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Free sample included with my DAVIDsTEA order.

I was actually pretty curious to see how the samples would be handled with this order since I actually didn’t order any tea this go around. I love the aesthetic of most DAVIDs mugs and tumblers but their teas…I just haven’t found one that measures up to what its advertised to be.

So anyhow, I received a sample of this, their second flush darjeeling, and the peaches and cream herbal. The herbal was sorely disappointing but this seemed like a good option for breakfast this morning so I steeped it up.

The dry leaf looks a lot like Butiki’s Crimson Horizon, maybe a bit smaller though. Boyfriend says it looks a lot like grapenuts, but it has my favorite breakfast black tea smell, so very malty and rich. The resemblance to Crimson Horizon has me nervous though because that is some of the most bitter, astringent tea I’ve ever had and that happens after about 1.5 minutes of steeping, nowhere near my 4 minute norm (and the recommended steep time) for this.

After being brewed this is very dark and I chanced a sip plain, though I had the creamer ready. Initially it was a very rich black tea but then the astringence crept in. Great, thick texture but yeah, this cannot be drank plain. I can cut some slack for this because I never drink breakfast teas plain anyway, but it was worth noting.

Once creamer is added this tea is fabulous. The sugar/milk smooth out the bitterness, leaving just the malty notes and thick, chewy texture. This is a very strong tea and could definitely be a coffee substitute in the morning, and honestly, I really do like it. It’s easily the best DAVIDs tea I’ve ever had. I imagine it will give me the energy to start digging into my schoolwork all day – which is great…I really need a kick in the pants there.

Putting this on my wish list just in case I place an order in the near future.