DAVIDsTEA

A friend of mine broke her foot, so I sent her a care package of teas. I also received a swap package from Sil last week. So, what does that mean for my cupboard? Well, the exchange would have evened out…until I decided to buy the DAVIDsTEA fall collection sampler, 52teas’ new Cotton Candy White Tea, and then found a couple undocumented samples in my cupboard. *Sigh

I’m going to pick up where I left off with my sipdown number because I think I’ll probably sipdown quite a few teas without writing notes about them. Sometimes, you just don’t have anything new to say about a tea, and I’d rather not have my sipdown extravaganza be the sole reason for logging a tea.

ON TO THE TEA!

This is a sample I’ve had since our mini-moon trip to NYC. Sadly, I think I used too hot water on it. I mean, it said to use really really hot water. But it’s a green and white tea blend. I should have followed my instincts. Oh well, I have plenty left to experiment with.

I added a bit of sweetener to combat the bitterness. I like it a lot better this way. It’s definitely an apple tea. It’s nice to see that fruit come across strongly as it often doesn’t, even in blends where that’s supposed to be the primary flavor.

This tea is slightly sweet, slightly bitter, slightly floral, and mostly fruity. It’s not a bad combination, just different from what I was expecting. The second infusion for 4.5 minutes has no bitterness at all and is still quite tasty.

Sipdown! This stuff is so very, very sweet* and juicy that I don’t think I’ll be reordering it, but it was interesting to try!

Edit: *Nope, tart. My mind is useless today and I can’t type.

It feels like forever since I’ve posted a tasting note! I’ve been sick for the last couple weeks, and every time I go near tea my stomach has been nearly shouting, “nay nay!”

But tonight things have calmed down enough that I’m actually able to make up a cup of this. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a fruity blend from DAVIDsTEA that didn’t sprinkle apple in it. If it’s not alone, it doesn’t have many peers.

That being said, this tastes so much like apple cider that I had to check the label twice. This is nothing like what I expected. I thought the other elements would play much more prominent parts, but still, all I get is apple cider.

This was the last tea, in my black tea a day experiment last week. I did take this to work on Friday, and Saturday, and today.
I still don’t know what to say about it. It’s really finicky with steep times, but no matter what I did, it just reminds me of coffee – coffee that had been sitting around for 5 hours that’s been watered down til it barely tastes like coffee. Weak, bitter, stale coffee.
No I don’t like it, I tried but nope can’t do it.
I didn’t find anything special about any of these teas, but the Yunnan won the challenge. Sorry Davids, I’m going back to the good stuff.

I do enjoy spicy tea’s and this one does not disappoint. The first time I tried it a couple of days ago, I thought that it tasted like some of David’s other blends. So I tried steeping it for the full 7 minutes, and found that it made a difference.

At first I did get the full spice cake flavour. As the cup cooled, the cake taste disappeared and I was left with clove. I don’t mind the cloves…sometimes I add extra cloves to tea.

This is pretty good. I’ll have no trouble finishing what I have.

This tea is so changeable with me! Tonight, I get lots of bread and not a ton of banana. However, I can handle the bread flavour. I am contemplating mixing my next cup half and half with Teavana’s Chocolate Bananas Foster (which I find almost too banany and sweet). This tea is getting better, but I am still looking for my sweet spot with it.

This was a minor miracle for the day. I took a guess and added more nuts than I usually do and, surprisingly, didn’t steep it for as long as I initially would have. I finally get the bread flavour I was looking for. I need to try brewing this with more nuts and a shorter steep time more often. For now, I am bumping the rating a bit because it is a lot better than I thought it was!

I keep coming back to this tea because I like the concept so much. And we may have big tin I got on sale before I really understood what tea was like to finish… It just is not the most flavourful tea. I love Teavanna’s Banana Foster, and I wish this one delivered on the juicy banana in the same way. Instead it always clocks in at watery and uninteresting. Great concept, but mediocre application, in my opinion.

I keep trying to love this tea, but it is just really not much of a go in my world… I get all the flavours the description indicates I should be tasting, and the liquor is amazingly sweet, but the taste is just lacking to me. I find it too heavy on bananas and I don’t think I am the world’s biggest fan of banana flavour when it comes to tea in general. I have tried and tried with this tea but, compared to perennial favourites like Forever Nuts, this is just not looking like it will ever be a real favourite of mine. Oh well, there are many other teas in the world to love!

So when I first went to DavidsTea, after the girl brought down a bazillion tins (not really but it felt like it), I got a few teas to bring home. So did my Mom. When I was checking out, I think I mentioned to my Mom that if I was ordering these online I’d be getting some free samples, but this was so much nicer to be able to get smaller amounts. The lady then tossed a bag of this in with my stuff for free just because, which was awesome. It had been one of the ones I was considering getting, but decided on some fruity oolongs instead. Lol.

That was months ago and I finally decided to try this one today. Mostly I was putting it off because I had an awful experience with the last chocolate orange tea I tried (burnt orange, yuck). But I was going through my swap bin and realized I hadn’t yet tried it. So I figured what the heck.

This would also be the first puerh that I’ve ever tried, though I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t use it as a comparison for what a puerh should be. At least I hope not.
Anyway. The tea in the bag was powdery with little chocolate curls and orange pieces. I think it was so powdery because of the chocolate, or something. I can’t imagine it was the tea causing it. I measured out a tsp and a half-ish into my steeper, poured boiling water over it and waited the minimum 4 min.

The wet leaves had that orange-y smell that I was expecting, but it didn’t assault my nose or smell burnt like the other orange chocolate tea I’ve had.
The brew wasn’t bad. The orange wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely there. It had almost a spiciness to it that I wasn’t expecting, but it wasn’t strong. Just kinda a faint note at the back of the sip. I didn’t really get a strong distinction of chocolate from this, which I’d expect something given how much was in the mix. But I think it added maybe a richness to the cup and helped to tone down the orange. I’m not sure what a puerh is supposed to taste like so I couldn’t exactly pick it out of this, but it certainly didn’t adversely affect the brew.

I went for a second steep since, from what I’ve read here, puerh can take multiple steeps, usually this is encouraged, so I figured what the heck.
I should’ve stopped at the one steep, and certainly not tried to drink the second one. The wet leaves had a fishy smell to them, which I’ve heard sometimes a puerh will have. It also had a minty smell to it. Actually, it reminded me alot of the chiclet gum my Mom chews for her heartburn. (Just to note, I don’t think her gum smells fishy, just that these leaves reminded me of that. Lol) I scraped the leaves out of my steeper immediately before adding baking soda and hot water to it, since the steeper stank of this. Hopefully it’ll go away. Lol.
The brew had the same fishy smell to it, and the taste. UGH! Like fish. And mint. And orange. BLECH!
Maybe the third steep would’ve been better, but I didn’t even want to try it since what’s the point if you can’t get through the second steep?

Overall, for me this is a one steep only. But I’m not really planning on keeping this around. Maybe I’m doing something wrong because it seems like other reviewers for this have gotten multiple steeps out of it. But it’s just not for me I guess.
I won’t let this spoil my interest in trying puerh teas though. I’ll still, eventually, be giving that section of teas a try one of these days.

So the first time I had this I thought it was amazing. Kinda spicy chai without being, well, spicy chai…if that makes any sense. Lol!
I’ve been entertaining getting the 250g that’s on sale at DavidsTea right now, but figured I’d make this again just to be sure. Now I’m even more on the fence before.
I remember it being amazing, but this cup is just so-so. I had originally steeped it for 4 min, but it tasted so watery that I dropped the basket back in for another 2 min.
I have a feeling that this was under leafed for the cup I used, since it was a pain to get an actual measure out of this what with the big chunks of star anise & coconut in the blend. I should’ve picked out at least the star anise, measured my cup, then added a few pieces after.
It smells the same as it should, but the cup itself is kinda weak and meh. Disappointing. Though at this point I’m not sure if it’s the measure’s fault, or that I was over-hyping the brew in my head. Lol.

This is….actually not as bad as I was fearing. I picked up a 25g package of this from a 2 for $5 bin my last trip into a DavidsTea, after smelling it and finding it not too bad.
I got home and after trying another tea of their’s with coconut (Fantasy Island) and really disliking it, I nearly threw this in the swap bin before trying it just because it had coconut. But I figured why not.

Opening it, all I saw was the star anise, so I poured the bag into a bowl and all the tea was at the bottom. I measured out as evenly as I could 1 1/4 tsp (though it was probly closer to 1/2), dropped two of the star anise into the steeper and steeped 4 min @ 208*.

The smell of the wet leaves especially reminded me of the sassafras I get at the Renaissance Faire. I don’t always like licorice, but in small amounts it’s alright. I rarely have a taste for it. But the taste in this one wasn’t overpowering like I worried with the two giant star anise in the pot.

Taste wise it was licorice-y, but mellow, and the coconut accented this pretty nicely. It wasn’t all in your face like the Fantasy Island. This one was also just mildly spicy-esque and makes me think it’d be good for a morning tea. I added a bit of brown sugar and smidge of truvia and it was very nice indeed. I can imagine this would take milk well if I were so inclined.
I couldn’t really tell the black tea here, but then, I was so busy with the star anise and coconut I didn’t really give much thought to the black tea base other than ‘there, but not strong’. I didn’t get any astringency that I could tell.

Didn’t try a second steep, though I probly should have. Maybe the anise would’ve been toned down so I could taste the black tea. Ah well. Next time I make it.

I actually like this quite a bit. Enough that I’d consider picking up a bag to keep on hand when it goes on sale. Which was certainly surprising to me. Lol.

Actually tastes like it smells! Tasty!

Mini sipdown. Does a sipdown count if it was just a sample? Yes, I suppose it must. It is a tea gone from the cupboard.
Its a very nice green tea. I love the rose aspect to this. Its what a green tea needs to maximize its appeal to me.
Warning to rose haters- this is not for you!

This sample is very very rosy. I do like a rose flavored tea. This also has a curious fruity note in it.
I like it! A green tea that mostly suits me. Interesting.

Yuck. I received this as a sample with my last order. It has a horrible after taste, one I can’t even describe. Not to mention, the apple flavor is so fake, almost what you’d expect tart apple flavored candy to taste like. Just not good at all. Thank goodness I didn’t purchase it.

The cinnamon is really strong

Wow, this is a very “dirty” tea… reminds me of Bamboozled which I really enjoy. Probably from all the powders added to it. The water is a dark amber color.

I can’t tell if it smells more like coffee or berry/cherries. Or maybe chocolate covered cherries. Haha!

Ok first thought on first sip: underwhelming. I would have thought for the amount of ingredients in the tea there would have been a little more substance to it. I’m adding some rock sugar in to see if it brings anything out. I just dumped out a cup of black tea earlier this morning so at least it’s not as bad as that one!

Still not really getting anything. It’s like a watered down fruity coffee, or at least what I’d imagine coffee would morph into in a tea version. I’ll finish the cup, but I probably wouldn’t buy it again. I’ll try this iced next time.

This is my favourite tea. So creamy and rich. It is great on its own, although it is perfection with a bit of stevia and some milk. Amazing as a latte – tastes like a london fog.

Cloudy and muggy day. Would love to feel like a million bucks so I choose this smoky,decadent and very nutty tea to start the day off right.

This tea smells lightly of marzipan and coconut with a rich downy blanket of teeth clenching nuttiness and smokiness. Like Fantasy Island without the sexiness or sweetness. This tea is all about bars of gold,dollar bills and bling …serious bling. Definitely fit for royalty. Opulent and deep like the dank back end of a safety box filled with treasure. Sounds bad but actually it smells wonderful ( I imagine)

As for taste..it is wonderfully sharp and nutty,warming and soothing with a kiss of coconut that lingers on the tongue and a very slight tart sweetness from the raisins. Golden smooth and deeply rich with an absolutely gorgeous nuttiness. It tastes like the perfect fall/winter coat.

Perfect for: cold nights,a need for opulence,lovers of smoky and nutty teas.

Final Verdict: this tea is Fantasy Island’s romantic partner they both share these deep smoky elements but where Fantasy Island is sweet and sexy Brazillionaire is deep and rich like a baritone. They are a pair that I believe belong together. Husband and wife tea! I prefer Fantasy Island but I love the husband too. This tea is a lovely win.

This tea is very beautiful to brew. The gold sugar dissolves and makes the tea glittery. It is a bit sweet on it’s own, but I wouldn’t want to add milk to it to ruin the glittery effect.

Had my last cup of this last night. I’m sad. This is probably my absolute favourite rooibos blend I’ve ever had in my life. Yes, it’s sweet because it has candied fruit AND candy pieces AND sprinkles in it. I’m OK with that. I don’t have it right before bed, and I don’t have it when I first get up in the morning and sweet overload is yucky. But the colour of the tea…I can’t get over the colour. Love it. It really does look like I scooped up a cupful of swamp water and am about to drink it. The first time I steeped it my dad thought there was something wrong with the tea and that I should return it. He just didn’t get that it was SUPPOSED to look greenish-blackish-blue. That’s part of the charm :) Took me almost 4 months to finally get him to try it.

Should there ever be a re-release of this tea, I’ll be buying 1 kg of it so that I never have to go without it ever again. I just hope they have the little cat sprinkles back (the first time had the cat sprinkles as it was a Halloween tea, the second time it was just regular black sprinkles because it was a summer tea). They made me smile.

I bought this tea way back when it had black cat candy sprinkles in it, so I’m a bit disappointed they took them out when they re-introduced it. Gimme my black cat sprinkles back!

Flavour-wise, this tea is tha-bomb-izzle. It’s great hot, and I would almost say even better iced. I don’t ice teas often because I feel like I’m wasting leaves, but this one? Totally worth the leaf sacrifice. Tastes like tea-punch. And the appearance of it? Looks exactly like I just dunked my cup in a swamp and scooped up whatever I found. True to the name!

I need to go buy myself a kilogram of this stuff…

EDIT: This tea is now discontinued again. Kill me. I want more… :(

More of this cold! So refreshing, but I think that Nana’s Fruit Garden is a little bit thicker and sweeter once steeped. Still, the name of this is awesome. Bear Trap! Don’t bring this one out hiking! :)

I convinced my friend to stop at the health food store, and I bought ginger mango candies (SO GOOD!), chocolate, and grapefruit seed extract. That stuff is very pithy, I think, as I’m getting a lot of pith from this glass of tea. Next I will have a plain glass to wash the pith away. ;)