Dorothy

Finished the last of my Earl Grey today. I looked into the bag and noticed that it was stained yellow. I guess that has something to do with all of the bergamot oil, wow! David sure doesn’t skimp on the bergamot for this.

Found a nice surprise in the spent leaves after two steeps today: http://imgur.com/m8Fh5

This tea has really grown on me. Which is weird, because usually I buy a bag and near the end I actually start to get bored with it. Here, I was put off by the intense malty flavor. Now that I’m half way through the bag, I’m used to the strong flavors.

I prefer Lapsang Souchong over this, but I enjoyed trying out this tea for a different smoky experience. I recommend this tea to people that share the same love of smoky teas. It’s “sold out” at the moment, but if you see it pop up again it is worth a try.

I’m still experimenting with green tea, finding out what I do and don’t like. This one turned out to be nice, but I use a shorter steep time. I find that the flavor gets really “heavy”. I can’t say this is an amazing tea, but I still find it pleasant enough to drink every now and then. It reminds me of Qi Feng from DavidsTea.

Looking forward to trying more green teas soon, even though they’re not my favorite type.

Tried this again today but with many short steeps. I think I prefer it that way too. 1 through 4 were tasty, the flavor was not overpowering.

I bought this tea because I liked how good it smelled in the tin. This is the 4th time I’ve tried this tea at home and I just don’t care for it. The lime is nice in first sip or two, but then it wears down on me. Guess I am just not a fan of limes. :/

Initial tasting notes: I think this is especially smooth. Nothing in particular dampens the experience. It just goes down well. Some of the leaves are quite big.

During my last online order at this tea shop, the look of this tea caught my attention. It is black tea, but also with some green leaves. The packaging I received even mentions brewing it at 90 C.

It tastes quite “fresh” or green, but not vegetal though. Still manages to taste enough like black tea. The first 2 steeps are very enjoyable, and it is easy to stretch it a 3rd steep. (I did: 3 min, 4 min, 6 min). Nice flavors, easily an every-day-drink (although that seems like a waste to me).

Very happy with this purchase. I don’t often order stuff online, but I always make an exception for this website. Mostly because of 2 things
1: I try to buy tea within Canada, and they’re in Quebec. (Everything arrives quicker, and I like supporting businesses here, unless I can’t find the product I want)
2: Everything I’ve ordered from Camellia Sinensis has at the very least met my expectations. Which is a nice surprise for me, because I can’t smell the tea over the internet to check if I might like it or not. ;)

I originally bought this tea for my husband, because he takes blended black tea to work. ( He only has access to boiling water) But this tea has really grown on me. I find it funny that this is in their spring collection. It tastes so “heavy” and I don’t associate any flavors with spring in particular.

One thing I noticed is that after about 2 minutes of steeping, it gets a little bitter. I think this actually adds something positive to the drinking experience. Fantasy Island kind of reminds me of eating dark chocolate w/ raspberries. I’m surprised that this doesn’t include chocolate of some sort, because it would totally fit in. However I’m not a big fan of chocolate or candy in my tea, so I’m glad this blend does without it.

Not my favorite blended black tea, but I will probably refill my DAVIDsTEA canister at least once. I’ve enjoyed steeping this twice, my husband still enjoys it on the third one.

Everything I expected and more. Wonderful black tea flavor with additional lovely notes I’ve never experienced before.

Savoring what tea I have left, since this is sold out until fall.

Until now I really have not had an “enjoyable” pu erh. So I was very happy when I picked out this tea and tried it. Camellia Sinensis (the company), sells a lot of pu erh so I’ll definitely try some others in the future.

For today’s cup, I steeped it three times (+ rinse). Each of them were enjoyable, and I didn’t feel the urge to dump the water after the first sip. Not something I want to drink often, but nice every now and then. Looking forward to trying more pu erhs. :)

Finished my 50g bag of this today. When I had my first cup of this tea, I was blown away by how much lavender there is. I’ve tried Jessie’s Tea before, and that only has a slight hint of lavender, while Lavender Zen has a very strong flavor.

Personally, I don’t like lavender a whole lot. Even so, I think the green tea works really well with lavender. So while I enjoyed being able to try this, I wouldn’t buy more.

Sipping this tea with the windows open to smell the fresh rain. I really enjoy drinking smoky teas in the winter or on a rainy day.

Absolutely wonderful oolong. I can’t wait to try more dan cong teas. :)

I’m not disappointed or impressed with this tea. It is simply just another breakfast blend. Which doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable. I love black tea, and David’s Organic Breakfast meets that requirement. ;)

My husband takes this to work (in a rotation with other black teas), but feels the same way I do about it. My “breakfast” tea is usually Black Needles or Lapsang Souchong. If I’m especially tired, Saigon Chai does the work too, because if nothing else smelling the spices will wake me up.

It is really hard to buy a bad oolong from DavidsTea, and this is no exception. Sweet, creamy, smooth with a hint of floral flavor.

Overall I like it, but I don’t like it enough to go for a refill when I run out. I enjoyed trying this once (25g bag), but it isn’t a tea that I want in my permanent stash.

Smell: In the bag, the spices really jump out at me. While smelling this at the store I had the urge to sneeze. Brewed, its still pretty much the spices that stand out.

Flavor: I’ve said this before but, when there is peppermint in my tea it REALLY stands out. I mostly taste peppermint, spices and a hint of tea. The tea is only noticeable because it gives the drink a nice base.

Aftertaste: Peppermint lingers for a while, which is a nice tingly and refreshing feeling.

Steeps: 1

Absolutely disgusting, I can see why this is no longer listed on their website. I understand that this is supposed to taste “earthy”, and I gave it a rinse, but I still can’t stomach this. I don’t normally rate teas this low, but I seriously can’t take another sip without gagging.

Pu-erh can taste good, I hope this hasn’t turned anyone away from it.

(note: I think this is the same as Feng Shui: http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/12951-feng-shui-organic . But this is sold under the name Qi Feng)

Smell: Dry leaves remind me of dark chocolate (weird!). Tea liquor smells more like the tea description of sweet and smoky.

Flavor: Very pleasant, the smoky flavor is comforting. Vegetal flavor has a lot of “warmth” to it. Seems like a good tea to drink in the winter.

Aftertaste: Sweetness lingers for a bit

Steeps: 1

Smell: Before brewing, the leaves smell sweet and silky. Tea liquor smells like typical oolong

Flavor: I like how the buttery and vegetal flavor is very faint, but it enhances the creamy flavor. Its a very tasty, with mild flavor, that ends on a sweet note.

Reminds me of: Somewhat reminds me of DavidsTea’s milk oolong, but the flavor doesn’t jump out at you.

Steeps:3 (+ rinse)

Amazing flavor, I didn’t really expect something like this from an oolong.

Smell: Before and after brewing, it smells like a standard black tea, maybe a bit “woodsy”

Flavor: Nothing strange here, just a pleasant, very smooth and kind of earthy black tea. I could easily drink this all day, multiple days throughout the week. To me, the best characteristic is how smooth it is.

Reminds me of: Other black teas I’ve tried, except much more soothing.

Aftertaste: No bitterness, just a hint of the initial flavor

Memorability: Very

Steeps: 2 (both were flavorful, resteep was 5 mins)

Would I buy this again?: Yes. I’ve actually refilled this 3 times so far, and will continue to do so.

Other notes: Out of all of the plain black tea that DavidsTea carries (excluding Lapsang Souchong), this is without a doubt my favorite.

Smell: Dry leaves remind me of grape flavored bubblegum, which makes my mouth water. Brewed, it smells like flowers and grape juice.

Flavor: For me, the scent of the dry leaves builds up an unrealistic expectation. Its a strong scent, and then when I drink it, its very light in flavor. I’ve done this at a low temp and a high temp, either way I have not really enjoyed the flavor.

Reminds me of: Liquor reminds me of DavidsTea’s Champagne (also a white tea)

Steeps: 1

Would I buy this again?: No, this tea just isn’t doing it for me.

Other notes: The package says to do 94 C. at 4-5 min. I’ve always thought the liquor came out too strong & dark. Turning down the heat made it taste better, but with a loss of strong flavors. In my opinion the taste is not a good value at $11.75 for 50g. If you are really curious about trying this, I recommend getting a small size in store (25g)

Smell: The loose leaf smells like Lapsang Souchong and malt. Brewed, a bit more like a smooth black tea with the previous qualities.

Flavor: Everything I expected from the scent of this tea. The flavor doesn’t disappoint me at all. Unlike how some other teas will “tease” you with the a wonderful scent.

Reminds me of: Camping, campfires, my previous experiences with Lapsang Souchong

Aftertaste: Smoky, kind of reminds me of mushrooms

Comforting or Refreshing: Comforting, especially now in winter

Steeps: 1 (I don’t usually resteep smoky black teas anyways)

Would I buy this again?: This isn’t going into my permanent stash, but I would certainly get more in the future.