DAVIDsTEA

Very cozy tea. Warming for the winter!

For the sipdown prompt, “a vegetal tea.”

This tea had such a strong aroma that I could smell it any time I opened the gallon ziplock bag that housed this and several other green teas… and that was with the package still factory-sealed. (I do hope the other teas in that bag haven’t taken on any residual aroma…) And this tea is from 2018, I believe? The test of time apparently hasn’t dialed down the butter flavoring.

It’s the same sort of butter flavoring that is added to many Milk Oolongs, which (controversial, I know) I don’t mind, and sometimes downright crave. I really like naturally buttery and sweeter sencha, but never know how to find them and always end up with sencha that is strongly marine/seaweedy or really umami which just aren’t my favorite flavor profiles, so I was intrigued by a butter-flavored sencha. It’s good, but doesn’t taste too much different than what I’d get from a flavored Milk Oolong… it even sort of has that silky mouthfeel. I can taste a grassiness beneath the butter, but the main flavor note is brussel sprouts drenched in melted butter.

Oddly satisfying on an extremely gray, downpouring day.

This is a full-bodied black tea. The leaves are a lovely length, but I wouldn’t steep this for too long as I suspect it might become totally undrinkable. It’s earthy, malty and a little smoky. It’s got quite a few layers to it and I enjoy drinking it black as I think you can taste the subtleties best then. I would consider repurchasing it, but it’s one of the brand’s more expensive teas, so probably not.

I really like this tea it tastes like buttery caramel popcorn. It is a fruit infusion with candied pineapple, apple, dragonfruit, licorice root, popcorn and caramel. I can’t taste the fruit. I think it just adds to the sweetness. I am glad it does not have stevia in it. I added a little sugar I would rather add my own. Next time I will try it as a hot then an iced latte. It is a nice treat.&

I really enjoyed this blend hot and iced. Hot it reminded me of mulled wine and iced it reminded me of sweet cranberry juice with a slight cinnamon aftertaste.

Wow – I love this tea! Now, I’ve said it before, I’m not a big fan of herbal/fruit infusions. They’re usually too tangy for me. There are a couple of exceptions and I have nothing but love for them. This is definitely one of those exceptions. I know there’s gotta be a ton of god-knows-what in there to make it taste so buttery and cookie-like. I don’t care. This is perfect for a dessert tea, something when I crave a sweet for after dinner and don’t want to consume all the calories that go into it, plus no caffeine to interfere with sleep (although my sensitivity to caffeine isn’t high). Just a dash of evaporated milk and we’re good to go. Buttery, caramel, cookie goodness with some cocoa notes. Absolutely yum.

Another TTB tea! This has a nice, light fruity flavor. It’s always fun to find pear teas. I don’t taste much black tea, but I think I would have preferred it without any so the pear could shine more. It’s not tart, just mild and fruity. I enjoyed it more cold, but I don’t really need it again. The second time I had this, I found the flavor to be a bit too light for my preference.

Nourishing, strengthening and calming, my face is a furnace!

Sweet aroma. Juicy minerality, oily and full of voluptuous honeyed lychee with yellow plum hints. Very diffuse, tingly bitterness with oaky/plum skin tannins. Aftertaste comes from the throat and is strongly caramelized honeydew, toasted coconut and cocoa butter and oh, yes, does it linger. Even some cooling in the mouth after the first several steeps. By the fifth steep, the taste has faded into roasty, woody and hay notes mixed into a tart taste.

This tea is a brilliant introduction to the world of Dan Cong oolong. It gives what it has without challenge. There are pronounced aromas, mouthfeels and tastes along with a seductive aftertaste. That diffuse bitterness perfectly balances the sweetness. I see this tea’s lack of longevity as a strength. The first four steeps were all I needed for a wholly satisfying experience.

Thanks for the sample, Leafhopper :)

Oh yeah, a tiny dab of patchouli on the wrists while drinking this was magical.

Sipdown! (47 | 321)

I was excited to try this tea, but ended up not loving it, so now I’m glad to finish off the pouch. I think I bought it last year?

It’s not bad, I just feel like I don’t really taste the bergamot at all. Like if Earl Grey wasn’t in the name, I think I would say this is just a pumpkin spice black tea. I don’t get a lot of creaminess either, which is mentioned heavily in the description. Mostly I taste clove, cinnamon candy, and a touch of cardamom on a black tea base. There’s something at the end of the sip that hints at bergamot, but it gets a bit overpowered by the clove.

Anyway, not a bad tea, just not what it says it is, at least to my tastebuds. I do still like it better than Pumpkin Chai though, I think.

Yep, this was a hit with the family – including my (almost) three year old nephew; once he got a taste for it he guzzled my sister’s cold lukewarm cup. It’s starting to be a worrying trend with him.

I still don’t love the stevia, but there’s a lot like about this casual tea. So, sipdown (for now).

I normally go out of my way to avoid stevia (and David’s Tea’s apple) but there are too many ingredients I that I do love here, including: aniseed, fennel, allspice, coconut, clove(!!) … also the promise of buttery crepe cookie à la Roswell Strange’s description (the tea delivers and I’m happy). I’ve also come to realize I enjoy creative puerh blends (as lattes), and this fits the bill.

A part of me does wish this was a little spicier (current pofile: soft cinnamon, light ginger, mellow fennel, etc) but appreciate that doing so would lose that delicate fortune cookie concept – which this tea totally nails (for my spice cravings, maybe it’s time I pick up a proper masala chai).

Adding milk helps the stevia “play well”, which makes me more inclined to keep it around during the cooler months. Lately, I seem to crave those sweet dessert teas that David’s Tea is known for; maybe due to fall’s nostalgia effect? I also just enjoy looking at this tea. The blend is pure eye-candy. There are big pieces of cinnamon sticks, coconut rind, and assorted spice seeds & pods, all making for a cozy collective of yellow, orange, red, white, black, and brown hues (again, fall, but also fortune cookie).

Steep:
212°F
5 min

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet apples, cinnamon (but there is no cinnamon!)
Steeped Tea Smell: apple, warm apple cider, hint vanilla
Flavor: vanilla, apple, cinnamon, sweet, tart
Body: medium
Mouthfeel: soft, milky
Aftertaste: tart
Liquor: translucent yellow orange

Comments: there is no cinnamon but i swear it’s apple cinnamon creamy with whipped cream warm apple cider

Post-Steep Additives:
Honey
sweet vanilla creamy apple
Like a nice apple cider latte

Resteep:
weak, watery, not worth while

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

Twitter – https://twitter.com/CircuitSwan/status/1579693742059315202

Blog Post – https://amazonv.blogspot.com/2022/10/davidstea-teabag-herbal-tea-apple-cider.html

Twitter – https://twitter.com/CircuitSwan/status/1579693742059315202

YouTube Review – https://youtu.be/2FtdgfGgqwc

TikTok Review – https://www.tiktok.com/@circuitswan/video/7153868816726920494

Statement of Sponsorship or Advertisement:
I purchased this product.

Disclaimer:
All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Latte Sipdown (2380)!

I was actually looking for Eggnog Matcha this morning, but I found this one first and I had exactly enough to make a latte of it so I went that route instead. With some cashew milk, specifically. It was rich and creamy, with exactly that sweet and pillow-y store bought sugar cookie taste. Y’know the ones. Little fluffy discs with pastel frosting in shades of pink or blue.

I don’t know if I’ll miss Sugar Cookie Matcha in the grand spectrum of more dessert-y matchas that DT has released/currently offers, but I always had a good time with it. It’s perfect for those sweeter matcha type of cravings.

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

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH3ujNH_fnY

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!

Tastes exactly like those super soft and pillow-y sugar cookies from the grocery store with the fun coloured frosting. They’re a total guilty pleasure, and now in matcha form too! Just sweet enough, but not too sweet either. Since I’m not as fond of minty matchas, like Candy Cane, I can definitely see this becoming my go to matcha latte this holiday season!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck9JBOaP13D/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMLaQlZdlh8

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 Matcha!

It’s hard to think of teas coming out right now as “winter teas” because it’s only October and here in Montreal it’s just starting to properly feel like Fall. However, this is meant to be a new winter and holiday sort of matcha flavour. Though, in a way, sugar cookies are a year round kind of thing.

There really aren’t a lot of wintery/holiday kind of flavours that DT hasn’t explored in matcha at this point – we’ve got all the classics like gingerbread, candy cane, and eggnog. The thought process here was more along the ideas of the baking people do during winter or the cookies one might leave out for Santa. I thought that was kind of a cute concept!

It’s definitely a “don’t overthink it” kind of flavour though! If I had to give a simple comparison or description, those pillowy thick sugar cookies at the grocery store are probably the most spot on for this particular matcha. Something like this:

https://lifemadesweeter.com/wp-content/uploads/Soft-Lofthouse-Style-Frosted-Sugar-Cookies-are-the-perfect-sweet-treat-with-a-glass-of-milk…-e1449929079756.jpg

Sweet and a bit creamy with a slight buttery quality. Sorta doughy.

Is this my favourite matcha? No, but it’s far from my least and I think it does taste like how it’s supposed to. Plus, aside from the sweetness, it’s a pretty neutral flavour that works well for matcha lattes or incorporation into baking. Like a very gentle twist on vanilla matcha, but without the coconut nectar taste that accompanies DT’s vanilla matcha – which I know isn’t for everyone.

And on that note, I need to remember to actually try making my own batch of matcha sugar cookies this winter with this appropriately themed matcha!

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 didn’t enjoy this tea when I tried it about five years ago, but I was happy to give it another try when I saw some in the TTB. Yeah, the flavor here is just so artificial and sweet and strange. It doesn’t remind me of red velvet, but the flavor does sort of remind me of a jar of store-bought icing. But that also isn’t right for red velvet cake since those usually have cream cheese icing. Unfortunately, I just find this blend to be fake and bad.

Not a favorite, but I tried it in the SVTTB and finished the last two cups worth ( I made a pot). I didn’t get caramel or shortbread from it, It was like a cranberry twist on Forever Nuts that didn’t work.

Strange VariaTEA TTB: Tea 26

The good thing is I think I can taste teas. The bad news is, it’s because I’m really not liking how this tastes. I think it’s just overly sweet from probably the liquorice and it’s just not working for me. It is helping to suppress the cough though and for that, I’m thankful.

This has a pleasant, authentic coffee flavor, and I don’t taste any puerh, which is a relief to me. With milk and sugar, this was like a nice cappuccino. It was just the right level of coffee for me to be desserty, but not bitter and unpleasant. The resteep still had a nice coffee flavor, and the puerh came out a bit more, but still at a level that I could stand. I enjoy trying all DavidsTea blends, so I was really happy to see this one in the TTB!

For the sipdown prompt, “an apple tea.”

This tea smells lovely… a very sweet aroma somewhere between caramel and vanilla, with an apple undertone. On the sip the apple is in the forefront, with a sweet caramel note that has a coating quality and a sort of sweet vanilla cream at the end of the sip. This is all creamy apple desert, and it’s a very comforting evening herbal cuppa that satisfies a dessert craving.