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Who am I kidding….I was hooked on this tea just reading its description online. Chocolate. Yum. I am a self-professed chocolate addict, the darker the better; and delicately laced with any sort of fruit, nut and/or sea salt, even better.

So I headed to DT today and asked to smell this canister of lusciousness – a deep, wonderful, earthy aroma hit my senses, just as I had imagined it to be. Visually, I was excited to see healthy swirls of dark chocolate curls and bits of dried orange. I think my heart skipped a beat. It had me at chocolate.

I had the staff brew me a cup in my tumbler. The tea-barista asked if I wanted it straight or in a tea-bag – I chose tea-bag, despite the thought that those sumptuous chocolate bits dissolving into the hot brew would have been divine. I just didn’t want to deal with the bits of pur’eh and undissolved orange in my mouth.

I let this tea brew longer than usual before sipping, and left the tea bag in my tumbler as I always do. Since it had those wonderful chocolate bits in it, I swirled my tumbler every once in a while to allow the dissolved chocolate to escape from the bag and into the deep, swampy chocolate brew that had filled my tumbler.

This tea was far from disappointing. Dry or brewed, this pur’eh is very similar in scent – there is no deception here, what you smell is what you get. And what you smell is absolute enrapture – more so if you LOVE chocolate.

It smells distinctly (but not overpoweringly so) like Terry’s Orange Chocolate. You know, the chocolate that is shaped like an orange wrapped in foil and you whack on a table so it splits into perfect oranges “slices”. Yeah, that one. (I really need to stop comparing teas to sugary confections, lest I end up with a reputation akin to Mrs. Willy Wonka.)

As a green and white tea drinker, and relatively new to pur’eh teas, I have to say that I really do enjoy the warm, earthy texture of this tea type. And that warm, earthy texture comes through nicely in this tea concoction. It complements the dark chocolate and orange well. There isn’t a competition of flavours; everyone mingles quite nicely in the tumbler; you can almost hear the harps strumming.

I drank most of this straight, no agave. On its own, it is quite satisfying (that subtle taste of Terry’s Orange Chocolate). Once you add a dollop of agave (you really don’t need a lot due to the chocolate), it just heightens all those wonderful flavours and it’s as if you are in fact eating a slice of Terry’s Orange Chocolate.

As I sipped on this delectable tea, the thought crossed my mind that this would probably be a great tea as a latte. That is a big statement for me, since I don’t like my teas with milk at all; as a non-black tea drinker, that seems quite foreign to me.

This is a great dessert tea – in lieu of actual dessert, or as a complement to a light orange or fruit based dessert. Or just when you are looking for a little piece of heaven on earth.

Oh Strawberry Ginger…such an appealing, alluring, enticing name. Sadly, utterly disappointed by this tea. I’m so sorry David’s Tea – I have loved all your beautiful tea concoctions thus far, but I have met a pitiful exception.

For me this, tea was undrinkable. I tried, I really did, I promise. After the first several sips, I thought, maybe I could salvage the buy and make a nice salad dressing with some red wine vinegar, but i barely made it halfway through my tumbler.

There is a very distinct scent when it is brewed that is not so strong when dry. I was initially drawn to the tea because the tea-barista said that it had a stronger ginger infusion than any of the other flavours, and I LOVE ginger. However, what I tasted in this brewed disaster resembled nothing remotely close to ginger. I don’t know how to say this nicely or without coming across as a tea-snob…it tasted like fruity scented cleaning disinfectant. :o(

Maybe it was the batch I got, not sure. (I brewed a small sample and took it to the store to ask if it was normal, and they seemed to think so). Maybe it is the artificial flavouring that is incompatible with my chemical sensitive palate. (The scent really had an adverse affect on me physically, gave me a headache and made me nauseated.)

This tea is not for me. Based on the other reviews, it may be for you. I would go into a store on a day when it is TOTD and give it a try and decide for yourself.

I initially gave this tea a zero rating, but upped it because I think this tea was well intentioned. It is a great concept, but meh execution. Also, I was able to exchange my tin for something more palatable. Thank you DT!

I would be interested in a natural version in this tea, if they make one. Until then, I will give DT’s White Strawberry a try and infuse it with some fresh ginger, to satisfy my curiosity.

When you open the tin of dry tea, a waft of creamy mint overloads your senses – in a good way! It reminds me of those red and white swirl peppermint candies that dominate the holiday season.

Brewed, this tea is dark, earthy and rich in colour. The distinct smell of peppermint swirls about this murky yet intense liquid.

Sipping on this tea, you definitely taste the lush, earthy taste of the cooked pu’reh on your tastebuds, more than any of other flavours. The peppermint hits you like an afterthought in the back of your mouth, softened by the vanilla undertones and making you gently aware of the hollow of your throat, as if it has encompassed it in a soft embrace.

If you are not a fan of peppermint, this tea is not for you. If you don’t enjoy pu’reh, again, not for you.

I added a squirt of agave part way through my large tumbler, to see how the flavours might be enhanced. I found it brought out the delicate creaminess more. This would be a great tea to bake with.

This was the first David’s Tea I purchased – and simply because I was looking for a Nettle leaf tea. I love this tea. Pure and simple.

While it is labelled as a “floral elixir”, it is not overpoweringly floral. There is a distinct hit of rose and rosehips with a light touch of cinnamon.

As one who likes to sip on her teas with the leaves continuously steeping, this tea doesn’t become increasingly stronger or sour after an extended period of time. It seems to maintain a balanced state of tea zen.

I drink this every morning and I really do feel it does good for my skin from the inside out.

It is crisp, clean, refreshing – no nonsense or fuss, it holds its own. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a light, feel good tea.

On a side note: The tea-barista at the store, told me that she had soaked in a bath with this tea steeped to soothe her skin after a bad sunburn. Interesting.

So I stopped by my favourite Paré store at lunch today (the staff there is always amazing!), and had them brew me a cup of this wonderful tea.

First whiff was very light (so was the brew in colour, light white golden). There is a smooth, soft, creamy scent, that gently grazes your olfactory senses, and not far off from its taste. A few sips of this gentle indulgent tea and the feeling of familiarity starts to swarm.

I added a pump of agave to heighten the flavours, and as I sipped on this golden water for the early part of the afternoon, that familiarity hit me – Werther’s Original Caramels. I haven’t had those sweet treats since in years (read: eons)!! And now the taste was coming back to me.

This tea is definitely no where as sweet as those sugar laden treats, in fact it’s not sweet at all (unless you add some agave) but it does carry the same smooth, soft, creamy essence. Those are the best three words that can be used to describe it.

This is a great tea for when that afternoon sweet tooth kicks in. Or after dinner when you are avoiding desserts. It stirs in you such a wonderful feeling of cozy comfort. yum.

The smell of this delicate infusion reminds me of my grandmother’s home growing up – that sweet hit of cardamom…mmmm.

As a non-black tea drinker, and not that fussy, I generally like all non-black teas. So it’s hard for me to discern specifically the taste of oolong from brews of green and white with which I am familiar.

I like to brew my teas strong, often leaving the steeped tea in my mug while sipping on it.

Having said that, I found this tea to be light on the tastebuds and softly fragrant. I did break open the cardamom pod to release its tiny seeds before steeping (traditionally, we munch on cardamom pods like one would on chewing gum; it is used in just about every dessert), so this taste came through stronger than the rest.

Overall, a very warming, light, fragrant tea.