C-chan

Day 55 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge.

It was good, but it was meh. The main taste I got from this was the ginger, and while it was pleasant, it didn’t really awe me in any way, shape, or form. Good, but not exciting.

Day 54 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge!

Bough a cup of this in-store. Managed to spill around a tenth of it on myself — I’d forgotten how hard it is to manouver tea and an umbrella at the same time.

Nonetheless, the tea was quite good straight — it had a lovely pungent chai flavour, with sweetness. I quite enjoyed it. However, I’m not sure if it’s because it doesn’t resteep well or because it’s just not as good this way, but I didn’t like it as much the second time around with milk and brown sugar. Therefore, I think this might be the first chai I really prefer straight!

I just hope I have better drinking conditions the next time I indulge in a cup of this….

Day 53 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge.

I used up the rest of what I had of this — it was probably a bit more than one cup’s worth, but nowhere near enough for two, so I dumped it in my two-cupper and filled it up for tea for one and a bit for the pot.

The taste reminds me of bumbleberry pie, which makes sense with the mixed berry theme. Hot, it was wonderful. I didn’t like it as much when it cooled—the dessert-i-ness seemed to fade with the temperature.

Resteep, again, wasn’t bad hot, but not as good once it cooled a bit.

Glad I had a bit of this left — I can see why it’s one of the more popular teas. Definitely worth a sip, in my opinion.

Day 52 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA. 2tsp in my teaball, brewed in-mug.

I’m a fan of some of the other maté teas (especially chocolate rocket!) so I decided to try this straight today. The taste reminded me of potato skin, oddly enough — there was a simmilar earthy salty-bitterness. A good earthy salty-bitterness, I should add. Not my favourite flavour ever, but certainly not bad either.

My favourite DAVIDs employee suggested mixing it with other teas — especially herbal ones — to add that caffeine kick. I actually tried that with some Alpine Punch I wanted to resteep, it added a nice grounded dimension to the flavour. I’ll enjoy experimenting with the tea. And for the price? Definitely wothwhile to play around with!

Day 43 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge.

Bought a cup of this in-store, and WOW, does it ever taste like a caramel apple! I found myself savouring it as I drank… I think I might have to buy more of this before it goes out.

The sweeter, apple flavour hits you first, but then the caramel echoes as a delicious aftertaste, and stays in your mouth after you drink. Just the right strength — I loved it!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t resteep well at all. That’s just about my only complaint.

Day 51 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA! I’m over halfway there!

Brewed 1tbsp in my 2-cupper.

Cherry Potion is one of my preferred white teas. The scent is FABULOUS — another of the teas that smells better than it tastes, but unlike a few others, I actually quite enjoy the taste of this one as well.

While it could certainly do with more cherry, it has an inviting, fruity flavour that, while light, holds up well for resteeping. Glad I snagged a bag several months ago — it’s a good tea to have around.

Day 50(!) of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA. Around 1.5-2 tsp in my teaball….

The tea has a surprisingly rich flavour to it, with a bit of a lemony hint. Oddly, though, I can’t put much of a flavour to the "rich"ness. It’s just… rich. I only had it clear, though I wonder now how it would taste with some milk and maybe a bit of honey (though it was certainly somewhat sweet on its own).

Although it wasn’t quite my favourite on its own, I do wonder how it would go mixed with other teas — it’s a suggestion put forward by them, and I can see it adding an interesting dimension to some other tea flavours — I will have to try it out another time!

Day 49 of my 101 days of tea. A leftover from my advent calendar — dumped the entire container into my 2-cupper.

Yummm. Was NOT expecting to like the tea as much as I do. There’s a real buttery aftertaste to this tea, and a little nutty as well. There’s a bit of a bitter or sour note which I’m pretty sure is the cornflowers — not in an oversteeped kind of way, but more… enhansing the flavour.

Tried it with milk the second time while eating a bit of pecan pie — the sweetness definitely enhanses the flavour! That being said, it’s quite nice straight as well.

Day 48 of my 101 days of tea.

I feel like I might be rating this a little high, but it was JUST what I needed today, and is very good for its simplicity — sometimes less can really be more. The lemongrass and mint mix well together, creating a refreshing blend. The oolong isn’t strong, but its musk does come through the longer you let it steep, adding another level to the tea.

It was suggested that I keep the teabag in for this, and I’m glad I tried it that way — it didn’t get bitter at all, just muskier as time went on. Very good. Plus, it resteeps wonderfully — the flavour hardly seems diminished on the third steep.

Although I’m an earth dragon, and I suppose that would be green (not yellow), I still think this definitely did my kind proud!

Day 47 of my 101 days of tea!

I’ve been thinking about this one for a few days now, and finally got along to trying it now by getting a cup in-store. I was suggested a 5-minute steep time, so that’s the timing I went with. The bad news — it didn’t live up to my expectations. It smelled like a strawberry liqueur, but I found the white tea taste to be more powerful, and not quite my style. It grew on me somewhat, especially as it continued to resteep… I definitely liked it more with each cup, and the flavour didn’t seem to be diminishing at all even after the third time. If nothing else, you can definitely get your money’s worth out of this tea.

Day 45 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge!

Put all that I had left of this tea into my teapot. And wouldn’t you know? I couldn’t get the song out of my head the entire time I was brewing it. Or drinking it. Even during my resteeps….

This was probably the best banana-based tea I’ve ever had. Very banana-y. Very delicious. Resteeped well the first time — the second resteep was weak, but oh well.

Definitely worth it, ESPECIALLY for the chance to burst out into song.

Day 44 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge.

This was recommended by my favourite DT employee ever (though I will apologise for playing favourites….). It was what he was drinking too, and I said why not?

It kind of reminded me of caramel or kettle corn, with the sweetness of the apple meeting with the… buttered popcorn flavour which I have to assume came at least in part from the popcorn itself.

The flavour combination, I must admit, wasn’t my favourite. It wasn’t bad, but with the flavour of hot toboggan from the day before still strong in my mind… it just didn’t measure up. However, we all have to love some teas more than others. Still a good cuppa. Plus, it resteeps VERY well — always a plus!

Day 42 of my 101 days of tea.

I started up brewing it for two cups in a large teapot. Had that, and then resteeped it in my preferred way — a bit of pumpkin chai with a regular black teabag thrown in — I can nuse that ALL afternoon.

Drank straight, the pumpkin comes through, and it’s really not bad. However, it’s even better the way they suggest, with milk and brown sugar. I mean, I really can drink it all afternoon, and that’s not something I can say for many teas.

I’m so glad that it comes back year after year… this tea is good enough to want to restock on that often.

Day 46 of my 101 days of tea!

2tsp in my teaball, brewed in a large mug.

On its own, I find the tea not quite up to snuff. However, add a bit of milk, and that’s when the magic happens. The creaminess of the milk (and I’m using skim, so I suppose “creaminess” may not be the right word….) compliments the sweetness of the tea, showcasing it more and adding just the right mouth feel for me to really appreciate the tea.

Day 41 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge. Rating is mainly based on the hot tea. I haven’t tried it iced yet, and I’m curious to see if it improves the flavour as much as my fellow reviewers seem to be suggesting.

The mango flavour is the most apparent, which surprised me as it’s not the first flavour on the list. It made me want a mango smoothie, so I could have the full mango taste. Actually, that’s what bothered me about it as well — it felt too much like the ghost of mango: a lingering, hollow flavour missing the sweetness and substance that would make it great (…and a smoothie rather than a tea).

It actually tastes BETTER as it resteeps — the fruity flavour seemed to come out more. That being said, the hollowness of the flavour seems to remain, though it did seem a little sweeter on the third resteep, when the water got cooler…..

Day 40 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge.

Eyeballed 2.5 tsp in my two-cupper. First cup at around 4:15, left the leaves in steeping before having a second cup with milk.

This is a REALLY nice tea… Very earthy, and nice to have on its own. Also, tastes great oversteeped wtih a bit of milk. That being said, the resteep was VERY weak, which saddened me — it would have been nice to see the leaves go farther.

Still, this is the first straight black tea that I’ve ever really liked without doctoring it up with milk and/or some sort of sweetener. Definitely glad I picked this up on the Boxing Day sale!

Day 39 in my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge.

1tbsp in my 2-cupper. Didn’t pay attention to steep time so haven’t put it down.

I found this a little strong, even though it was brewed as instructed. The flavour was wonderful, but I think it tastes better brewed with a little less “leaf” put in. That being said, the colour is a beautiful deep pink, and the flavour isn’t bad.

The best way to describe the taste of this tea is as a hot version of pink lemonade. …at least if you’re not having it iced. There is a lovely level of tartness to this, and the colour is very playful — this is the first pink tea I ever had (though through DAVIDs I’ve had a handful of others since). I’m glad it’s come back — it’s certainly deserving. Not bad on a resteep either, though of course nowhere near as powerful as the first time around (especially in colour).

Day 38 of my 101 days of David’s Tea challenge.

Mmm. This was pretty good. 1tbsp in my two-cupper. The mix of fruity sweetness and spice does remind me of a mulled drink, so I can imagine it as a substitute for mulled wine. Minus the acohol-taste, of course. It brewed to a purplish colour, which was beautiful (and again, reminiscent of red wine).

I tried resteeping it, which gave a hint of the spice again, but was nowhere near as nice or as potent. Though, that seems somewhat normal of tisanes.

I certainly wish they kept this on the David’s shelves! I’d certainly buy it.

This is the first tea I’ve ever just wanted to LOOK at. The glitter is quite pretty in the light — I was jokingly calling it the Twilight vampire of teas.

The taste reminds me of Bigelow’s Constant Comment with the combination of orange peel, cinnamon, and cloves. However, the vanilla adds a different touch. The vanilla actually comes through much clearer than the orange, though. I’d like more of a balance between the two. That being said, the amount of sweetness added through the sugar balls and crystals is perfect.

Perhaps it’s just my love of constant comment, but I can’t say that this tea is my favourite without improving on the taste I already love. However, it’s a very nice take on a simmilar flavour pallette. I would love to have a cup of this while having an orange cake — I think that would be the perfect compliment, and add more of the orange flavour that I crave to taste more clearly in the tea.

I steeped two and a bit teaspoons in my two-cupper. First cup at five minutes — clear was very pretty. Second cup — some time later, with milk. I actually preferred it with milk — it added another nice layer that matched with the vanilla, and didn’t seem too bitter. However, it wasn’t anywhere near as pretty as it was clear. I guess you can’t have everything…..

Day 36 of my 101 days of tea challenge. Got a tin of this on the DAVIDsTEA boxing day sale.

I actually like this. The taste is reminiscent of spiced carrot cake, and is quite pleasant, if a little weak. It doesn’t resteep particularly well — I found it losing flavour faster than a lot of other teas. However, not bad the second time around at least.

The carrot is the strongest flavour, though not overpowering. It’s a rather subtle tea, and I think I might see whether a bit of sweetener might further enhanse it next time. However, it was perfectly good on its own.

Those who like carrot cake for the cake will probably enjoy this tea. Those who need the icing for it to really be a true carrot cake? Perhaps not as much. (I myself live in both camps from time to time, hense why I can enjoy this myself.)

Day 35 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA.

There was a rather sweet, floal taste to this tea — sometimes a little cloying, but still enjoyable. However, I found that the chamomile was a little too prominent, and the banana was not as visible as I’d like it. However, the chamomile, nor any of the flavours, rose to an unpleasant level. This is partially because of the fact that it’s an herbal tea — I purposely chose one today because I knew I’d be drinking it on and off for hours.

It was very nice when it cooled to a lukewarm temperature (which is unfortunately the only temperature at which I seemed to be able to drink the tea). I’d like to try more of this at a hotter temperature (ie: before it’s cooled down that much) sometime.

Still, I really wish that for a tea with banana in the name, said flavour was stronger.

This tea smells AMAZING. The apple and safflours create an absolutely stunning aroma.
Admitedly, it does not taste as good as it smells. It gives a sweet aftertaste, with just a hint of bitterness (though not overpowering) at 4:30 (the suggested steeped time was 4-6 minutes).

I found that the tea tasted best clear, but when given a while to cool. The flavours just seem more comfortable when the tea is no longer piping hot. Milk muddies it too much.

Didn’t like it as much as Bubbly, but I’ll probably enjoy using this to eccentricly replace wine on wine and cheese nights. (I’m a non-drinker, and these teas amuse me in that potential usage….)

Admittedly I didn’t like it as much as I remember the first time, but due to the fact that this tea singlehandedly turned me onto DAVIDsTEA (and is still a good cuppa), I’m refusing to lower my rating.

The tea actually has a scent reminiscent of bubble gum, which I’ve never been able to understand, though it certainly is pleasant.

As an experiment, I tried it three ways: clear, with milk, and with Baileys. I found I liked the plain more once no longer piping hot. The carrot leaves a nice aftertaste. Milk wasn’t bad, though it would be better with a stronger blend this way. I found that it was easy for the Baileys to overpower the tea, but that didn’t stop me from loving it.

So, it wasn’t bad all three ways, but hot with Baileys or slightly cooler straight, I think are the best ways to have it.

I have approximately enough for one more brew after today. I am going to miss this tea.

Day 32 of my 101 days of tea challenge and, saying as I am not very interested in the taste of alcohol or the mouth-feel of carbonation, what I rang in the new year with.

Unfortunately, I made my first cup far too strong — I wasn’t using my usual set of tools, and I think I may have put far too much tea in, so I’ve given it a second chance this afternoon/evening.

2.5(ish) teaspoons in a teaball for my two-cupper. Steeped 3:15 the first time, around 10 the second time. Let the kettle sit for a while the first time, and put an ice cube in the second, so I have no clue over the exact temperature either time, but it was cool enough not to burn the leaves at least.

When NOT made to be far too strong, the tea isn’t bad at all. It has a very dry taste to it, and the candied pineapple leaves a sweet, fruity aftertaste. There is also a slight sourness from it — not the bitterness of oversteeped tea, but just a slight sour tang. Seems to be better hot than not (I left the tea cool for a while and drank some lukewarm, and found that I preferred it hot). The resteep is nice as well — the flavour is still quite strong if you let it steep for longer (and not bitter at that!). I tried adding sugar the second time, but found this to be unnecessary — it didn’t seem to add much to the taste.

This tea’s scent — quite fruity — is also lovely. I think I might even prefer smelling it to drinking it!

I certainly hope that this is around next year. As someone unlikely to accept a glass of champaigne to ring in the new year, this could be a very fun substitute!