of time looking at traditional folk remedies for immunity as well as more “modern” things like Immunity Shots, and that was a huge part of the inspiration for both taste and flavour.

Though there are several ingredients in the blend that contribute to the overall taste and function the key ones are: Orange, ginger, sage, echinacea, and – to a lesser extent – turmeric. Orange and ginger as a combination are very soothing and we thought the brightness of the orange balanced out the warming, earthy heat of the ginger. Sage compliments both of these flavours with its soft herbaceous taste, but it’s also naturally anti-viral. Plus, we loved that it added this sort of aromatherapy component. It’s just so relaxing smelling as it steeps or as you cradle the mug post-infusion. Echinacea, of course, is very well loved for immunity so this was definitely a must have ingredient when balancing everything out in the blend, and the turmeric/ginger combination supports that natural spice note but is also this added layer/duo for inflammation.

In terms of taste I find this most comparable to The Skinny – but caffeine free, obviously. Compared to Sunny C, which is the other citrus-y herbal blend that DT carries year ‘round, this is a lot less sweet and punchy/tart. Though it has bright top notes, it’s overall just more herbaceous and cozy. That was important because a lot of people consume immunity targeted products as part of a routine so we wanted to create an overall experience that was comforting/relaxing instead of in your face – those type of really intense fruity profile teas tend to not as frequently be something that people want to consume every day or over and over during short stretches of time.

Overall, I’m really proud of this one! I think, even if you’re a flavour first kind of tea drnker, the blend is still really delicious and interesting. However, I love the ingredient list as this final accompaniment to what we’ve been playfully calling our “pharma-tea” trio. I hope others love it too!

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.

This is pretty good. I’ve had this sitting my tea drawer for an indeterminate amount of time, so I think if it were fresh it would likely be even better. Of course, what better time of year to drink a Pumpkin Chai than now? Although honestly, I’m not getting a whole lot of either pumpkin or chai – again, could be because this tea is a few years old at this point. Overall the flavors are mild but pleasant, and the tea feels smooth, silky, and malty.

Yuck. I feel like I taste something of an artificial sweetener in the mix, but I can’t quite pinpoint if that’s accurate. I wish some of the notes were more prominent – there’s a disappointing lack of ginger, pineapple, and cinnamon. Maybe the goal was for the flavors to be more muted so that the overall sweetness of the honey and molasses could be at the center of the profile, but I found it not only lackluster but also not to my liking at all. The aftertaste is particularly unpalatable for my tastes.

This is pretty pleasant, especially considering I oversteeped it. It tastes like an herbal tea, so I don’t know what the green tea adds. It’s not too tart, just fruity and nice cold. I’d drink this one again, but I wouldn’t purchase it due to the caffeine content. Thanks, Cameron B!

A sample from Cameron B! Thanks so much! This is one of those blends from David’s I have wanted to try for years. I used half the sample, a little over a teaspoon. I’m glad I did, because the entire sample might have been cloying. This is sweet sweet coconut. Any more sweetness would have been too much! I can hardly tell there is anything here other than coconut and sweeteners but it’s not a bad cup. It fits for a dessert blend that will also put you to sleep. I’m glad this is only a sample, as I can tell this would NOT be a blend that would age well. haha.
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for a mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 minute steep

Happy Halloween, Steepster!

Last Monday, I said I wanted to do at least one “Teas I Drink In A Day” post a week and I figured there would be no better day to highlight this week than today! I spent my day off marathoning some of my favourite Halloween movies and TV specials with an assortment of mostly Halloween themed teas and teaware. It was a blast!

I really thought most of my tea options were going to be either really indulgent or pumpkin spice flavoured, and there waaasss a lot of that. This tea is a good example – even though the cinnamon and clove are pretty strong it’s mostly a very sweet and decadent cream/caramel frosting type flavour. As I’ve previously expressed, I’n not actually the biggest fan of candy corn – but this felt so incredibly in the spirit of the holiday that I couldn’t not include it.

I did end up having a lot more diversity to choose from than expected. There were so many other teas I didn’t cover today, but I really enjoyed the ones I did steep up!! Best. Holiday. Ever.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzE927Gulv0/?img_index=1 (1st Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QcrePYXwc

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.

Confession time…

Halloween teas might just be my favourite to work on creating.

Now, maybe that’s because Halloween has been my favourite holiday for as long as I can remember. However, I think that’s only a fraction of the reason. I think it’s because they’re ultimately flavour forward blends where a huge part of the goal at the end is just to create an experience that’s just as much fun as it is delicious.

So, with that in mind, I’ve wanted to work on a Candy Corn blend for as long as I’ve been in research and development. Look, I don’t even personally like candy corn. I’m firmly in that camp of people who think they’re too sweet and just taste like fondant. However, that hasn’t stopped me from buying every single candy corn blend I’ve ever come across as a tea drinker. Why? Because they’re flippin’ fun. Candy corn is like the ULTIMATE expression of Halloween candy. It’s as iconic as you can get. And, maybe perhaps selfishly, I wanted to put my own stamp on that.

Now, as I just said, candy corn is very sweet. Too sweet. Ultimately, that’s why I decided to make this blend a chai. If it was only candy corn it would have captured that goal of making a fun Halloween tea but I needed it to actually have some other flavours going on too. Both to balance out that sweetness and because, as I said, I wanted my own stamp on candy corn teas.

So yes, this blend is sweet but it’s also spicy! Cinnamon, ginger, and clove to be exact. In that order. The cinnamon works well with the creamy sweetness of the candy corn in the blend (because, yes, we did put real candy corn in this tea). It’s sort of like a cinnamon bun type of vibe because of that frosting/fondant note except there’s no flavours of the pastry itself. The ginger and clove add a little more depth, and the ginger in particular with its subtle earthiness and heat does do a lot to help balance out the sweetness. It makes a mean latte too. But again, just to reiterate, it is still a sweet tea. I mean, it’s candy corn. You can’t buy a candy corn tea and not expect sweetness.

This is a store exclusive blend because, well, Candy Corn is a polarizing flavour. I know it sucks because most people aren’t near a store – but it’s just impossible to make everyone happy and stores are just the best way right now for us to test out teas. However, if it does well in stores or enough people express interest in having it online, I hope that we’ll get to release it on web too next Halloween!

EDIT: Totally forgot that this is in the “Six Steeps Under” sampler too, so there is technically a way to try it even if you’re not near a store!

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.

Cold Brew!

I know I like this tea as an iced latte, but I wasn’t sure how it would work as a cold brew without milk. It was okay, though. The green apple notes come out a little more strongly and the rooibos base is quite apparent with it’s smooth, woody and nutty notes. The caramel does add a bit of thickness to the mouthfeel and I thought was discernable in the creamy, sweet finish. But probably not the way I’d recommend people make this to get the most out of the caramel flavour!

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.

I just finished binge watching the US version of Ghosts (all three seasons) and this was one of many, many teas I drank over the last week or so while doing that. I really had every intention to drink it as a hot tea, but I got so distracted by the show that I forgot about my mug while it was cooling down so I ended up drinking this pretty ice cold. I wouldn’t have that that it would be very good cold aside from maybe an iced latte kind of preparation, but it was actually quite nice! A little more apple-y but with a sweet caramel finish. Still a pretty rooibos forward blend and much less intense/sweet than a typical DT blend, but ultimately a very nice caramel apple representation.

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.