Midsummer Night's Dream

It is 12:45. I am dreaming such big dreams that I cannot sleep.
In the past three days I have booked an 1890s opera house, rented a marquee, rented almost $1000 in film equipment, solicited my friends help, and bought several hundred dollars of vintage costuming, all for our film’s fundraising video.
Can you see why I can’t sleep???
Relax
Okay, so seriously, if there is a time for tea it is now. I figured that since I like DavidsTeas’ Mothers Helper that now would be a good time to try this sample.
Flavorwise, I am tasting something along the lines of Mother’s Helper. I’m getting a berry thing, hibiscus-like notes, and some kind of almost umami finish.
Like other reviewers, I’m having a hard time picking out the flavors of this tea.

I think it’s as if a little woodland critter came up, wide eyed and bushy tailed and shoved a handful of sweet, citrusy, and bitter berries into my hands and had me brew it in a little mug hewn of chestnut wood.

So i took a trip to Davids today to pick up a replacement lid for my perfect glass tea mug. I got the bamboo one intended for the noble mug though. I’d like to see the lid shatter on me now! Hah! The glass mug itself is so pretty though and the bamboo lid matches well enough. I had wanted to pick up some samples of Luscious Watermelon, Mango Diablo, and Tropicalia while I was there but they wre all sold out! Apparently they are super popular! They took my email and told me they’d let me know when more comes in so hopefully I’ll get to try some of those teas soon!

Not wanting to walk out of there without tea, I ask for a recommendation on a fruity iced tea to go. After sniffing a bunch of teas, I settled on this. It’s pretty good! I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it hot. And I definitely would never have wanted to try it from the description! Minty citrus? Weird… But actually, the mint is very subdued. I tasted citrus and apple and then a smooth cakey vanilla at the end of the sip. Tasty and refreshing.

I always thought of teas as a primarily hot drink, but I’m beginning to see that some are only good cold. I foresee an expansion of the tea cabinet now that I’ve overcome my tea prejudices. :)

I got some of this from Amanda and decided to try it “blind” aka I had no idea what the ingredients where when I drank it. Honestly, I started the cold brew late last night and was too lazy to look it up, but let’s pretend I had some fancy reason.

This tea is… weird. I am getting apple/pear, mint, something citrus-y, maybe a little tart hibiscus? And then at the end, coconut and caramel, I swear to god. It’s creamy and rich, totally different from the beginning of the sip. It tastes like someone mixed a minty tea with a fruity tea and threw in something sweet to go along with it. My mouth is confused!

Upon looking at the ingredients, there’s no coconut OR caramel. Is there vanilla? That might be it, but doesn’t explain the coconut vibe. Mysterious! I honestly don’t know how to rate this tea (it’s good, but SO weird) so I will just hold off on that one. Suffice to say, this was an intriguing drinking experience.

On a related note, it is COLD today in New York. Like, mid-fall cold, yet it’s only the end of September. Brrr, why am I drinking iced tea!

Wow, I used 3 teaspoons of this for 6 oz of water to make iced tea, and I needed to water it down further! It was way too concentrated, it gave it a weird, thick mouthfeel.

Now that there is more water, I like it a lot better. I don’t think it’s something I would buy more of, but I wouldn’t have a problem finishing the sample.

I just don’t even know how to describe what I’m drinking. I don’t get much mint, it’s just like unidentifiable citrusy flavors. It’s a bit tart, and a bit sweet. It’s not bad but it’s just like…really bothersome I have no idea how to describe it!

Thanks, Emilie!

hahaha oopsy this wasn’t in my cupboard. oh well..so this may not be the review that anyone wants to read. that is my warning lol

This tea smells delicious, and I was intrigued by the whole concept of everything that is in this tea. I mostly also just wanted to try it because of the gooseberries lol At first sip? well it smells a little like orange creamsicle sort of tea..but the weird thing is that, once it’s in my mouth and i swallow…the sides of my mouth start doing that thing they do when i’m feeling sick and i’m about to throw up. Not that this tea makes me want to DO that…but in terms of the reaction in my mouth…the sides of my mouth are watering and have that tingling feeling that also happens in that instance. it’s totally freaking me out a little lol

In keeping with that? i’m not going to rate this as high as i would, since i can’t get over that feeling lol BUT it is a tasty tea haha

Oooh this tea, I’m quite surprised I haven’t tried it sooner! Maybe it’s because I’m usually not the biggest fan of overly citrus smelling teas, and this one was pretty strong in that department. In the store, the leaves smelled very mint and citrus, quite intriguing and yummy. However, at home it mostly just smells citrus. I did only get 15 g of this, so there might not be as much mint in it. There are a bunch of very large gooseberries in the bag though, might have to eat one later!

I steeped this for about 6 minutes. The resulting liquor is a bright sunny yellow that smells like a Creamsicle, but a bit more citrusy. Yumm. The taste is very citrus, with a creamy aftertaste that is like a Creamsicle again. I think the gooseberries add a bit of tartness that I am enjoying. Unfortunately I don’t think I taste any mint, maybe it is adding to the refreshing flavor though? It also might come out more if cold brewed or iced. Regardless, I am enjoying the flavor :)

Overall, this is a fairly nice herbal, and it seems like I’ve been lacking in herbals lately. It tastes a bit watery at times, so I might try steeping it the full 7 minutes next time. I will drink down this bag and decide if it will be added to the cupboard permanently, but I’m happy I tried this tea! Oh, and my LS I had earlier has definitely contaminated my infuser, as I was brewing this, it smelled a bit like citrus smoke. Blegh, will have to soak it a bit to try to get that out!

This is a mixed-up tea for me. While visiting family over the weekend I only brought a few teas with me. This was one of them. My grandmother, aunt, beau and I sat down to enjoy a pot of it (I got my grandmother to drink “fancy” loose leaf tea!!!) and we all had very different reactions. I found it to taste like an orange creamsicle, the kind with vanilla ice cream inside and orange popsicle outside. I found it had a slight tinge of mintiness, but no-one else picked up on that. It smelled fantastic, and made an interesting yellow liquor. I assume that the gooseberries contributed a lot to the flavour, but I don’t know what a gooseberry tastes like. My grandmother found it to be very floral..

I re-steeped the leaves later on for myself, but I found it had a very muted flavour which I couldn’t really identify (though I did develop a cold.) I really enjoyed the creamsicle sort of flavour I got the the first time around, but it is starting to seem very similar to the Spring Collection’s Pink Flamingo, which also reminds me of Joy’s Teaspoon’s Wellness. All this is fine and good but my final thought is that it’s not a re-buy…it’s too similar to other teas I have and just doesn’t stand out in the crowd. I’m finding that more and more with David’s Tea’s selections lately…Maybe after a year of drinking mainly DT I am getting tired of it???

Even though I seem to have tasting problems, I was really interested in this and wanted something to keep me company at work. I was really concerned at first. This smelt like grapefruit while it was steeping. I really DO NOT like grapefruit. I got another tea from here as a sample and it had grapefruit in it. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was definitely gross to me. Luckily, this looses the grapefruit smell after steeping.
I tried to make this iced, but ran out of time before work, so now it’s a kinda weird lukewarm thing. I feel like I can taste more with this than I have been with the other teas. It tastes and smells like the orange sherbet ice cream that my dad would always get me. Hopefully I can taste more when I get back to normal.

Tea related: So even though I won’t be able to buy tea for a while i still go and look around on websites of things I want to buy; I don’t know why I torture myself. Then I decided to go looking around on 52 Teas to see what Frank has been coming up with. Then I saw it……… Smaug tea. IT LOOKED SO AWESOME!!! Not only is it have Dragonwell tea, but it has cayenne pepper in it. The whole tea flavor profile in general just sounds awesome. Then that sad moment, when you go to insta buy it…… and it’s sold out. URGH!!! Hopefully it will get revived. (
Tea Review: I deiced to have this the other night. It was one of the samples that came with my Christmas sale order.

The dry-leaf was very pretty. It was for the most part all yellow color with flecks of red rose petals. It smelled almost like orange blossom tea; though that’s not what it is. I also have no idea what a gooseberry is, but it sounds good.

The taste of this tea is nice. It made a nice yellowish, pink liquor and smelled like citrus tea. The flavor how ever doesn’t taste like orange blossom tea. It reminded me a lot of Sweet Tarts or Spree candies. It had a nice berry-citrus taste with a pleasant tart after taste. I added a pinch of agave, but it really wasn’t needed. I did do another steep, and it was ok. It was more like flavored water, but in a good way.

It should be noted that while this tea has spearmint, it doesn’t really come up much. I actually forgot that it was even in there until the last steep; were it was easier to detect. It seems that instead of really adding to the flavor, it adds a nice vapors texture to the tea.

Overall I would recommend this tea to citrus-fruity tea lovers or anyone who likes Sweet-Tarts and Spree candies.

Specifics

Leaf: 5 grams
Pot: Porcelain
Water: 8 oz
Sweetener: a pinch of light agave, but not needed.

I ended up receiving this tea as a sample after they forgot to include them in my iniitial order, then sent me 6.

The dry notes are fruity & citrusy. However on the package it says nothing about citrus.
Once brewed its much the same.
The taste is fruity, very citrus & sweet. Also kind of medicinal. There is also a strange after taste, I can’t figure it out for the life of me.
The notes on here say there is mint? I’m not getting it, but maybe its what is reminding me of the medicinal taste.

I don’t know how to rate this tea, I like it, but its kind of strange.

Smells like grapefruit? Hmmm, interesting.

Now I know that Swampwater is supposed to be the tea you brew for kids, but, no sooner had I taken this out of the fridge—after brewing it for 10 minutes, straining, then placing it there to cool—then my 18-month-old hold her sippy cup out to me. She’s probably thirsty and I prefer to fill it with cold tea, instead of juice, anyways. I hand her the full cup and she literally starts drinking without stopping for a breath! Either she’s really thirsty of she really loves this tea. Probably a combination of both! Looks like this will be in full rotation this summer as I brew it up for my daughter to drink.

Now, what do I think of it? I find it’s a really flavourful brew, especially when you just leave it for a bit, then strain and chill. I could see it being a little on the weak side if you brewed it then poured it over ice, so to get maximum flavour I recommend steeping it for 10+ minutes, straining it, then forgetting it in the fridge for a day so it reached peak coldness.

Trust me on this one, have I ever lead you astray before?

Thanks Shmiracles! The aroma of this one is lovely. Fruity and minty. The flavor is pretty magical too. It’s sweet, fruity, citrusy, and minty. It’s a nice herbal. Thanks for letting me try this one!

Thanks Emilie for some of this!

I drank it earlier, and before I knew it the cup was empty and I hadn’t really paid any attention to it! I do remember that it was tasty though, but I’m not going to rate it this time. :)

This (and a few other teas) arrived today while I was on my lunch. Mind you I ‘may’ have chased down the UPS truck in order to get my package….well worth it.

Ahem….citrus, citrus, and more citrus! That’s what I’m getting from this tea. I’m enjoying it iced today as it is just as hot as yesterday. The flavor is super refreshing and just a slight bit tart. But oh so good!

The local DavidsTea was giving glasses of this iced out for free this morning, so how could I resist? I really enjoyed this. It was both tart and sweet at the same time. Each sip, a different fruit would come out with me, sometimes sweet apple, sometimes citrus, sometimes berry. I loved the combination of berries and mint. It a little like vanilla at the end of the cup.

I haven’t reviewed anything for a few days because I was in bed with a bad cold. I couldn’t taste much of anything and just started getting my sense of taste and smell back.

I am back to the tealogging after a bit of a holiday break, and even though I have a bunch to catch up on I will start with the tea I am drinking right now.

Wow! I think this might be one of my new favs. I’ve been meaning to try it for a while, but always forget because it is muddled among the many other herbals at Davids. I may get a tin of it since I have some gift cards to use up there. I think it is nice both iced and hot. I will have to see how it holds up since I am making a big jug of it right now. It is minty and citrusy, a really refreshing combo that also works hot for me.

Finally! A sit-down with a tea. I feel like it’s been so long for some reason. I have been doing other wonderful things though so I don’t feel neglected due to lack of tea (plus I sneak good tea whenever I can). Since it’s almost 12 and I will be getting up early.. I figured a herbal tea would be much better than all my new oolongs that I am absolutely longing to try. So here we are. With Midsummer Night’s Dream. A sample I picked up from my Davids Tea trip (where I also filled up on their Quangzhou Milk Oolong..possibly more excited about that than all the other teas I got.)
Dry: Pretty – I had a large gooseberry in my tisane. I enjoy gooseberries by the way. The first smell I get is KUMQUATS. Whoa. Honestly my favourite fruit. I can eat a decent sized bag in one go. They are my crack. Sweet but yet tangy at the same time. I showed this to my sister and she wanted to take the bag. I said no way, but offered to give her a sample of my sample to try. She declined and opted for a tea party date instead. I’m excited.
Liquor: Hmm.. first sip tastes like Neocitran. Then it quickly calms into a very sweet complex flavour I am trying to figure out. The afterward mouth-feel even reminds me of kumquats, though I suspect it is the mint lingering. This tea is alright. But it’s not really tea. I want real tea. It sweetens as it cools and the citrus mellows a bit more. I don’t feel like I’m being punched in the face with citrus anymore. Because this tea does not taste like a kumquat, I am a bit displeased.
I won’t do another steep tonight, but I will save the tisane for tomorrow. The rating may change based on a cold steep (as I hear that is good..). Maybe tonight I just wanted some camilla sensis of any sort… not herbal =\

2 tsp for 250mL tea @ 90C, steeped 5 minutes, drunk bare.

I feel terrible. I sat down with my family for lunch and nearly hurled at the table. Broke out in a sweat. Got dizzy. All round nastiness.

I knew I needed tea. I’m craving the new Ginseng Oolong from DavidsTea, but I’m in no fit shape to go out. Wuyi Rock is too dark for the moment, and the Tung Ting Vietnam’s buttery notes will just send me right over the edge.

So I made Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Makes no sense to me, either.

I’ve forgotten how much I like this strange, sweet blend. Normally I ice this one, but hot, it’s soothing on the stomach— probably the mint. The odd citrus thing this tisane boasts is distracting me from being nauseous. And the gooseberries give it a note that no other tisane’s got. I’ve been researching Elizabethan England and what they ate and drank; they liked to stew almost anything with fruit and berries. I think they might like this one, pun on the title aside, especially in winter.

This is a weaker tisane. The packet copy recommends 2 tsp for a cup, and yeah, you need at least that much. And a decent steep time. Herbals need a bit of coaxing.

I’ve been hemming and hawing over this one for a few days. Might as well give it a go since the pitcher is almost done.

Earlier this year I tried this tea hot. I loved it. Anything citrus appeals to me, and that touch of mint was very nice. This is one of the rare teas that I don’t feel the need to add milk or sugar too, so it makes a great travel tea that I can make up easily in my hotel room.

A few days ago, I made a pitcher of iced tea with this. I’m having a love/hate relationship with it. I still really enjoy the citrus notes, but now I don’t like the minty thread through it. Yet, I find it really refreshing to drink, even though I’m always taken aback by that first sip. I’m wondering if it’s because my last two pitchers of iced tea were very fruity sweet, and this one isn’t. It’s only very lightly sweetened this time because that pitcher of Luscious Watermelon was a bit much. It feel though that more simple syrup would make the Midsummer Night’s Dream iced tea worse.

I only have enough to make one more mug so I’m going back to hot for this one. I haven’t decided if I like it well enough to buy it again, but I’m glad I got the chance to give this a try.

I have no idea why, but dang I love this tea. I get absolutely no mint from it, but there is definitely something here that mellows out the citrus in a way that makes me love it. There’s hints of grapefruit and orange, but nothing dominates for me. I made it hot tonight, but it is lovely iced as well. Tonight’s cup I added just a dash of sugar and it was exactly what I needed for my goodnight cuppa.