Forever Nuts

Forever nuts? Forever nursery school! As a night-time non-caffeinated tea, this succeeds. I am, however, wondering if I will ever again be able to love a tea that seems geared towards a two year old audience. The bright cheery cherry red color (from beetroot) does not transform the fact that the beverage tastes like very very weak hot apple cider.

I could not detect the nuts at all. I purchased this tea as an almond-lover, but the tea seems to be all apple with a dash of cinnamon. If there is a nut taste (and I’ve strained to detect one) it might be a touch of walnut.

The more I drink tea, the more I realize that I’m just not suited for those concoctions that really are not tea at all. If I must avoid caffeine, then these sweet little beverages will not make me happy. I’d rather drink water.

This tea does succeed as what it is—not an almond tea but a nice apple drink. It’s refreshingly free of rooibos.

I hope that my lowish rating does not prevent those who really would like this kind of drink from making a purchase at David’s Tea. When David gets with the caffeine, he does an exceptional job.

Where has Forever Nuts been all of my life? I’ve read a few reviews that complain about this it not even being a proper tea. Well, that’s true because it’s a tisane. This doesn’t bother me in the sightest because I have room in my heart for everything from black tea, to oolong, to honeybush, and beyond.

I love this yummy cup of warmth for what it is, a sweet, delicious, caffeine free treat. Forever nuts smells and tastes like candied almonds! I don’t taste marzipan, and I think that may be what some people are looking for when they see almond featured as a predominate flavor. Candied almonds are a favorite treat of mine, so I’m happy and Forever Nuts is a keeper. Yum!

SMELL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZRobOudQA

That clip is from Kung Pow: Enter The Fist…which is a horrible stupid, yet funny parody movie from several years ago. DH and I have an ongoing joke that when people SCREAM or YELL something that’s totally random we always say “THAT’S A LOTTA NUTS”.

Anyhow…
I must say…the first taste was really REALLY weird and I didn’t really like the first sip experience.

I decided to try it again. It improved a little bit but, I, just like Doulton who sent this to me as well as previously reviewed, am having a hard time tasting the almonds. There is a it of nut taste but it seemed quite fake.

To be honest the fruity, tarty, Apple, Beetroot thing…confused the NUTS out of me!

The description says decidedly addictive…I disagree…

I’m enjoying in a bit more now than at first but I have to say I would never buy it. I, am, however REALLY excited I got to try it and log it tho! Thanks Doulton!!!

This is just very confusing because it smells like one tea and tastes like a completely different one…eeeeeh.

Trying to clean up some samples tonight. No idea who sent me this but thank you whoever it was!

Ok, I’m a hiker…..we call this trail mix not tea! I opened the baggie and literally ate half my sample…it was good. Why are we bothering steeping this? It’s TRAIL MIX!

Reluctantly I didn’t eat all of it and brewed the rest up. Turns a reddish color immediately that looks pretty cool. It smells like something out of a bakery…yumm!

Subtle flavors. I can taste the apple and a bit but I’m thinking it tastes like donuts or pastries or something. Strange….
I like it honestly (which surprises me since I thought I was making a mistake not just eating it all lol). Passing grade to you Mr. Trail mix!

Another memory flashback prompted by tea! Thanks so much to Jenn for her generous package of tea samples! I went through and took a whiff of every sample and this one immediately made me smile and almost tear up, so I definitely knew I had to try this one first.
I’m always amazed at how much scents can bring memories rushing back. The minute I opened the bag of this I was immediately transported back to my youth. This smells like back to school clothes shopping with my mom at the mall 40 minutes away. My eyes bugged out, my eyebrows shot up and I couldn’t believe that my brain had taken note of the exact scent of that mall when we’d back to school shop and stored it away to later be recalled to a tee by this tea. It really is NUTS. Also, the hue of this tea was my favorite color when I was younger – a gorgeous hot pink. I have to say that this tea was made for me.
I just could not stop smelling the dry tisane. My mom and I would take off at 8 in the morning and wouldn’t leave until the mall closed. I adored shopping; I was a girlie girl. And the memories my mom and I made together were irreplaceable. It was mother daughter day. We’d get Chinese at lunch in the food court and pig out. This is making me tear up just typing it! Sigh…
So as I said it steeps up a beautiful hue of hot pink. I really can’t figure out why this smells like the mall but it’s a sort of oatmeal cookie, apple, just really homey, comforting fragrance. The taste? Hits you first with apples! Next you notice the yummy oatmeal cookies and spices, especially after you swallow; it really lingers on your tongue and makes you smile. That’s my favorite part of this tea, the aftertaste of a perfectly spiced oatmeal cookie. It’s also starting to make me remember my dad’s love of homemade oatmeal cookies. Ahh, waterworks! It’s a hard thing growing up.
My rating for this tea is probably a bit biased due to the memories it’s conjuring up. But of course I love it. It takes me back to a time I was filled with glee and excitement and love. Even if it didn’t bring back said memories I’d still give this a high rating. It’s very enjoyable. Thanks so much to Davids Tea for unconsciously creating a tea that means so much to me. I will definitely be purchasing this soon. Thanks again, Jenn!

Edit
I must add that I drank the most of this without sweetener, and that’s a rarity for me when it comes to flavored teas. There was a natural sweetness that balanced out the tartness of the apple. When I later added sugar I kind of regretted it (mostly because I was out of my german rock sugar and had to use regular white sugar.. which is kind of gross to me mainly because it imparts a not so good flavor instead of just enhancing the tea’s flavors) Note to self: Order more expensive german rock sugar. It’s worth it.

3 words.

Tastes like mini-donuts.

I made mini-donuts into one word to be more dramatic. How on earth have I not tried this tisane before? It’s the EXACT taste of minidonuts, and that is awesome.

WHAT THE WHAT? I remember being really disappointed with this tea when I first tried it this past summer, but now I’m a little stumped as to why I didn’t like it. Can my taste in tea really be that influenced by the seasons? This tea really does taste like Autumn to me, specifically like freshly baked apple cinnamon muffins. Cinnamon isn’t typically my favorite in tea, and last time I tried this, I was probably just too disappointed that the tea didn’t taste like almonds to appreciate it for what it is. But it’s nice to mix it up a bit…upping my rating!

For peeps who follow me, you’d figured I’ve tried this tea – Forever Nuts, a popular DT item. Okay, 3 months before I was moving out of Canada, I was trying to get a sample of this tea. 4-5 visits and they never had it in stock or it just ran out. I didn’t want to buy online in case I didn’t like it. My sister grabs me a sample from Victoria before visiting me, but said it was the dregs and not 20g worth. Sigh.

DRY: Nutty, very nutty. The roommates already think I’m weird and commented (yet again) why I’m drinking trail mix. For some reason my evening teas resemble trail mix.

STEEPED: Smells like apple pie with crust? Steeps up an interesting pretty opaque pink.

TASTE: Buttery at first tongue hit reminding me of pie crust. Then the sip finishing off a bright, brisk tart apple.

COMMENTS: My tea hating husband took a sip and said it tasted like weak cider. I would say that too if I could taste any spice. I would like this tea more if A. Stayed buttery tasting B. More spice to move towards apple cider C. Less tart D. all of the above, but then it would taste apple pie, yum!

Maybe I’ll try it with sugar next time.

I just downed this in five minutes.

I think I might like it.

I was afraid to try this one for the longest time because I thought it was a very almondy tea and I figured there would be added flavor, which is usual what makes me hate almond. Instead, it almost reminds me of Mom’s Apple Pie minus any green tea…

It has the smell of those candied almonds you find at fairs and what not, but when you drink it, the apple is a lot stronger of a flavor. There’s still almond in there, but it’s behind the tart/sweet apple. And I love it.

Definitely getting more of this ASAP! Thanks Kittenna!

I have not discovered a tea that has brought this much satisfaction in a long time. But I do have a bone to pick with it!

First, I find the title to be misleading. The tea contains subtle hints of nuts, but nothing that would deserve to be chosen as the main element. Instead, I like to think of this tea as “apple crisp meets oatmeal cookie” (and what a delightful reunion it is).

I love the color, however! I feel a bit giddy every time I see the crystal clear water change to a vibrant (almost violent?) pink.
For a mild tea, it still demands attention. Surprisingly, I cannot consider this tea as “weak” but instead as “delicate”. The initial sip is decidedly apple, with a slight spicy aftertaste on the sides of my tongue. An indescribable sweetness ties the whole thing together into a cup of absolute pleasure.

50g bag? 100g tin? 250g tin? May I just buy the huge tin off the wall?
To be consumed in a clear cup for maximum enjoyment.

[EDIT] I decided to give this tea another steep to see how it faired. Giving it 8 minutes with boiling water, the tea still retained it’s beautiful pink shade. It had a slightly less emphasis on initial apple flavor, and a larger emphasis on the spice and nuts after. I think I will resteep this one more often.

Sipdown 4!

After my experience with Banana Dream Pie this afternoon, I was craving a banana tea. I don’t actually have any other banana teas in my cupboard, so I decided to go with something that always reminds me of bananas. For some reason, all I can think of is banana nut bread when smelling this tea. I wish I knew why.

The liquor is a beautiful pink color from the beetroot. I’m not sure that it does anything to the flavor, but it sure makes for a fun cup. The apple is a bit tart and is rounded out by the almond and the cinnamon has a baked good-like quality to it. Soooo tasty!

I wish I wasn’t too cheap to restock this. Using 5g/16 oz. (no resteeps) will add up pretty fast. I would rather splurge on other teas.

This one comes from a swap with Marcel Duchamp! =)

Upon opening this one I was drooling. It smells so nutty (almonds and cashews?), sweet, and cinnamon-y! I wanted to eat all of the nuts, but then I wouldn’t have any tea, now would I?

Brewed it is much the same. It’s an amazing smell! I am getting a little bit of a tart apple smell, which I’m not too big on, but I’m hoping it isn’t a huge part of the taste.

Taste: Ok, so it all comes down to this: Is it as good as it smells? Ultimately…no. It’s not as good. That isn’t to say it isn’t good at all. I am picking up a nuttiness (although less pronounced than it was in the smell) combined with an almost buttery aspect. I am also getting really subtle spice notes. What I’m picking up that I am not a huge fan of is the apple. It’s tart and just not doing anything for me in this cuppa. I feel as though it throws off the nutty-buttery-spicy brew…although, I may be biased as I’m not a fan of apple teas. I really wish there was a bit more spice; this tea seems to be lacking that extra something. The buttery/nutty notes could also be a little stronger.

Overall, I am very happy to have tried this. I just wish it tasted more like it smelled. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t an absolute favorite. Would I take it if offered? Yes. Might I swap for it again in the future? Sure. Would I buy some for myself? Probably not.

Thanks again, Marcel! =)

Dry Leaf Nose: Fresh roasting nuts.

Liquor: Gorgeous bright pink colour with a sweet and nutty aroma.

Flavour: Delightful with roasting nuts (fresh roasting – not roasted) as the predominant flavour note. There’s also a nice and sweet note coming from the apple pieces. The hibiscus adds colour and balances the sweetness.

The first time I ever tried this tea was at the David’s tea in whistler and I’ve been in love with it ever since
I decided I’d brew up a cup to write a review for it and im so glad I did
At the beginning of the sip you can taste The apple and cinnamon which gives it almost an apple cider/ apple frittery taste
Then the nuts hit you in the aftertaste leaving you with a sweet nutty taste
In all an amazing tea (im actually going to buy more in 30 minutes)

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I can’t believe I haven’t rated this one before!

My fist cup was in September last year, from the tin I got in the Sweet indulgence set, and I got another sample tin in the Advent Calendar. I quite enjoy this one. Its not what I would call overly nutty, to me it tastes like apple crumble, which is one of my favourite winter dessert. I find it really tasty, and satisfies a cold weather, comfort food, snuggly tea craving. I quite like the bright pink colour, adds a bit of intrigue!

Today I’m having it as a Friday afternoon treat.

Yet to have a iced cup, will re-review later in the year when I’m on an iced tea kick.

Update on the decision for the teas in Mum’s store. I had to make some last-second, spur-of-the-moment choices, but I settled on:

-David’s Breakfast
-Assam Banaspaty
-Read My Lips
-Silk Dragon Jasmine (they did not have Daydreamer, I didn’t want anything too crazy, I’m not impressed with many of the greens this season…I hope this one doesn’t suck)
-a small tin of Kanpe
-Forever Nuts

…All of which, with one bottle of agave, came to 91 dollars. I hope Mum really does understand the price difference between this stuff and bagged tea when I go to give her the receipt to pay me back.

(Although if she didn’t previously, I’m nervous about her full realization of what my tea collection must cost…)

But. Anyway. I’ve never tried Forever Nuts! (Or the jasmine green, for that matter; but I’m not the best judge of greens, as I’ve mentioned. I did really like the jasmine in their Jasmine Silver Needles though, so that was the deciding factor in that one.)

So I decided to steep up a cup for myself. I mean, I have to test it, don’t I? The SA did tell me this is their hands-down most popular herbal tea, but you never know.

I flash-chilled this one again – partially to prove to myself that I’ve really got the process down, and partially because it’s incredibly bloody hot right now. This smells like a tea I would generally prefer hot, and I normally make teas hot first, so this deviates from my usual M.O. I also basically steeped the cr@p out of it, as I wasn’t planning on a re-steep.

The dry smell is just amazing. Hard to put into words, other than that it smells like when your mother was making cookies in the fall. Steeped, it’s apple-y, with a strong bottom layer of “almond cinnamon cookie.” I definitely think this would be a better “hot” tea, but it’s surprisingly refreshing cold as well, like cold apple cider or something.

A definite purchase at some point in the future when I’ve pared down my collection some. But it’s not overwhelmingly awesome enough at this point that I’m going to go back for my own stash just yet.

YES YES YES! I absolutly loved this one iced. I don’t know how it would taste hot. but iced is awesome. Firstly, its a bright pink color, kinda reminded me of pink lemonade. Then it had a nutty splash to it, but a very nutty splash. Really refreshing on a hot summer day ( unsweetened and caffeine-free) Will definately try again ICED :D I must say at first it catches you off guard with the color and nuttiness but you get used to it.

I received this sample from softrevolution. I was expecting a delicious nutty tea. upon smelling this tea I realized it smells exactly like apple crisp. once steeped it keeps this scent. if it tastes anything like it smells I can’t wait to try it. first sip and woah… this tastes exactly like my mom’s apple crisp it is too delicious for words. the only thing it’s missing is the occasional crunch of oatmeal. otherwise I swear I am eating apple crisp.
I am pleasantly surprised with the unexpected flavour and this will definitely be added to my permanent collection, especially for the fall!
thank you so much softrevolution!!!

Time to review some teas I tried pre-Steepster!

Can’t recall exactly what the dry tisane smelled like – probably somewhat nutty/cinnamony/appley – and since this batch finished it off, I’ll have to wait until I pick some more up to note that.

The liquor is a pleasing pink tone (yay!) and the aroma is mostly that of cinnamon, with a bit of apple and nuttiness thrown in there. Flavour-wise I can definitely pick up on some nuttiness, but it is mostly a warm appley-cinnamony flavour that I’m tasting. Like a bit of a nutty apple cider, but unlike Mom’s Apple Pie, which I also found to be cider-like, it has natural sweetness. I’ll have to compare the two someday, but I definitely think I prefer this tea – which is ok since Mom’s Apple Pie isn’t permanent and this one is!

Anyhow, I’m really enjoying this cup. A great dessert tea. I had forgotten that I actually liked it quite a bit. Definitely a re-buy!

ETA: Second steep is quite good and flavourful as well! Left the teaball in the cup this time though, so won’t be going for a third. So impressed :)

I bought this mostly because my husband and I love nuts. I was expecting to be blown away by the nuttiness. Unfortunately, this as much apple as nuts. I keep trying to ignore the apple but it’s just there, man. I can enjoy this but it simply didn’t meet expectations. It does taste like an apple cake though. That’s pretty awesome.