Vanilla Beans

I wasn’t sure what to do with this tea at first. I got it in a massive order and it smelled wonderful but I was so apprehensive about it. But I was going to town and wanted a drink while I did so I brewed this up.

At first it tasted like… fish. Then I let it sit a while and when I tasted it again, it went down smooth and the aftertaste was like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange! It delighted me to no end! I am so happy I bought the tin of this!

Sleigh Ride was a tea I initially bought in fear of it disappearing before spring came. I am so pleased I picked this up and tried it as it comes close to beating Oh Canada as my favourite tea ever.

When I opened the bag, I could only feel memories hit me when I inhaled the scent. It smelled like our house, around Christmas when a fire was going and the wind is howling outside. It smells of blankets wrapped around me, of cartoons playing on TV telling of Santa and other things and the Christmas tree decorated full of crafts my mother has made.

I was so worried this would not be up to par with the smell but is surpassed that and I found myself drinking gulps of it in a very unladylike way. It has a sourness to it that is just right for my tastes and it is warm and inviting and the very essence of winters in the Rocky Mountains.

I am buying a tin of this but I am restraining myself as I do. This is a winter tea and will be treated as such during the year. It will be out at winter or when I desperately need a reminder but never more as this is too special to be spoiled.

I had curling the night I made this and I wanted to bring some zest into myself before the game. This entire package smelled like a delectable french bakery and I was in love with the aroma so much I contemplated eating the tea!

I of course, did not and opted instead for a giant mugful. While there was a hint of caramel and custard, it was bland otherwise that got worse as it cooled down. It tasted like sugary water by the end of my curling session and I had completely forgotten I even had the tea until I opened my cupboard to organize it!

It was a forgettable tea, sadly. And there will be no more of it inhabiting my cupboard.

I was very afraid when I picked this out of my sampler set, I must admit. It did not smell well and I only imagined it tasting like a thistle or some type of garden weed variant but alas I was proved wrong again, thankfully.

But even so, it is not a tin buy tea. I enjoyed what I had of it, as it was light and went well with my lunch. It tasted a lot better than it looked inside the tiny tin sampler but it just was not enough to wow me. Still, the interesting notes about what Mulberry leaves are credited for makes me interested. We’ll see if I buy more in the future…

Oh descriptions… how you’ve fooled me once again. I brewed this up out of a sampler set I bought from DAVIDs – the Sweet Indulgence one to be precise – and I was expecting more than I got, as the case seems to always go.

I enjoyed the mint I could barely taste but I had no feeling of chocolate or warmth. It only tasted like, well, like a normal bland cup of tea with a hint of mint. Out of all the chocolate teas I have tried, I would not say it is the worst but it definitely leaves more to the imagination than what exists in it. I would not buy a tin of it but the small samples I have I will keep on hand.

This was another tiny packet of tea I recieved with a bunch of teawares I had bought. I was really apprehensive on it since I am very much not a fan of pineapples and such but I gave it a try to mark down another tea sipped.

I found it to be very tasty! The aroma was alluring to say the least and I had fun enjoying it, not finding a harsh amount of pineapple to the tea at all! Although I did enjoy it, I wouldn’t buy an entire tin of it. It is lovely and was fun to have but I may leave it at that unless a friend wanted to split a tin buy on it.

I’m not sure why I keep referring this as ‘Life Long Oolong’ but.. it sounds catchy I suppose. Anyways, this little treat came in with my teawares from DAVIDs as a sampler and after deliberating on it for a while, I cracked down and bought it.

It was my first Oolong tea and I found it not to be bad at all. It needed a touch of honey just to give it a little edge but other than that I found it very delightful. It made me like Oolongs! Though I’m not sure, when compared to a few other Oolongs, if I would buy an entire tin of it. It really is good but it may sit on my shelf for a long time when up against an even tastier concoction. Still, I would recommend a sample.

Forever Nuts was one tea I was really looking forward to trying. I brewed this up on a dayshift after I brought a small sample of it from an even smaller sampler that I had bought at DAVIDs as a birthday present.

Now, I was expecting more than I got. I expected to be hit but a roasted, nutty flavor that filled my heart and stomach but I barely was able to detect a hint of nuts to it. And my entire strainer was full of them! I put it off as it being a more subtle tea, as you are not supposed to be overwhelmed by it as if you are standing in front of a bin of almonds and wrote down it would go good with a morning biscotti and to leave it at that.

A tin buy? Not warranted. If this tin is pretty? Ahhh… Maybe then. Just maybe.

On my third nightshift, a cold and bitter one I might add, I began it by brewing this up while I traversed the landscape, trying to get through the snow that had no built up. And unlike Red Velvet Cake, I found this tea to be the best!

This tea tastes like a chocolate cake and with a bit of honey it becomes a sweet indulgence. It went down smooth, smelled like a heavenly bag of baking love and, most of all, kept me awake a fair amount of time. I got no jitters or backlash from it and was happy to finish my cup! Now I know I’ll definitely rebuy this and add a tin of it to my cabinet.

This tea I brewed up in the afternoon of my first dayshift. I needed a herbal tea to calm me down after working so hard and this one hit the spot well.

It is not a bad tea, I found. It is actually quite better than a lot of herbal teas I have been trying but it is very heavy with lemon which means it needed honey just to even it out to a smooth cup. I would definitely drink this again but… maybe not a lot of it. A tin buy is plausible but it would last me as long time.

I got this with a sampler set I lovingly purchased from DAVIDsTEA and I brewed it up to rejuvenate myself and ended up soured by the cup. This is not the tea for me.

A lot of people recommend this iced – and I can see how it would be wonderful – but I rarely ice my teas and prefer them hot and warming to myself during the cold weather days I experience too often. So this one equalled disappointment hot. It had a tartness to it that did not sit well with my tongue. I like sour tastes but it has to go down smooth and this one just seemed to slap my face and trickle down my throat.

Still, I have to give it to the tea… The pink shade was bright and cute. But it does not reach my rebuy list at all.

Well, this one was… a story.

I had bought a bunch of DAVIDsTEA samplers from their website and this one came with.. I believe Caffeine-Free teas. I naturally was finding a lot of teas through these tiny, cute tins and after deliberating for a while, I picked this tea to try when I went up to see my crew. It smelled heavenly. Alas, it decieved me as so many do.

I could not stomach it. When it went down my throat, it felt as if it left and egg at the back of it and left my mouth feeling like I had just thrown up! I was horrified! The second sip proved to be the same! The heavenly smell was gone and now it just had the aroma of dead grass clippings from a swampy golf course. I couldn’t stand it, dumped it, and proceeded to complain to deaf ears.

I stand by my dislike. This tea was the worst I have had as of recent and I will not rebuy such a thing in the future. I’m glad it came in a tiny tasting tin instead of 50g!

I got this tea as a small sampler from DAVIDsTEA in one of my orders and I was very apprehensive about it. I have never had Oolong and wasn’t sure what to expect but after trying another Oolong, I brought this around to try it out. I was very happy with the result!

It tasted smooth going down and even as it cooled it never seemed to lose it’s light and sweet flavor. I added a little honey to give it an extra edge – even though I could drink it straight – and I was very happy with the result. It was definitely a tin buy despite how expensive it is!

I had high hopes for this tea when I brewed this in the early hours of the morning. But it didn’t keep with me. There was no feeling of sitting at a campfire warming myself, no sticks with a small marshmallow melting at the end and no smell of summer creeping into my head.

I found this to be very bland for how delicious it smelled and tantalized me. I even added a tiny bit of sugar, hoping to bring out a flavor but none came. I found this very typical of black teas I had high hopes of from DAVIDs… they smell like heaven but when it comes down to the tasting, there is nothing that sparks any love from me. It tastes like cold coffee to me, there’s a hint of bitterness at the back of my throat but other than that… there’s no love from me, sadly.

I had my reserves about this one… Mostly due to the coffee beans in it. Coffee? In my tea? Well, if I was going to jitter even the slightest then out of my pot it would go!

Thankfully, none of that happened. I had this in the morning as it had caffeine and I was very surprised that I did not hate it. It tasted very smooth, like velvet, and it wasn’t so overpowering with coffee that I had to spit it out. I actually would consider a tin of it to have on my shelf… It will do very well on nights!

After a lengthy discussion today with two of my bosses over tea – and me casually converting one to DAVIDs – I brewed this up to start my morning. It smelled like heaven and I was pleasantly surprised at the taste.

While it does have a sour tone, I found I liked it as it reminded me of a fruity candy sour. It went down pleasant for me and I found myself noting that I much more enjoyed this than previous black teas I have tried. It must be the sourness. I will defintely pencil down a tin for me!

Oh my, now this tea was a treat! I heard rumors floating on the internet on which is superior, Bear Trap or Blueberry Jam from DAVIDsTEA. I can now say my vote is for Blueberry Jam! And I’m not even that big of fan of blueberries!

I started out as I normally do, black tea in the mornings to get me going. This one smelled heavenly but I knew how decieving aromas could be so I prepared for bitterness or worse. Suprisingly, none came! It went down smooth like cold jam on a hot scone and I found myself craving devonshire cream and biscuits terribly while consuming this. I know I’m going to be buying TINS of this! I can’t get enough of it!

Simply a lovely tea.

When I first opened this bag during the night, the smell was so pleasant and inviting. I fell in love with it! I had such high hopes! But sadly, as it seems to go, I was disappointed.

It was, how do I say, too bitter for me. I could not stomach it. My tongue felt terrible after ingesting a small amount and I could not bring myself to have any more. Chicory is not for me! Pity as it smelled so wonderful, but I suspect that was the vanilla teasing my senses.

I was very apprehensive about this tea when I first cut the bag open. It smelled horrid to me – which I was later informed is because gin smells that way and I don’t like gin – and I left this sit for a few days before I relented. It surprised me in how much I enjoyed it.

I was worried it would have an overpowering taste but it was very muted and pleasant. It did not need any enhancers added to it which was a plus to me as well. But, alas, it did not wow me. I will keep the bag and enjoy it at my leisure but no tin buy for this one.

I threw this on a pot before my night was slated to start and while waiting I casually inhaled the aroma of the bag. It smelled promising and it would be my first introduction to white tea so I kept my hopes up. What it ended up being was something subpar to my tastebuds.

I noticed immediately a bitter aftertaste. That usually does not bode well for me. After that it tasted so forgettable that I added a dreaded cube of sugar. That turned it into an even less impressive cup. After being disappointed I set it aside. A coworker expressed interest in it so I was happy to possibly swap it but overall I would not rebuy it. I won’t judge other white teas on it but I wish it was more exciting to me. The name was lovely!

I brought this out to keep awake and when the smell hit me I felt like I was in heaven. I wanted to devour this tea! I did not care! Even if I did not enjoy it! Sadly, that feeling faded.

After waiting for it to steep, my initial taste warranted nothing. I had no taste of sugar or cake or any type of dessert. It tasted like, well, hot water. Only after I added a dreaded cube of sugar – as honey was not on hand – did I finally taste a hint of sweetness. I was disheartened. I was excited to have a tasty tea that could keep me up but the lack of flavours makes this miss the cut.

It is not bad, not by the least but I wanted more and this did not deliver.

This was part of a three set of samples I got from DAVIDsTEA. I have never really had a green tea and I was excited to try this in hopes of expanding my palate. Though my hopes were sadly dashed. I thought it was how I steeped it but no matter what I tried, one thing kept coming back…

It smelled like dead grass that had been toasted. It was making my stomach turn. I relented and took a sip and found it abominable. I couldn’t stomach it and the taste lingered. It tasted too much like cut, deceased grass on a hot, muggy summer day. I had to stop and accept defeat. This tea is not for me. Luckily it was a small packet but now I wonder if Green Teas are for me.

If I couldn’t bare this… What about others? At least this tea gave me thoughts to ponder…

Well, the chinook that had been blowing for a few days came back with a fierce vengeance. The wind blew bitter and it snowed unlike I had every seen while the night came, blocking paths to my workplace and erasing my footsteps as I went. I could only think of brewing up this tea as it described my night perfectly.

I had my doubts when I inhaled it. It didn’t smell like a tea I would want to consume at night but I needed the caffeine and away it brewed. When I took a sip I was pleasantly surprised. It tasted like one of my old standby remedies for when I am ill – Cinnamon on dry toast. I actually believe this tea would pair perfectly with it as brings me comfort as my remedy does. That said, the tea did help me keep awake during the night so it got extra love points from me for it.

I think I will keep buying Stormy Night, but only a bag to keep through the year. It’s nice but not something I would splurge on… Unless I was ill all year.

I opened this on a freezing Winter night hoping for something delightful when… Well, something went wrong. My stomach turned when I inhaled the aroma. It was overwhelming and too sickly for me to handle and I honestly contemplated whether I had gotten the right bag as this is highly praised… But I did.

After brewing it and steadying my nerves I found the tea a lot less pungent than the bag but too odd for me. It tasted like bark. Not in a bad way mind you, I definitely got a taste of autumn in it but it mostly tasted woodsy and lacking and I found myself disappointed at how things had turned. It proved that I cannot judge a tea on aroma alone but it still didn’t make my grade.

I’ll probably finish off the bag if I can but no rebuy will be scheduled for it in the future.