25 Tasting Notes

87

Hello, my love! Where have you been all my life?

I’ve always been somewhat wary about chocolate teas, but this one is surprisingly delicious!
When first opening this package, I caught a definite chocolate banana smell (which is strange when there’s no banana in the tea). However, when steeped this tea transforms into a wonderful balance of fruit, and chocolate. First I tasted a smooth chocolate flavor, quickly followed by fresh raspberry, finally the two flavors intertwine at the end for a delicious finish. The almonds aren’t exactly a noticeable flavor in this tea; however they do add a nice depth that would otherwise be missing.

This light tea is still full of flavor, but it wont weigh down your taste buds like I’ve found a lot of chocolate teas tend to do.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec
brandy3392

Is there any hint of banana flavor in this? I’ve been thinking of ordering this, but I absolutely hate bananas.

DecemberMint

While I don’t mind bananas, they don’t belong in tea :) As far as I can tell, I didn’t observe any banana flavor in the actual tea, just the smell reminded me of them. _

Indigobloom

I tasted bananas! very slight. but I think that’s my taste buds confusing the raspberry

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78

Is it strange that I feel pretty drinking this tea?

I have never had any luck with Jasmine tea until this point. Bagged teas had an unfavorable bitterness at the end, so I took a chance and sprung for some real whole leaf tea.

The aroma of the tea makes me feel as though I am smelling the flower itself (which is particularly pleasing in the winter time)! The leaves are lovingly rolled into cute butterfly shapes that fold out while steeping, creating a wonderful show while you wait 3-4 minutes for your tea to be ready.

The actual flavor of the tea tastes like I imagined a good cup of Jasmine would be. Its floral simplicity is sweet, yet not heavy on the tongue. The green tea base complements the flowery fragrance to allow the Jasmine to really be the humble star of the show.

Like Beckara’s review, I agree this tea tastes like a lot of love and care went into it. Whenever anyone asks me what I am drinking, I simply say, “love”. :)

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 15 sec
Maxime-Daniel Friðrikson

That’s definitely one of the tea I will bought for my next order! But, I wonder… Do you have enough tea for the price?

Maxime-Daniel Friðrikson

Because there’s the Dragon Jasmine which I will bought if that’s not worth the price!

DecemberMint

I think if you’re a real Jasmine tea lover, this might be worth investing in for a treat :) I used about 4-5 butterflies per cup (which doesn’t even weigh 1g according to my scale, so a 25g bag will make quite a few cups!)
While I’m not a Jasmine tea pro, I did enjoy the simplicity of this tea! If Jasmine was one of my favorite teas, I would consider re-ordering this :)!
If nothing else, David’s does provide a sample of the tea in their green sample box titled “The World Tour” _

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86
drank Santa's Secret by DAVIDsTEA
25 tasting notes

Hurray! My massive shipment from Davids came in today!

First cup from the batch (I realize this is a Christmas tea, but lets just pretend it’s still December). On opening the package, I initially smelled a sweet peppermint that reminded me much of candy canes, but there is an underlying rich depth to the scent as well.

I have not had much experience with Chinese Black Tea, but this tea is incredibly smooth with a prominent peppermint flavor. However, the aftertaste shifts from peppermint to a delicate sweetness I can’t seem to put my finger on (I suspect it’s the black tea base). I am curious as to what spices were used in this combination, I can’t particularly pick them out, but I suppose that would be Santa’s Secret! ;)

Overall, a very delicious tea! I’m disappointed I only bought 50g of it.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec

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70
drank Electric Lemon by DAVIDsTEA
25 tasting notes

It’s a drowsy Monday afternoon, I figured I would give this tea a shot. Surprisingly, this has woken me up from my near coma state.

I have tried several lemon ginger teas and was never really fond of them, however this one was pretty drinkable!
Upon opening the package, I caught a pungent lemon scent that my friend informed me smelled like “Lemon Pinesol” (I’m not so sure about that!). When steeped, the warm, earthy, ginger flavor is boosted by a fresh lemon undertone, and finishes with a wonderful bite. It seems to me the tea features the ginger more than the lemon.

For this tea I did not add any sweeteners, and I gave it an average steep. But in the midst of trying to stay awake, I accidently steeped at a warmer temperature. It was still a pleasant experience, but I am curious how the flavors complement one another when I steep it like David’s intended :)

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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75
drank Baked Apple by DAVIDsTEA
25 tasting notes

Mmm baked apples on a stormy day? I’m in!

The huge chunks of ingredients make this tea gorgeous to look at! And it smells just as divine.

This tea suggests using 2 tsp per cup, so I intend to try steeping it again.
The first steep of this tea, the actual color seems strangely pale. It almost seems like it should be considered a white tea instead of a green tea.
However, the flavor of the tea is bold and delicious. The spices accent the apple flavor to create an overall warmth to the tea, while the nuts add an underlying depth that complements perfectly. I’m definitely catching a fresh apple tang at the end too, which keeps this tea refreshing while keeping you toasty warm.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec

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85

/sniffs tea/
Welch’s grape juice?! WHERE?!

So I figured after taking a wiff of this it would be overpowering with grape. However, perhaps I used a smidge less leaves than suggested, but I found this white tea light and refreshing. This tea’s natural sweetness with the white grape flavor and the flowery tart after-taste is really beginning to grow on me. I’m going to miss this tea once I’ve drank through the 25g sample I bought.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Dorothy

This smells like grape bubblegum to me.

DecemberMint

mmm that too (now that brings back childhood memories)! :) Whatever it is, it’s grapey deliciousness all round. haha

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95

Wow, I love this tea. I made sure to use the 1 1/2 tsp of leaves in 5.5 ounces of water, and topped the cup with another 2 ounces of steamed milk. Soo delicious! I’ve never had rum before, but this one instantly reminds me of the rum and butter lifesavers I would get as a kid. It’s delicately sweet, and buttery smooth, with definite rum and coconut after-taste (well, as far as I can tell). I’m glad I purchased this one! It probably falls under the “dessert tea” category for me.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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75

I admit, I purchased this tea today because of the picture of a bison on the box (I hate when I fall for marketing ploys like that!). I was curious to try this brand, so I decided to try a more basic flavor to start.
After the first sip, I immediately fell in love with this tea. It starts with a mellow black tea flavor, but soon follows with a distinct smokey flavor that lingers long after.
For a bagged tea, this one is not half bad. Prepared with milk and a pinch of sugar.
It looks like the bison pulled through for me!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Michelle Butler Hallett

I tried this one about a year ago, and I found it did give a decent kick. For a bagged, and especially for a Celestial Seasonings, I agree, this one’s decent.

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70

Today definitely felt like winter. To counter that, I took the obvious route and visited my local David’s Tea store (Err… Not so obvious?). I picked up 50 grams of this tea to warm the cockles of my heart — and stomach?!

When you first open the package it smells almost completely of a rich, deep, chocolate.
When steeped, this tea has a semi-sweet dark chocolate flavor (it’s more bitter than “Read My Lips” — another classic chocolate tea from David’s), and a slight zing from the chilies at the end. Trying it both black, and with milk, I concluded that milk added an extra creamy hint the tea needed. I admit I was expecting a little more heat and spice from this heavier tea, but it’s not bad on those cold days when you need to wrap your hands around something warm.

[EDIT] I steeped this one for 4 minutes, rather than 6, and I enjoyed it a lot more. The chocolate wasn’t quite as predominant and heavy, which accented the spicy bite and the end much better.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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90
drank Secret Weapon by DAVIDsTEA
25 tasting notes

There is not anything I dislike about this tea. When I received it in a sample box, I instantly went sniffing through all the leaves — this one was the most memorable. The tea itself is a peculiar combination of flowers, fruits, and nuts, I am surprised by the result. Granted, this is a white tea, so the taste is quite mild, it’s so creamy, smooth, and has a really unique nutty, toasty flavor to it. On the first sip, the first image brought to my mind was a toasted marshmallow (but not quite as sweet), but even then I wouldn’t say that flavor is accurate.
This might possibly be my new favorite comfort tea.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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Bio

A fellow tea-drinker with an insatiable curiosity, I’m bound to try almost anything once! Embarking on this leafy journey, experiences are logged here :) While I mostly find my loyalties lie with black tea, every tea has its own health benefits and flavors that’s worth giving some attention to.

Rating note: There isn’t really a method to my madness — er.. how I rate teas. I just go with my gut instinct. It’s the right thing to do.

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