68
drank Pumpkin Pie Matcha by DAVIDsTEA
4160 tasting notes

DAVIDsTEA Matcha Advent Calendar – Day 1

You guyyyyyys (and gallllls), it’s advent time! SQUEE! (happy dance)

So I’m hoping to do a note for every tea, and at least one Instagram post a day. Wish me luck! I’ll be starting my mornings with matcha from this advent and toast with jam from the Bonne Maman advent. So I’ll probably put a few notes at the bottom about the jam too!

I prepared this as a matcha milk. I used the whole packet, which is probably about a tablespoon or a little more? (I couldn’t find the volume or weight anywhere on the package or calendar) I first added a little warm water and whisked the matcha into a thin paste before adding unsweetened vanilla almond milk up to a volume of 8 ounces and blending with an electric milk frother.

How is it? It’s okay. I don’t mind the added flavoring, which does go well with the milk and taste similar to pumpkin pie. The sweetness is strong but not overwhelming, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend using sweetened non-dairy milks. It looks like there are actual spices in here? But they tend to sink to the bottom and there’s not much so I doubt it would add a lot of flavor. The flavoring does come off a teeny bit artificial to me as well.

I will say, I am not a huge fan of the matcha base. Even in milk it tastes rather bitter, which does not bode well for traditional preparation. Then again, they do recommend 16 ounces of water for one packet, so it would likely be quite diluted that way. I will definitely have to vary my preparation a bit! This flavor just seemed like a good choice to pair with milk. :D

Anyway, the jam! Today it’s Pear-Mirabelle Plum Spread, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I adore pear and plum is one of my most favorite preserves. I will say the pear is definitely the stronger flavor here, and it has a lovely sweet honeyed flavor. There are also some delicious big chunks of pear mixed in. I’m not sure how much I’m getting the plum? There is a little tinge of tartness there, but I know Mirabelle plums are supposedly very sweet so that could be why I can’t distinguish it well from the pear. Delicious though!

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQxllmAUip/)

Flavors: Artificial, Bitter, Cinnamon, Clove, Grass, Nutmeg, Pumpkin, Spices, Sugar, Sweet

Preparation
Iced 3 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Courtney

ADVENTS! Happy December! And, all the jam (the pear plum sounds amazing)! My Grand Cru from DT is also quite bitter, and I’m very careful to add water at a low temperature, but alas! I look forward to seeing how Teavivre’s matcha is instead. :)

Cameron B.

I used 175°F water for this, so I could try a bit lower and see if that helps. I definitely have plenty of opportunities to improve my technique! ;)

Martin Bednář

Aaahh, Mirabelle spread. With pear. Sounds like a wonderful combo!

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Comments

Courtney

ADVENTS! Happy December! And, all the jam (the pear plum sounds amazing)! My Grand Cru from DT is also quite bitter, and I’m very careful to add water at a low temperature, but alas! I look forward to seeing how Teavivre’s matcha is instead. :)

Cameron B.

I used 175°F water for this, so I could try a bit lower and see if that helps. I definitely have plenty of opportunities to improve my technique! ;)

Martin Bednář

Aaahh, Mirabelle spread. With pear. Sounds like a wonderful combo!

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- November sipdowns: 9
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 152

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

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https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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