Santa's Secret

Finally, after a really long and dry hot season, it seems like the rainy season finally made it to Quito, Ecuador! I love the rainy season! It is nice and cold, just enough to feel a bit chilled and make me want to drink even more hot tea! Once again venturing into my untasted, yet highly looked forward to David’sTea collection, I grabbed this one.

I honestly expected this to taste a whole lot like Read my Lips because of the Mint cream going on, but I was actually super surprised! In a great way!

The dry leafs smell minty and creamy. Unlike Read my Lips there is no chocolate in the scent. I don’t smell any spices that claim to be in the blend, but they may be hidden under the creaminess which I love. The little candy canes (way past the season at this point…) are adorable! I love all the little declarations that David’sTea adds!

Once brewed the dark liquor smells minty and smooth. The black tea adds an earthy scent that works really well with the sweet creamy sensation that the scent leaves behind. Unsweetened it is creamy and incredibly fresh feeling. sweetened, it is incredible. The smoothness of the mint mixed in with the spicy creamy sensation makes it hard to sip slowly. The sweeteners helps make the creamy aspect stand out an the mint become a little more of a sensation and after taste. A really well rounded dessert tea!

I have a full 2 oz but am already looking forward to being able to order more!!! I think this may become a must have for me along with Read my Lips! :)

I received a TON of tea today so I better pick up the pace!

this one smells AWESOME!!!!! The Minty Goodness and the Candy Cane Goodness are separate but still yummy and still work together! I might have to break down and try this one with some Soy Milk – just because – but this is lovely as-is!!!

I want to apologize to all the people on Steepster…I’ve been a member for about 9 months now and all your comments and logs have helped me make choices on trying new teas… Unfortunately, I realize I haven’t been contributing much, it seems I never find the time to write…but this is all about to change, I’m prepared to do some serious tea logs in the next few days..(x-mas vacation!)

So I feel the urge of trying new teas…what are my options?
Mr. Right happens to work next to a David’s tea in Montreal… Coincidence? I think not, I don’t call him Mr. Right for nothing!
We live on the north shore, about 45 min drive from Mtl, so I’m no where near a David’s store. But Mr. Right drives there every day, so why not take advantage just a little?

Option 1: ordering from internet, it has it’s perks, free samples… but if I want to go on a shopping spree (wich I always end up doing with my tea shopping), I am restricted to 50gr bags and the wallet suffers way too much.

So Wednesday morning, I choose Option 2: ask Mr. Right in a desperate fashion: Honey, do you think you could drop this list at David’s on your way to work today and pick up the order before coming home??? Here’s «THE list»:

«The Steeper» Infuser (got to try it, looks like the perfect infuser!)
Santa’s Secret 100 gr (will it be enough?)
Glitter & Gold 50gr (perfect X-Mas treat!)
Fantasy Island 25gr (if it’s back from the dead, it must be really good!)
Checkmate 25gr (good enough for 25)
Green mate 25gr (I will try based on someone’s review, and it’s so cheap I can get 25, no risk)
Jungle Juju 25gr (just ran out)
Kanpe 25gr (just in case it disappears…here comes my insecurity again)

… and the 10 gr trials, the ones I will crave until he gets back home tonight:

Earl gray cream
Chicory Dickory
Green & Fruity
Midsummer night’s
Honeybush Lemon Ginger
Orange Blossom
Licorice Twist
Banana Oolong
Jade oolong Chai
Alpine Punch
Chocolate Chili Chai
Cherry Blossom
Quangzhou Milk Oolong
Mint Chocolate Rooibos
Swampwater (turns out it’s available only online )

Mr. Right’s response after a quick glance at the list: Are you mad, woman??? How many teas in this house already?

My response: Mmm…let’s see….ok…mmm…let me think…(I know damn well what the correct answer is: way too much tea in this house!! But I’m not about to let him know I KNOW that!)

My darling, you know when you tell me I should find ways to relax more cause I’m a pack-o-nerves, well this is it…this is what works for me, aren’t you happy I listen to what you tell me? (reverse psychology always comes handy, in addition, I give him my prettiest smile, raising eyebrows, blinking eyes just a little, wishing I had those eyelash extensions to make the moment even more dramatic…)
Mr Right looks at me, puzzled (this is not a rare look) gives me a goodbye kiss, and…takes the list off my hand… Sweet victory, I know Chistmas is coming early, cause tonight, I will get my stash!!!

People, this story could be yours, don’t underestimate what tea addiction is… The end (for now!)

P.S. When Mr. Right came home, I was like a child waiting at the door. He knows how childish I can be, so he played along and pretended he didn’t have time to pick up the order. I just adore him!

So here’s my review fort Santa’s secret: Yum, yum, yum. And more yum.
A friend gave me sample to try last week at work, and I knew at the first sip I was going for a 100gr with this one. It’s a perfect blend and so well balanced, I think it would please even the non-peppermint lovers. The mint is there, but the sweetness of this mix tones it down. It is similar to read my lips, but the fact that the chocolate is missing makes it more subtle. I can’t really find the cinnamon and clove, so if you’re not a spice fan, don’t let the description scare you, it’s hardly there.
I find the second steep less appealing, the mint taste is gone and you are left with a week plain black tea.
A must have, too bad it’s not permanent!

Aw man. I’m so depressed lately. Teapressed. I have a million teas to try and drink but lately not only do i have to limit my caffeine consumption but (cover your ears) I just don’t even feel like drinking a ton of tea. I’m sad because all my zillions of flavoured teas seem to be turning me off and since I’m limiting my intake I really want to focus on the ones I love. Figuring out what I feel like having is a nightmare these days!!

So I’ve been MIA and it sucks and that’s why.
As this was one of my old favourites from back in the day I decided to have some this morning. But something is wrong. It seems like I can just taste fakeness. It’s still tasty but this new development is both distracting and disappointing. I am unsatisfied :(

I also watched the end of the Tenth Doctor recently and that only added to my depression.

Sorry guys.
I want to keep reading everyone else’s reviews and maybe that will encourage me. I was also in Maine for 4 days so I had no tea! Just one crappy bagged tea from Dunkin Donuts. I threw it out.

And it’s chilly and perpetually rainy here so I can’t even make myself drink my new Davidstea herbals cold brewed! Wahh!

I’m a downer, my apologies

since the day i received the ‘24 days of tea’ in the mail, i’ve just been grabbing a bag or two of the little sample tins and throwing them in my purse to take to work. at my desk i have my new asian style mug in the color of peppermint, and i just turn my electric kettle on and pull out the tins to see what i have with me.
so when i grabbed this one next and saw it had little peppermint sticks in it i was kinda tickled. (sprinkles add a weird oily coating and grimy residue to my tea, but candy canes are just a flourish!)
it’s an invigorating, slightly sweet, tiny tingle minty tea and PERFECT for noon tea.

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why do we love this one so?!?!?!
i mean, there are several of us that drink this every day with enthusiasm. and i don’t understand it really because even with all the affection i have for this tea, when i try to describe it to someone it never really sounds as good as it tastes. but heck, all i can say is that i never thought of myself as a mint or peppermint lover. and i still don’t think of myself as a peppermint lover. but i can honestly drink this everyday with ease and joy.
mysteries are mysterious.

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i have this tea for breakfast almost every morning i love it so much. i can’t explain it. i never thought of myself as a peppermint person. not at all. but there is something else going on in this tea. maybe it’s not the candy canes, but the secret part that i like so much.

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i can’t believe that, over the past few days, i have deleted 200 blank reviews from my tea log.

i now have a list of 27 teas that i have drank more than once but i did not write a review of. and i’m planning to make some sort of note about them, even if it’s just a word or two (thumbs-up? thumbs-down?), over the next few weeks.
i’ll re-taste them if i’m able, or i’ll just have to recall as much as i can from memory if i have to.
the idea is that i will then know when i have for real tasted 500 teas :)

anyways…
now off to a Pi Party! with tea in hand of course!

I went to DavidsTea today to pick up a little bit of Alpine Punch, but the store was so crazy busy they gave me a cup to-go for free. There were 3 sales associates on and they were swamped. I didn’t mind waiting too much but I guess I’ll be in the store less if it’s that busy Wednesday at noon!

I sampled Merry Cranberry while I was there but didn’t think too much of it, so I chose this as my free festive drink. I didn’t get too much out of it at first, but then it popped after the 4th sip. I couldn’t remember what’s in it but it makes me think of chocolate and mint, with Christmas spices! So good! Dreamy…

I was at a doctors appointment so I had to let it sit for a bit. It’s just a little warm now and far more tannic. Will have to add a bit of milk to finish it up. And I guess I thought it tasted like mint hot chocolate because of the little candy canes! (Now that I’m home can read the description.) Don’t drink this one cool!

I’m tempted to get a 20-30g bag of this. A tin would be nice but harder to justify on maternity leave wages! But I think I’m going to refine my rating system a bit to base it on how much I would (ideally) have of each tea on hand…

Yay, guess what? I bought the Tea for the Tree set and gave the other two as part of a gift exchange at work. My co-worker absolutely loved his gift, and Sleigh Ride happens to be his favourite, so glad it worked out. Am I the only one who feels insanely stressed out picking out a gift for gift exchanges?

So I kept this one. Such a cute teal ornament too! The dry leaf smells like those colourful party mints. Like these!

http://www.foleyschocolates.ca/img/products/3110-10K.jpg

Steeped, it loses that creaminess I get from the party mints, but smells like a sweetened black mint tea, essentially. No surprises. I get a pleasantly cool sensation with every sip.

Good stuff, but still prefer Read My Lips. That one has more going on.

Ah, yum! If I’m going to drink something with artificial additives why not go full candy and have a tea that’s essentially candy canes in liquid form?

I have not been overly satisfied with most of the new additions to David’s Tea as of late and am left wondering where the “tea” part went. It’s hard to remember to be bitter and whine loudly when I’m drinking this though. The dry leaves have mini candy canes scattered throughout and possess the aroma of vanilla and peppermint.

Liquid tastes like the smell with noticeable vanilla. The peppermint is not too strong with only a light presence of that “fresh” feeling in the back of the throat. My lips are tingling and I’m getting some puckering pungency so this isn’t a flat beverage. Generic black tea is not bitter and provides a meek earthy base.

I think Santa’s Secret will be my indulgent friend for this deadline filled week. Time to read Cloud Atlas and Storm of Swords get cracking on those public executions in 17th and 18th century England!

12 days of christmas tea swap!

Yes i know..it’s a little late, but at the time i wasn’t really feeling that whole mint feeling back then. This isn’t bad tea. It reminds me a whole lot of read my lips, though a bit nicer. A big thanks to Sare for letting us try this one out! I totally miss the awesome packages and teas that everyone pulled together for the swap!

I have a sample pack of this from one of the David’s Tea crackers that my Mom and I opened on Christmas morning. I’m in denial that Christmas is already gone for another year, so I decided to enjoy a cup of this today to prolong the Christmas spirit for a little longer. This blend smells really minty and vanillaish, and is so cute with the teeny-tiny candy canes. David’s Tea must employ some cute little elves to make candy canes that are so delicate. The tea itself is a little bitter at first, but after adding some sweetener and a little milk the flavor becomes creamy and delicious. The black tea base is stronger than I expected it would be, and it adds a nice, malty undertone beneath all of the sweeter flavors. I will have to remember this tea for next year, this is one that I could drink every day during the holiday season to get in the Christmas spirit!

-Dry leaves have pieces of peppermint leaves and tiny candy canes. Wet leaves reveal partially dissolved candy canes.
-Dry leaves smell minty and sweet. Tea liquor aroma is minty with a hint of orange.
-Tea liquor is a light brown color.
-Slightly malty flavor with mint and a cinnamon-orange finish.
-Best with sweetener, milk optional.
-Very good tea. Perfectly sweet without being too minty. Adding milk makes a creamy cup.

This tea is keeping my spirits up the day after Christmas thanks to Sare! Sweet minty, candy-cane goodness, very refreshing! I need to stay in the holiday mood because we won’t watching the Doctor Who Christmas Special until tonight! This tea and the snow are helping!

Yes, I fell a day behind in the 12 Days of Christmas swap, but it’s been wonderful! Thank you LiberTEAS for starting and organizing this and all you wonderful ladies for participating! Hope all you Steepsters have had/are having a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

First, let it be known that I am in love with the IDEA of this tea, if nothing else. I am a big fan of mint and black tea, and I love the DT blends with little candies (Read my Lips, Oh Canada, Swampwater). Last year I passed it up as I foolishly believed I had too many mint teas. This year, I know better. Second, I tried one of the little candy pieces and they’re quite yummy. Minty and sweet, almost like there is a hint of vanilla or cream.

I am a little afraid that I’ve oversteeped this cup, it got about 4 minutes which is a hint more than I usually give. The aroma is dominantly black tea, but with mint coming in at the end – I would prefer perhaps a little more mint but we’ll see how it tastes. At least I can always add more mint! The liquor is quite dark, but the flavour matches the arome shockingly well. There is definite black tea, but the mint comes in quickly and then yields to a creamy light mint aftertaste, very similar to the little candy pieces. It is candy-caneish but not very sharp in terms of mint. Sweet, but not sickeningly. This cup, I am loving! Hopefully the appeal lasts as right now I am loving this – Might have to really stock up before it disappears.

This is what’s currently in my cup! This is a sample that Bonnie sent me forever and a half ago and I haven’t gotten around to trying yet! Thank you Bonnie!

I was in the mood for something minty, and this looked and smelled like it was a minty tea, so I brewed it up.

It’s pretty nice! It’s verrrrry sweet (even with no sugar in it) and it’s got a nice minty flavor that comes out a lot in the aftertaste. This one would make a great latte and I plan on doing that next time.

Now, this part is mostly a reminder to myself but you can feel free to read this if you’d like.
Teas That I Need to Review This Weekend (* means for TeaTrade):
1.) Ripened Pu-erh Mini Toucha by Teavivre*
2.) Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea by Teavivre (in gaiwan)
3.) Lapsang Souchong by Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden
4.) Coffee Pu-erh by DAVIDsTEA
5.) Chiran Sencha (white label) – Kagoshima by Chado Tea House*
6.) Keemum 3 Monkey Tea by Culinary Teas
7.) Huo Shan Yellow Sprouting by Mark T. Wendell*
8.) Compare Paris and Tower of London

SO…I was at Davids again today, with my friend. She opted for the Merry Cranberry, and since I know I don’t like Sleigh Ride that much, I opted to try Santa’s Secret. I’ve always been a bit leery of mint teas, because I tend to find them either too medicinal, or I find them too cooling and refreshing to drink in winter (except for medicinally). But this tea, as a black base, holds the mint in balance, I think. It feels warming but refreshing, but not in a BRRR sort of way. Maybe the soy milk added then zen-like balance, I dunno.

I think I can say, I actually kinda like this. For a minty tea. I don’t know if I will get this one or not, but I think I might get some while it is available, and it will be a nice alternate to the very warming and comforting teas I have like Chocolate Orange or Alpine Punch, or one of the seasonal chai blends. I think that there could be a place for this on my tea wall.

ok, this one won’t be neither the DT I’d like.
So sorry ! I am sure my daughter would like it with these funny and beautiful little candy canes mixed with the black tea.
I got the peppermint, I got the vanilla and I got some chocolate. I would have loved to get the tea taste as well.
Thank you TheTeaFairy for sharing.

Nomnom! This tea is yummy. It sweet but not too sweet and pepperminty but just the right amount. Had this instead of my morning coffee its a perfect substitute. Delicious!

On the 12th day of Christmas Sare sent to me, this tea.

I’m a little late on this, but I have been spending a lot of time with my girls and family while I have time off work.

So I made a whole pot today in my new tea pot, I also got some of this from my cousin.

I was sprised not to see vanilla in the ingredients list, I found it to be creamy & sweet. Lightly minty & 7 delicious. This a really nice holiday tea, but I would probably drink it all year long.

Pic http://instagr.am/p/T6RRfpMGeF/

I went to the other David’s Tea in Manhattan on 66th and 3rd to pick up a few more samples of stuff. I must say, I like the staff at Bleecker better. They seem so much more energetic. Then again, they had opened so recently at the time so maybe it’s just new guy energy. By now, the employees should be a little more jaded. haha I gotta go back to Bleecker and see how energetic they still are. :)

I also sampled Love Tea #7 while I was there, but I’m not going to write a review since it was obviously over brewed, bitter and astringent. I mentioned this to the person helping me, but she still gave a sample of it to someone who walked in later. hm…

Anyways! Late to the party, but I got some of Santa’s Secret since so many of you out there profess so much love for it. This is pretty tasty! I’m finding that I like what David’s tea does with mint. There’s also a sweetness dessert-y thing going on. Maybe like a vanilla mint pudding. And while I don’t much like black tea, I can appreciate the flavors here. They should make a decaf version!

Thank you to Emilie for this one. My apologies steepster friends for not posting for a while. My work schedule changed up again, for the better. This is one is not too bad. A decent black mint blend with vanilla hints. However I noticed the flavoring was a little bit chemical. There was elements that I would compare to a minty black and mild. It’s a good tea but has a strange flavor to it at the same time. I would drink it again but I’m not sure if I would put this one on the shopping list.

I adore this tea, so what better way to test my travel press a second time than with this one I’ve been hoarding since the end of February. Minty and sweet….yum. My favorite hot cocoa is a candy cane white cocoa, and this reminds me of that, but with the added goodness of tea! I had this yesterday on our way downtown to celebrate our anniversary and we had an unintentional tea crawl, hitting up four tea shops by the time we were done.

Oh, and remember that interview I had Saturday? Well yesterday I was called to schedule a second interview, which is today! squee Wish me luck again, dear friends!