Nurvilya

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“Like drinking a fresh forest breeze” says the description, and yes, that’s exactly how this feels.

I say feels, because this tea goes beyond taste. Maybe it’s the Canadian in me, but there is something very evocative about these flavours. Having just spent the weekend in the Rocky Mountains, snowshoeing around an icy glacial lake, I feel like I’m in the exact right mood to be drinking this minty, foresty brew.

I love how this looks in my glass teapot. It’s not particularly easy to measure, but I figured I’d just add some pinches and hope for the best. It’s hard to get a good mix of all the pretty things, given that some of the smaller bits tend to settle to the bottom of the bag, but I scrounged around for a bit of everything, and again, hoped for the best.

I see no hint of the pink tinge hinted at in the description, but the very clear, light brew is appealing nonetheless. The scent is like smelling a forest through a LifeSavers Wint-o-mint candy. I like it. And the flavour is very light. Less minty than I expected, but delicate and tingly. I like it.

It’s not for everyday. But it makes me feel Canadian and outdoorsy, and I like that.

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Glitter & Gold was the first tea I tried from Davids, and I’ve not looked back since! This one now lives in my permanent stash, glittering away on the top of the stack.

I love cinnamon and spicy flavours, so this tea scratches that itch in the best way. It’s got a lot of body that can handle adding milk, which I do more often than not. The flavour is mostly cinnamon with the black tea, orange, and clove bringing up the rear.

Plus it’s sparkly! How cute is that?

A tea you can take home to your mother, for sure.

What is lapacho?

Wikipedia told me that it’s the inner bark of the Pink Ipe tree. I’ll tell you what else it is. Delicious.

I’m a fan of nutty things, and amaretto is a usual suspect for me in the liquor cabinet. So no surprise really, that I like this tea so much.

It’s spiky and exciting to look at, with an almond scent that’s almost too strong. Almost.
When brewed, it has a rusty brown liquor that’s pretty thin looking, but has a surprising amount of body to back it up.

I drank this one beside the fire at Emerald Lake Lodge while on our winter vacation. It was pretty idyllic, and I can see myself recapturing that moment with this tea for the rest of the year.

Oh. And just to put a damper on the whole “I love this lapacho tea” moment I’m having, Wikipedia also told me that “One should be careful, using the Lapacho internally. Don’t overdose Lapacho tea and don’t drink it longer than six weeks without break.”

Well. Fine then. I’ll take a break in six weeks when my bag runs out. Maybe. ;-)

Oh boy do I ever like this!

I don’t really love banana flavoured things – candy, chocolate, ice cream, etc. But I do love actual bananas, and this tea tastes like actual bananas.

As another reviewer has already mentioned, the smell is very strong, and a bit artificiall-banana-off-putting. Maybe it’s because the dried bananas have a more concentrated scent. Or something sciencey like that. Either way, I don’t particularly care for the smell.

But when it’s brewed, it’s just so lovely. The gold liquor tastes of tea! Not tea masked by layers of flavour, but actual tea! And delicious buttery oolong tea to boot! And the banana adds complexity and sweetness, complimenting it, not overpowering it. It’s so good!

Thanks, David, for bringing out these exciting new oolongs. I’m a fan.

I think the second steep is the best, by the way.

This is the tea that made me realize that I might just not like white tea.

I followed the brewing instructions from Davids, and found it to be bland and dusty tasting. And then I tried again, steeping for only a minute, and still, it’s dusty.

So I left it for a few months. And then when I became overwhelmed by the sheer volume of teas I own, I decided that I needed to give it another shot so I can finish it off.

Let’s see what icing it does. And maybe just 30s of steeping?

It’s much gentler, but the strawberry seems to have come to the fore. There is a definite tea flavour, but it’s not the slightly bitter dust I’ve come to expect. It’s a delicate, almost floral note that is actually quite delicious. I like that this isn’t overwhelmingly fruity, because some of the other Davids whites that have come out over the summer seem like a bit of a waste of such expensive tea.

So, the final verdict? I like it. Not my favourite, but maybe if Blazing Strawberries never comes back, this could take it’s place in the rotation.

I’ve never had this one hot – somehow, I just don’t think I’d like that much.

But iced? Yeah! Let’s do it!

I brewed it hot, and then cooled the liquor down in the fridge over night. Anticipation makes the heart grow fonder? Or something like that.

This has a very smooth lime flavour – not tart at all. And the yogurt adds a creamy body that is quite lovely. It’s a refreshing drink indeed! Very reminiscent of gelato.

But, once I’ve had a glass or two, I’m kind of done with it for a while. It’s not the kind of tea I’d want to drink every day. Now it’s just for sunny afternoons when I remind myself that I have a whole 100g to drink before it goes stale!

I think this might be the perfect cup of tea.

It’s complex and rich and floral and light and and and… awesome.

I find myself craving a cup (or three) of milk oolong almost every day! I’ve had some other “milk-flavoured” oolongs, and they absolutely pale in comparison with this one. It re-steeps incredibly well, and the creaminess lasts and changes through every infusion. It’s gorgeous, and I love it.

Only shared with very special folks. ;-)

Just brewed myself a cup of this, and had to scuttle to the computer, because I’m in a state of pink-tea bliss right now.

Kanpe is appealing on so many levels – it’s a great cause, the dry leaves smell delish, and it’s one heck of a pretty brew. It also doesn’t have that artificial-flavour feeling to it that I’m finding with some other fruity tisanes.

It’s good, sweet and tart in a pleasant balance. Totally drinkable hot and cold. The banana and coconut makes it feel delightfully tropical, even when it’s raining and blah outside today. And the cinnamon adds a depth that I love. Makes it feel… cozy? I don’t know, but it’s a very good thing.

I got a bit excited and ordered a whole tin of this one.

Sometimes, you take a risk and it pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t. Like this time.

Unfortunately, Carrot Cake is not for me. I wanted to like it. The description sounded so perfect. Oolong! Apples! Coconut! Carrots! What’s not to love?

But there’s a smell to this that I find very off-putting. Maybe it’s the mysterious “flavouring.” It’s artificial and unpleasant, and makes every sip a task to not inhale as I drink. Gives me a headache actually.

Anyway, I’ve since put the tin out in the common area for others to partake in, and there have been several people who have approached me to say how much they love it. Maybe I’m just crazy.

And maybe I’ll think twice next time before impulse-buying tea online…

My sister called me today to let me know that the grocery stores are stocking eggnog again. It’s October 5th. Wow.

So, to mark the beginning of the apparent holiday season, we had a pot of Candy Cane Lane, or as my niece calls it, Polar Bear Tea.

I adore this one, so much so that I stock up on boxes and keep them in my freezer so I can have it year-round. I know it’s not fancy, and my tea-granny friends tend to turn their noses up at bagged (gasp!) decaf (shock!) green teas, but I love the delicate vanilla-mint flavour and aroma here.

It’s good unsweetened, or with a bit of agave for a after-dinner treat. I also like it iced, with brown sugar for sweetness and to add a bit of a caramelly flavour.

Don’t be a snob, and give this one a try. And if you don’t like it, I will happily take your excess boxes for my freezer! ;-)

I usually bypass the rooibos section altogether, because there’s just something that I don’t like about the flavour of red rooibos. Fair enough.

But green rooibos? Oh hello!

The clerk at Davids convinced me to give this one a go, since I do enjoy lemongrass and citrus teas, and I couldn’t detect a rooibos scent from the tin at all, so I figured, why not.

And you know what? It’s lovely!

I’ve had it hot in the past, and it’s good. But I just poured myself a glass of this bright yellow iced brew, and it’s absolutely delicious. There’s a nice sweetness to it, and the lemon isn’t too tart. You can definitely taste the different layers of lemon flavour as well. Floral and fruity and all-around nice.

If I think about it, I can taste the rooibos note, but it’s definitely not the same flavour as red rooibos. Much gentler, with no aftertaste. I think I might just be a fan.

A cup of The Glow before bed makes me a happy girl.

And maybe a prettier one. But not likely.

It’s got a gently floral apple cinnamon flavour. And while I don’t normally go for rooibos, if there is any in here, I can’t taste it. All I taste is relaxation and yummy.

Based on the description, I really wanted to like this one. And yet, I found it totally underwhelming, even a bit off-putting when I smelled it in the store. Anyway, I got a sample with my order, so I figured I should give it a go.

And meh. There really is a strong orange/citrus presence to this one. I don’t know what mulberries taste like (But their leaves are lovely – thanks Mulberry Magic!), but I’m pretty sure they didn’t make or break this tea. I mostly taste citrus with a spice background, and a hint of caramel. Like if I really think about it, I can taste caramel maybe.

So yeah. Not so much on this one.

Yum. So much yum.

And I’m a bit surprised to be saying that, actually.

I smelled this one in store and didn’t care for it much at all. I passed it right by on my way to some other favourites instead.

But when I received a sample in my order the other day, I figured I should give it a go. And hurray that I did!

The aroma of this is very apple-y when brewed, smells almost like hot apple cider, which I think is lovely. Just the right amount of spice, and the green tea does add a dimensionality here as well.

The taste is tart apple with a nice natural sweetness. The tea isn’t lost in all the fruit, and there’s a good balance. I think I’m going to get along very nicely with this little number for the next couple of months!

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Popcorn Tea?
Well, I love Genmaicha, so I suppose it wasn’t too much of a leap…

And what a joyous leap it was! I have fallen deeply in love with this tea.

The smell is delightful – just like caramel corn. Brewed up, the apple and maple flavours really come forward. It is definitely sweet, but there is a nice tartness from the apples that balances it out. My only wish is that the green tea flavour was a bit more prominent. As it is, I like to steep it on the longish side to get just a hint of bitterness from the tea – I think it offsets the sweetness a bit.

I like it with just a drop of agave as a dessert. Or plain and naked during the day. Or yes, smuggled into the movie theatre.

A definite favourite.

Yum!

I wasn’t expecting to like this one much, having had bad experiences with mate in the past, but it’s so popular, and the description sounds so yummy, and I’m rather fond of spicy teas… so, I bought some to taste.

And it’s good! I get a lot of cloves from it, some cinnamon, and a little sweetness from the chocolate. I like the roasty, earthy flavour (is that the mate? The coffee? Or the “other roasted barks”?), and it has a surprisingly full body.

I drank about half of the cup unsweetened, and then added a bit of agave to see what that did. I like it both ways, but would definitely want the sweetener if I were replacing a morning coffee. There’s just something about warm and sweet that does it for me first thing in the morning.

Glad I took a chance on this one!

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I love the smell of this tea. LOVE IT!

But, I’ve always found myself wanting more from it. It’s a bit underwhelming in the cup, honestly. It feels a bit thin, and when/ if I add milk, it becomes almost watery. And this is even after steeping it for a long time. Like 10mins long. I’ve varied the steep time all over the map and have found the same every time.

I decided that after several cups didn’t live up to the glorious smell, I would start messing around a bit. I crushed up two cinnamon sticks, and added them to my remaining 25g. If I thought it smelled great before, this was pure heaven! I am a fan of spicy teas, and adding a bit of cinnamon kick to this one enhanced the scent of the chocolate, and brought out the heat from the chillies. Brewed, it had more body, and didn’t fade away when I added milk. Seriously delicious.

So, I still feel “meh” about the tea itself, but with a little home improvement, it has become one of my favourite dessert teas.