DAVIDsTEA

I was so surprised to open up this pouch and find all of these large pieces of dried fruit! Beautiful! I know this tea is called Indian Summer, but dried fruits seem appropriate for fall and the approaching winter. I couldn’t really find much actual tea, but was completely content with these little fruit pieces. The scent of the tea after water has been added is mostly of cherries. It reminds me a little bit of black cherry flavored candies, almost on the verge of being cough syrup.

Sipping.. it is surprisingly lighter than I expected. I find that most of DavidsTeas’ teas are stronger to the nose most of the time. This blend is much more mellow. It starts out a bit like sweet black cherry and becomes more tart. I’m glad that the tartness is somewhat subtle, but I wish that the other fruity flavors could be drawn out. I can’t really identify all of the fruits by taste. It’s more like a fruit cocktail (minus the tooth-aching sweetness) in that all of the fruits are joined in a syrupy cup — cherry, apple, plum, carrot?! The mixture definitely keeps the cup interesting and playful. I couldn’t decide on a tea this evening, but this one was perfect. Light & tangy fruits before bed! Thanks Invader Zim!

Okay, first off I’ll just come out and say it: I love this tea. I love this tea like I love my mother. It has found it’s way into my permanent rotation, and I am extremely glad to have discovered it. Now to the actual review:

The dry leaves smelled very much like a sweet-ish chai to me, but I could definitely pick up on the citrusy scent of the orange peel! Brewing the tea, I had a pretty decent idea of what to expect, having seen many pictures of glitter & gold on instagram (yes, I check the #davidstea hashtag quite frequently. No shame!), and was slightly disappointed at the low amount of sparklies in my tea (this is probably due to my method of steeping it in a teapot – note to self: buy DT steeper!), but this disappointment quickly turned to joy upon tasting the tea: a very prominent black tea taste with the sweetness of sugar, the warming taste of cinnamon, and slight orangey undertones.

One complaint I tend to have about certain teas from David’s would be that if there’s cinnamon there’s usually too much (Cinnamon Heart) or too little (Stormy Night), but I certainly didn’t have that problem with this tea. I could definitely taste it, and it in fact was a very cinnamon-y tea, but not overpoweringly so.

I’ll start out this review by saying that this is quite possibly one of the ugliest teas I’ve ever steeped. It’s murky and brown, and reminiscent of…feces, I guess.

But if you can get past the fact that the tea looks (quite literally) like sh*t, then it’s actually rather enjoyable! While steeping, I found it smelled very strongly of chocolate and coconut, and slight vanilla undertones. I wasn’t picking up on the cinnamon or black tea at all.

After letting it steep for 6 minutes, give or take, I gave it a taste and was simultaneously surprised and, well…not surprised. It tasted exactly like it smelled! Which was not a bad thing, necessarily, as the chocolate, coconut & vanilla all blended very well with the black tea, but I was slightly disappointed at the lack of cinnamon taste.

I’ll certainly have no qualms with finishing the rest of my 50g bag, but I probably won’t buy it again. Also it may be worth noting that before the even left the container at the DT store, the chocolate had melted and hardened back up again, making this tea very clumpy & hard to measure while dry. I think I will call David’s about this in the near future.

Today’s tea of the day at my local Davids was Rooibos de Provence. And in sampling that tea, I was like this is Jessie’s tea, but not as good!

So here we are, Sunday night, Once Upon a Time is on TV, and I am obviously going to dip into my Jessie’s Tea bag for my after dinner cup. I love the coconut and lavender together, it has just the right blend of sweetness and I want to say mintyness to be delicious.

So I am recently really into jasmine tea. A few weeks ago I walked into David’s to try the straight leaf promotion ( straight leaf teas for 1$), and thought there couldn’t be any loss to try jasmine black pearls. I thought that jamsmine + black would = a strong and bitter tea, but I was wrong. This tea is so tasteful and not overpowering whatsoever. It has the soothing and warming taste of black tea and that spark of Jasmine that I just love so much. So for me this tea is really meant to exist.

Hello Steepster!

I’ve been absent for awhile. Lots of things have been crazy. I’m picking classes for next semester… all the ones I want to take are 300-level, and I need to give myself an easy semester. Sigh!

I’ve had this sample for awhile, but never really gotten around to trying it. It smells really fruity, and for some reason there are cat-shaped sprinkles in my packet as well, on top of the general sprinkles.

I’ve heard a lot about the color, but it didn’t look strange until I poured it into my glass. Oh goodness. It’s really murky green. It does not look appetizing. But it smells really fruity. Huh.

Unfortunately, it tastes as murky as it smells. It’s vaguely fruity, but it all seems to blur together. Part of it might also be the weirdness of drinking something that color.

Here’s another one I’ve had for quite a well but never tried. Since I first started shopping at Davids Tea, this one has been strongly recommended. I’ve noticed that the newer sales girls tend to reach for the newest teas first, but this one used to be a strong seller for them, and I assume it still is as it’s still on the menu. Of course, for the first year or two of my tea life, I didn’t like oolong OR puerh – now it’s just puerh I can’t handle. I figured that after having a sample of this for probably a year or more we should probably try it out.

We steeped it in 85 degree water for 3 or 4 minutes, I didn’t want to scald the oolong as I didn’t know how well it would stand up to heat. The flavour was at first a bit strong, ginger and orange peel rounding out each sip and keeping the flavours together, but it became very palatable as I got deeper in the cup. I haven’t looked at the leaves, but it must be a roasted oolong rather than a green. I didn’t get any wet dog smell or taste from the puerh, so I was pretty happy with that. Altogether, these flavours work remarkably well. Unexpectedly, the beau LOVED it and wants to take it to work – this is one he would actually like to get a tin of. Will marvels never cease? He used to hate ginger, oolong and puerh. It’s interesting how our tastes have changed.

The second steep we just enjoyed came out a bit thin after five minutes of steeping, but it was also tasty. It was shockingly sweet (I assume from the oolong) and the ginger/orange were there just as a light background note. I would have preferred a bit more strength in the second steep, but the beau may have been light on the leaf so I shan’t blame the tea.

Anyway, this is a very respectable tea. Not sure what it really does for fat absorption, but if it helps at all, I support it! : ) It went quite well as a complement to our takeout pad thai as well. Hey, a girl needs a treat sometimes, right? : )

So I actually had tried this before but it was a gift for a friend since she’s the biggest red velvet cake lover in the world.

I went on a small tea shop to DT’s and decided to pick up 15 grams of my very own.

It smells like red velvet cake if it wasn’t over-sweetened and too rich as it usually is.I smell chocolate semi-sweet and white..mixed perfectly.

Once steeped smells richer and deeper notes of chocolate come though and I want my whole life to smell like this.

It’s a denser tea kind of like glitter and gold but sadly without the shimmer.( No points off though!)

This is a really comfy tea..it’s more pastry like and then descends into this gentle sweetness that stays on the tongue.Basically like a blanket placed around oneself it feels like THAT kind of a tea.

It’s really really nice and soothing..I see greatness in an icing as well.Not sure if this will be a staple of my collection but it’s wonderful right now.

as always only used 1tsp and steeped the lowest time recommended.

I’m baaaaacck

I used 1.25 tablespoons for 275 ml of water.

The longer infusion time does not produce any bitterness. I would chance infusing this tea for a longer period of time to see if the flavour profile can be enhaced further.

I used 2 David’s Tea Perfect Spoonfuls of dry leaf for my Aqua-ovo tea tumbler. There are some very large pieces of the dry leaf so I decided to add a little bit more than the recommended 1.5 scoops.

The brewed tea smell is similar to that of Sambuca which is an anise-flavoured liqueur.

The sip is a bit sour at the start which blooms into a vanilla-like sweetness. The coconut flavour gives a heaviness near the end of the sip, trailing into the aftertaste. I’m detecting some caramel-floral tones close to the end of the sip. The flavour of the white tea is mildy present and rounds out the taste.

As the tea cools, I am getting a bit more of the mulberry taste. It gives a light fruity taste. The sweetness of this tea is quite heavy and complements the rest of the flavours. I feel like most of the sweetness is coming from the coconut. I can detect a flavour that reminds me of liqueur.

It may be worth it to try infusing this tea for a longer amount of time in the future as other reviewers have recommended.

I have been in a bad mood all week. I’ve been chained to my computer bogged down by an excessive load of school work. This law paper I am writing is pure torture; a looming deadline never helps. Naturally, I run to the tea cupboard for respite from stress and chaos. I reach for Salted Caramel because I know this tea never fails to turn my frown upside down. The smell of the dry leaf is divine: ooey gooey sweet salty and chewy fleur de sel caramels with a boozy undertone. A salty caramel liqour. The aroma of the brew is molten caramel without the inebriation from the dry leaf. This is one of those teas that taste just like it smells. It smell and taste reminds me of a Heath Bar. First sip you get the creamy feel and taste of caramel, you can taste a bit of malt from the black tea. The aftertaste is interesting and unique. Once the tea hits the back of your throat, you can taste a miniscule sprinkle of sea salt. Very unique this tea. I would be surprised if this tea doesn’t bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Picked up a small sample of this yesterday when I was in getting a 1$ cup of oolong.

First steep is very smooth and bright. It’s a very clean, simple white tea. I had it with a bit of honey and I think that worked well. Will try resteeping soon.

Was out late Halloween partying last night. My Husband was Dresden (he’s geeky and cute) and I was a gothic lolita doll with a petticoat that made my butt impossible to get through doorways and sit down. Ate too much candy and my sweet tooth is still going, hoping this Salted Caramel tea will hit the spot!

DRY: Looks like all the fun bits of this tea settled onto the bottom of my package! Smells salty, caramelly toffee!

STEEPED: Bold, coffee like, but toffee sweet aroma. Little bit of film on the top of the tea and black debris on the bottom that my Steeper didn’t pick up.

TASTE: Strong, deep, bold black tea taste. Small caramel aftertaste. I get faint salt taste end of sip. Not astringent, but bitterness starting to emerge. Not picking up the coconut.
Sweetened, the caramel comes out a bit more.

COMMENTS: Hmmm, I was hoping this would taste like how it smells, but not enough caramel, salt or creamyness for me to fully enjoy this tea, but I am a flavor freak. The black tea is rich, so I think a coffee drinker would enjoy this tea.

I’m upping my rating on this one because I think I did it a better service today. It’s still not my fav (I wish it was more appley) but I added a hint of honey and only steeped it for 4 mins, and it was better.

Last one of the fall collection that I bought a small sample of. This one is probably my least favorite, I’m just not a huge fan of floral teas. However, I like it more than I thought I would after I added a touch of honey.
Taste is sweet, floral, with a hint of nuttiness. I don’t get a lot of apple, which is too bad, if anyone can suggest a better apple tea I’d appreciate it. I haven’t found one that compares to an apple tea I have from the UK with apple and mint.

At first, when this was hot, I quite enjoyed my cup. The ginseng sweetness was interesting, but certainly not typical of my normal tea rotation. It definitely lingers!
But then when it cooled I started to dislike the fake sweetness, because it reminded me of splenda, which I cannot stand the taste of. Overall, I give this one a thumbs down. Not something I’d try again, even if it was offered to me free of charge.
Although… the oolong part was nice. I suppose that is about the only positive thing I have to say here heh

This is my second David’s tea and I had it thanks to Darby.

The dry leaves have a scent of rum… or am I crazy ?
I see very few tea in this tea…many marshmallows and chocolate chips but really few tea leaves …I am suspicious and a little worried.

I steeped it 5 mn and the scent of the liquor is really spicy (cinnamon is the leader)
I don’t get the marshmallow taste, just sugar.

Had the impress to drink a hot water with cinnamon and sugar – weird

As mentioned this is only my second DT and I have the same problem : I don’t really taste the tea base. I get the flavours (not all) but not the tea base.
Really odd,I’ll continue with testing DT, I’m sure I didn’t taste the 2 main teas of their collection.

Awaiting to taste their masterpiece …which is ? to your opinion ?

(DavidsTea 2022: 23)
2022 Sipdown 19/365!

Well… sadly, this tea was no longer good. It was a sample, stored in a ziploc, and almost devoid of flavour. Too bad, as I used to enjoy this tea and was hoping for a final bit of nostalgia, but nope. Unusual that a tea is so spectacularly tasteless!

I’d forgotten that this tea existed! It’s a bit light on flavour now, but it was familiar (and pretty tasty) as soon as I tried it. Kind of a caramelly vanilla flavour on a pleasantly light base. Just a few more cups left!

Had a travel mug of this over the weekend (while travelling, go figure), and have come to the conclusion that it tastes an awful lot like Mandarin Silk! But, I think I prefer Mandarin Silk, which is good, because I have waaaaaay more of it to finish off than this one. But yes, it’s a combination of light oolong flavour, vanilla, and a slight hint of citrus, which is pretty tasty. As I recall mentioning last time, however, I do not care for the second infusion of this tea, for whatever reason. It just tastes astringent and off. So, down the drain it goes!

Enjoying a big cup of this thanks to Robyn!

The aroma is deliciously vanilla-y and creamy, and the flavour closely matches, with a lovely vanilla aftertaste, although there’s almost a bit of a sour note showing up. I can’t really tell that the base here is oolong, aside from a little bit of an oolongy aftertaste. I personally think that this oolong could have been executed a little bit better, but it is still pretty tasty to drink as is. Thanks again for passing this along, Robyn – it definitely has a better home here! :)

ETA: Whoops, oversteeped second infusion (4.5 or 5 minutes or however long I infused it for was too long). I was amused however, at the fact that when trying to figure out which tea was in the infuser, I could have sworn it was Citron Oolong in this one. So apparently I seem to be picking up some sort of lemoniness. I can kind of taste it in the cup as well. Not entirely sure I like it, but that’s ok! I suspect this one can continue for another infusion or so, but I think I’ve had enough of it for now. I’ll steep it properly next time…

Soft sweetness that blooms into a full licorice sweet twinge that fills the mouth. I’m usually sensitive to cardamom, but in this tisane it seems to be blended in quite well with the other spices.
I can taste the peppermint at the beginning of the sip. The ginger, cardamom and chili seem to give it a bit of a zip factor. I cannot detect any pineapple flavor. Thin mouth-feel. After-taste is licorice-sweet with a bit of spiciness.

I would probably prefer if there weren’t so many ingredients but I feel that they are very well-blended together. I wouldn’t say that all the flavours compliment the licorice but make for a very interesting tasting experience.

As the tea cools, I detect a thicker mouth-feel.

Had this one tonight while in picking up the last of the fall collection. I have been taking advantage of the just the leaf for $1 deal.

It was smooth and delicious, but I found after a while with the bag in the to go cup it got bitter. I should have taken it out sooner. I also should have taken the bag home so I could double steep it. I guess I was too busy ogling my husband tonight on our date to think straight. Anyways I would recommend this as a really nice, clean white tea, and if the price wasn’t so high I would probably buy more.

52teas’ rainbow sherbert is one of my favorite gimmicky dessert teas, so I was really excited to try this one out!

The leaf looks and smells a bit odd. The scent isn’t bad, but it’s not much like ice cream, and the appearance is kind of… messy, presumably due to the fact that sprinkles and freeze dried ice cream are not designed to keep their shape when mixed with tea leaves. But hey, I didn’t get this to stare at it, so let’s move on.

The flavor with no additions is similarly hard to describe. If I didn’t know what it was, I might guess some kind of strawberries and cream, and knowing what to look for I can definitely tell that there’s freeze-dried ice cream in there. It’s also got a notable sweetness that will probably turn a lot of people off, but I don’t mind.

I also tried this with milk because it seemed like the proper thing to do, but it was a poor choice and just diluted the flavor.

This is a tough tea to rate! It’s definitely got an intriguing and unique taste and I’m glad I tried it, but I’m not sure I’d say that I like it. I’d rather drink an okay unique tea than an okay boring tea, so points for that, but unless you’re as curious as I was I would say to skip it.