softrevolution

This is the only tea I keep in my cupboard despite hating how it tastes. It is way too minty and way too orangey for me, and the juniper berries don’t do much for me either. It’s a struggle for me to get a mug of this down, even when I’m sick.

But I love it for the same reasons that I hate it. It’s really super strong, in both flavour and scent, and is sometimes the only thing I’m actually able to taste when I’m all stuffy. It does make me feel a bit better, but not substantially so. If I’m really sick, I can’t stomach the flavour, so I reach for something gentler like Mother’s Little Helper. But for a bad case of the stuffies, this blend isn’t so bad. I love that there’s eucalyptus in it though! I love the scent and I’ve rarely seen it in a tea blend.

I don’t know whether I’ll repurchase this when it’s done, if only because of the fact that it can really turn my stomach. I’m more of a lemon-ginger person when I’m sick, and tend to avoid the strong mint.

I have so much love for this tea. I had forgotten how much I like it until I had my cup this morning. Buttery flavours in tea are usually a win for me, and I love all of the roots and spices incorporated into this blend.

If this ever comes back (fingers crossed) I will buy it in huge quantities. I can never see myself getting sick of it. I think I have about half a pouch left now? I’ll have to hoard it :D

This was my morning cuppa.

This is such a good, sturdy staple. It was love at first sip, and I’m particularly particular about my earl grey cremes.

I fell in love with London Fogs during my first year of university. They are a terrible, tasty addiction. So not long after discovering them I bought myself a bag of loose leaf earl grey creme from a now-defunct local tea shop since I figured the flavours were similar, so maybe I could recreate my beloved London Fogs at home. But nope, it tasted like an artificial, over-the-top, in your face attempt at vanilla creme. That experience turned me off of vanilla earls for a long while. It was just SO sickly. And I’ve found that same note in EGCs from other companies too (looking at you, Adagio!)

But once again I took a leap of faith with Della Terra, and surprise surprise, they didn’t let me down! This is so smooth and creamy-sweet like it should be, but it’s also fresh and bright, and almost peppery. None of that sickly business I had come to expect from an earl grey creme. This is perfection. Simple and bold, it feels like an old friend with those familiar London Fog flavours. This is yet another one from Della Terra that I will most definitely be stocking up on.

Also—you guys! You NEED to make this soup. Like seriously, even if you’re not a soup person, even if you’re not a carrot person..just try it. It is a party of roasty sweet goodness in my mouth. Had it for dinner last night and I’m already contemplating when I can make it next. Yum!
http://www.food52.com/recipes/9743_roasted_carrot_soup

I loved the idea of a white chocolate matcha. Two delicate, unassuming, but absolutely delicious flavours pairing up sounds perfect to me. And now that I have it, I can say that it really is pretty great! Just a bit different than I expected.

I got classic matcha with robust flavouring, for reference.

When I first opened the bag I was puzzled. It smelled more chocolatey than I expected. Upon further sniffing I pinned it down as a distinct cocoa butter scent. Not quite chocolate, but chocolate-like. Okay, I can deal with that. White chocolate is mostly cocoa butter solids, after all. I guess I was just hoping for more of a sweet and creamy can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-what-it-is white chocolate, since my plan was to drink it mostly in smoothies. This is definitely not that. It’s complex and rich and has almost a floral-like quality that you can get a hint of in pure cocoa butter. In the way that honey is almost floral, but not quite. Interesting! This made me even more excited to try it.

I tried it in a smoothie first, since that was my intention when I bought it. It adds wonderful depth and a hint of creamy sweetness to the tart strawberries in the drink. It’s a subtle flavour, but not completely overwhelmed by everything else going on in there flavour-wise. I think overall I still prefer cheesecake matcha for smoothies, but this is definitely unexpected and decidedly tasty.

I haven’t tried it got yet but I’m planning to have a latte later tonight. Fingers crossed that it will taste like a matcha-fied version of white hot chocolate (my favourite!) :D

I got this in my first Della Terra order, and to be honest I have no idea why I grabbed it. Chocolate and strawberry is not my favourite flavour combo for some reason. Of course I’d never turn down an actual fresh chocolate covered strawberry (who would?!) but in candies, chocolates, and the like? No. Just no. I guess I mostly got it for the girlfriend, cause one of the only teas she likes is a chocolate strawberry blend.

When I made her a cup of it, she thought it tasted exactly the same as her other chocolate strawberry tea. I took a sip and yep, they’re pretty darn similar. So she really liked it, even though it wasn’t particularly exciting.

I ended up eventually taking the rest of our pouch to work with me to finish up. Sipdown was yesterday, and I’ve got to say, it was definitely pleasant to sip on at work. Not a reorder for me, but that’s purely personal taste. I will say that it’s very smooth, not at all bitter, and the flavours are nicely balanced. Glad I tried it, but also glad that I’ve finished it up :)

Today is a perfect tea-day! Well I guess pretty much every day is, but today especially. It’s all cool and blustery and rainy, and on top of that my orders from Della Terra and Red Leaf both came! YAY!

So after making the trek to the post office after class, this is the first one I’m trying. I was a little bit nervous to try this one, since caramel can be hit or miss for me and there weren’t any tasting notes yet. But I have faith in Della Terra, and for good reason! This is good. Like, really good.

The dry leaf smells strong and rich, almost coffee-like, with a great burnt sugar caramel note. It smells sweet, but not overly so.

Brewed up, it’s nice and thick and rich. Prominent black tea base with that dark, luscious caramel aroma wafting up at me. It’s lovely as is, and retains that coffee-like quality. Drinking it unsweetened I get that burnt sugar goodness full on. A bit of sugar softens it up and gives it a totally different character. A little milk brings out the creamy caramel goodness, and makes it taste like there are melted kraft caramels in my cup!

Glad I grabbed a little pouch of this..it was a pleasant surprise.

I already have a favourite blueberry black tea in my cupboard, so I don’t know why I decided to order this. So, so glad I did though because I need to have this at all times now too! They are both different but equally delicious. So apparently I really love blueberries with black tea!

This is sweet, creamy, custardy, and rich. I love the addition of rooibos, it really brings out all the flavours and works perfectly with them. It doesn’t noticeably taste like rooibos..this is really well blended.

I haven’t tried it iced yet, but I imagine it would be amazing! I need to order more of this soon, almost finished my pouch. Darn it, I keep finding more and more teas that I always want to have on hand.

I’ve had this for a long time, and I’ve just started drinking it again. I drank it quite often when I first got it, but got sick of it quickly. I brought it to work with me in hopes of getting it finished quickly, but so far I’ve even been avoiding it there.

It’s…weird. Kind of interesting, and definitely not common, but decidedly weird. I like the ginger and the bit of mint, but I think the cardamom’s throwing me off. It tastes healthy, almost like a tonic. Which I’m sure would appeal to some people, but not a selling point for me.

Oddly enough though, I never have trouble finishing a cup. It’s pretty smooth, all things considered, and the ginger is what really makes it drinkable for me. It’s nice to have after lunch. Maybe if I start thinking of it as my after lunch tea I can convince myself to finish my 25g pouch.

This is good, just not particularly exciting. There’s apple, there’s cinnamon. Ho hum. I generally like apple cinnamon herbals in the colder months because of the cider association, but this one doesn’t have all that much flavour. It’s pretty decent when mixed with Teaopia’s white pear though. But not something I’ll miss when it’s gone. If it’s ever gone!

Just restocked on a favourite! I love getting a new pouch of this tea, and drinking it while it’s still fresh and vibrant and full-flavoured. It’s always delicious, but nothing beats a fresh pouch!

This is a staple tea for the girlfriend and I. It’s our favourite to brew up a big pot of on a lazy morning and just take our time enjoying it. I love that it’s a totally different animal sweetened vs. unsweetened. With sugar it is light and fruity and candy like, but plain the floral bergamot and darker cassis-like notes really come out. I love it both ways!

Although I’m really into a variety of teas and always have something new I want to try, this is one of the few that my girlfriend really, truly enjoys. And for that, I love it even more! Tea is always better when shared with someone you love :D

This is pretty tasty! I’m not loving it quite as much as everyone else seems to, but it’s good and definitely pulls through on the bakey cookie vibes.

I’m one of those folks who feels horribly deceived to find raisins in an oatmeal cookie rather than chocolate chips, so thankfully the raisin note isn’t too prominent.

I get cinnamon sweetness with vanilla and brown sugar, and a light fruitiness which I’m guessing is where the raisin comes in. I’ve found it to be a bit watery and lacking in boldness though, which is what stops it from becoming a favourite for me.

Still enjoyable, and I’ve almost finished my packet already. This is a good one to bring along in a travel mug to sip on.

It’s funny, when I took my first big sniff of this glorious aroma in store and ordered a cup to go, my girlfriend looked at me with that knowing look of hers and told me I should get a packet of it to bring home. I should mention that she doesn’t like vanilla or coconut in tea, but she knows me and my tea tastes pretty darn well.

I scoffed at her and said I just wanted to try it, so we left with just my cup to go. After I had my first sip, I let out a big sigh. Yep, she was right. I LOVE this. How could I not? It has several of my favourite tea flavours all combined into one warm, creamy, sweet, comforting cup.

It’s very rich, in that chocolatey coconut way, and has a smooth nuttiness to it too. Yum! These flavours just work so well together. It just begs to be made like a chai, on the stove with milk. I think that would really make the flavours pop.

This tea is somehow familiar, in the best way. Something about the way the flavours all meld together really reminds me of something happy and delicious from my childhood.

My only real gripe is that it has the dreaded signature DT sludge. Why they couldn’t have just used chocolate flavouring and those mini chocolate chips rather than big chunks of oily, messy milk chocolate is beyond me. I really hate the oily scum! But I look past it, because this tea is all kinds of wonderful.

So next time my girl tells me to buy a tea, I’m just going to get the damn tea! She knows best, as I’ve now got a 50g pouch of this that will likely be replaced when it’s gone. This is the first new tea from David’s that I’ve really loved since blueberry jam.

I’ve been drinking this at work in the afternoons. I always find it chilly in the office and this warms me right up. The scent is pretty intriguing. I get a well balanced blend of pungent guayusa herbal goodness and sweet, comforting apple spice.

I usually add a bit of brown sugar as suggested, which really brings everything together. The flavours are subtle and really nicely done. I also enjoy the thick, creamy feel that it has too. I love that about guayusa.

I am absolutely loving this chocolate and pumpkin combination. It’s sweet and spicy and rich, and the flavours are perfectly balanced.

A nice change from your usual pumpkin chai, this one is a little quirky and different, but they’ve pulled it off wonderfully. I find myself craving it more and more often. It all melds together into this creamy-sweet concoction with just a touch of spice.

I love all these twists on pumpkin tea that I’ve been trying lately. There are evidently many different ways to create a pumpkin blend, whether it be sweet and subtle or packing a spicy punch.

Hmm..not quite sure what to think of this one. Definitely not what I was expecting. It’s strange for sure. I’ve been holding off on trying this one since reading Amanda’s note about it. Thai curry flavoured caramel apple tea? No thanks.

After trying it, I can def. get a hint of the curry association. Although I can’t say I’ve had Thai curry very many times anyway. But mostly I just find it perfumey, in a weird way.

I made the mistake of eating one of the caramel chunks from the bag. I couldn’t help it – they looked so yum! But no, they taste like crumbly perfumed caramel ick. Blech. That’ll teach me to pick through my tea for bits :P

Once steeped, it is absolutely gorgeous! It has the same sparkly quality as Glitter & Gold from David’s. I love watching the shimmers swirl around my cup. Ooh and they’re also in some Lush bubble bars! I’m thinking Sunny Side off the top of my head and maybe a Christmas one from last year. Anyway, love the shimmers. They’re mesmerizing!

Unfortunately, this tastes a whole lot like it smells. I’m not really getting a lot of apple, but if I really try I can taste it in the background. I mostly just taste perfumey sweetness, with a hint of that curry-reminiscent something. I don’t hate it, but as a caramel apple tea it’s a bit disappointing. As it cools though, I find myself enjoying it more and more. There’s some odd addictive quality that just won’t let me stop sipping. I can see it maybe growing on me.

Delicious, subtle, marshmallowey s’mores! I knew I’d love this one after seeing so many positive reviews pop up on my dashboard. S’mores flavoured things can be a little iffy to me. In general I have found them to be so heavy on the chocolate that it just completely overwhelms everything else. I’m left craving the sweet, toasty goodness of marshmallow and graham. Not so with this one!

The first scent and flavour I get is sweet & fluffy marshmallows. I think it helps that this tea contains both mini marshmallows and marshmallow flavouring. The flavouring really amps things up. And the graham cracker crumbs are just such a lovely touch. I don’t know how much they contribute, but they are fun and I definitely get some sort of toasted graham taste in the background, which is nice. The chocolate is nice and creamy, more like an afterthought. Just perfect.

I think the stronger marshmallow and graham with the subtle chocolate is what really makes this blend taste authentically ’s’mores’. Cause when you think about it, there’s really not that much chocolate in them.

My only wish is that it would brew up a little sturdier – I find it very slightly watered down. Maybe a stronger black tea base would help? But it’s still lovely as it is, if a little light. Some people might even appreciate that about it.

This one is not an instant favourite like Cafe Vanilla was, but it is most certainly a tasty, memorable, and intriguing cup. Falling in love with Della Terra’s flavoured blends, & especially the desserty ones, just like so many of my steepster friends.

I think I’ll be forever torn about my Timolinos. I have two of them that I use regularly. Well technically I only have one, and my girlfriend has her own, but she never uses hers. So it’s mine now :P
We’ve got a red one and a sparklyish black one. The first day I used mine I dropped it on the pavement as I was getting out of a cab. Oh noes! It has a decent sized dent near the bottom now, and a few little scratches, but I guess it could be worse.

I’ve been using these for..I don’t know..about 2 years now? And I like them, but I don’t.

Pros:
-Keeps my tea HOT!
-Leak proof. Gotta love that.
-Perfect size to hold in my hand or toss in my purse.
-They’re pretty and sleek, and don’t have a silly useless handle.
-Even though I rarely use it, that secret compartment for extra leaves is pretty nifty.

Cons:
-As I said in the pros, it keeps my tea HOT. Like, really hot. Undrinkably hot sometimes, which is sad when I want tea in my belly five minutes ago.
-I add milk to a lot of teas, especially black teas which are what I generally take with me in the morning in my Timolino. Even after a thorough washing, the milk can leave a weird, gross smell that lingers in the plastic parts. YUCK. Baking soda or vinegar takes care of that, but is also a pain in the rear.
-Not dishwasher safe. This is probably my biggest con, since I supremely lazy. That and a run through the dishwasher would also take care of the icky smell issue. So I’ve taken to just tossing mine in the dishwasher anyway, on the top shelf. I haven’t noticed any adverse effects yet, but I fear that it might ultimately shorten the lives of them. I’ll continue to do it anyway though, as it’s the only way I can be sure that all of the nooks and crannies on the lid are truly clean and avoid that odour that completely ruins my cup of tea. I always have to just toss my cup if I notice that smell, it just churns my stomach.

So there you have it! My longer-than-expected review of my Timolinos. Still on the search for my perfect, dishwasher safe, leakproof travel mug. Maybe one day.

I’m really enjoying this delicate, understated take on pumpkin tea! I like that it’s not a chai or pie themed blend, cause I find I get bored of those rather quickly. They all taste a little too similar, and tend to go overboard on the spices. I love spices and spicy teas, but in a pumpkin tea I’d rather not have them as the dominant flavour.

This one is spot on for that. I can taste a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, but they’re not the flavour I notice first. That would be the smooth black tea base, followed by creamy pumpkin goodness! I mentioned that this one is subtle, and it is. At a 3 min steep I was left wanting a bit more depth of flavour, but I was starting to get some bitterness at 4 min. A bit of milk and sugar fixed that issue, but I had been planning on drinking it plain. I’ll need to play around a bit more with steep times.

I love the fresh pumpkin and cream flavours I’m getting here. I find this one to be a really comforting, relaxing cup. Something I’d drink after dinner or before bed (for some reason, the caffeine content in black tea doesn’t affect my ability to sleep, no matter when I drink it). The only thing I’m really missing is the ‘brûlée’ note. I don’t taste anything caramelized, both straight and with additions. Oh well! It’s delicious as is.

Even though I have two other pumpkin teas in my stash, I’m not sorry I got this one. It’s so different from the typical pumpkin brew! Really nice and rich yet subtle flavours, with just the right hint of spice.

I knew this one would be a risky choice, but I wanted to try it anyway. Let’s just start off by saying I really don’t like coconut. Or almond flavouring. It’s strange, I really love coconut in tea though! And I like real almonds, but not so much in tea. Nutty teas are generally not my friends. Even more than that, I loathe the concentrated almond flavour that’s present in both marzipan and almond flavouring. Hate it!! It tastes like fake medicinal cherries to me, and to top it all off I really don’t like cherries.

Now that I’ve complained about all of the things I don’t like, onwards to the tea! :P
I should’ve looked at the ingredients before ordering, because almond flavouring is clearly listed. For some reason I was thinking it would just be slivered almonds, which I can deal with. I don’t mind the almonds in DTs chocolate rocket, cause they really don’t dominate the flavour. When I smelled the dry leaf I think I pouted quite a bit. The dreaded cherry-marzipan almond flavouring was the dominant scent.

Once I brewed it up, it still smelled strongly of marzipan, and as I sipped it was just smacking me in the face. I’m sure it’s not actually that dominant, but it comes out really aggressively for me, probably because it’s a taste I hate. I get a bit of the chocolate and coconut if I really try.

I think people who enjoy marzipan and almondy flavoured treats would love this! It’s really rich and the flavours are nice and strong. I still found it drinkable, even though it wasn’t my favourite, which has got to mean that it’s a pretty nice blend. It has been designated to the work stash now, which means I’ll probably be able to get through my packet. Unless of course I can find it a better home!

Yay another sipdown!

This was my favourite of the cake teas. The only one I actually liked, really. It’s pretty scummy even in a tsac though, which is no fun. But I love the neapolitan ice cream vibe that it has going on.

On to new teas! :)

After tasting this, I couldn’t believe how long I waited to order from Butiki. I am LOVING everything so far. This one might just be my favourite.

I love how light and crisp and refreshing it is. This is probably the freshest-tasting pineapple flavour that I’ve had in a tea. It’s not overly candy-sweet or sickly at all, just a bright, smooth kiss of pineapple. Deelish!

I think the floral note is what makes it so interesting and addicting. Is it a flavouring that’s added, or just a natural quality of the oolong? Either way it’s really, really lovely. I don’t have oolongs that often, but I’m really starting to enjoy them.

I had it hot for my first try, but I’ll definitely try it iced as well. It would be SO delicious iced, I can just tell! I like that it’s one of those versatile teas that’ll be tasty no matter the temperature.

Ohhh. Wow. I just don’t even know where to begin. I’ve been searching for the perfect straight up vanilla black tea for a while now, and I think this is it.

Such an unassuming name, description, and ingredient list for such an amazingly delicious tea! Just black tea and vanilla flavour. But I swear it tastes like little vanilla clouds on my tongue. Sweet, creamy, smooth vanilla flavour with a toasty black tea base and just a liiiittle bit of astringency that seems to keep it from getting too heavy.

Drinking it like I drink most black teas – hot with milk and sugar. It is so relaxing and satisfying and just what I needed after work.

This is my first cup from Della Terra; just picked up my order today. Everything smells pretty darn intoxicating. I love the great deals and giveaways they have for their customers too! A really nice touch, and will keep me coming back.

Oh boy, between this and my Butiki order I am drowning in new teas. 15 of them. It is the BEST. Shhh don’t tell my girlfriend that I smuggled more tea into the house. She would most certainly shake her head and click her tongue. I bet she’s going to love some of the ones from this order though, who can resist desserty blacks?

Sipdown at work!

I’m going to start bringing more of the teas I don’t drink often at home to work. That way it’s a choice between them and the crappy tea bags they supply at the office, so I’ll clear out some of my stash.

This one’s actually quite good; better than I remember. It smells so wonderful while steeping too. My one beef though is that because of the scent, I expect it to be as strong and sweet as cider, which of course it isn’t and shouldn’t be because it’s tea. It does have a great bakey apple-cinnamon thing going on though. Sometimes I like to pour a little cider in, if I have it. It adds a nice natural sweetness and of course some appleyness as well!

I’m not the biggest green tea fan (other than matcha of course) but this is a really solid blend. Oddly enough, I’ve been wanting to get rid of this one for a while, but now that it’s gone I’m sad to see it go.

Yayy my first order from Butiki came! So excited to try it. Wonderful customer service thus far, and quick shipping. I went for this one first since I am super exhausted tonight. Is it seriously only Wednesday? Sigh. Plus it smells wonderful.

I did a 5min steep, which turned out pretty well for me. I’ve only had one guayusa blend, and I only drink that one iced. I wanted hot tea tonight, so I might as well give hot guayusa a try. I sweetened it just a tad, to hopefully bring out the creamy vanilla.

This is such an interesting blend! When I tried it hot-hot, I could taste mostly earthy guayusa. It’s a nice flavour, but I notice a slightly sour note at the back of my tongue. It’s not entirely off putting, just a little strange. As it cools a bit, the vanilla comes out fully and is just amazing. It’s followed by smooth, sweet mint and just a hint of lavender. The guayusa flavour really holds the whole thing together, and the more it cools, the less I get of the sour note.

I really like this blend! I think I’ll bring it to work to get me through the afternoons. Can’t wait to get into the rest of my order :)