150 Tasting Notes
I was excited to try this after the success I had with (the now sadly gone) Earl Grey Oolong, but Countess of Seville just never quite made it to the same levels of delicious. It’s not a bad tea – the bergamot and orange peel are balanced enough that they don’t overwhelm each other or the green base, and as long as you watch your temperatures, it doesn’t get bitter. But I think I might actually like Adagio’s Early Grey Green better. I can’t quite put my finger on why.
Preparation
A smooth oolong base with floral and fruity notes on top that actually taste and smell like pineapple. The fruit flavor is a lot more spot-on than other pineapple teas I have tried. Served warm, the fruit notes are bold with that similarity to fresh cut chunks of pineapple, but I really prefer this iced, because the citrus sweet tang of the pineapple was tempered into a refreshing drink.
Preparation
The aroma of chocolate this tea puts out was enough to make my housemate wonder if someone was baking cookies! I think she was disappointed when I told her it was just my tea, haha.
This tastes more like chocolate raspberry to me than chocolate strawberry, but it’s pretty tasty. It’s a little sweet and smooth from the vanilla, and it smells so good.
Preparation
This is a tea with some substance. Does it sometimes taste as though if I added a generous amount of sweetness it would be Nestea? Yes.
But this is easily the most full-bodied black tea I’ve tried from Davids. And it’s not bitter! Or at least, the lemon flavor is there to cut through potential bitterness and trick my tastebuds into thinking it was all an illusion. Seriously, though, I can’t get over the great texture.
I’d absolutely buy this again, as it seems like this could be the sort of tea that most people would be okay drinking… unless you hate lemon.
Preparation
Got this as a freebie and am very pleased with it! This is basically the same strawberry flavor as their regular Strawberry black, but the addition of vanilla complements it beautifully. I’d even say that the strawberry flavoring is stronger here, but not overpowering. There’s a sense of creaminess to each sip that I really enjoy.
Preparation
Well it certainly tastes like strawberry and rum! Definitely better cold-brewed, as the honeybush then doesn’t get too woodsy, and it’s already cold – I really didn’t like this warm. It’s way better with some added sweetness to bring out the strawberry and counterbalance the woody element.
Preparation
Am I the only one who finds the directions for brewing SBT confusing? Maybe I’m just overthinking it. In any case, I ended up steeping this tea twice to make 2 quarts because the first steep didn’t really seem to taste like anything and then for some reason I thought I’d done it wrong.
Anyhow, I understand the comments about a candy flavor. There’s a hint of hard candy in the way this tastes. The pear flavor is more like an aftertaste and reminds me of the part of the fruit closest to the core, just a little bitter. I don’t think I’d order this one again. Mostly because I’ve enjoyed other SBTs a lot more.
Preparation
This tea is almost too accurate to taste, ahaha. Every time I drank it I was like, “ooh I want a root beer now.” Which completely defeats the purpose of a tea substitute.
I’m not sure if they’re still carrying this, but I found it best with sugar. The sweet really brings out the vanilla and cinnamon notes of this and makes it taste like a flat soda. I just miss the bubbles.
Preparation
This tea is just confused about what it wants to accomplish in the world.
It smells like sweet warm cinnamon, but tastes like tart apple pie with confusing hits of papaya. The contrast can be a bit jarring. The cinnamon comes through more as a numbing sensation than an actual flavor. It’s just baffling.
Mamma Mia, I’m not going to miss you.
Preparation
I am going to have to try this one again! I feel like my tiny sample might have been old,or something, because so many of the tasting notes talk about the chai similarities and cinnamon flavors… which I am not getting here.
To me, this was a very nice and mild vanilla black tea with a hint of snickerdoodles. And it was glittery! So I felt like I was drinking pixie dust. I liked it, but I would like it even more heavily spiced, so I’m going to pick up a little bit more when I go back to their store.