Jessie

This is lovely.

I can find floral and especially jasmine flavours very overbearing. I tend to avoid jasmine. This is a beautiful flavour, though, and gorgeous scent. I also love big leaves and watching them in my cup, and this definitely humours this part of me. I didn’t need many pearls to make a nice cup of tea.

Mm, the second steep was even nicer. This may have been due to the shorter steep. The hint of bitterness from the sencha in the first round was gone. I can see myself drinking a lot of this. It’s great for this awful winter weather, but should also be great iced.

Pineapple sencha is awesome!

When you open the bag, you’d swear you’ve just cut into a fresh pineapple. The pineapple is less intense once infused, but delicious and lingers a bit after a sip. It’s so light and refreshing, I can see myself drinking a lot of this any time of day. The sencha comes through really nicely though I think I’ll experiment with the very short steeping times recommended.

And I’m going to try a re-steep now!

I love this one.

All the flavours work together really nicely, for me. It does seem like a romantic tea, if there’s such a thing, but it’s also great when I want to feel pampered. I drank this tonight in the bath. I taste the chocolate and the strawberries and a hint of the rose and I I like it! I’m always worried by the smell because it’s kind of strong and maybe even sour, but once infused this is lovely.

I had this to go from Davids this evening while walking around, running Christmas errands.

The only other time I’d had it was from the 25 Days of Tea calendar. The smell hadn’t really appealed to me and I wasn’t too sure with the first few sips, but by the bottom of my travel mug I was intrigued so I wanted to try it again. I really like it. It was cold out tonight and this kept me warmed up but was also very refreshing. It would probably be great iced.

This smells awesome. Like brownies.

I’ve got to admit to being a little underwhelmed by the flavour, though. I think I’ll need to make it stronger next time, probably using more leaf than I usually do. I like it, but it was a bit watered-down tasting. The spiciness that comes on at the end of a sip is intriguing, but I’m not entirely sure where I sit on this one yet.

I got this a couple months ago in my starter kit from Davids, and I actually don’t know if I’ve ever tried it! It smells very, very fruity and when I was starting out I didn’t think I liked flavoured, especially fruity green teas.

This is much more subtle than the smell leads you to believe. It’s nice and smooth and light, but complex enough to keep me interested. Yum!

I made this before heading to work and didn’t drink it till I got there. It steeped for a very long time and I expected it to be ruined. Surprisingly, it was still quite smooth and enjoyable. I think this is becoming one of my go-to teas.

Not bad! Plum doesn’t sound particularly appealing to me, and this doesn’t smell all that great. I like the taste much better than the fragrance, thankfully. Fruity but not overly sweet.

Yeah, I’ve noticed most of the DavidsTeas teas have about 3 listings. One had four!

I got this tea to go once, and it was quite strong and grapey. Grape isn’t really my thing, but I kind of like this. I don’t think I’d buy it, but I got a sample in my last order. The tea looks awesome and smells crazy, like a grape juicebox or something.

I used only half the sample, probably about 1g, for a mug of it. It’s much lighter-tasting than when I got it in store. It’s not as memorable this way, but the grape was a little overpowering for me the first time.

I don’t know. It’s good, probably great if you like grape, but not my favourite.

I wondered if Tim Hortons tea was on Steepster, and I find it a bit funny that it is.

It’s a bit busy at work tonight which means I can’t slip to the back to make the tea I bring along. But, it also means people offer to bring me things. I requested tea and this is what I got. Until recently, I drank a fair amount of this as Tim Hortons are so pervasive around campus and near work.

It’s definitely not as fun as choosing the flavour of specialty tea I want and brewing it in my pretty glass, but there is something to be said for the experience of Tim Hortons. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I can see why people are hooked on buying one every morning. I would probably not drink this tea otherwise, but there’s something about having it handed to you in that Christmasy paper cup. It feels kind of naughty and hyper-convenient. It’s like soft drinks; I don’t like them normally but out of a McDonalds cup they feel trashy and satisfying.

Anyway, this tea is fine. Not remarkable in any way but it’s fine and kind of comforting when heading to class or at work. I take it with only one milk so it’s actually kind of strong but never bitter (unless they accidentally give me coffee, which happens too often). For me it’s also part of the experience of heading home to the suburbs where there are even more Tim Hortons and it’s common practice to drive through several times per day.

Hm. I just ordered myself 50g of this, and it was today’s tea calendar tea. I was really enthusiastic to try it but now I’m not sure.

It was pretty strange as when I opened the tin there was no smell to the tea that I could detect. I have a bit of a cold, but any DavidsTea I’ve encountered has been very noticeable. There was a bit of a scent once I brewed it. The infusion also made a lovely amber colour.

It’s not very flavourful for me. I mostly taste the rooibos, which is nice. I go back and forth between sips, on one thinking I don’t taste anything but rooibos and on the other thinking I am getting the creme brulee taste.

Anyway, I’ll investigate further when my order arrives.

It’s been a while since I had a nice, straightforward black tea. I was a bit worried I’d find it dull.

I picked up a black tea sampler at Special Teas during a summer trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. I tried a couple and then largely forgot about it. Now I think I’ll revisit them, use them up, and perhaps order more (or grab lots when I go back this year). Looking through their site, there looks to be a great (huge!) variety of nice quality teas and interesting blends at awesome prices. I remember the store being nice, too.

This is nice, rich, and bold. I’m enjoying it while trying (and obviously failing) to write an essay.

I was sent this tea as a prize along with a new Libre mug so I’m having a good time trying both out.

The packets are cool. It’s a nice format; the package comes with 15 little foil packets of 3 grams each which will be convenient to take to work, etc. However, that comes out to only 45g of tea for $18. So, while these are convenient and pretty I don’t think I would find it worth buying for that price.

The dry leaves smell kind of like fresh-cut grass to me, but I’m thinking that might be what I get from fresh, straight green tea. The infusion after two minutes is a satisfying golden colour.

My first few sips, I’m not getting a lot of flavour but I just ate a piece of dark chocolate which is probably interfering. I think I’ll also steep it longer next time. As I go on, I get more of a feel for it. It’s a very tasty, if very light, green tea. This will be nice to have on hand when I want something simpler than my array of flavoured teas.

From my tea calendar.

Not for me. This tea smells great, but I have to accept that I don’t like ginger teas. I want to, because drinking fresh ginger tea has brought me back from the brink of many colds, but I hate the taste of ginger in things other than cookies, I guess.

The lemon is nice, the green base is nice. It smells amazingly lemony and I get that when I drink it too, but I’m distracted by the ginger. If you like these two flavours, certainly try this tea as it seems like a nice one if you’re not me!

This tea looks and smells awesome; it’s another I just couldn’t pass up when it was presented to me. I commented on how it looked and smelled like it should be potpourri when I was at the store, and the girl helping me said she had spilled some and that’s in fact what they did with it.

As a diabetic who LOVES making and drinking apple cider during the holidays, this is a great substitute. It’s pretty darn close, and no insulin required! I got rather distracted and let this steep for quite a while, but it didn’t detract. I think this one does need a lengthy steep for full benefit. It tastes like fresh apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

I do wish it went further, as now I’m going to have to buy more to make it through Christmas! The big chunks that look so great can also be a problem as if you have only a small quantity left or aren’t using much, you may not get all the different bits in your infusion.

Day 11 of my 25 Days of Tea calendar.

Since becoming a DavidsTea devotee, I haven’t been drinking many unflavoured teas (and haven’t had any from DT!). I’ve ordered up lots of green tea from Den’s Tea, though, so maybe this is a good re-introduction.

I am definitely not an expert when it comes to green teas, so I don’t think I have a lot to say about David’s organic sencha. It’s nice. While I was brewing it, it smelled quite grassy so I was a bit worried. No need, though. It’s pleasant and mild. It tastes like the green tea served at some of the nicer Japanese restaurants I’ve been to, so I will interpret that as a good thing? With so many flavourful combinations out there I tend not to go for the straight teas, but this is nice and relaxing after dinner.

It took me a while to try this one, and I’m not sure why. Probably it was because I am a longtime fan of Earl Greys. And, I perhaps didn’t want to fix what wasn’t broken.

But Cream of Earl Grey is delightful! It’s nice having the twist on an old classic. I can be picky about creaminess, but really like it here. The vanilla blends surprisingly well with the the bergamot. This is a tea I can drink any time, but especially times like this when I’m trying to calm my nerves. It’s very soothing. Soothing to the point where I often crave it at bedtime despite the caffeine.

Hm. I don’t know how I feel about Buttered Rum.

I like it, but it also scares me. The scent is interesting, but kind of knocks me backwards with how pungent it is. It does smell incredibly like rum.

It’s very buttery, and I’m thinking that’s not quite my thing. I like the taste, but am perhaps not accustomed to how it feels in my mouth. I’m liking it more the further through the mug I get, though. I think this one will just have to be saved for when I am in the right mood. With what looks like lots of nasty weather ahead, maybe that’ll be more often than I think.

Okay, second steep:

It’s holding up quite well! The peach is diminished somewhat, but the oolong is just as nice the second time around. I’m seeing why oolong is recommended as a tea to re-steep (novice, here).

I also made this in a Libre tea glass and I’m kind of mesmerized by watching the leaves and stems and almond slices and other bits swim around the glass.

I cannot believe how good this tea smells. It makes me want to use it as potpourri. It looks pretty cool too, so that idea isn’t all bad. It’s a slow night at work tonight so I’m hoping this is my chance to try multiple steeps with this tea.

First steep:
I steeped for about five minutes, and love the golden colour it produces. The peach isn’t as show-stopping as the smell has me hoping, but it’s very nice. Subtle, and smooth.

I can’t say I’ve learned to love this one yet. I want to, because it looks great and smells pretty good (and mostly I want to experience its “jumpy” properties!). I haven’t been a fan of the mates I’ve tried, though.

This just tastes kind of bitter and rather woodsy to me, without much of the chocolate or almond. I think I need to try 1) steeping it for a shorter amount of time and 2) perhaps sweetening with a touch of stevia. It will be getting another chance.

This tea is nice and refreshing. The big chunks of fruit are great. I can’t believe this! A couple months ago I balked at any tea mentioning fruitiness. Anyway, yes. Fruity and refreshing. I haven’t had it iced but will someday when there is nicer weather to get me in the mood.

I often choose rooibos as my take-to-work tea; I make it in my travel mug as I’m rushing out the door as it doesn’t get bitter on my way to work. I like to carry it on the streetcar and have it to drink once I get to the office. I need to learn that this tea isn’t so great for that; if you over-steep it, it starts tasting kind of off. Like bad wine, thanks to the fruit.

Otherwise, it’s a standby for me when I want something fruity!

I forgot about this one for a while! What a joy to come back to.

This is the first and only pu’erh I have tried so far. I introduced myself to DavidsTea right in the midst of the fall collection so this is one that made a big impression on me. It’s very satisfying, especially after a meal. It’s a big hit with any visitors, most of whom are not typically tea drinkers. I think that’s because it has a pretty big personality compared to what most people think they’ll be getting when I offer them tea.

I wish I had other pu’erh experiences to compare this with, but Cocoa Paradiso is mostly just a hint of cocoa. I can’t figure out if I can taste the coconut. But, it all blends together perfectly to make a delicious rich, creamy cup.