Blegh. Blegh, Blegh, blegh. No thank you. Why is this floral? Overwhelmingly so! Blegh. Two sips in, I couldn’t finish it.
970 Tasting Notes
The wife and I head to the mall where I work to do a DavidsTea restock run and I offered to snap a cuppa for the poor soul who did have to work today. Then I decided I wanted a cup too, something juicy. So, of course, Goji Pop was the obvious choice! Yum. It didn’t have as much sugar as I like, but that’s usually the case with in-store teas from DT. It still really hit the spot.
My wife has been drinking a lot of this lately and there was enough left for one serving in the old tin before we opened the new tin, so I had a cuppa while we resorted our spreadsheet. I always forget how good this is. I don’t like chocolate, and I try to stay away from dairy, so this isn’t one I reach for often.
I don’t always drink chocolate teas, but when I do, I prefer Read My Lips….
>.>
Oh man. Oh maaaaan.
So my wonderful wife was running by the mall yesterday and offered to snag some of this for me since I barely had a chance to fart at work the previous day, much less take a break and run out to get tea.
I brewed it up as soon as I could and oh man, I was not disappointed. I love all things cinnamon. DT’s Cinnamon Chai is my go-to when I’m not feeling well, and their Cinnamon Heart, well, it was okay, but it didn’t have the cinnamon kick I crave. As much as I hate it, Harney & Son’s Hot Cinnamon Spice has been my ultimate cinnamon lover for the last little while.
Until now. Buh-bye Harney, I’m so glad I won’t have to try and replace you!
This tea is wonderful. And it’s a green! I don’t even like greens, but this one is amazing. The cinnamon sweetness pairs amazingly well with the kick of heat and in this “winter” season, that kick really helps soothe a sore throat. (When I’ve got sinus/throat issues, my number one remedy is Hot and Sour soup. Dad made me try it once and it works like a charm!) I love this tea so much that last night I dreamt about going to various DavidsTeas to try and get a tin of it. Definitely buying a tin (or two) as soon as possible. I really hope this one makes it into the permanent collection!
I tried another steep last night and it was smoother, the flavors subdued a bit, but not much. I passed out before I could finish the cup and I’m drinking it cold this morning and it is just as lovely cold as it is hot! Just beautiful.
Mmmmm. Continuing with my berry obsession as of late, I reached for a bag of this, as I hadn’t tried it yet. It is delicious. It’s like Earl’s Garden without the yucky bergamot ;). It’s juicy and strong without being bitter or artificial. Yum yum yum. I accidentally let some of it get cold, and it was just as good “iced”. This is definitely one to restock when we return to Say Tea.
I don’t know why I’ve been craving rooibos lately. I think it has something to do with the creamy mouthfeel it gives me and my recent decision to give up milk. shrugs
Anyway, this is a definite winner. It’s not tart, it’s not artificial tasting, it’s just plain good. I think I like the Strawberry Shortcake better, but it’s good to have this as a backup in case I can’t find the other!
So I have good news/bad news. Good news is this tea was not discontinued, as I was led to believe. Bad news is I oversteeped it, boo. It’s decaf, and I’ve been on an herbals kick, so I wasn’t paying attention and treated this like an herbal. Blegh. Very, very bitter. Oh well, I’ll remember next time. It was still a decent cup, despite being steeped to hell and back.
Mmmmmm. I need to find this locally, it is wonderful. Juicy and tart without being too tart, and just….blueberry-y. XD.
After the beauty of Strawberry Shortcake last night, I pulled this one back out to see it if it was comparable.
Not even close. Not even in the same realm. I had the Strawberry Shortcake from Tea Emporium last night and I can still taste it. I finished this cup five minutes ago and couldn’t tell you what it tastes like. This is definitely not one to restock, in fact, it will probably go up for swap.
So I thought I hadn’t tried this, but it turns out I have. Oh well, this is still amazing, I am in love with it! We haven’t been to the Tea Emporium yet, but I think we need to stop in! But I’m worried, I can’t find this on the website! Has anyone seen it there lately? Also, thank you, Indigobloom, for this lovely sample!
Oh my penguin! This tea! It’s…and the….with a….guh. I don’t even know where to begin.
So the first steep (after two rinses) smelled earthy. Like…really, really earthy. Almost painfully so. It scared me a bit and that first sip took a lot of willpower from this pu-erh newbie.
But I have faith in Verdant Tea. They’ve never led me astray yet.
That faith is amazingly well placed. The earthiness worked well with the surprise sweetness, that hint of white grape on the tip of the tongue….guh. This is a work of art. I am so glad I got this sample. I adore grape anything, so a yummy pu-erh with that hint of grape? Oh my goodness, yes please! I may need to add this to my order as well!
Oh my goodness. I meant to request a sample of this but forgot to email before the package was shipped, boo. Imagine my happiness when I opened the box to find a sample of it included anyway! Yay!! Squee!!!!
I had a rough afternoon, and my wonderful wife made a pot of tea for us to split. it was this little gem and I fell in love. Ordering more tonight. So much love. It was just juicy and gingery and a lovely cuppa. And when I came back to my computer, I found a message from a dear, dear friend who I hadn’t talked to in a year! My day perked right up, in part to this lovely tea.
Ugh. This tea has sealed it for me, I will never again shop at Teavana. Between the terrible customer service (still no response re: the broken teaware), the fact that they cancelled part of my order without informing me (my matcha set, which was the whole reason I was ordering), and this tea being very subpar, let’s just say this company lived up to their reputation.
I got no fruit flavor, all I got was overwhelming mint and what tasted like cheap white tea. Blegh. I so wanted this one to be amazing, too. I’ll stick to Tealish and DavidsTea from now on.
This is one of a very few cups that I refuse to finish. Life is too short to waste on bad tea.
Now, let me begin with a bit of explanation. Before I visited my wife up here in Canada a few years ago, I had never had Indian food. I grew up in Nashville with a mother who was…less than adventurous when it came to food. Even know, though I live where such food is very accessible, I don’t reach for it often. I haven’t worked up the courage to try much outside of butter chicken, which I can no longer have (boo)
Anyway, what this all leads up to is that these new teas throw me off with spices and flavors I’m completely unfamilar with. So this is another tea I just…I don’t know. The rooibos and lemongrass and ginger make me think of Detox, which I enjoy. And licorice root and I are besties. We go way back.
And yet I’m still not sure about this blend. The ginger is too in your face. I just don’t know how I feel about this blend, but I’m not sure I’d reach for it if given the choice.
This is my first straight pu-erh, my only other experiences being DavidsTea’s blends.
This is beautiful. I definitely get the pipe tobacco and cloves, it’s a lovely little tea that I am thoroughly enjoying. I love the earthiness of it! I added sugar because I always add sugar. It’s not fair for me to rate a tea without it. But it is delicious. I am very pleased and very impressed by my first straight pu-erh! I’m suddenly very glad we just ordered another sampler pack from Verdant, I want to try everything they have!
I…I don’t even know.
I honestly don’t. The dry smell is amazing as in it’s something I want to sniff all day, but not necessarily something I want to drink.
I don’t like overly floral teas. Well, I usually don’t. Jasmine and other floral teas just taste like perfume to me, but this…this is a lovely balance. The more I drink of it, the more I like it. Hrmm.
At this point it’s been sitting out for so long that it’s cold, but I think I prefer it that way. I am enjoying the way the different flavors mix. The floral rose combining with the creamy coconut and licorice and the way the chili just gives a hint of heat on the back of my tongue…this may be a good summer tea for me.
I reached for this as my stomach was giving me trouble and it has fennel in it. It did help my tummy, for what it’s worth, and it has had a bit of a calming effect, so shrugs who knows.
I’m going to try and finish the rest of my 10 grams, but I don’t think this is a restock for me. However, I might get more just to use a potpourri! I love the smell of it! But the enjoyment of this cup is quickly fading.
I was craving this one yesterday. Sadly, it didn’t turn out as creamy as I wanted it to.
I’m going to give this one another go at a later date, as I got thoroughly distracted during the tasting of this one, generously supplied to me by Teavivre.
That said, I did enjoy my little pot of this. I broke in the Alice in Wonderland pot I’ve had for a few months now , it’s perfect for a nice relaxing day of sipping tea.
I wanted to try it straight at first, but because I am so used to drinking sweetened teas (I can count on one hand the number of teas I don’t add sugar to), the flavor profile was overwhelmed by, well, tea. It tasted like tea, but I couldn’t identify more than that.
Then I added a touch of sugar and wow! The flavors exploded. I tasted the fruity/floral beauty that is this tea. it was sweet and delicate, but there is definitely a lot going on with this gorgeous little tea.
I’m on the fence about this tea. I enjoy it, but I don’t know if I enjoy it enough to restock when we place our Teavivre order. Maybe I’ll know after my next cup.
I used one package of leaves (2-3 tsp) for one pot (18 oz)
This was my big ol’ thermos of tea for yesterday, but as a result of too much to do and too little time, I barely got to drink half of the first cup I poured. So I left it behind, since I’m going to be in the same office today, and I will eagerly enjoy it cold today!
We love this one, it makes a believe out of tea critics. My brother, who claims to hate rhubarb, fell it love at first sniff. My mother in law, who is a diehard Red Rose drinker, proceeded to drink half of my bottle of the stuff iced this past summer. It is love, so very much love.
Back, vile virus, back!
My wife has a cold and I can feel it coming for me too, but I’ve got three 12 hour workdays in a row (yesterday, today, and tomorrow), so if the sick could hold off just another day or so, that’d be greaaaaaat.
I took a cup of this in with me to work yesterday morning and enjoyed it for about the first hour before it was, sadly, gone. Love, love, love. It’s not something I’d reach for when I feel fine, but when I’m sick, I love it.
Matchaaaaa! My local DT finally had some in stock, I was so happy! I eagerly got a cup (as I bought my new pink flowered bubble teapot!)
And then it got busy at work, and I didn’t get a chance to grab anything to eat until three hours later, so I drank about half of this on an empty stomach. Never again. I was flushed and dizzy and hyper and blegh. That energy boost was nearly the end of me.
I asked them to add agave, and so they did. To the bottom of the cup. And then they poured the matcha on top and it didn’t mix in until a few hours later when I swirled the bitter cup to try and, well, make it smoother.
It was bitter, true, but I saw great potential in it and I am eagerly awaiting my matcha set from Teavana…should it ever arrive. But that’s another story. I see many, many matcha smoothies in my future.
I…I’d love to review this tea, but I….
I gotta go sleep now. Night!
Thank you for this generous sample, Teavivre!!
I was in the mood for something new but caffeine free, and after the wild success of their Milk Oolong, I eagerly dove into my box of Teavivre samples.
This was nice! It was juicy and tropical. It as delicious hot and even more delicious cold. I think the rest of this sample will go towards iced tea. Beautiful.
The roselle did get a bit tart for me, but not as bad as hibiscus can be. I did sweeten this one (I sweeten all of my teas) and while it will be no great hardship to finish my very generous sample, this is not a tea I see myself replacing.
Thank you so much for this sample, Teavivre!
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness! I’m telling you, this is going on my shopping list right next to their Blueberry tea. Yuuuuum.
Okay, I’ll try to use better words >.s just something I noticed.
And oh! This tea opened up beautifully. Beautifully! Might pour the leaves into my steeper to just watch it go! Next packet will definitely be done in the glass gaiwan. And the fact that the temperature is foolproof only makes me love it all the more.
One packet in 10oz of water, 100C, 2 minutes in my Perfect Mug from DavidsTea.
