1759 Tasting Notes

79

Wait, so this WAS the tea I had last week??? why was it so much better?
I think I had the Bukhial last week and logged the wrong one. This makes no sense, as the tea I had today was much rounder, maltier, tastier… less bold, more malty… my bad, I guess! :/

Daddyselephant

Nope, you had this one. You kept commenting on the name and we all tried to figure out how to say it, remember?

Tina S.

The Borg jokes were made last time. Maybe just a better steep time?

Indigobloom

ah but I mean, I think the mistake was made when I ordered it. I think I ordered the other one… and thought it was this one last time!
oh well, the borg jokes make everything worthwhile :P

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67
drank Golden Peach by Tealish
1759 tasting notes

I was so very sad… when I could not even finish my cup of this. More than half of it went into the bin. What a waste of money, and tea :(
The girl used nearly boiling water so I’m sure the leaves were burnt… but I doubt that could be responsible for the lack of any peach flavour whatsoever! All I got was Jasmine and white. So not my cuppa tea.
The way this was prepared, I have very few nice things to say about it so I’ll stop here before I get crass! goes to brush teeth!

Kittenna

That’s disappointing :( Golden Peach sounds so appetizing, too.

Indigobloom

yup. bleh!!

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88
drank Pear Cream by The Tea Haus
1759 tasting notes

This tastes just like pears! and cream!!! wow, I did not expect it to be so spot on. It’s sweet and oh so creamy but in a natural way that I can totally appreciate… all balanced out by a slight tartness. YUMM!
I think I may need to snap up some more of this wonderful concoction.
Oh and there is fennel in this?! I’m so proud of you fennel, learning to share the spotlight :)

BTVSGal

sounds good!

Indigobloom

It really is BTVSGal! I’m craving more now…

Tina S.

hugs her precious Pear Cream I’m so glad you like this one! :D

Indigobloom

ME TO Tina, ME TO!!!

Kittenna

Yum, yes, this sounds delicious. Love pears, love creaminess. Can’t wait to expand beyond DavidsTea offerings (but my wallet could….)

Indigobloom

how far away is Guelph from London? there is a tasting there on the 18th of March. The prices are incredibly affordable! :)

Kittenna

A couple hours or less… there is a Tea Haus in London?? Interesting to know. I have a friend down that direction… I probably can’t make anything for the next while (school CRAZINESS) but that’s good to keep in mind…

Indigobloom

Huh, next time then. Would be fun!! Good luck with school…

Kittenna

Thanks for the heads-up about this place though – I should be able to make it down sometime during the summer, once the semester and my early field season are out of the way. Exciting! Gotta drink my way through a bunch of my stash in the meantime :D

Indigobloom

It’ll take me years to drink mine down… oi! Well let me know if you ever make it to TO, it’d be awesome to meet up :)

Kittenna

I make it to TO every now and then :) Perhaps we could meet up at some point and you could introduce me to a cool tea place!! I’ll try to remember when I’m heading there next!

Indigobloom

definitely Krystaleyn! Keep me posted when you are in town!! that’d be SO much fun ;P

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82

Not bad not bad. Somehow, I don’t know why, it’s not my absolute favourite. I think because it’s lacking the depth I enjoy in my black teas. This is a little light.
I steeped it for just under three minutes, when it was right at the turning point of bitterness so I’m not sure what else could have been done with it.
With some milk and a pinch of agave, it was much better. Malty, a little too astringent, and… well it must be me, but I’m getting a sort of corn flavour, like you get in green tea at a restaurant. Roasted creamed corn. I never thought I’d associate black Indian tea and corn! Hmm. It seems like a flavour that pairs better with a lighter tea. Yunnan could probably handle it much better. That said, I’m glad to have had the experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the cuppa :)
Big thanks to the Tea Guild of Canada for this sample!
EDIT: okay I’m a little nauseous now. It could be that I’ve had more caffeine than I should have today, in both chocolate and tea form. Either way, I’m a tad put off!

Bonnie

This sounds like it would have been better for breakfast with an english muffin! Hope you feel better!

Indigobloom

I agree Bonnie, except maybe for someone with a more sensitive palate. I have a feeling this one would be teeming with nuances for them :P

Bonnie

Maybe you needed to salt and butter it…stick a fork in it…ha ha! Tea on the cob!

Indigobloom

ha!! good one! maybe that would make it go pop

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97

White tea love!!!
First time in ages… I’m drinking a cup of white tea and lurrrvin it. Now, I can’t decide if I love it 97 points worth, but I can’t bear to change the rating because this was my first tea luv.
It’s funny, for the longest time after I started disliking teas I refused to delve into this one again for fear that I’d end up hating this, and I really, reallllly did not want to hate this one. I would rather remember a tea fondly and never have it again, than try it one day and all of a sudden think it akin to bathwater.
But then today, I don’t know what came over me. I just had to have this!! Oh wait, I know why… it’s because DT is “revamping” this and I needed to see if it’d be worth scouting out some more before they ruin it (heh, I’m not jaded at all am I?!)
I’ve noticed that the quality of leaf and flavouring they use has declined of late, and so my gut feeling says that whatever they do to this tea, it will never be the same :(
Talk about a bittersweet moment!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 1 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Lurrvin your review!

Indigobloom

hehe thanks Bonnie! I’m still on a tea high :)

Kittenna

They’re revamping it? How do you know? It’s on my to-try list… hope it’s still around a while longer.

Indigobloom

just a rumour going around… must be from some of the David’s staff! get some quick if your location still has any..

Daniel Scott

@Krystaleyn – Yeah, I got told it was discontinued last time I was there…eh, discontinued, new version, basically the same thing, yeah?

@Indigobloom – You think their leaf quality is declining? :( That’s a disturbing observation. Since when, approximately? Do you figure that’s laziness or decline in supply?

Indigobloom

DanielScott:
It IS disturbing!! Before I started going to David’s regularly, they had some blends that were a bit pricier but better quality. Margaret’s Hope for example, was a fave of many here, or so I’ve been told…
Then I noticed that their straight teas don’t resteep well at all. The TKY has an odd hollow quality to it. The Milky Oolong is kindof fake tasting.
Also, when I’ve compared a David’s tea to the same from another company, I’ve personally found the taste far superior.
Finally, their ingredients were at one time pretty straightforward. Now, if you look at the list it often includes a generic but worrisome “flavouring”, which is usually a good indicator that when I’ll dislike the taste.
Personally, I just think it’s a product of David’s expanding too quickly-Trying to keep costs down and turnover high.

Daniel Scott

Interesting. I have noticed the “flavour” thing, although I don’t mind it. I think if people start riding them on it though, they could improve. They have generally shown themselves to be very responsive to customer feedback.

Now, personally, I don’t care if they sell inferior blends of tea so long as I find them pleasant to drink and the price point reflects it. On the latter part, I’m not convinced it does, BUT their prices are similar to Teaopia’s, so I can’t say they aren’t locally competitive.

Daniel Scott

Got a question for you actually, Indigobloom – have you ever seen a male staff member at DT? I ask because I thought at first that it was just my location and thought nothing of it…I figured that it was mostly women that applied there or something. But I’ve now compared notes with people across a few locations, and it appears that they’re staffed exclusively by women (or almost, except no one has actually seen a guy). I find that very weird, as I myself work for a really girly soap/lotion/perfume retailer, and we are mostly staffed by women…but largely because that is who apply, guys that apply get hired often as well.

Now, men have better job opportunities in many places besides retail (which is mostly women), but it strikes me as odd because tea is not a gendered thing like even the beauty industry (which still hires men!). Ever seen a guy associated with DT besides David himself?

Daisy Chubb

There’s one guy at my DT in Regina! Only one though haha.

Daniel Scott

A-ha! One is more than zero! :)

Indigobloom

I agree with you on the flavouring issue. I guess I am more sensitive to it, because it tends to disagree with my stomach.
As for the gender issue… I had noticed that about most of their locations!! until recently that is. I think they must have changed their recruitment strategy because all of a sudden I’ve seen a heck of a lot more diversity in the staff. (mostly still white, which I dislike because I work in HR and that seems more odd than the gender issue, but then I could be imagining it)
At the DT location near my work, which just opened six months ago, there are atleast three guys that I can recall. I was at the Scarborough town centre not long ago and saw one there, as well as at Erin Mills. Again, this is all very recent. I suspect that once the organization expanded to a certain size, they fell into a different category in regards to labour law considerations and upped their strategy, but that is just my hypothesis, I could be wrong!

Indigobloom

Also, while tea should have no feminine/male associations, I’ve seen guys refer to tea as “girly” or “sissy”, or remark that they need something more “manly” like a strong coffee- which I disagree with but there really is nothing I can say to change their mind! trust me I’ve tried haha

Tina S.

There are two guys who are constant staff at my DT and another 4 were brought in for holiday help. Definitely not female only in my store! :D

Cattibrie

Daniel the Westboro store in Ottawa has a few male staff members. And I think they have a couple of other ethnicities as well. And the girl that made me an amazing Chai Latte (actually 2 since we went back when leaving the mall) I believe was African American.

De

There’s a DT at Erin Mills?

Daddyselephant

I’m ragingly curious now, why do you think their quality is low? You’re the only person I’ve met who thinks so and I’m just wondering why you think that.

There are two male staff members at the Sherway location!

Cattibrie

Off topic a little but Ottawa is getting a third store. Yay. It’s going to be at Bayshore Shopping Centre which is 30 minutes from my house and I drive by it all the time to get places. Can’t wait.

Indigobloom

De: I think it does.. I could be wrong, the day I went we were at two malls…
Aisling: I dunno, it’s just a trend I’ve noticed, for my personal tastes. Whatever I have at DT, I can almost always find a better quality version for a similar price. And anything artificial in tea (ie. generic “flavouring”, to me, is not the best quality lol)

Indigobloom

Cattibrie: Nice!! I see plenty more DT reviews in your future ;P

Daddyselephant

Okay, but could it just be that your tastes have changed? Just because you prefer one thing over another, that doesn’t make the other thing low quality.

Indigobloom

that’s a fair point… it’s possible it could be just me. I mentioned it to some of the staff there to see if they had noticed it and the manager said that some of the teas seem to have been downgraded. but that is just anecdotal. Without any actual proof it’s really hard to say.
The other thing is, I’ve seen a few people post about DT teas having a funny sortof aftertaste where others don’t, which I kinda noticed as well. Not sure what that’s about… maybe it’s the tins they are stored in. Or the bags…

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81
drank Chocolate Heart by The Tea Haus
1759 tasting notes

This is certainly an interesting one! not enough to rebuy, but I would recommend it to someone looking for a light spicy chocolate tea. It could be an alternative for DTs Chocolate Chili Chai.
My first steep was bare, steeped for 3-4 min. A little too strong for my liking, in the tea aspect. Spiciness was just right. The second steep, I had a leftover candy heart so added that, and also some milk. This brought out the chocolate quite a bit.
Also, I really like that most of the candy bits melted. I always feel it’s a waste when there is candy in a tea and it does nothing but sit there.
Overall, I think this was pleasant. Thanks so much for the sample Tina S!!

Tina S.

You’re welcome, bb! I agree it was really interesting but not one I’m going to refill.

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77
drank Coco Chai Rooibos by DAVIDsTEA
1759 tasting notes

So I added some peppermint to this, and it perked up my cup considerably!! In fact, I’m almost sad that there is just enough for one more cup made this way.
There is still that cloying sweetness that I dislike, but I can deal.
If only we had some milk in the house. This would make a great latte!

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85
drank Moroccan Mint by The Tea Haus
1759 tasting notes

This was… ok. Not terrible. I must have had a bad day in tea world, I don’t know. It was just… lacking something! Thank you for the sample Tina!! maybe my next cup will be better.
Oh I almost forgot!! the second steep had this strong vegetal taste. I guess it was hiding behind all that mint. It seemed to redeem some of the tea, one of the reasons I think there is hope for it! :)
Jeeze, I could learn a thing or two from Daniel Powter.
http://youtu.be/gH476CxJxfg

Tina S.

Oh noes you didn’t love it! I am sad now! hugs you tight Let’s blame a bad tea day and hope for the best next time!

Indigobloom

yes, next time will be better :)

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78
drank Pommeberry by The Tea Emporium
1759 tasting notes

Sweet tarts!! Tart, with a very faint hint of berry, which was brought out a touch with my addition of agave. The black tea base is pretty standard. I don’t really have much more to say… except that I am so sure that there is hibiscus hiding in here somewhere. yes, it was that sour without the agave!
Overall, it was nice but not especially unique.
Thanks to my tea peeps Jessie, De, and Aisling for sharing this with me! Epic times. Epic times…

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84

Ever have one of those tea days where nothing goes as planned? not a disaster exactly, just not what you expected.
That was today. See, I had planned to bring in one of the many samples I received yesterday… only to find myself running late and of course entirely forgetting the tea on my dresser. No biggie, I figured… I needed to run an errand for work that took me by the Tea Dynasty. I rarely get to stop in there, what a treat! except when I swung by, guess what?!? they were closed. Oh right, they are a retail business and not in the core financial district. Of course they are closed, until 11am!!
Anyhow, by this point I was desperately craving tea. ANY TEA! Having been promised some and denied twice, I was rather thirsty! and that’s how I ended up at David’s, the closest shop to my work.
Needless to say, this was a bit of a letdown. Malty, sure. Even a little honeyed. And smokey?!? Did I taste that right… how odd. Is it just me? has anyone else noticed anything even remotely like that? nobody looked at me oddly, so I doubt there were any seizures involved. Maybe it was the tiny bit of agave I added. Or aliens. They planted the smoke. yes, that’s it :)
Ah well. What can ya do…

Bonnie

Maybe you needed to stop at a bar after all that! (Joke)

Indigobloom

I like the way you think Bonnie ;)
I certainly needed a straight shot of sumthin!

Cattibrie

I love Nepal Black. I haven’t tasted smokey but you never know. Sorry you had a crappy tea day. Those just suck.

Indigobloom

thanks Cattibrie. Yep, who knows what happened to that particular batch. Maybe it was accidentally mixed with some Lapsang!

Daniel Scott

Definitely never gotten smokey from Nepal Black! That’s really strange.

SimpliciTEA

Sad to hear it wasn’t a good ‘tea day’, but I loved your narrative!

Ninavampi

Aliens… Hmmm… I agree that is the most plausible answer! ; )

Indigobloom

Daniel: right?! I’ll have to ask them about it next time I stop by.
SimpliciTea: thanks! I tend to put too much narrative, not enough tea talk in my reviews… but I can’t help it! lol
Ninavampi: Indeed! what else could it be… I only wish the aliens would introduce themselves. I’m sure we’d have a lovely tea party :P

Daniel Scott

Haha, too much narrative! Come talk to me about the narrative : tea talk ratio, Indigobloom. :P

SimpliciTEA

Definitely not too much narrative. One of the reasons I like reading reviews and responding to discussions is to engage on all topics, tea related or not. I also laughed at the alien reference. Picturing you and aliens having a tea party is a hoot! : )

Bonnie

Ditto SimpliciTEA!

Indigobloom

hehe thanks for the narrative support everyone xo

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Profile

Bio

Let’s see… I’m a tea and workout fanatic, I work in HR, and most of my friends consider me to be an egg. White on the outside, Asian on the inside :)
-from philosophy to food, I love it all
Otherwise, what you see is what you get! I can be very straightforward and yet shy.

Also, I’ve started taking tea sommelier classes and it is an absolute blast! Well, so far I’ve only finished the first out of eight courses, but I am really looking forward to the next one.

Anyhow, if your curious as to how I rate things, this is how I work…

0-25
Like eating dirt, or some other unsanitary indelicacy that mentioning in my profile here would likely get me banned.
I don’t think I’ve found cause to banish a tea to the wasteland yet though so who knows what it’d inspire ;P

25-50
You know that expression “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”? I imagine drinking that water would be terrible enough to warrant this rating!
I’d never make my enemy drink this, but perhaps I’d throw it at them. Good thing I don’t have any enemies!

50-70
This is “tea”?? I tried finishing the cup… but my body rejected it. There may be others who enjoy this tea, but it’s beyond me!

70-80
I tried liking it, and I can almost get there! I certainly don’t hate it, but something is holding me back. Allergies? Men in white suits? who knows… certainly not me!

80-90
Lovely tea! Not my all time fave but close. I likely wouldn’t repurchase, but may decide to based on many factors: price, accessibility, whether it fills a “tea gap”, medicinal applications, and how often I crave it.
Every once in awhile I find the sweet spot that bumps these up to 90+. Those are the days I need to buy a lotto ticket!

90-95
Sweet Camellia! this is realllly good tea! Don’t talk to me until I’ve finished my cup…

95-100
Tea of the gods. I would do anything to get my hands on more of this liquid gold!

Location

Toronto (Mississauga, but I work in TO)

Website

http://hrslinger.wordpress.com/

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