Davidson's Organics

All I remember about having this one before was that it was bitter and not good. So I dropped the temp to 195° and did a shorter steep time. And I used all the reaming leaf I had so I’ll never have to have this tea again.

Which is good because, even though this was made with lower temp water and a lower steep time, there is still this unpleasant bitterness that builds in my mouth after a sip. The tea itself doesn’t taste bitter, it’s just the aftertaste that shows up a second or two after each swallow.

Meh. It’s not as horrible as I remember it being but it certainly isn’t fun. And since the bitterness just seems to be getting worse as this cools, the rest of this cup is getting tossed out.

Another random tea from my grocery store. Dry, I smell hints of cinnamon and pickle. No, really, I do. Just whiffs but it’s there. Brewed, it smells a little buttery and a little fruity and pretty strongly tea-like. The taste is nutty and a bit Darjeeling-like without having quite the same edge, but there is a nutty bitterness and astringency that fills my mouth after I swallow. The taste before the bitterness is pretty okay. Sort of like an old and un-sparkly Darjeeling. Not overly interesting but tasty. Before the evil bitterness.

I wonder if that bitterness will go away if I use less leaf, treating it like I would a black tea instead of like an oolong. At the same time, though, the taste of the tea might be pretty thin using less leaf because the flavor right now is obvious but flashes rather quickly through my mouth, chased away by the bitter end taste. Eh, I’ll have to try that next time because this tea tastes nice for that brief second before I swallow, but that end taste and feeling pretty much ruins this for me.

Okay, trying to save this. I diluted the remainder of my cup with hot water at a pretty much 1:1 ratio. Yeah, it’s like faintly Darjeeling hot water with an astringent tail. It’s boring. So it looks like my choices are flavorful but horribly astringent and bitter or a thin taste with lighter astringency and bitterness. Meh.

Yeah, just not a fan.
7.0g/12oz

All this talk about girlie, lovely jasmine teas lately! It has sounded so tempting! So when I was digging around in the pantry to figure out what to have and saw this sample, I thought I’d bust it out again.

The jasmine smell is nice. But to me, good jasmine tea is light and fluffy and sort of dances around happily. This one stomps more than dances and has a total lack of grace. The jasmine is just too heavy and unnatural seeming. Or maybe it is the other flavors doing it. I can’t get any almond, but I taste a hint of the orange, I think. But ultimately, I think the quality of the jasmine flavoring is not all that high – nor all that natural.

Regardless, it’s not a bad tea. It’s pretty okay. But compared to the type of jasmine tea I wanted, it is a total miss.

Wow, I’ve had a lot of tea today! This is the last bit of a small bag I picked up from the bulk tea section at my grocery store. I had enough leaf to make 3 cups but was only making for me and DH. One cup of chai just won’t do it around here as chai is a social tea only to be made for groups no smaller than two, so instead of having 1 cup’s worth of leaf languishing about, I dumped it all in.

The orange flavoring is not as strong but what of it there is is much stronger/darker. Orange peel instead of orange fruit. Now, neither DH nor I drink coffee unless we have to and even then, we both put lot of sugar and milk in it. That being said, this stronger chai is very coffee-like. Darker, heavier taste with a more acidic bitterness as an aftertaste. Of course, the fact that I made it with sugar and half milk/half water also lends toward the coffee similarity. Our type of coffee. Sweet, creamy, dark and a little acidic.

Did half milk/half water + sugar and tea and brought it to a boil. It’s like chai with a splash of creamsicle. Or if I made a light masala chai using my orange milk instead of normal milk. (Yes, I have orange milk – it is gooooood).

A nice mix of green rooibos and honeybush that tastes lighter than the traditional red rooibos. Tastes great iced.

Smells pleasant, not overbearing. I can smell the orange and the spearmint and the spice! It’s very light in color. Upon tasting the spice flavor is more prominent then you can taste the other flavors. I have to say I don’t like this one. I thought I would based on smell. But I don’t, I don’t think the Orange, Spearmint, and Spice blend well at all in this tea. Maybe my sink drain will like this one better.

It doesn’t smell but it has a nice color. Just a hint of Apricot – more of a tea taste tho. It’s fairly good for a ‘cheap’ tea.

Tastes like Hot Water. No flavor – No Scent. Not a tea in my book.

Dark in Color. Hint of Cinnamon Scent. Undertones of a few spices. Not over powering. Average Overall Taste. Good for those who like it on the light side of the chai scene.

One of the more flavorful Davidson’s Teas I have drank recently. You can smell the lemon. Taste the Lemon…but I think it’s the Mango that cuts the Lemon Sourness a little. It’s pretty good if you like a little zing!

Very Dark in Color. Barely-There Caramel Scent. Average Tea Taste…can’t really taste the Raspberry or the Caramel. Tastes ok as a tea but not so much with the other tastes…depends on what you look for I guess. I’ll still give it a thumbs up because it’s pleasant but if you are looking for the flavors…turn the thumb upside down.

I don’t think Davidson’s Teas are very strong at all but I’m giving this one a thumbs up because it’s a nice, delicate cup. A very light scent but the pear hint does come thru in smell. The Coloring is nice and the taste is average. Still worth a try.

Another first for me…never had this one before. It’s an average tea in a bag. Not very strong. You can taste the lemon…not so much with the honey.

I can taste more Almond than Tangerine. (I am having it as a follow-up to some chocolate.) Next to NO smell. It has a nice coloring tho. After a 2nd and 3rd taste you begin to get more hints of the tangerine. It’s fairly good.

Had to steep longer than directed. Pleasant – Light in taste. Before steeping light aroma…after steeping next to NO scent. If you are a beginner or aren’t into a strong tea taste…try this.