New Tasting Notes

Iced!

I know we’re in the heart of winter here in Montreal following two very, very heavy snowfalls from some recent blizzards but I just really wanted a mojito this week and this tea really has that fresh, cooling, and lightly sweet profile of a mojito that I was looking for but with the added bonus of a splash of bright lemonade-like citrus too. It was soooo deeply refreshing.

It’s going to kill me when I finish this one off, sand I’m getting close to that point now.

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.

Cold Brew!

This is the last of the Santa’s Secret from this past year’s advent calendar, and I really thought this was a sipdown too until I remembered I have a bunch of sachets shoved in a drawer somewhere…

Anyway, it was still a good tea even though if it wasn’t the cupboard reduction I was looking for. Quite smooth and refreshing with a lightly cooling feeling from the mint inclusion and a hint of soft vanilla. I find when I drink this tea cool I get less of the “fondant note” I dislike so much, so now I need to decide whether it’s worth using the sachets for iced tea. That always feels so awkward/clunky to brew, but I think is a better flavour option for me personally…

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.

I haven’t had this tea in a while and it’s so, soooo deeply cold and snowy right now in Montreal following our two back-to-back blizzards that an even cup of chai was calling my name. I remembered this being fairly cinnamon forward with a slightly more earthy and herbal undertone from the ashwagandha and ginseng in the blend, but I had TOTALLY forgotten that this tea does actually pack a little heat as well with a pretty strong peppery kick to it alongside more aromatic notes of cardamom. It was strong, but also soothing in a satisfying way. Plus, the intensity of the spice totally cleared out my sinuses which was a bit of an added bonus.

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.

We have a bunch of cans of these RTDs in the fridges in our office kitchen for people to enjoy and though I usually have a bunch of teas from my personal stash brought in to steep throughout the day (how else can I possibly drink it all) I was a little busy on this particular day so I defaulted to the convenience of the RTDs…

Now, that said, I did think I had grabbed one of the Magic Potion ones from the fridge so my first sip a little jarring to say the least. Expecting sweet blue raspberry and getting bergamot and a strong cream flavour is a bit of a mindfuck. I figured out my unexpected riddle quickly though, and from there I just enjoyed the smoothness of the brew.

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.

Another Valentine’s Day backlogged tasting note!

I was really leaning into the VDay themed black teas, so it seems. This was the third one that I made during the day. It was rosy in a sort of romantic, ethereal way that felt appropriately on theme – but more than anything else it was just super silky and smooth with really custard or creme anglais-like vanilla notes. I have so many favourite teas I’ve gotten to work on for DT for different reasons, but I’m personally that more black tea-leaning type of customer/consumer so this has always just been particularly up my alley.

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.

What a throwback!

This is a belated tasting note from Valentine’s Day and, of course, I had to dig deep, deeeeeppp into my stash to pull out this very nostalgic throwback. The tea is OLD which makes this already somewhat gently flavoured tea feel ever lighter but the overall profile of milk chocolate, strawberry, and juuuuusst a touch of rose is still intact. The chocolate holds up the best, and it’s just a nice and smooth cup overall. Wow does it ever make me nostalgic for my very early days first discovering DAVIDsTEA and loose leaf tea in general.

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.

Grandpa Style!

Even though there’s probably more snow outside right now than there has been all winter, I’m still taking time today to get some fresh air and enjoy a few teacup’s worth of thermos-brewed black tea in the park today. Like the name kind of implies, the tea is pretty sweet and syrupy. It’s definitely leaning a little more to the darkly sweet side with dense, sticky notes of brown sugar, bourbon vanilla, and a whole lot of raisin. Because there’s this almost cakey sort of malt or bread undertone, the overall profile makes me think of British-style puddings such as sticky toffee pudding or even something like the hilariously named “spotted dick” which is often made with raisins. There’s definitely a steamed brown sugar cake sort of vibe happening here, and I am aaaaaaall for it!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGGyjLpSehH/?img_index=1

Also, shout out to this STUNNING teacup! I had such a fun time photographing it today, and the liquor of this tea just looks soooo freaking good in it!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuUnvMpaaOM&ab_channel=MarmaladeMountain

Gongfu!

This is a very, very thick and slick shou pu’erh with a virtually jet black liquor. We’re it not for the faintest tinged of red at the waterline, it would essential be like staring in an opaque black hole of steeped tea. Full-bodied, of course, but also really starchy and smooth with a sticky rice like body balanced out on either side by slightly bright and jammy red fruit top notes and more darkly sweet and nutty undertones. Maple sugar, pecans, raspberry jam like what would fill a jelly donut, but also a blanket of silken, grounding earthiness and pandan. Very comforting on this cold, stormy afternoon when I want nothing more than to be swaddled up inside with a cup of something warm and predictable.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGJNL5iyolb/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD611geCXGo&ab_channel=Rubblebucket

Amani has been one of my favourite vendors to stop by and say hello to at TO Tea Festival. Each year they seem to have something new and delicious to sample, and this year I was thrilled to see a Kenyan Silver Needle had been added to their line up. It’s very smooth with the most wonderful fresh and herby aroma to the dry leaf. Steeped up it’s light to medium-bodied with distinct notes of rosemary and sage alongside a gentle woodiness and undertones of creamed honey. Quite approachable, and I love the more savory sort of lean to the flavour compared to Silver Needle from more common terroirs like China. Definitely a very solid addition to my ever growing tea stash. Can’t wait to see what new teas await me from Amani next year!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGMMRdQShlK/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNx5icMOIDM&ab_channel=MiloKorbenski-Topic

Gongfu!

I have been dying to try this yellow tea (my first from Korea!) since it was released last year, and because Soo is such a thoughtful person, she even set a bag aside for me at Toronto Tea Fest. I can’t even begin to say how much I love and appreciate all my amazing vendor friends from the festival – you’re all just too much!

And of course, the tea is nothing short of sublime! So smooth and well balanced with a sweet, golden flavour of gently toasted grains and nuts with a satisfying kiss of caramel, honey, and flower nectar with a soft, fruitier undertone. It reminds me almost in equal parts of glazed but unsalted peanuts or hazelnuts and the honeysuckle flowers we used to pluck straight off the bushes and eat as children growing up in the prairies. It’s quite nostalgic, in that way.

All my favourite yellow teas tend to be the ones with really rich, nutty flavours and of course I loved those qualities here too – but it’s really that sweet, floral ambrosia-like caramel/honey note that has been lingering in my mind since finishing this tea session. Can’t get enough of it!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGOoWXByN_o/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKW_mySxckQ&ab_channel=SlowPulp

I bought this at Snake River Tea in Boise, Idaho, several years ago. So I think it’s TeaSource’s old recipe. I cold brewed it, and I love it! It mainly tastes of root beer to me, and sometimes it almost tastes like Dr Pepper. I also get vanilla and spearmint notes. This is really tasty!

Whoops, I took so long to finish my notes on the Tea Thoughts winter countdown box that the spring one is coming out in just over a week! I don’t remember the last time I had a Vietnamese tea, if ever. Thankfully this came with enough leaf to play around with. I made the last of it Western-style today. I enjoyed it, but I think I liked it better with a gong fu brew because the flavor was just stronger and more robust. Today, I mostly got malty, sweet, and jammy notes with a slightly drying effect at the end of the sip. Easy on the stomach, too. 

Another excellent countdown box from Nazanin. I’m still thrilled about the cute little tea tray, and there were some delightful and interesting teas in here. I think I’ve skipped maybe one of her seasonal boxes since I started getting them a few years ago. I can’t say enough good things about them, I’m just a big Tea Thoughts fan in general. I like the stickers, the jewelry, the washi tape, the sticky notes, the notebooks, the pouches… I use my Tea Thoughts tote bag literally every time I leave the house (the old version with the zipper and inside pocket). I use handwritten notes for a lot of things, so I justify the stationery as a practical purchase. So yes, I think it’s safe to say that I’ll keep getting the countdown boxes :-)

Sipdown

Somehow it wasn’t in my cupboard? I think I have had three packs of it so I must have removed it before they were all finished.

As soon as the water hits it, a sweet orange soda aroma fills the kitchen. So sweet, so good, so fresh and citrus-y. Perfect for summer, or for wishing summer were already here.

Thank you Marshall for the trade! I am comparing this to the sencha I had before and wow. Having an eye to determine the difference between these two is absolutely amazing. Now when it comes to taste I am getting closer to being able to tell the difference without being told which is which first. Still, I’m in awe of the farmers.

Dry Leaf: Umami!
Appearance: Long (mostly) needle-shaped leaves. Glossy, dark green with a few vibrant greens mixed in.
Mouth Feel: Very smooth.
Flavor: Lots of umami.
Infusing tea: Slight fresh melon notes. Fresh-cut grass. Umami.

This one is lovely.

This has Earl grey vibes. It’s a little lemony and creamy. It goes well with milk and sweetener. I think it tastes best cold. The final time I had it, I mostly noticed spices that hadn’t been present in the rest of the cups – I guess they had all settled to the bottom! I never noticed the strawberry.

Sipdown

This is a pretty tea to look at. There are red safflower petals and when you pour the water over the leaves a layer of tiny red bits floats to the top of the infuser. I smell almond, not nearly as strong as their plain Almond Black, and vanilla. It does smell sweet and cookie-like.

It is very good and I think Ashman would prefer this one whereas Almond Black just slightly edges over this one for me. Both are great and if I didn’t have both on shelf right now I would think they were very similar, more similar than they actually are.

As a latte, I bet this one would be straight up dessert cookie.

A Bit stronger than I remember their “standard” Lapsang from several years back, but good.
medium-dark brew, slightly smoky /peaty smell. A bit lighter on the “tea” flavor.
I’ve had better, but its OK.

Sip Down & Backlog

Aroma: Fruity – nearly citrusy, peachy, & floral.
Texture: Thin, not much body.
Color: Yellow / light gold
Tasting Notes: Peach, florals (Jasmine?), astringent, & slightly bitter.
Added Notes: This sheng was perfect for a midday pick-me-up. It helped elevate my mind and feel giddy. The tea lasted about 9 infusions each time, but I think I could’ve managed to pull more from the sessions, had I cold brewed or overly steeped the tea. I’m likely to grab a cake of this soon.

Sip Down & Backlog

Reviewed on 02/01/2025

Aroma: A bit earthy, sweet, chocolate, & vanilla.
Texture: Soupy, creamy, & thick mouthfeel.
Color: Dark red – not as dark as other shou.
Tasting Notes: Vanilla & earthy.
Added Notes: Nothing too complex. More expensive than most shou cakes I’ve had in the past, yet somehow less unique than even the cheaper ones. It was overall pretty average.

I’ve almost given up on finding good roasted oolongs, but decided to try this one anyway since Ethan said that like me, he doesn’t enjoy prominent roast or charcoal in his tea. I steeped 6 g of leaf in 120 ml of 195F water for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.

The dry aroma is of roasted nuts, butter, caramel, orchids, and other florals. The first steep has notes of grain, honey, roasted nuts, minerals, orchids, and soft florals. Steep two is quite floral, with orchid, honeysuckle, and spring flowers. The tea is rounded out with notes of grain, roasted nuts, butter, grass, and faint roast. The next couple steeps double down on the roasted nuts (walnuts and chestnuts, maybe?) and have more notes of caramel, grain, butter, and roast along with the florals. It’s worth noting that this tea hasn’t become overly roasty or sour. In subsequent steeps, the tea finally starts getting some sourness from the roast, though it’s nicely balanced with nutty, grassy, buttery, and floral flavours and some minerality. The final steeps are more noticeably roasted, but still hang on to the floral, nutty, and caramel notes that make this tea enjoyable.

This oolong is a pleasant surprise. While it’s definitely a roasted tea, the roast is nicely balanced with the floral qualities of the Alishan oolong in a way that complements it rather than overwhelming it. While I wouldn’t say it’s as magical as the sample of Dong Ding Derk gave me from Song, it’s a lot more affordable. It only goes to show there are good roasted teas out there if you are lucky enough to find them.