15771 Tasting Notes
Made myself a GIANT mug of this because I was so confident from the dry leaf aroma that I was going to love this tea. I was right, and really it was actually the raspberry note in the blend that sold it for me. Very jammy and cooked down in a way that evoked lots of memories of different raspberry pastry fillings or even the jelly in a raspberry jelly filled donut. The chocolate notes were very ganache-like, and had a decadence to them without needing to be super heavy and cloying. I liked that it was raspberry and chocolate without cream, as well! I think not having that note to smooth everything out only added to the richness – especially since there wasn’t much high note sweetness either.
Steeped this up last night! I noticed I got quite a lot of cardamom in my scoop, and this was reflected in the taste as well which was highly aromatic with that beautiful spice note. It was really complimentary with the maple, which came through at the perfect sweetness level with that amber sort of feeling richness. Not as much “nut” in this brew, but it was delicious nonetheless.
Sipdown (2611)!
Drank this last night before heading to bed. As far as chamomile forward blends go I do think this was on the more palatable side, since that’s a flavour I’m not a fan of and also a bit more sensitive to because of that. The vanilla and honey notes helped a lot. I definitely tasted more honey than vanilla and the aftertaste was a little cloying to me, but overall not half bad. Definitely a complimentary note!
A late night cuppa!
Definitely still has that stale/dried fruit taste that isn’t particularly pleasant – namely from all the apple bits in the blend. The soft earthiness of the beet doesn’t exactly help, either. However, there was a bit of a veeeerrrryyyy lightly tart cranberry note and the whole brew was one the thinner and lighter side which, in this circumstance, was I think a good thing since I’ve been having some issues with nausea this past week.
I’ve felt sort of off all week and to be honest it’s sort of hard to describe it but, essentially, it’s like a mix of almost constantly feeling either nauseous or dizzy. A few times, after eating a large meal, I’ve thrown up (sorry for the TMI) but it doesn’t feel like a normal stomach bug to me? It’s just like, a weird sense of being a little light headed and… I don’t know. Weird.
Anyway, because of that I’ve stuck with teas this week that are a little bit lighter and more gentle because I’m not sure exactly what’s setting off the uneasy stomach situation. This ended up being a good one because it’s a much milder flavour with just soft and buttery notes of baked apple. It was actually very soothing to sip on and though it didn’t do much for the dizziness I did feel like my stomach was a little calmer while I was sipping it?
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.
Though very lavender forward, the blend is also pretty sweet with notes of vanilla and sugared coconuts and almonds that, when all combined together, taste a lot like lavender macarons or even sugar cookies with a thick lavender frosting. However, there’s also soft citrusy notes of lemongrass to the undertones that adds a bit of a more unique spin to the otherwise decadent profile. I found it very unique and, to be honest, a lot better tasting than I’d expected. It was nice to see some more substance here than just the cool blue colour from the butterfly pea flower in the blend which (imo) can sometimes be a little gimmicky. It did make for one of the most perfect “tea splashes” I’ve ever caught on camera, though! So, y’know, I can’t totally write off the aesthetics…
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6cMMcWONoP/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MheUPvapEOQ
Grandpa Style!
I recently saw somewhere describe the flavour as red and fruity like lingonberry jam, and that really caught my attention. I have to agree that there’s something to the top notes of this ripe pu’erh that are quite bright and jammy with a wonderfully unique and tart red fruit note. To me it’s a bit more like red currant, but I can 100% see the lingonberry comparison. The rest is thick but very, very smooth and clean with both a brothy earthiness as well as a sweet yet still umami nuttiness. Like a walnut or a brazil nut, with a nice buttery finish.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6ewXq7O0Z0/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJTtYiphfHk
I was mailing out some tea for a friend yesterday and while I was at the post office I noticed a display with a bunch of sparkling drinks on it, including a nice feature on Healtea’s sparkling iced tisane line. Seems like they’ve updated all of the branding on their cans, and I have to say they look much more modern and approachable. The old designs were very dated looking IMO and between that and the focus on herbal ingredients they had a more niche/isolating “herbal remedy” kind of vibe to them that probably appealed to the “almond mom” type of consumer but I’d guess likely not a lot of other people…
As a local brand I’ve run across them quite a bit sampling at various venues (including MTL Tea Festival) and it’s almost always their dandelion or ginger drinks they’re sampling which taste fine but like… eh. All this to say that in this beautiful display I saw a flavour I’ve never seen them showcasing elsewhere: Hibiscus + Mango. I don’t know if that’s because this is new or maybe less popular. Couldn’t tell you. I did pick up a can though to drink on my commute home and damn it was good. Blew any other flavour I’ve tried from them way out of the water.
Even with the fizz from the carbination, there was a richness to the mouthfeel that I loved and feel like can sometimes be missing in hibiscus based drinks which can lean a little thin and sharp. This was bright, tangy, and tart – and anything but shrill. I got a ton of that deep red, berry-ish hibiscus flavour but also a really ripe and sweet mango puree that gave a tropical twist and almost cocktail-like note to the drink. The two were so tasty together!
Like… why is this not the thing you’re sampling at events!? It’s a winner!
Cold Brew!
Well this is sure a familiar tasting tea! I thought it more than likely would be based on the visual and description, but I wanted to try it anyway. Essentially it’s DT’s Mango Fruit Punch but with a heck of a lot more flower petals in it. Tastes very sweet though with that really syrupy, bold mango and orange flavour combination that’s verging on juuussstt a bit saccharine tasting. It’s playful while also being the type of flavour that doesn’t feel weird to describe as “loud tasting” and in that way it seems pretty damn fitting for a Donald Duck kind of blend!
A late night cuppa to satisfy some post-dinner sweet cravings. It’s a really rich, intense and sweet chocolate covered strawberry flavour – exactly what I’d want a tea with this profile to taste like. I did get that subtle spinach-y moringa undertone more than I have in the past, but I also let this steep a little longer than I typically one. It definitely didn’t ruin the cup though as the chocolate and strawberry notes are both bold enough to hold up to a bit of veg. And, as I’ve said before, it is still the best moringa tea I’ve ever had.
