Dryad Tea

I’m upping my rating from 83 to 86; I find that the less of this leaf I use, the more I like it. I usually steep a bunch of dried lemongrass and drink it a few times a week—daily, if I remember. Yesterday, I added a bit of this blend to the lemongrass, and it was super lovely.

Take two.

Being the scientific type and a huge advocate of precision, I … changed every variable at once. :D Less tea (maybe .75 tsp instead of 1, but Steepster won’t let me submit .75), more water, lower temperature, shorter steep. And yay, so much better! This time, the violet candy fragrance I detected in the dry leaf was absent. Nothing in the leaf’s changed since yesterday, so I’m going to chalk it up to wishful thinking on my part. The best thing is that the brew tasted floral, not soapy. As it cooled, I could swear a bit of the violet candy vibe came back. After yesterday’s experience, though, I didn’t let it cool much, and successfully avoided the bitterness and the astringency.

Oof, the bouquet is very strong in this one. The flavour even lingers quite a bit, which is also something I’m not used to with greens. Another thing I noticed is that the vegetal greenness I noticed yesterday was absent today; instead, the base served to brighten the other flavours.

This isn’t an everyday cup for me, but I reckon it’d be really nice to have on occasion. I’ve still got some left—maybe cold, next time? I feel comfortable rating it this time, and the more I nyum-nyum, the more I appreciate that it’s trying something different.

I’d still call it the Lavender Duke, though.

This blend has me at such a loss. I didn’t know that Earl Grey without bergamot was a thing. I thought bergamot is what made Earl Grey, Earl Grey. TIL.

Let’s start with the dry leaf fragrance. A few weeks ago, I was staying at a place that had hand soap whose fragrance reminded me of those violet candies that were popular when I was a kid. And it’s funny, because at that time, I had the thought that it would be interesting to try a tea that reminded me of that candy.

Now I’m not so sure.

The fragrance of the dry leaf is bold, which I love. And it’s—pow!—floral, which I … think I like? It was definitely interesting. And it absolutely reminded me of those violet candies! The steeped brew had a much milder fragrance, which started to regain its intensity as the brew cooled. I did get a vegetal whiff of green tea from the brew, which I didn’t from the dry leaf.

When I took my first sip, my first thought was, oh no, it’s the soap gene all over again. You know how some folks think cilantro tastes like soap? This tea tasted kind of soapy to me, and that wasn’t great. I let it cool a bit, just to see what would happen, and it got really bitter and … what’s that thing where it dries out your mouth? astringent? That. Finally, I added some sugar to it, and that made it more palatable.

Lessons learned:
- The packet says to steep for two to three minutes. I did closer to three, and should probably try closer to two next time.
- I used a tsp of leaf and could probably use less. I appreciate that it’s a strong brew and a little goes a long way. (Kind of surprising for a green tea blend, which I tend to think of as mild, subtle things.)
- Drink it hot! Don’t let it cool.
- Maybe sweeten it a bit right from the start.

It’s definitely interesting. But Earl Grey is pretty much my favourite, and this is not that. Given my druthers, I’d call this one The Lavender Duke. {snerk} Leaving off the rating this time because I honestly don’t know what to make of it.

I found a box of tea from Dryad. Checking their website, it looks like I placed my order nearly two years ago.

Oops?

I’ll try to be less critical, since it could be that it’d be better if it were fresh.

Then again, maybe it’ll work in a blend’s favour! The only other tasting note for Skylark says that it’s minty + fruity and medicinal. I didn’t get any mint at all (thank goodness). It just tasted like mulled cider to me, or maybe mulled … fruit punch? Maybe not quite, but it definitely had more nuance to it than just apple. It’s not my favourite thing (I lean more towards spicy or floral than fruity), but it’s quite nice. I think I’ll have the second cup of this sample cold and see what happens.

Only a hint of cinnamon and vanilla in this blend, it may have a lot of caffeine, but it also has a mate bite that’s throwing my tastebuds off. If there were a bit more assam taste here I’d say it was well blended, but it’s too lopsided to me.

I’ve been nurturing this cup for far too long because I don’t want it to end. This has all the bold spice I want in a chai on a smooth black base, and the rich smoky aftertaste makes me feel like I’m drinking the scent of a campfire – it even lingers like that campfire smell. Something about this brand and their smoky teas just keep winning me over.

Dove back into my giant Dryad sample box today and pulled one out at random. This tea is wild and I’m enjoying it.

I’m a skeptic when you give me cucumber and mint. I love a good mojito, but it’s one of those flavors that often isn’t good at all. Add melon and make it a hot tea and I just don’t know.

The scent is definitely throwing me back to early 2000s girls locker room, when every other person seemed to have a lotion or body spray in cucumber melon. I’m surprised that the cucumber shines in the flavor, followed with a subtle mint and slightly grassy finish. The aftertaste is where I notice a bit of green melon.

I am very curious about this as a cold brew and will be adding it to my list for a purchase.

Another Dryad sample from the huge and gorgeous box! Lemon is definitely the dominant flavor here, and “bright” is an appropriate descriptor of the tea. It is reminiscent of many black tea/lemon combos that go heavy on the lemon; unfortunately, most of the other flavors are lost here in the blend. It’s fine hot; if I tried it again I’d definitely go the iced route.

Sitting here listening to Assassins Creed music and having some very serious contemplations…. This is a decent blend. Notes of blackberry and vanilla Bits of varnish and deep woods. Fruit jam. The citrus hits first and then changes to sweet fruit. It is a good blend but it doesn’t make me sigh or say wow.

Imagine a steampunk lady walking down a cobblestone road. It is misting and starting to rain. The nearest shop is her favorite, a tea shop. They have a special blend there, named after her. It is a citrusy blend that smells of rose gardens on a bright summer day. The flavors are light. You musn’t add anything to it lest you miss the fruitfulness as it dances past your palate. The black base gives it a bit of body to keep the citrus and fruit from floating you away. The raspberry comes out quite a bit more than expected, especially as the tea begins to cool.

Hint of chai with a strong earl grey presence. I love that this says bergamot and not natural flavors. Many companies will just add natural flavors to enhance it instead of relying on the bergamot because, like many food-related things, it can only be found in a specific area. It is a smooth blend along with the cardamom. I was worried the cardamom would overwhelm or just plain not sit well with the bergamot but the blend works perfectly. The mouthfeel is smooth and it leaves a pleasant, clean, citrusy aftertaste in your mouth.

Xavier appears to be a RPG character. Based solely on what I read below it seems this blend matches him though I kinda of feel that he would enjoy a China congou as well.

https://www.kalijor.com/encyclopedia/people-future/xavier_quinn/

In our world Ravens in the library would be absolute chaos. But in the world of Houite Ravens frequent the library and good tea is always provided. Ravens are companions to those lucky enough to have been accepted. They share an affinity and a certain pair loves Earl Grey. He is the master of the library. Takes his tea every morning at 160 F. No milk or sugar. Though if it’s a humid day he will spot chill it using frost glare. A spell he must be careful not to use on the teen crows. He loves the blend a bit over steeped. With a bit of puckering astringency. The creaminess takes him away to his younger years and that white Raven he hopes to find again one day.

They must have used a Tie Guan Yin as the base. You are hiding with the cinnamon like an angsty teenager but like any good mom (of tea) I know you’re there. If you focus on the minerality from the oolong the rice pudding notes get a little weird but overall this is a relaxing blend. I could see drinking this at an Inn sitting on a pillow near the fireplace while my little dragon lounges next to me.

This smells like an Inn. More specifically it smells of an Amish inn located in Indiana. It was a lifetime ago but the nose knows. Sweet and fruity. I feel that this blend would probably be better cold brewed. It could also be that it just doesn’t mesh well with my lox bagel with cucumber on top. As it begins to cool the fruity flavors come out more. Kind of reminds me of Fruit Stripe gum. It’s very light but I can also taste the beet, however, it mixes well with the rest of the flavors so it’s not off-putting.

The dry aroma is the best part of this tea. Smells like Cinnamon french toast or bread pudding. The wet aroma is the same at first but the longer you steep more cooked squash notes come out along with cinnamon. Not a big fan of the flavor though. It’s not terrible but just not quite as strong as I was expecting. There are hints of cinnamon and bits of vanilla. Bread pudding and lightly fluffed french toast. But the base black tea seems lacking.

This tea makes me excited for Hocus Pocus 2. I truly hope it is a good movie because the first is a classic. I could see Winifred drinking this right before the sun rises. Or maybe they don’t enjoy things of this world. Would make sense. On a completly different note, I have always enjoyed curry and we recently discovered that adding kaffir lime leaves gives it the flair that I really like from restaurants. The thing is you really have to know how to handle the proportioning because it is incredibly potent. One leaf is enough to flavor a huge pot of curry. We started off with four our first-time _. What is my point with this? There is lime leaves in this brew and if they had not portioned these correctly this would have been quite the tea XD. The dry aroma is warming with slight mulling spices. There is a hint of the lime leaves in the liquor flavor but the spicy and fruity mulling flavors along with the woodsy notes from the black tea help taper it down.

A dark black tea blend. For someone who knows the six types of teas this is a confusing statement. For a refresher they are White, Yellow, Green, Oolong, Black (red in China), and Dark. Pu erh falls under the category of Dark and since there appears to be no Dark tea in here I am assuming is a descriptor. It is indeed very black in my mug but in a tasting cup, it is golden amber and clear. The dry aroma is warming and spicy. But the liquor aroma is slightly milky and kind of reminds me of a plant outside. Ooo and then wet leaf smells highly of cinnamon. This one can definitely take a longer steep than I originally thought it would. Mine was steeped for around 3 minutes but I think it could easily handle more and make it a stronger flavor punch in the face. There is a touch of astringency and a bit of a crisp mouthfeel. It is a nice flavor with the woody notes of the black tea, the toasted notes of the mate, the spicy harmony of cinnamon but the chamomile does something weird at the end. It’s the only thing bringing down the score for me.

This tea really struck two different chords when hot vs. iced. The clove is most noticeable when hot, and especially when sticking to the shorter end of the recommended steep time. Steeped longer and colder, the mint stands out above the clove. Both are noticeable in either version, but depending on which flavor you want to see most, you may choose a different brew!

The scent here is very fruity, which makes sense given the wide range of fruits listed in the ingredients. No particular fruit flavor stands out over the other. The cinnamon was evident to everyone who tried it, but not overpowering (which is how I would prefer it given I drank it iced). I would be interested in trying it hot.

The cinnamon here dominates the scent and flavor, especially early on in the sip when it’s piping hot. Rose is evident, but both cinnamon and rose fade overall as it cools. This seems like a better fit for a quick, hot sipdown when you want something a little warming.

I wanted to love this based on the description. It’s a pleasant enough green tea dominated by an artificial strawberry flavor and scent. The other fruits are masked heavily by this. I will admit that I’m not a big fan of how strawberry often comes across in teas, despite loving both strawberries and strawberry candy flavors; if you do enjoy strawberry in tea, this would be worth trying.
Both hot and iced, the tea felt similar.

A chocolate mint that brings the chocolate in particular. The mint here is noticeable at first, but as it cools the chocolate dominates. I can’t place why it feels a little like chocolate covered candied fruit, since there’s not fruit to speak of in the ingredients, but I definitely get that vibe more than the Thin Mint claimed in their description.

Even though bergamot and citrus are not listed anywhere, this reminded me strongly of an earl grey lavender tea and gave me (and my partner!) a bit of citrus flavor.
Unfortunately for me, the lavender dominates; perhaps that’s due to my own sensitivity to lavender or perhaps it really is that strong. I’ll never know, but my partner wound up drinking most of this cup for me.

A smooth green tea with clear presence of jasmine. Despite ingredients, neither cup in my sample gave me much in the way of fruit, apple, or other flavors I’d expect with apple pieces (though I’m not even sure I saw any in my bag). I tend to prefer a much stronger jasmine if I’m going that route, so this one isn’t for me, but it’s not a bad cup.