New Tasting Notes

Not bad, but different. I’m trying to find more decaf options. There’s a bit of chocolate and certainly the Roobios. Will have to do more sips – almost a bit of caramel to me. I did expect a few more strong flavour notes to come through.

I taste a bit of vanilla, but this one was pretty mild. It was pleasant, but I prefer other more interesting flavor profiles.

Don’t know if you’ve noticed the great big blobs of storms and tornados on national radar this weekend, but said blobs have kept us in clench mode since Friday, with a nice case of Stormus Interruptus about 1 a.m. (All is well; the bad stuff fizzled before it reached us.)

But lack of sleep and need for energy drove me straight to the chocolate this morning—cookie dough protein bar and this decent strawberry tea. The chocolate appears to come from artificial flavoring, which always tastes a little thin and chemically, but the strawberry is just about right. Not a fussy steeper, either, which, given my groggy morning state, was helpful.

Next time, I’ll see if a spoonful of cocoa nibs beefs it up a little.

The last of the Ethereal Flight from Breakaway Matcha.

It doesn’t make the biggest foam but dang does the rest of the cup make up for it. At first sip it’s floral and dark blue-green aquatic but then turns to bright and succulent young grass. As it passes over my palate, it becomes darker and tangy with salad greens, like a bit of sorrel has shown up. This is where I notice a soft siltiness to the texture mixed with a touch of creaminess, both of which provide some intrigue. And then the finish! All along the matcha tastes very clean but in the finish it’s even cleaner. That slight tang morphs between an indecipherable fruity sweetness and the lightest mushroom umami breaks through (I’m gonna have to agree with chanterelles).

This is probably my favorite of the sampler :) Blend Hikari is umami-rich, though while elegant in its expression, it has only called to me when I’ve had a craving for that hearty profile. Blend Daphne also is a really beautiful matcha but best kept for whimsical afternoons or meditation. Blend Jizo is more of a daily, anytime sipper. This one, Blend Satoshi, has a dynamic complexity that I really appreciate and its energy seems to suit both mornings and afternoons equally well.

Perhaps the best green tea I’ve ever had. So incredibly fresh. Picked at the end of March and I received my order last week (so about a month since it was picked!) The freshness is really obvious in the flavor. Slightly nutty, bright green and vibrant.

Just received my One River order a few days ago, and very impressed with the couple teas I’ve tried so far. This is really nice- lots of dried fruit and honey.

There’s a weird fakeness in here that I can’t quite place. But also…it does slightly remind me of cookies and cream. Ha maybe the artificial-ness of that weird flavor is managing to make me think of the cream in an Oreo, which of course is vegan and made of who knows what. So this tea isn’t bad, but it’s a little fake for me. Decently well executed and accurate tasting with some sweetener and milk. The last time I had this, I tasted the popped rice quite strongly.

Love the rich flavors of this tea, and appreciate the dedication to theme in all of the creative blends from Aun-Juli and Riddle’s tea shoppe!

This is a clonal first flush that I included in my 2023 order because of its name. (Giving pretty names to Darjeelings seems to be common, and “Floral” is fairly restrained as things go.) I steeped about 4 g of leaf in 150 ml of 180F water for 3, 4, 5, 7, and 10 minutes.

The dry aroma is of honey, citrus, florals, spices, and herbs. The first steep has notes of honey, spring flowers, lemon, orange, pepper, herbs, and green veggies. There’s some crispness and astringency, though it doesn’t detract too much from the citrusy florals. The next steep is also herbaceous, lemony, and floral, with a nice sweetness balanced by green veggies and a bit of astringency. The third steep has a pronounced honey note, less florality and citrus, and a harder hit of astringency and veggies. I also get some nuttiness and green beans, though I may be detecting that flavour because I’ve been drinking a lot of green tea. The final two steeps are predictably astringent, but with enough honey and florals to be drinkable.

This is a nice Darjeeling, but it doesn’t reach the heights of some of the other Thunderbolt first flushes in my opinion. Using less leaf cuts down on the astringency but also on the flavour, and it’s hard to find a balance. Still, this is a smooth, sweet, floral, citrusy FF that I enjoyed finishing.

From a new Verdant order. Major props to Mrs. Li on this beautiful tea! An absolute treat. I’ve never had pre-Qing Ming Longjing before, so I have no similar comparators, but this certainly blows the other Longjing’s I’ve had out the water.

Medium-high sweetness that is beautiful. Mouthfeel is incredibly unique and chalky (in a good way). 1-2 mins of hui gan. Longevity is 4 golden infusions.

Apparently Mrs. Li has been at tea-making for 50 years. She has certainly perfected her craft. The #43 varietal was apparently bred specifically to bud earlier than classic Dragonwell varietals.

I’d say this was worth ~$1/g :).

Harvest: March, 2024
Cultivar: Longjing #43
Location: Longjing village, Zhejiang Province
Elevation: 300 m

Dry leaf: Artichoke.
Wet leaf: Artichoke, nutty.
Flavors: Artichoke, sweet, nutty, honey, chalk.

Second tea from new YOT order. Bought a brick of this as well as it was only $0.12/g and it is pretty nice! I think I like it more than the ripe from the day before. It still has a nice camphor flavor, but more muted. Not overly complex, but a nice brick with big leaves.

Dry leaves: Camphor
Wet leaves: Same
Flavor: Camphor, wood, dark

Spring 2023 harvest

Dry leaf: tangerine, passionfruit and cherry, indolic and fleshy white florals, vegetal undertone

Aroma: moderate with a sugarcane sweetness, rich florals, orchid, golden raspberry, milky

Taste: less impressive than the dry and warmed leaf. The base tea tastes stale with dried clumps of cut grass. It is slightly milky but more noticeable is the dry, mineral taste. More vegetal than fruity compared to the dry and warmed leaf scents. Certainly floral with a mix of fleshy white flowers, orchid and at times something aquatic like water lily. Short and mild milky sweetness. The energy is more caffeinating than relaxing, which is not what I desire in flower-scented teas.

I would like to try this fresh but the base tea quality doesn’t seem that great. The magnolia orchid, or white champaca, scenting is lovely, though.

This morning I woke up with a neck so sore that I am not certain it’s the same one I went to bed with. I nearly scrapped all of my plans for today to pencil in some therapeutic wallowing but was unexpectedly revitalized just in time to make it to a library presentation on obituary-writing. For my bravery, I believe I have earned the selection of a new tea from my admittedly overstocked cabinet while I reflect on my fondest memories of myself to immortalize.

I was uncertain how a oolong would respond to my unsophisticated methods, but this one clearly needs no help. I was stunned by the richness and fullness of the aroma, warm and intensely nutty – walnut or brazil maybe – with a vegetal or hay-like sweetness that clings coolly in your mouth. Near the bottom of the cup, I got a much more specific read on it that took me back to a barbershop-turned-bar where I once had a carrot juice cocktail and a dish of perfectly steamed edamame which, minus the delectable sprinkling of everything bagel seasoning that I have preferred on my edamame ever since, tasted not dissimilar to this tea.

Had at a café, and was delicious! Made me want to buy it and make for myself, but properly (I think this steeped, at most, 2 minutes)

Another finished tea today, and because it was single session sample from Kaylee not counted as a sipdown, though reduced from my cupboards. Thank you!

Although I am not a coffee drinker, I was somehow craving this tea. When I have opened the pouch, I knew it was a proper choice today. And it was rather the hazelnut than the coffee. I steeped it shortly, 3 minutes sounded enough for me; and I got just a lovely hazelnut cup with no bitterness from coffee. Honestly haven’t noticed that at all.
Also not much of the cake notes, it was rather like some hazelnut mousse or something, creamy and mild.

A sipdown! (M: 3 Y: 46)
As I wrote in previous note, this tea has gron on me and I like it more than I did before. Probably the base needed to air out, as well the orange and its flavouring used. Definitely better than first time tried.

Today, I finished my last 5 grams in the morning and it was refreshing but very bold and earthy in the same time, along with high caffeine content.

What all can change in two weeks since I was liast time home? Well, Probably most importantly, that our house is covered with scaffolding and we are without roof tiles. Also all trees have their leaves and flowers are gone. Partially because the freezing temperatures, partially because blooming season is over (at the beginning of May?!) We will see how many fruits we will harvest. And lastly, my ESD shoes and new softshell parka paid by the company arrived, so I had to try those things out or get them exchanged if size being wrong. Luckily, isn’t. To be honest, I wouldn’t return home otherwise.

Sipdown

We finished this tonight and not only was it not in my cupboard, it was not in the database. How? I added it to database, added it to cupboard, will leave a note, and then will remove from cupboard even though I don’t get the pleasure of seeing my number go down. (Although it did briefly go up by one.)

This was okay, but there are lots of Lupicia teas I like better. This has a very strong green apple taste like Sour Apple candy and gum from my childhood. Even though it is decaf, this is a flavor profile I would prefer on a sunny afternoon, and have it with some fresh fruit. Or just an ice cold cup ln a summer day.

I doubt I would ever repurchase this. I love their green rooibos fruity blends for decaf time and would just go with one of those.

Decided to give this another try

Didn’t give a diddly about parameters. It was full rolling boil for who knows how long because I was way too busy to time anything.

Verdict, I didn’t notice as much this time around. Likely because I just haven’t had time to pay any attention to any of it. Passable drink. Not bad, not amazing.

It does seem to meet my “I’m at work and don’t have time to fiddle with crap” need. :)

Last but not least from the recent 90s/2000s summer collection is Pink Lemon!

I think, flavourwise, this is probably the most straight forward of the blends other than perhaps the matchas!? Just a really punchy and lively tasting pink-lemonade inspired blend. We’ve carried a tea called Pink Lemonade before that was a rooibos base, but this is definitely different. I remember the rooibos blend was pretty polarizing because it had so much hibiscus and stevia in it and it really tasted more like a hibiscus lemonade. So, when working on this tea, we took those elements into consideration and ultimately created this tisane that doesn’t contain any stevia or hibiscus. Instead this tea gets its beautiful pink colour from light inclusions of beetroot and dragonfruit, which impact the flavour a lot less substantially to allow for a brighter and more true lemonade-like flavour.

It’s super iceable and definitely the most crowd-pleasing of the collection IMO. Very good as a tea pop, also, or spiked with some vodka or gin.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6J_r7QuSAp/?img_index=8 (8th Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEsv9wpm6m0

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.

Next up in the new summer collection is a matcha that, honestly, is a pretty strong contender for being my favourite DT matcha of all time. Top three for sure, easily.

Like the other matcha that launched in this collection, this one is a bit more expensive than other organic flavoured matchas and that’s because this matcha is more like a “semi sweetened” version. It actually contains 40% less sugar than our usual flavoured matchas, which is why the cost is higher but also why the taste is a little less sweet and more matcha forward.

Even with the sugar reduction, though, I find the taste fairly rich. Well, the coconut element in particular. It’s pretty creamy and definitely has a bit of a “thickness” to it that I don’t think any of DT’s previous coconut matchas (coconut water/unsweetened coconut) have had. That makes sense though because pina coladas are very creamy, rich cocktails. The pineapple is fresh and tropical tasting and compliments the fresh, vegetal taste of the matcha really well. It’s no secret that I have a personal fondness for pineapple, so maybe that biases me a little bit but I really do think the balance of flavours here is really well done and the lower cane sugar amount makes for an almost more “mature” feeling take on a flavoured matcha that, at least for me, has been something I reach for more consistently than the full sweetened flavours.

To that point, I actually have a kilo bag of this on my desk that I’ve nearly gone through because it very regularly ends up being the tea I reach for in the afternoons as, like, a post lunch latte and little caffeinated pick me up. And, y’all, it’s so good as a latte. Hot or iced. But, also, very good plain and as a tea pop too. Really, I have yet to find a preperation method that I don’t like with this matcha!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6J_r7QuSAp/?img_index=7 (7th Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA7XIru89U4

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.

Wow, I am really getting in a lot of writing today with these new teas!

This is one of the new teas from this summer’s 90s/2000s inspired collection. Though I know Cherry Limeade as a beverage has been around for decades it’s something that I personally really associate with the late 2000s as well as, specially, the fast-food chain Sonic’s very iconic Cherry Limeade slushies. That said, this is 100% a flavour I’m starting to see pop up pretty much everywhere and it really good me interesting in exploring it in tea form.

I love that it’s on an oolong base since that’s a tea type we rarely release new blends on, and I think that despite having pretty bold flavours you actually can taste the oolong in the blend just a bit. It adds a nice soft floral undertone that offsets the tartness of the cherry and citrus, and rounds out the cup a little more than it would be otherwise.

DT has definitely had A LOT of cherry teas so I think it’s a fair question to ask how this compares to others. I find the cherry notes in this blend are brighter and a little less sweet than the dark/heavy flavours of Cherry Berry Punch or Cherry Lucuma, and also less sour than Very Cherry. The tartness is comparable to Sweet Tart, in my opinion, but the overall flavour is less candy-like.

And then, of course, you have the limeade aspect. Technically, there is no lime in this tea and I think that it’s a fair criticism to point that out – I can totally understand expecting lime and then being disappointed when you don’t see it in the ingredients list. Really the only thing I can say to that is that we did try versions that included lime and in all our blind tastings we also felt like the versions without the lime actually tasted more like a limeade. It’s still bright and a little tart, with a distinct zesty citrusy flavour. Flavours are weird like like that sometimes – when you’re not staring at visual cues your brain often does a scarily good job at filling in the gaps. We still wanted to have something in the blend as an homage/nod to the lime though, and that’s where those gorgeous pomelo cubes come in. In the dry leaf they have a really lime-like appearance and provide a contrast of bright green against the red that winks at the inspiration.

Really, I think this tea is best iced. That’s pretty much exclusively how I’ve been drinking it the last year-ish, but of course there’s nothing to say it’s not good hot either if that’s more your jam. I think there’s a lot of fun cocktail things you can do with this blend too. I mean, it would be a great addition to a tea-based Cherry Lime Rickey, and if you wanna get really wild you could infuse it straight in vodka for a punchy cherry flavour you can add to other drinks.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6J_r7QuSAp/?img_index=6 (6th Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZwmciiLFPA

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.

Well this is from a new order from YOT. I had to give some of their other teas a chance when I heard how much the taste of HK was disliked by some people and considered an “off batch.” This shou is first up and I’m very glad I caked this because it is quite good for the price ($0.09/g). Overwhelming scent, but the taste is much more muted.

Mild sweetness, medium-thick mouthfeel. Lasts 12-15 infusions. Some of this cake literally looks like clumps of clay haha. I know it’s note, but pretty wild how different it looks due to the HK storage.

Dry leaf: Camphor
Wet leaf: Camphor
Taste: Camphor, wet earth, forest floor, wet wood, sweet

From the new 90s/2000s inspired summer collection! I really love this whole collection and it’s so hard to pick favourites, but this is definitely one of my top picks.

As is probably obvious from the name, it’s inspired by the red/white/blue Rocket Popsicles that many of us grew up with as kids. I learned during the development that there are actually a bunch of regional names for them like Firecrackers and Bomb Pops. To me, though, Rocket is the most iconic.

This is definitely a flavour that is having a moment right now – especially in the RTD world. This past year I’ve seen so many Rocket Popsicle inspired energy drinks, sodas, sports drinks, and even craft beers. The blend has red sprinkles and this blue-ish cotton candy bits as a visual homage to the popsicle inspiration, and I think on the black tea base they really pop visually and add a fun element to this tea.

The original popsicle is blue raspberry, cherry, and lemon lime flavoured and I think this tea hits all of those notes pretty dang well – maybe a little less on the lime? We also added some blueberry to ours, though it’s not as distinct tasting as you might think. Sure, if you really focus in while tasting you can pick apart this very juicy layering of fruits but as a tea just casually sipped on I really think it just creates a very authentic flavour of a melted ice pop with all of those notes kind of bleeding together into one sweet, fruity, and nostalgic taste. And yes, it is a sweet tea – but popsicles are sweet! I don’t think this would taste like the inspiration otherwise. This is also one of the blends in the collection that (at least in my opinion) is pretty equally good both hot and iced.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6J_r7QuSAp/?img_index=5 (5th Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn5_ZbP1vug

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.

Of the new summer collection this is the only tea that you could maybe arguably say isn’t new since, a few summers back, we carried a non-organic banana flavoured matcha that sold out very, very quickly. I’m glad this tea is “back” though for people who loved the OG one or who didn’t get a chance to try it back then.

Honestly, it tastes very similar to the previous one. There are some key differences though, and it’s actually not because of the organic switch. Eagle eyed tea friends might notice that this matcha is more expensive than other organic flavoured matchas, and that’s because this matcha is more like a “semi sweetened” version. It actually contains 40% less sugar than our usual flavoured matchas, which is why the cost is higher but also why the taste is a little less sweet and more matcha forward.

Otherwise, it’s that same rich banana flavour that reads a little like banana taffy or runts. Very nostalgic (as is this whole collection), and so good with milk! I definitely like this one on its own, but I adore it either as a hot or iced latte – and I actually recently tried it as an iced latte with chocolate milk and that was INSANELY good tasting for a really decadent chocolate covered banana sort of profile.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6J_r7QuSAp/?img_index=3 (3rd Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg3DkQTUHS8

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.