Ceylon Star

Oooh… finally trying this tea. Massive apprehension due to the star anise (honestly, I contemplated picking it out, but figured that would be rather silly of me…)

The aroma is pretty much chocolate/coconut/star anise. Thankfully, the anise isn’t a super strong aroma, and I’m hoping it stays that way in the flavour as well (I think other people’s reviews have said that it’s not too bad??)

Yep, turns out they were right… but I still don’t love the tea! It tastes as described, chocolate, coconut, and a touch of star anise… but it’s not really working for me. I can see how other people love it, and I should love it… but… I’m not. Perhaps it’s that there’s almost a bit of cinnamon in there, and it’s coming off to me strangely… ah well. I tried!

ETA: Second infusion is a weaker version of the first, with a bit more anise. After this infusion, the leaves smelled just like star anise…. so into the compost they went.

I didn’t bother to read what Ceylon Star was when DavidsTea first posted the note, I just read the name and assumed a straight ceylon for some reason. And that would have been okay.
Then once we reached December, I reread it and ohhhh yes.

So last minute text messages went out on Monday to my boyfriend of “can you make sure to get me half an ounce of Ceylon Star? It’s new!” So all the tea I made him get me, all $42 worth, $42 I don’t even have right now for tea, is finally mine. I couldn’t decide where to start but I knew I wanted one of the black teas I picked out, and I am on a white chocolate kick so it’s perfect.

There is a lot of star anise. The smell of the tea reminds me of the pizzelle cookies my grandma used to make.

The tea is sweet and slightly spicy from the anise and coconut. I didn’t really get much of the white chocolate, though I’m not even sure any made it into my steeper. It wasn’t as creamy as I was hoping it would be.

They used quite a nice Ceylon for this, because after steeping it I thought, wow, I really don’t like Ceylon when it’s steeped more than 3 1/2 minutes. But this, I might even save the leaf to resteep tomorrow morning because I’m sure it has a bit more life in it, and the star anise is the FULL star so it must still have something to it too!

I kind of wish I got more than half an ounce, I’ve never actually cooked with star anise so I didn’t realize how heavy it is.

Dry Leaf Nose: Sweet, star anise is supported by a cocoa note and the aroma of good Ceylon black tea.

Liquor: Golden brown with a slight cloud.

Flavour: Comforting and familiar, yet cutting edge and new at the same time. The tea notes are enhanced and supported by the anise while the cocoa lingers in the background. The coconut adds a body and sweetness to the liquor.

Thanks to ne14t for this sample!

I’ve been drinking a lot of samples from DAVIDsTEA lately, and I’ve noticed something—a lot of their blends, especially the black ones, have a distinctive taste. I can’t at all put my finger on what it is, but it’s like an underlying current through all their blends. I wonder if they add something specific to accomplish this or if it’s just an aspect of their flavoring?

Anyway, on to this tea! Star anise seems to be a divisive flavor, but I like it. Just a hint of licorice, not too much, and a chai-like spice aspect. This blend utilizes it nicely, though there are HUGE pieces in there it’s not overwhelming. It’s a lightly chocolatey blend though there’s double chocolate in here so of course that’s to be expected! I’m not tasting any coconut though, but that’s not a negative—if I want coconut I reach for a coconut blend, not a star anise one! Overall this is a nice blend, pretty unique in some aspects but that underlying DT flavor doesn’t make it stand out as much as it could.

I’ve wanted to try this one since people began to post notes about it here on Steepster; the coconut, chocolate and star anise pairing had me intrigued. The last teas I tried with anise was Merry Cranberry and, while I wasn’t a huge fan of it initially, I’ve been craving to try it or something similar again since I ran out. Today I bought a 50 gram bag of this on impulse so I guess I better like it a little..

Wet leaves are 90% anise but the liquor has a pleasant cocoa scent. The flavour seems to be a compromise between the two with a dash of creamy coconut. The coconut and the chocolate components add a natural creamy sweetness while the anise gives it a soft licorice-like nip. I added some milk to my second cup and I’m picking up some discrete chocolate orange notes. There’s no orange in the tea so I don’t know where that comes from- probably the Ceylon?

From the remnants of a can that I should probably throw out, I added some pure warm coconut milk to my remaining glass which really just acts to strengthen the already present coconut, as well as to ascent the astringency and spiciness. Not noticing the chocolate orange bit anymore.

Despite my animosity to all things licorice I really enjoyed the pot of this with my kimchi soup. I don’t think I’d drink this regularly because of the anise but I definitely wouldn’t pass it by if it was offered.

I got this in a swap from Tealizzy and I just saw her write about it and how much she likes it so I thought it was a good time to try it out. I didn’t know what Anise was, but upon googling realized I probably shouldn’t have requested this tea. I stand firmly on the “Black licorice is one of the worst flavor in the whole wide world” side of the fence. But, I already had the sample all queued up so might as well try it.

Wow! This is pretty good! I took a sip of it plain and the licorice flavor was there, not strong but still present. Then I added some milk and honey per Tealizzy’s instructions and the licorice flavor was gone and just a yummy creamy spicy tea remained. Not too heavy not too light. I’m diggin it!

Thanks Tealizzy!

update I used my whole sample to make big pot of this an guzzled it down. It’s going on the order list. I want more right now. Yum.

one of my many samples from davids.
(i’ve been hoarding them all up, for emergencies)
http://instagram.com/p/Wh6qBZIc__/
i didn’t expect this tea to be this delicious! i mean i’m not gonna go buy some asap or anything, but i didn’t expect it to taste so fancy.
it still reminds me a bit of Stormy Night or basically any of Davids chocolate/coconut/vanilla teas. and it’s a yum.

So i may have taken a 3 hour break from work to go out with my other half as it’s a SUPER quiet day and he has today off. Had some of this while we were out. While it’s not a bad cup, i am still not a fan of that consistent taste that most of david’s tea flavoured teas seem to have. i wonder if it’s stevia. Who knows. so not a bad cup but i still don’t feel the need to keep an david’s tea in the house! :)

Another that I got my cousin to pick up. Did I mention how much I love that David’s let’s you buy small amounts of their tea? I wish more places did this. One day when I own my own tea shop (which may be closer than we think), I’m going to let people buy small amounts of the teas they want to try.

I had received a sample of this with one of my orders, but there sample packs aren’t enough for me for the perfect cup. So I’m trying this again.

I really didn’t see much tea in the leaves & it brewed up quite light. The steeped cup smells amazing. Chocolatey, creamy, spicey. It’s creamy tasting, slightly spicey, but I’m not entirely sure its an anise taste.
This is super yummy though!

thanks so much Crow Kettle, for sharing a bit of this one! There was an entire star of anise in my infuser: I suppose that is why they call it ‘Ceylon Star’! Also some chocolate, big coconut flakes and really black and twisty leaves. Steeped, the cup is a very light brown and very cloudy. I think I steeped for five minutes, I kind of expected more of an anise/licorice flavor. There isn’t much! There is more of a coconut flavor, but that was because there were so many coconut flakes! There wasn’t much of a chocolate flavor either, but I like the combination of flavors… I just wish there was more! The second steep I poured right after boiling and it does have more anise. I like it combined with the coconut… it helps smooth it out.

I’m enjoying this tea much more so than I thought I would. The only other experience I’ve had with star anise was in Merry Cranberry. Merry Cranberry was quite tasty but the spices made it very definitely a holiday tea.

This is a nice blend of sweet and spice with an added creaminess from the white chocolate. It’s not too heavy for a black tea and it doesn’t give me that specific holiday tea feel. It’s nice in that nothing is overpowering, and the balancing act of coconut, star anise, and white chocolate seems to be just perfect. I can see myself keeping this one on hand in smaller amounts for when I’m in the mood for it.

First tea of the day. No class today since it’s a holiday, but since I spent my snow day and the weekend reading Anna Karenina I have quite a bit of homework that I need to be doing (sigh). Hopefully with lots of tea breaks I will be able to get everything on my to-do list done! This was the first tea that I ordered from David’s Tea during the holidays and I was pretty impressed when I opened the packet. The blend is pretty, with nice big tea leaves and full-sized pieces of star anise and really large coconut flakes. It’s almost too pretty to drink (almost)! It smells like dark chocolate cocoa with a touch of sweet coconut also. The flavor is nice – not too over-the-top spicy and all of the flavors really complement each other well. I added a little milk and sweetener and that definitely pulls all of the flavors together well and creates a more creamy cup. This tea leaves a lingering licorice flavor in your mouth, lovely!

-Dry blend has large black leaves, star anise, large coconut flakes and pieces of chocolate.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of cocoa with a sweet hint of coconut. Tea liquor aroma is of spicy licorice.
-Tea liquor is a slightly cloudy medium orange color.
-Rich vanilla cocoa flavor with a somewhat spicy licorice finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Creamy and warming.

First off, I should say I LOVE ceylon! I also despise anything remotely licoricey. So with that in mind…

This is the perfect balance of sweet coconutty, chocolatey, creamy goodness, with just enough of the anise undertone to round it out. Fantastic as a latte too!

I’ve been struggling for weeks now to keep this tea a secret, because the wonderful folks at head office sent me an incredibly generous sample after I sent in an email asking for their input for a tea-related show name for my pony, Java. Well, Java grew quite the fan club at DT HQ, and among the name suggestions was “Ceylon Star”. I really liked it, and it suits him, because he is very sweet but still has a sassy edge to him, he has a big white star on his forehead, and we both enjoy a nice cup of ceylon. So the lovely folks at head office sent us some of this “secret tea” to try, and both Java and I fell in love! Thus, “Ceylon Star”, the pony, was born! haha!

Now DT just needs to release some more ceylon ;)

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Good balance of flavours. Anise at the forefront. Thickness of the chocolate in the background. Black tea notes complement the blend. Sweetness. Slight creamy mouth-feel.

I had a coupon for a free cup of tea, so I decided to go for Ceylon Star.

I had read on a website somewhere that Star Anise was dangerous for pregnant or nursing women, so that scared me a bit, until I did some research and couldn’t find anything to back that up. Besides, with the quantities I’d get in tea, it seems unlikely to be harmful.

I’m glad I tried it. The Ceylon base is smooth and lively, while the Star Anise and chocolate take turns dominating each sip. I’m don’t really notice the coconut but maybe it’s the glue holding it all in together. It reminds me of Stormy Night, without the cinnamon. I would probably pick up a little of this if I had money to burn but will pass as it is now. These chocolate teas are hit and miss; sometimes it just tastes too much like watered down cocoa, and other times I’m okay with that. Same tea, different mood.

I saw that DT had Vanilla Oolong and Stormy Night in their 2 – 25g/$5 sachets. I was totally going to take my free tea and go, but I couldn’t pass up those 2. Just FYI if anyone else wants a deal on those and lives near DT.

Despite not being someone who cares for chocolate teas all that much, I keep trying them out thinking I’ll find one that I love. Finally, I think I’ve found the one!

I love the aroma of this one — lots of coconut and white chocolate with undertones of licorice-y (in the best of ways) star anise. The liquor is a bit cloudy and smells like spicy, creamy coconut. The most prominent flavor is coconut with star anise adding a spicy kick. While not the strongest of flavors, I can definitely tell that white chocolate is an ingredient. Together with the coconut, it makes a decadently creamy experience. I bet this would make a great latte.

Thanks for sharing, CrowKettle!

This tastes a lot like DavidsTea Bollywood Chai, but a little more mellow. The star anise really hit me full in the face when I first drank it, but it soon settled down and let some of the other flavors come out to play. I love fennel so that was nice. I could definitely taste the chocolate, but it was little artificial like bad chocolate milk. I felt like I couldn’t taste the base at all. It probably would taste better with milk. This probably wasn’t the best choice for me, since my stomach was a little off today. I will probably stick to peppermint or chamomile for the rest of the day.

Ommmmmg this is YUM. I bought it because I had tried it once and enjoyed it and I like to get the TOTM prepack from DavidsTea. However, I don’t remember it being THIS delicious. It’s sweet and creamy with a hint of spice. This is love.

Okay. So, I really like this. A lot.

It’s sweet, a little creamy and chocolate-y, but that’s subtle. And the anise brings a bit of spice. It’s not dull, but it’s also not overwhelmingly flavorful. It’s just a nice, quiet, delicious cup of tea.

I was attacked by the strong aroma of coconut when I opened the packet, which surprised me because I thought it was a pure Ceylon tea! And I was even more surprised to know that the “star” in its name came from one of its ingredients, star anise!!

I didn’t know what to expect as the combination of ingredients was rather unusual to me. The tea didn’t look too appetizing when brewed because there were oil droplets floating around… I guess the culprit was white chocolate? The tea was sweet and strongly coco-nutty. Too bad I am not a fan of coconut (but seems many blends from DAVIDsTEA contain it?). Then after a few sips, I realized that black tea + mild cocoa flavour + licorice-like flavour of star anise gave a taste that strangely resembled tie guan yin!! Indeed, this tea was so light that it’s more like an oolong than black tea. Overall, an interesting tea that’s worth trying at least once.