New Tasting Notes

Daylon generously sent me an entire vacuum-sealed ounce of this 2023 Long Feng Xia, which has been sitting in a box for just under a year. However, when I drink gaoshan samples, I drink them fast, so this tea was gone in just under a week. I steeped 6 g of leaf in 120 ml of 195F water for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.

The dry aroma is of orchid, lilac, sweet pea, and mild spices. The first steep has notes of orchid, lilac, sweet pea, cream, milk, sweet corn, grass, cookies, and hints of spice. Along with the cream and delicate florals, the second steep is a bit greener, though not bitter. The next couple steeps have headier orchid and honeysuckle notes, with some greenness in the background. With steeps five and six, the tea acquires notes of pine, spinach, and grass, though there’s still some sweetness and florality. The last few steeps are quite sappy and vegetal, with pine, spinach, grass, faint florals, and some sweetness.

Even though I usually don’t go for more vegetal oolongs, this one is highly drinkable and complex. The spicy florality in the first few steeps is lovely, and the sappy, piney note is reminiscent of other Shan Lin Xi oolongs. Thanks, Daylon, for sending me this tea!

A sipdown! (M: 5 Y: 5) prompt: January 19 – World Snow Day – drink a white tea!

I am in the same boat as Coutney. It’s not too flavourful, but thea dry tea bag smelled slightly of dragonfruit.

It is a sipdown nevertheless.

2025 sipdown no. 2

I expected this to be similar to Berried Treasure, but actually, Berried Treasure is the clear winner between the two. This tea has the same depth of flavour (and gorgeous colour), but the hibiscus and raspberry together creates more of a one-dimensional situation where it’s tart and not much else.

Loose black tea, smoked. I am not a lapsang souchong hater, but this one was really weird. The dry leave smelled smokey, it also had a strong spearmint smell. The tea tasted like if I was chewing on a moldy disposable wood spoon that was mint flavored. I don’t like it.

sold for $10 / 3oz

https://www.adagio.com/black/lapsang_souchong.html

This steeped up a dark red/burgundy. Very hibiscus, but much deeper in colour. This tea smelled very, very berry-y. The taste was much deeper and ‘thicker’ than I anticipated (like when I have Cavalla and think it will be like hot chocolate — this tea was the hot chocolate version, or like mashed berries poured into a mug). The flavour was akin to a warm cherry juice. But not exactly cherries — that may be the elderberry. Regardless, I was happily impressed with this one!

From the winter subscription box.

This sounded like a weird combination, but I’m mostly just tasting the coconut with a touch of cinnamon. And since I’m not a coconut fan, this is going into my rehoming box. It’s not bad though, it actually reminds me a little bit of horchata, but coconutty. There’s a distinct toasted coconut note to it.

Another from my recent order.  This blend sold me on VANILLA and this sold me on YUNNAN.  Yes and yes.  It definitely tastes like a tea that I would guess is Yunnan if I didn’t already know it was Yunnan.   It has Yunnan flavor notes.  Do I know what those are? no.  (I will say, the Yunnan leaf looks smaller than the huge Yunnan leaf in the Eggnog Yunnan blend, but that blend was YEARS ago anyway… so not really sure why I’m mentioning it here…)  I like that there is a variety of vanilla ingredients here: flavoring, vanilla beans and vanilla crystals.  I don’t think the cane sugar makes it overly sweet at all (I really just see an occasional vanilla crystal in the blend anyway).  It’s also not overboard on vanilla. I will say the second steep was probably a little too much at four minutes — the black tea became a little harsher for whatever vanilla remained on the leaves. I would probably stick with a three minute second steep next time.
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug // 19 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

I was very excited to try this tea, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I will say that Adagio gets the more starchy kind of element of the sweet potato quite well but it was lacking that more rich, golden and naturally sweet element of sweet potato for me. More than that, something about this was just a little bit bitter and burnt tasting. If it was, like, more of a “burnt sugar” or “sweet brown” sort of mailard element that more closely reflected the brown sugar or toasted marshmallow notes often associated with sweet potato pie that would be one thing, but it just really wasn’t…

I will definitely taste again and maybe make some adjustments to my steeping, but based on first impression this was a let down.

Restocked on this when I placed my last order, and so glad I did because now I have a full tin and can just enjoy this whenever I want again! Kind of crazy how ten(ish) years later it’s still my favourite tea from Adagio. Bold and smoky in a more savory sort of way with brothy but also whiskey like notes, balanced out by crisp red cherry and the sultriest touch of vanilla. I recently got a cherry and chipotle hot sauce that’s so smoky and delicious and when I had this cup I kind of felt like this was similar in some ways. It’s just so good!

Of all the brand new teas in this past winter’s countdown, this was the one I was most eager to try and I’m happy to say that it lived up to my excitement. I love the little burst of fleeting sweet and bright fruit in the initial sip before you taste a more distinct and very equally balanced mix of candied lemon and jammy raspberry. Sometimes I feel like raspberry can be hard to convey because it so easily comes off as generic red fruit, but I really love the raspberry flavour in this tea and I think it’s quite clearly raspberry.

The black tea is pretty full bodied and malty with a bit of briskness to it that suits both flavours well. I could actually see this being quite a good iced tea or cold brew because of that. I wish I got a bit more of the “linzer” element, but as this cooled I felt like the backend of the sip had a little more of a buttery or almost shortbread-like finish that reinforced that inspiration for me.

After a few bumps in the road (thank you Canada Post strike), my 52teas countdown arrived this week so I’ve been enjoying diving into the teas this weekend! At this point I’m just going to sip them in any order I want instead of following the countdown, and I started with this one because I was just craving something sweet but warming and it felt like it would fit the bill! I have to say that I think the snowflake sprinkles are cute, but aesthetics aside there isn’t a whole lot about this blend that makes me think of cookies. That said, I love how full bodied it is and the mix of spices is the PERFECT combination for a super iconic and wintery feeling chai. The clove and allspice in particular? Oh baby. Not too much cinnamon or ginger either, which I feel like could have made this a little too earthy and drying. So, for a sweeter chai, I think it’s very nice even if it doesn’t quite convey cookie to me.

I drank this yesterday while I was working and to be perfectly honest it barely made an impression at all, positively or negatively. I remember the thickness of the liquor and notes of both black pepper and cardamom but generally speaking it was sort of this heavier and more dense spice profile that totally just slipped right into the backdrop of my day. It was warmth, and caffeine but, well, not really flavour…

I guess I will need to drink it again and try and focus better!

Mana released this (I believe) limited edition flavour earlier in the year and I’ve been anxiously waiting for it to hit grocery store shelves in my area, and I finally saw it earlier this week! I almost picked up a case because I was so sure I was going to love it, but then decided to be conservative and just go for one can. I think I’m glad that I did because I definitely was immediately swept up in my first sips, though by the time I finished off the can the flavour had definitely grown on me.

The melon note was quite natural tasting, and definitely more of like a honeydew sort of flavour than I’d expected it to me – though in some regards it also tasted like an amalgamation of a bunch of different types of melons. I thought it might be sweeter, and though it had some natural sweetness, it was more mellow with just a bit of fleeting tartness right in the initial top notes/sip.

It was more the mint that I struggled with here. I was expecting/hoping for something a little more crisp and cooling with that menthol sort of finish. However, this is a pretty herbaceous and earthy leaning mint with a more muddy and coarse quality to it. Not cooling at all, either. I think maybe best compared to the taste when you actually muddle fresh mint sprigs but don’t add any sugar/sweetener. In that regard, very natural/authentic. Just, a little abrasive for me. Though, as I said, I feel my palate adjusted by the time I’d finished the can and it was definitely bothering me a lot less.

So interesting that when I first tried this kombucha like eight years ago I found it yeasty tasting. I did not get that at all this time around. I suppose the formulation could have changed, but I think more than likely it’s more that my palate has. This time around I found the flavour quite mild for a kombucha, almost like very watered down peach juice but with a pleasant effervescence/sparkle to it. A bit floral in the undertones, more like white peaches. Definitely on the more refreshing side, though I would have personally liked a bit more potency.

Sipdown (2750)!

Finishing off this random teabag sample that I think I got at a tradeshow a while back? It was totally fine tasting with a mildly vegetal flavour and the faintest hint of anise and citrus. A bit of an oilier mouthfeel. I just feel like I’m deeply spoiled by the very high quality avacado leaves I have from Epices de Cru, and even to a slightly lesser extent Harney & Sons. The quality of this one just pales in comparison, even though it’s not offensive at all.

Cold Brew!

It felt a little weird drinking this out of a straw after a week of very actively trying to remember I was not allowed to use a straw for a while as part of dental surgery recovery, but stiches are out now and I’m straw approved!

I usually drink this tea hot, but I actually liked it a lot cold as well. It was refreshing with a balance of smooth, floral rose and hop notes (with just a bit of an herby undertone) balanced by naturally sweet and delicate notes of honey, nuts, and just a little woodiness from the rooibos tea base. I did drink this late at night while watching some Twitch steams, and it was just easy going with exactly enough flavour to be satisfying but not enough to be too bold for a wind down tea.

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’ve noticed that in the last few months, I’ve been really gravitating towards straight botanicals more than I used to, and this is easily one of the better that I’ve tried. This special varietal of Greek Mountain Tea comes from the Island of Crete, and it’s probably the most unique tasting Greek Mountain I’ve had the pleasure of steeping. It’s very herbaceous, but in a little bit more of a soft and sweet sort of way with really distinct and clean notes of sage, hops, pine, and honey. Mostly the sage though! There are definitely key differences, but I couldn’t help but also think of yabao as I was sipping this – not only did the liquor steep a similar pale yellow but the aromatics and body were similar too. It’s quite something!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5TGBAJXhp/?img_index=1

Isn’t it just stunning!? I mean look at the fine, fuzzy down covering the stalks!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW-tdlCXVOk&ab_channel=BigWarmBed

Grandpa Style!

This is a pretty tightly compressed white tea, but I actually found that worked really well for this brewing method and allowed for a bit more flavour development than you would normally see with this method as the dragonball went from partially to fully opened up over the afternoon. Smooth and clean finishing all throughout, but with an almost butterscotch-like sweetness at the start with floral overtones before getting a bit more savory/brothy near the end with a soft of general autumnal kind of feel. A little miso tasting at times in a really nice way. I would be really curious what tasting notes would come from brewing this gongfu. Though, with the compression, it’s definitely the type of tea you would need a lot of time/patience to fully enjoy steeped that way. On the flip side, I almost never brew white tea grandpa-style, but would 100% see this as something I’d happily make again with this method!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DE8QWxxyhSg/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE9FC02NzLU&ab_channel=TheHubbards

Gongfu!

It feels like it’s been a moment since I had a nice sheng session, so this morning I steeped up this newer sample I got in a recent order. I couldn’t really remember anything about how W2T had described this production so I was going in pretty blind, and I was pleasantly surprised by how soft, sweet, and fruity I found this sheng to be. Aside from a really fresh and slippery feeling liquor, it had pretty fleshed out feeling notes of candied lilac petals with a gentle, peachy, and floral undertone and just a bit of a crisp, vegetal finish. A bit like snow peas?? It definitely picks up a bit more body over the session, with some thicker stonefruit notes that almost seem to fold in that still fruity but slightly sharper note of peach or apricot skins as opposed to the flesh of the fruit. Definitely different from what I’d expected from the name, but I really, reaalllyyyy enjoyed this session. Just a great balance of body, mouthfeel, and tasting note progression!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-tBm7yah4/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ3SpEonPtw&ab_channel=RITHO

Spring 2024: Wow! I wasn’t quite as impressed with the Spring 2023 batch, but this new batch I have purchased is just about as good as it gets for me. Nice and complex with all sorts of notes going on here. You have piney notes, minty notes, pine nuts, osmanthus florals, apricots, green grapes, hints of green apple, and cannabis. Great balance of not a super high price with a tea that delivers. Yunnan Sourcing is such a great tea source. This tea is really wonderful for blending, as well, and plays well with almost any other tea that I’ve combined it with. Love combining it with green teas especially. You can definitely buy more expensive white teas, but I think it will be difficult to find a better one.

This is a decent blackcurrant tea, but not my favourite. This version leans more into musty territory instead of sweet. Additionally, this is one you need to drink as soon as possible as astringency comes forward more and more as it cools (assuming this has to do with the Ceylon base). I prefer the blackcurrant from Tante T.

It’s finally the weekend! After a long, grueling week of work, I’m excited to try one of my new caffeinated teas.

This is from yet another sampler pack I picked up at HomeGoods. I really enjoy English Breakfast blends, so I had high hopes for this one. And, while the tea was fine, it didn’t meet my expectations. There was a lack of depth of flavor which was disappointing. I usually want my EB blends to have a really deep and rich taste, and this one just felt sort of watered down and lackluster. I can’t even pick out any flavors to list here…it’s kind of just plain black tea.

Hopefully I will find a better blend in this sampler pack.