licious

This is the first of the summer teas I’ve tried this year, and I’m pretty content with it overall. I cold brewed it in my new FORLIFE Iced Tea Jug for 4 hours. I added a touch of agave, but I don’t think it needed it as it turned out a bit too sweet for me.
I’ve never actually had strawberry shortcake, so I can’t comment on its authenticity in that department, but it does give me a sweet dessert-y vibe which is nice. I don’t get much of the nuttiness in the infusion, but that could be because I covered it up with the agave. For now I’m holding off on giving it a rating, but I’m confident I’ll pick up some more throughout the summer.

So last night I was up late at a friend’s show, and I’m feeling a bit groggy and grumpy having to get up and go to work today. So I turned to something that makes me feel comforted….apple-y, pastryish goodness. I need to remind myself to use a bit more leaf though, because sometimes I find it a bit weak. Its a wonderful apple tea on the whole though.

So I’m not sure why, but I’ve been gravitating towards oolongs for my morning tea lately. Today is no exception, but its mostly because I am obsessed with my newest addition. I almost never make it to Teaopia, because its out of my way, but I was in the area and could not resist a tea named the same why I describe my own preferences. Seriously, I always describe my tea preferences as “I prefer creamy, nutty teas.” So obviously this was a must try.

Overall, I love the flavour, and get a hint of the buttery, vegetal oolong underneath a creamy flavour. I find that the caramel dominates this blend, at least on the first steeping. I haven’t yet tried a second steeping but I hear good things.

The description indicates apple pieces, but I get NO hint of apple in the brewed tea. That said, I still enjoy the cup. Its very smooth, and and gives the feeling of sweetness without being sickly sweet.

So I haven’t been logging much recently, because of the stress of my thesis, and PhD applications, and then being sick as well.

I have, of course, been drinking tea by the gallon to get through it, and Fantasy Island has become my absolute favourite. I think I might be addicted to it (obviously I’m addicted to tea, but my love for this specific one seems unparalleled).

Its just so delicious smooth, and dark, with the lovely hint of raspberries. Delicious. Now I’m going to fill my Timolino and enjoy this tea on my commute to school today.

No notes yet.

Oh boy, am I glad I got to try this one. I missed it the first time around, and so I picked some up today in the store when I was stocking up on Snow Bunny.
This is absolutely delicious. It has a bold black base that I appreciate, and the coconut it sweet and smooth. I agree with reviewers who have noted that the raspberry is more subdued when steeped, but I still get hints of it. I think it balances nicely with the coconut.
This is a tea that I will definitely be picking up more of when my 25g sample is done. Delicious. Also, I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer so I can try this iced! (I really hate iced tea in the winter….its cold enough in Ottawa already!)

No notes yet.

Oh my. Oh my. Oh my.
I had high hopes for this tea, because it smells fantastic. And it absolutely does not disappoint. I have never had such a deliciously chocolatey tea. I find that the orange and the chocolate balance perfectly in this blend, and neither feels more dominant than the other.
For me, I’m first hit with the deep taste of dark chocolate, followed by a grittiness that I suspect is the puerh, with final notes of orange/citrus that linger well past swallowing.
It is my first puerh so I can’t comment on that, but this tea has skyrocketed to the top of my faves from DT.

I generally dislike minty teas, but I enjoy this one quite a bit. I think theres a good balance between the black tea base and the flavours.
I think it has a very nice sweetness to it, and I don’t think it needs any sweetener. I will probably pick up a bit more when we’ve finished our 25g bag.

The smell of this tea dry had me absolutely salivating. It smelled so delicious I had a hard time not just eating it right out of the bag. I really enjoyed Mom’s Apple Pie, and so I was looking forward to this one.
I just made myself a cup, followed the directions and steeped two tsp for 7 minutes. As I lift it to my nose, it no longer smells enchanting. The water is murky (I couldn’t tell you the colour, I made it in a black mug…but I can see that its murky). The first sip is blech. I am not in love with this tea.
It’s a bit weak, but bitter and with a taste of something like…dirt? I’m not quite sure. Whatever it is, it isn’t good. I can smell and taste the cinnamon, but it almost seems like ‘cheap’ cinnamon, if that makes any sense? Not like a quality ingredient.
I am really disappointed with this tea. I’m glad I only got a 25g bag, and I’m also glad that I stocked up on Mom’s Apple Pie!
To be fair, my partner said he liked this tea, but he only had one sip and gave no indication about what it was that he liked about it (he also seemed quite apologetic to be disagreeing with me!). He did agree however that the dry smell and the taste coming out of the cup were basically nothing alike.

No notes yet.

So after a few long months of trying a variety of other kinds of tea, I finally had to have this tin refilled.
Its a pure love that I have for this tea. There is nothing I don’t like about it, and I likely won’t go as long before refilling it again. I find it perfect for days when I have roller derby practice, and don’t want to drink caffeine, and it also works when I am craving something a bit sweet.
Also, every time I drink it, it inspires me to bake!

Okay, I have gotten a completely different experience with this pot. Whereas before I didn’t taste any vanilla, I can now find the vanilla easily and I love it. This tea hit the spot for me perfectly this morning…A good balance of creamy and astringent.
I can’t explain the difference, as I didn’t really change anything in terms of steeping. Maybe I am just having a good day!

No notes yet.

So on my second try, I am liking this tea a lot more.

I still find that it has an unfortunate smell while steeping, and I tend not to want to linger over the wet leaves. But, I increased to a very full 2tsp and I steeped at the high end (I wasn’t keeping track, it might have been more than 7 minutes).

I find the taste much less weak, and I am getting a bit more sweetness. I still wish there was more sweetness in the taste, as there is still a big difference between the taste and the smell, but it’s something that I could probably add a bit of sugar to if I wanted.

Overall, increase the leaves to the recommended amount really made a difference for me. And while I enjoyed the tea before, I am thinking it could quickly become a favourite. It has an uplifting scent that just seems to make me feel happier, so its perfect for those days when I am feeling down about all the thesis writing I still have to do!

I am trying this tea for the first time this morning, and so far I am quite enjoying it. It is my first oolong, and it was absolutely the vanilla that pulled me in. I am a sucker for vanilla.

The dry smell packs a lot of punch in the vanilla department, almost too much? I found it had less intensity while steeping, which I think is a good thing.

It tastes very much like vanilla, and I can’t say that I am getting any hints of orange like they suggest. It is very very smooth, which I appreciate, and I get the most vanilla flavour immediately after swallowing. As this is my first oolong, I can’t really speak to that flavour right now. I am looking forward to picking up an unflavoured one.

This is a tea that I think I will definitely purchase again, but I probably won’t be really anxious about making sure I never run out.

The smell of this tea is what sold me, in the store and without hesitation I added to my already growing pile of 25g bags for sampling at home. It has such an enchanting sweet, caramel-y smell. It smells like its going to be a nice smooth tea.
I elected to try some other teas first, as I was so excited and wanted to find the perfect time for this tea. When I made it, I kept in mind that other people spoke to the lack of actual tea in the blend, which I also found to be true. So I mixed my bag up really good (as all the tea leaves were at the bottom) and made sure to include more than just a few leaves. I did however, also cut down a bit on what the amount they suggested per cup, as I often find David’s Tea tends to recommend more leaf than I actually need. I had a sort of slim 2tsp….probably more like 1.5. It should also be noted that I do not have a thermometer and so am usually just guessing/going on previous experience in terms of the correct temperatures for my green teas.
While steeping, I noticed that the smell changed quite drastically for me. It was MUCH less the syrupy sweet smell that sucked me in, and more of a grass smell. I found it very unappetizing and become very worried. Thankfully, the liquor that was poured into my cup was much more in line with the dry smell.
The taste I find to be very surprisingly almost exactly like buttered popcorn, which I quite enjoyed. This first cup I am finding fairly weak, but that could perhaps be changed by increasing the amount of leaf (I had already steeped for 7 minutes, and I am hesitant to push it more than that due to the green tea). It also, for me, doesn’t maintain the same sweetness in the cup. Again, this could be due to the fact that I need to increase the amount I used, or perhaps I will try to coax it out with a hint of raw cane sugar.
As it cools, I am finding that the sweetness sneaks through a bit more and makes it a bit more of a complex flavour.
My partner is definitely not a fan, and he says it mostly reminds him of wet and soggy popcorn.
I will fiddle some more with the next cup, and update then, but for now I find this tea okay, something that I WANT to like, but just isn’t wowing me the way it seems to have wowed others.

I was unsure about this tea in the store when I smelled it, but there was something captivating about it that I just had to bring a bit home to try. The dry leaves are interesting, and the dried mulberries make me think of tiny little pinecones in my my teapot. Dried, it has a overwhelming orange smell with undertones of ‘spice.’
While steeping, the orange smell diminishes some, and it has a pleasant aroma.

Taste wise, it strongly reminds me of creamsicle. I taste very little spice, with the exception of a slight bite in the after taste. And there is a creaminess that I assume is the caramel, but I cannot easily identify it as caramel. I am not wowed, but I am happy to finish of the sample I brought home. I’m not sure that I will miss this tea at the end of the fall, but its enjoyable enough for now.

I am a bit confused by this tea. I picked it up because my partner absolutely loves EG, and I have been trying to find him a tea that he goes crazy for. We drank it this morning, and to be fair I will state that it is currently serving as a bit of a ‘hang over’ tea in the aftermath of our housewarming party, so that might be influencing this review. I also added just a smidge of soy milk, as I figured it would help to draw out the creaminess.
To start, the tea smells absolutely amazing dry. I want to stick my nose in the bag all the time…the vanilla makes it perfect in my mind. I was certain that this was going to become my go to EG.
After steeping, it still smells great, but the vanilla lessens a bit, and I get more of a citrusy scent coming through. The taste, however, lost almost all the vanilla for me, and that was disappointing. Also, as it cools I find it a bit bitter.
I will give it a try again later, and see if a less groggy morning and different steeping time help at all.

I was really excited to try this tea, and while it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I really enjoy it. Although it smells delicious, I am not really getting an overwhelming pumpkin pie feel that other people have mentioned, although it does remind me of fall baking.
Steeped, for me, this is decidedly chai with a hint of pumpkin. I wish the pumpkin flavour came through a bit more, but I still enjoy it quite a bit. Its warming, and made me feel great yesterday on a cool day.
I am looking forward to making this into a pumpkin chai latte!

This is hands down one of my favourite teas ever. I find it a perfect balance of green tea and nutty flavours. I prefer to drink it on a cool day, bundled up on the couch with a blanket. Definitely one that will be part of my permanent collection.

This is standard tea in my cupboard. I have it for those times when I just want tea, nothing special or fancy. I tend to have it with a hint of soymilk and raw cane sugar.
The tea is nothing particularly special. I find it lacks a little something…sort of empty or hollow tasting. It isn’t particularly full bodied, but it serves its purpose. I think its great to have on hand for those people who expect bagged orange pekoe (I don’t think we have any bagged tea anymore….).
I always refill the tin when it’s empty, but I don’t think I’ve ever craved this tea in an overwhelming way.

This wasn’t a tea I had chosen for myself, but a gift from tea-clueless dad. I had asked for tea tins, and he bought me tea in tins from David’s Tea.
When I remembered that I had it this morning, I decided that this was the tea for me. I made a pot to share with my partner, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t expecting to like it, but I find the taste to be quite nice. It isn’t too overwhelming in taste, but not subtle either. Sort of middle of the road.
It was a very general ‘berry’ taste that I quite like. I’m not sure this is a tea I would drink multiple times a week, but it is one I would likely purchase when I’m finished what I have.

Monk’s Blend is probably one of my favourite black teas of all time. I picked this one up because I had a real craving, but hadn’t had any in a couple of years.
Honestly, at first the scent in the bag put me off just a little. Something I can’t quite put my finger on, but which concerned me. Thankfully, once it was brewed my concerns were completely alleviated. This tea is absolutely delicious, and the flavours work together perfectly. I find it has a good astringency. I rarely drink this with any milk or sweetener.