New Tasting Notes
One of several sipdowns today! I’m surprised I never made a tasting note for this one – when it was fresh, I really loved it. Unfortunately, its flavor has faded quite a bit over the years. The floral notes are almost entirely gone. There’s still a hint of sweet-tart berry flavor. Mostly it’s just woody rooibos, though. I happen to like that rooibos flavor profile so I finished it off without a problem, but definitely without as much enjoyment as when I first bought it. My fault for hoarding it so long, precisely because I liked it.
I fell in love with blend last August when CameronB and I did a swap right around the first week of the fall semester. I vividly remember it because I was only a few days in and already swamped with assignments.
As for the tea… it’s just a warm cuppa cozy comfort. I always recommend Simpson and Vail to my friends that are newer to tea because they have so many flavors and types on a college student-friendly budget/price. There’s really a blend for everyone and it’s always so lovely to try something new. I’ve been going there for years and there’s still a ton of blends I haven’t tried yet.
I prefer this blend hot, black, with a touch of honey (usually without it though) just to bring out the maple/french toast flavor a bit more. It’s just so comforting and cozy, it tastes like maple apple crisp to since the apple is the primary flavor. I love it, it’s a stash essential. I’m glad I stocked up on it for the upcoming fall.
Extra info****
My cupboard does not reflect my current sip-down basket. I’m so close to finishing everything that I want to get rid of this summer already. Everything in my cupboard is what I have been gathering (hoarding) for fall. As I go through the summer, there’s a few more teas and essentials I want to grab and all hell will break loose on August 28th (first day of the semester) when I officially break into my fall stash/the currently updated cupboard.
Flavors: Apple, Bread, Candied Apple, Cider, Cinnamon, Clove, Cookie, Maple Syrup
Preparation
Good job on the summer sipdowns already! :)
Thank you! I have mostly cold brew pods left and I’m procrastinating with some that I didn’t love.
Nice! You have great restraint to not break into those new blends! I also don’t have any samples and small amounts listed in my cupboard, so a lot of teas are being finished without actually reducing my cupboard count on here, but it is still a good feeling and I have been able to rearrange my tea shelves a couple of times this year already!
I broke restraint yesterday lol, I made the excuse… why not rate them to recommend them before fall?
Well, that was just completely logical!
Right? So then I can recommend them so everyone has them before the season :)
Cold Brew!
This was another tea this week that, as I was drinking it, left me with an intense feeling of deja vu. However, it wasn’t another tea it was reminding me of but more so a candy! In particular, it was making me think of a gummy candy that Squish used to carry around Halloween that I just adore. Probably my favourite of all the Squish gummies. Which one, you ask? The hot skulls!! The hot skulls were cola and chili flavoured and something about the brighter cola notes of this blend (with the anise adding sweetness) and the particular ratio of spices I got in these scoops just mirrored the candy really well.
…I still like the candies more, especially because they are hot because of the chili in them, but this was an unexpected little mini hit of nostalgia and the comparison sort of made me appreciate the blend more than I maybe would have otherwise.
Still adore this blend.
I had a mug of it while working from home earlier in the week and it just made me super nostalgic for DT’s long since discontinued Turmeric Glow blend. They have a few similarities in that they have the perfect balance of ginger heat, earthy (but not unpleasantly bitter/muddy) turmeric, and sweet jammy pineapple to balance out those spices. However, I think this blend takes it a step further by introducing the lush mineral sweet grass notes of the mate itself to the mix.
I definitely stretched out this mug, and enjoyed it up until the very last drop.
Gongfu!
Steeping up a session of Quail’s Plume this afternoon! This roasted green tea is one of the Canadian grown teas I picked up from Westholme back in May!! It’s really intriguing to me how there are so many similarities in taste between this tea and White Mist, Westholme’s signature white tea. Both have a slight cocoa note and a crisp snow pea vegetal freshness. At the same time, there are of course striking differences; the gentle roast adds a really warm golden hazelnut note and I get an additional array of vegetal flavours like bean sprouts and blanched edamame. It’s a really smooth cup and, as someone who tends to stay a little more distanced from greener tasting teas, I found myself especially pulled towards the dominant notes of bean sprouts that were especially rich in the third and fourth steeps!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct4nMOtOvyV/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF035q-oBYQ
#SVTTB Round Two – Tea 16/???
This tea was really nice, but definitely familiar feeling. It took me a while to place what the combination of silky French vanilla, sweet almond, and subtle red fruit notes were reminding me of but it was very satisfying when I finally cracked the code. Definitely the same sort of profile as Boston – which is one of my all time favourite Harney & Son blends. If I didn’t have a nearly full tin of Boston I might be tempted to keep this one, but alas I do not have the need for both. It’s very good, though!
Cold Brew Sipdown (2305)!
This is definitely one of my favourite Deb blends, so it’s a little bittersweet to be finishing it off. I’m not even sure if she’s still carrying this tea, so who knows if a restock would be possible. The cold brew, though? Just delicious. This tea really tastes a lot like Coffee Crisp chocolate bars to me, and that especially comes out when brewed this way. I’m not the biggest coffee fan, but I do really love a good Coffee Crisp. It’s the perfect balance of chocolate, wafer, cream, and coffee. Light and airy, but not weak. Definitely does have a tiramisu-like quality to it but the Canadian nostalgia of scarfing down mini Coffee Crisps after Halloween wins out.
Ah, yes. This is definitely the infamous watermelon oolong catalog blend that likes to make the rounds, but cut with a few extra ingredients (like goji berries) and some jasmine green tea. Really, though, it just tastes like that sweet and delectable sweet watermelon tea. The jasmine? Totally lost. I’m not even mad though because I just enjoy that catalog blend so much that I’m thrilled to come across it in any shape or form. Mmm!
One of the blends I picked up while in BC!!
In a lot of ways it’s very similar to the Almond Peach Galette from Dessert By Deb that I had earlier this week since both taste like “just peach black teas”. However, there’s much more body to the black tea in this blend and the peach is less bright/juicy and sweet. I think, maybe, it’s actually supposed to be mango but it definitely tastes more peachy to me. Still very pleasant and smooth, but just a little bit more “mature” tasting, if that makes any sense at all? I quite liked the briskness of the base, and the deeper stonefruit notes.
Very pleasant peach black tea! Lots of bright, sweet peach candy-type of notes but without being overly sweet. Like last time I made this, I really didn’t taste any almond. It’s hard to complaint because, with as many of Deb’s blends as I’ve tried, I know enough to understand a lot of teas are using the same base blend and then just have ingredients layered on top to differentiate them – and steeped almond pieces really don’t add much flavour. Y’gotta use flavouring for that. So, no surprises on my end about the lack of almond, especially given that I enjoyed the peach and black tea mix well enough.
I think I must have subconsciously really been in a peach mood this week because this is one of several peach blends I ended up brewing. Loved the rich, silky vanilla note that popped out in this cup alongside the fresh peach notes and a gentle nutty undertone from the oolong itself. Very smooth!
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Have you ever seen a tea and just immediately thought, “Wow, that was clearly made just for me.” Well, that was me as soon as I saw AJ’s blend of Lapsang Souchong, dark fruits, and rose. The blend is so rich and evocative, with the sultry smoke notes providing an almost “mysterious feeling” canvas for lighter notes of fresh, aromatic rose. A dense and almost syrupy note of darker mixed berries adds a very luxe lushness to the cup, while also providing necessary sweetness to offset the more abrasive side of the Lapsang. It’s like a perfect anchor for these ethereal feeling flavors!!
I know the fruit flavourings used are a mix of several, with raspberry and black currant being the more discernable ones to me. I’ve been on such a currant kick lately, and I think the black currant flavouring used here does a particularly good job of challenging the preconception held by many that currants are unpleasant, medicinal tasting fruits. This is lavish, deep and jammy with such a smooth, round taste and feeling on the palate!!
Ultimately, this may be my favourite blend from Murchies yet. It’s complex yet balanced, and I feel I can picture myself transported to this exact parlour room; dark woods, several bouquets of fresh red roses, an ornate chandelier, low lighting with ornate gold embellished curtains, plush velvet seating in all different shades of dark reds and purples. So, so spot on!!
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctt7sJEu4nU/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmEzW7aS1dA
Gongfu!
Having been steamed and stored in bamboo on top of being charcoal roasted, this black tea production is a bit funky and experimental; like many recent W2T offerings. It’s really interesting, though! I wasn’t sure how strong either the bamboo or roasting would be, but both are present. I would say the soft and almost creamy notes of the bamboo really come out in each steep and are a little more immediately discernable, while the roast is more gentle and mineral and leaning more into the natural fruity flavour of the tea to create tasting notes that almost read more as grilled stonefruit.
Somewhat of a more medium bodied tea even with extended steep times, though I think I also could have been more liberal with my how many grams I brewed. I was hesitant to over leaf if the roast was really intense, as I’ve not necessarily been super into all of W2T’s more experimental charcoal roasted productions.
Overall, I thought this was approachable and tasty!! It definitely made for a very easy going, laid back session I could enjoy at my leisure while working from home today!! Also, it’s hard to see but this new yixing teacup I picked up from The Chinese Tea Shop while in Vancouver has such beautifully intricate carved horses in it and i’s a perfect addition to my trusted black tea dedicated pot!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctw9uUKu38O/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNaaWDJ1XzA
Grandpa Style!
This tightly rolled tea definitely took its time unfurling, but the notes of freshly mowed grass, tobacco, barnyard hay, and brown rice syrup were well worth the wait! Basically, this heicha tastes like sweltering hot Prairie summers in an almost painfully nostalgic way. There’s a bit more astringency and bitterness than my ideal, but cutting the brew with more water quickly balances it out. Perfect for a late June afternoon in the garden!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtzhzgkOJYI/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN-yqa2atnI
Gongfu Sipdown (2306)!
Finished the last of this yesterday afternoon. This tea is so rich and full bodied yet super smooth and free from any unpleasant astringency or bitterness. The dominant notes are dark chocolate, malted grains, and perfectly carmelized sweet potatoes. Warm, starchy, and cozy with just the right amount of natural sweetness. One of those teas that kind of just tastes “brown” in the best sort of way. A liquid embodiment of the maillard reaction, if you will. It’s a super laid back and low maintenance tea with great pay off, and the perfect energy I want to carry into the remainder of this weekend!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct2RlRhOW6r/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuYm7-5b8yg
TTB
I don’t mean to by a complainypants about the weather, but it’s rained every day for the past two weeks in a place where it typically rains twice a month. So I pulled this out of the box for a comfort cup this morning and got a nice warm cinnamon maple hug. I think this is just as good as Cuppa Geek Morning Waffles and I might need some of this in my cupboard. Thanks for putting it in the box!
