DAVIDsTEA

Like the Organic Blueberry Matcha I wrote a tasting note about last week, this Organic Vanilla Matcha is currently only available in wholesale channels – but it’s definitely become one of my favourite everyday matcha flavours so I actually bought a fresh tin from my local grocery store before flying out to Regina so that I could have a nice bowl of vanilla matcha to start my morning with every day while I’m here…

The big reason I really like this matcha is that it uses cane sugar as the sweetener instead of coconut nectar, like the vanilla matcha that DT has carried for years. I’ve been very outspoken over the years about really hating the coconut nectar inclusion in the non-organic formulation. It has a gross and very brown appearance, but more than that it just doesn’t taste super great and I think it really detracts from the pure, creamy vanilla notes. So, working on this organic version, I was a very big advocate for moving the profile to cane sugar – it’s more inline with the rest of our flavoured matcha assortment and, frankly, it just tastes SO MUCH better. Such a much more clear and direct vanilla note. Amazing on its own or in a latte.

I’m so biased, of course, but I think this this organic is such an improvement. SUCH an improvement. For the first time in my nearly ten years of drinking DT’s matcha blends, I’m actually regularly drinking the vanilla…

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.

Backlog – Sipdown!

Tasty, but this dessert tea exists in a state between “satisfies sweet tooth” and “it’s so cloying and rich it’s nauseating!” I also don’t get pie as much as I get candy corn (this isn’t a terrible thing though). However, my mom adored it, and found nothing to criticize — so, maybe the sweetness overload is just me. I’d consider getting more for her, and snag the odd cup that way.

Sipdown – I finished this off a couple of nights ago but apparently didn’t write a note. I never did find a temperature or steep time that made this blend particularly enjoyable for me. It’s just sort of all-around tart, sort of generically red berry and hibiscus tart with not much sweetness, while also having a thin mouthfeel. So it feels unbalanced and not super intriguing. Unfortunately not a fan. It’s drinkable, but not much more than that.

I absolutely love this tea. The aroma is fantastic; the tea is a nice sweet, citrus, mild flavor. As most Oolongs, it can be steeped more than once and still keep its flavor. I have often referred to this as my “sunshine in a cup.” Unfortunately, David’s Tea does not have it on their website anymore. Hope they bring it back!

Adventageddon Day 7

This was my top of the day, and I was super excited to see it this morning because I had frozen blueberries in my fridge so I knew I could whip up a fun blueberry compote to use in a matcha latte. I ended up mixing that sweet, jammy compote I’d made with a vanilla milk and the matcha to create this really rich and flavourful “blueberries and cream” sort of vibe that was just a good midafternoon cuppa!

For a long, long time blueberry matcha was my favourite matcha flavour from DT. I have a few I like a little bit more now, but it’s definitely still top five and this was a divine way to enjoy it while doing something a little fun and extra for advent season.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDSws7ry2bL/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8lPeWRBLvE&ab_channel=KylieMinogue

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.

Whisked this up as an eggnog latte that I paired with a batch of freshly baked Quebec blueberry scones topped with marscapone and fresh berries. The scones are warm, buttery and very flaky and obviously go quite well with the smooth, complimenting blueberry flavour of the matcha latté, which is very much channeling a “berries and cream” kind of vibes when whisked up this way! It’s making for a pretty relaxing mid-afternoon tea break as the weekend winds down!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DCw-P_KyHLg/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueGlMl97fy0&ab_channel=TaliaRaeVEVO

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.

Blueberry was my first matcha love from DT back when I was still very, very early in my tea journey. It was exactly the type of blueberry flavour I gravitate towards and, on top of that, was just so versatile. Amazing hot and iced, with or without milk, great tea pop, and a really refreshing matcha lemonade too. I even baked with it semi regularly. I’ve definitely discovered (and been part of creating) some other matcha blends since then that I’ve fallen a little more in love with, but this is still an EASY top five for me.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-agHIUuTyg/

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

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.

From this past Matcha Monday!

This matcha is delicious with fresh, jammy notes of blueberry unlike any other blueberry matcha I’ve tried – and I’ve definitely sampled my fair share…

Inspired by teainplaces on IG, I’d like to share a little bit more about this chawan. It was actually my very first matcha bowl, and it was purchased for me almost a decade ago as a birthday present. I helped pick it out, since it was quite a “high ticket” teaware purchase – it was the teal pattern that caught my eye. It’s one of a kind, from a now defunct website that curated artisinal ceramics from small Indie ceramacists across Japan. At the time, it was the most expensive piece of teaware I owned, and though it’s not anymore, it’s still the most expensive matcha bowl of the dozen or so I own…

I don’t post photos of it all too often because the fine hand painted details and gold embellishments are so fickle to photograph, and it breaks my heart a little bit to see pictures that don’t even come close to capturing its real life beauty. This photo is alright, though. Just alright.

(This organic version of Blueberry Matcha is currently only available in wholesale channels)

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuzyhnXubg-/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LV8Sm-XFak

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 love cinnamon and chocolate together, but this was quite nice.

I’m not a huge fan of ginger, but received this in a sampler pack and was pleasantly surprised. I would consider buying it.

Nice, mild flavour, and definitely helps me relax!

I ‘ve had this several times and really like it. It’s a unique blend of white and green teas that doesn’t taste like anything else I’ ve tried.

Hmm… I think this one is a tad older but that’s fine I got it on clearance but the main note is the green tea with a hint of coconut and a whisper of cranberry. I like it though, I prefer it cold/ iced… I may cold brew the other half of the sample packet.

A cupboard staple! I don’t use tea for medicinal purposes but I love this tea when I’m feeling a bit stressed. Usually only iced unless it’s winter. It’s fresh and minty… a teeny bit savory? But I like it hehe.

I wouldn’t buy this since I’m not a big coconut fan, but I have to say that it was really quite decent. It didn’t require as much sugar as other unsweetened matchas I’ve tried, probably because the coconut brings some of its own sweetness. The coconut tasted slightly toasted, which was fun. It was well-balanced so you could still taste some matcha below the flavoring.

I wouldn’t say this tastes like guava particularly, but the flavor is pretty pleasant and not too tart. I would have guessed the flavor was strawberry or some other berry. I enjoy it cold with plenty of sugar. Though a bit generic, it’s a decent fruit punch type tea.

Sipdown! (3 | 192)

Another cold-brewed tea. I don’t generally drink iced/cold tea, but I’ve been enjoying it lately so taking the opportunity to get through some sipdowns while I can.

I like lychee, but this wasn’t my favorite. I think it’s because lychee is already quite floral on its own, and here it’s paired with jasmine. Maybe if it had been a scented tea, I would’ve liked it better. But jasmine flavoring is used instead, which tastes a bit too perfumey for me. Otherwise, it has a nice lychee flavor to it, and the apple adds a gentle sweetness. Something has slight peppery notes to me, like chrysanthemum, but there is none here.

Anyway, not a bad tisane, just not to my personal tastes. Happy to have it finished!

This turns out so deeply beautifully blue. The flavor is spicy ginger plus artificial fruit. It’s strong and pretty tasty. I’m not sure I’d buy a whole bag, but I really wouldn’t mind having this again.

One of my DAVID’s TEA favorites, influenced by Tea with Jann of course! I found Jann’s videos when I was just turning 18 and I created thereadersteacup over on Instagram and a now-closed blog soon after. She made the wide world of tea a bit more accessible and a lot less overwhelming. Prior to her videos, I only knew that Harney and Sons, Tealightful, and the local tea room had looseleaf tea. Now, I have a decent collection and tea addiction… Also, I’m so grateful to have Jann as a tea friend, she’s such a positive part of our community and I’m so happy she’s back to making videos.

Really enjoying this one as a latte! I’m so glad I got the sampler box because I’m trying some new things! It’s more of a cinnamon tea blend than anything chai related based on what I’m tasting but as a latte it tastes like a cinnamonroll. YUM!

Sooo we had an oopsie with this one. For reference, I work with children and adults with developmental disabilities and I asked kiddos sister (a teen) to make a matcha for me because I was cleaning something up for her and my work kiddo and I gave her the directions but I drank it with strawberry milk (cherry blossom matcha ) iced and went to make another just to find out that she poured in a whole 50 gram bag in.

I now have a headache but it tasted great. It’s my favorite DT Matcha.