1500 Tasting Notes
As advertised, this smells like a tart lemon meringue pie. Steeped it smells little, which surprised me.
Drinking it is like sipping a very, very tart lemon pudding, with the egg white meringue sneaking in at the very end and lingering a bit. It’s crazy good, and even better with a bit of sweetener to remove some of the extra tartness. Some sips I notice the meringue, and others I miss it… however I love tart lemon pudding (and have yet to make some since going grain-free) so this is a true delight. Will definitely re-order more, although I did get a 50g tin of it.
Preparation
Second large mug-full, and it’s just as tasty as the first. Plain, it’s more buttery than anything, with some coconut creaminess. Sweetened though (again, Truvia) the fruitiness pops, and it becomes like a boozy cocktail out of my dreams. I’m making this with some coconut milk as a latte next time!
Preparation
This smells quite lovely as the pouch opens: creamy coconut is what I got, followed by something tropical and fruity. Yum!
Smells more crisp and clean brewed, and less like a pina colada. Drinking it however was where my eyes rolled back in my head… wow. I knew I had to sweeten it just a bit after the first sip, as it was a bit too delicate to taste much initially. A bit of Truvia though, and I’m in heaven.
I actually feel like I’m drinking a creamy, buttery, coconut booze concoction, with some hints of mango and… lemongrass… in the mix. It’s mostly a creamy coconut though, and I’m quite okay with that. LOVE the buttery feel minus any sort of oiliness. A new favorite.
Preparation
Weird. Just looked at the ingredients, and there’s only pineapple in here. I get that too, although I swear I taste a touch of mango as well.
I looove this one! I wish we had a TD in Victoria.
Incendiare, most of their stores are gone. If their website is actually up to date, they have stores in Nanimo, Abbotsford and Vernon now. And one opening in Edmonton…? http://www.teadesire.com/stores.php
Yeah, it’s weird how they keep shutting down. Edmonton had a location open like back in 2008, it shut down after a couple years, then they opened another one in 2011, then it shut down again last year, and now they’re trying to open yet another in an even different location. It’s kind of sad.
I kept trying to buy things in the Metrotown store, but I’d go in and there wouldn’t be anyone there. I’d ring the bell, call “hello” into the back room… Just terrible. :/ But now it’s going to be a DavidsTea, so getting tea to go will be nice.
Aww, that sucks. The staff in Edmonton were always great. Very down-to-earth and truly loves their jobs. It seems like they can’t afford the rent in these hot spots.
My lips and mouth are still swollen and burning from Bolero earlier today, so I should probably hold off on rating anything else until I’m done. :( Still, I did brew a few cups of this and therefore wanted to log it.
Smells like marzipan a bit as I opened the tin, and something chemical-ish. It’s normally what I associate with some sort of processed nut flavoring, although I’m still puzzled by it. Steeped, this smells more like cloves and cinnamon than anything.
This tastes like a nice black chai with some almonds in the finish. The orange is very subtle, and I only got it after adding some Truvia. It’s well into the sip, and lingers a bit along with the cinnamon/spice. Oddly, I get zero almond or marzipan taste, although this does feel creamy.
Would be delicious as a latte! Will have to try later when the reaction has disappeared completely.
Oh! Also, this is listed as “Esprit de Noel” on my tin.
Preparation
This is a beautiful tea, both in how it smells and what it looks like. My immediate thought was Mediterranean, which is a bit odd considering I think more olives, feta and pasta -like smells when thinking of that part of the world. The apricot/peach is strong, as is something else fruity and deep.
I was a bit concerned with my first sip that there are strawberries in here, which I’m allergic to. I tried finding a list of ingredients however I gave up; the box just says black tea, cornflower, mallow and flavors. Sigh.
I took two sips, even though the first one confirmed for me there are strawberries in here, I just had to taste to make sure. (Call me willful). It’s a tart, earl grey -like black, with apricot and peaches at the forefront, and I think a flowery fig in there somewhere, too. Definitely strawberries as well, and something rosey. I’d love it and drink more if I could, and it would likely hold up well to some cream and sugar.
And so, I will package this up for my teenage daughter to drink, because I know she’ll love it. If anyone would like to try some of this in the impending swaps, let me know.
Which, incidentally, three packages showed up today, however Canada Post just left the note to pick them up tomorrow. I’m really hoping it’s my Red Leaf and 52Teas orders! :)
Preparation
I bought a tin of this. The earl grey comment scares me – ick. I was expecting black fruity. Will have to try it and see….
(According to the tracking, one of those packages should be my swap package to you.)
Maybe it is black fruity; the allergic reaction definitely messed with my ability to taste.
And, yay! I’d hoped the third one was yours. If 52Teas is with it, I can send you off your package, finally. :)
Oh, that really sucks!
Yea, I’m a bit sad. Just means more lovely tea to share, though! :)
I really enjoyed Teavana’s version of this blend, so I had to compare the two. The lady behind the counter at DT warned me to steep this less than the package stated because the mint overpowers everything — and I forgot. So… this is very minty, and it’s taken until it cooled to really get anything other than mint out of it.
Like Birthday Cake, this also has a film-y, buttery, creamy oddness to it. I like it, and yet… I want more chocolate in this blend, and less oil.
I think I’ll stick to Teavana’s version, I definitely liked it more. Okay, I will try one more time with the last of what I have, and steep it much less. To make it fair. Right? Yeah, that’s it.
Preparation
That’s weird that you mention the oils on this one because I thought the Teavana blend was very oily however I had this as a latte and thought it was amazing so perhaps to get the comparison I would need to have the Teavana blend as a latte too
They’re both oily, and I’m sure it’s from the chocolate. I much prefer teas that use caocao beans or husks (or hell, even flavoring) to make chocolate teas. I’d say this one is oilier, only because it lingered all night and into the morning in my mouth, and so much so that I was able to moisturize my lips with it. ;) They were equally fun to scrub out of my kettle, although this one was a bit easier.
Tbh I only ever had this as a latte from DAVIDs but after trying White Chocolate Peppermint, I can say I prefer the taste of this one. And I know the lingering of oily teas – I had Teavana’s Pumpkin Spice Brulee and I still have nightmares about the oil given it coated my mouth and even after brushing I could still not get rid of it.
This one is definitely mintier. I also find I can rarely re-create what they make for me in-store, unless I ask for it unsweetened. I was tempted to grab a to-go of this as a latte yesterday, however the store was SO busy, and I’d just taken up a 30 min of a staff member’s time making a ridiculous number of 20g samples for me to try out and take home.
I never add sweetner to my lattes so I have luckily been able to recreate what they make at home and I have definitely been that person taking up all of a staff members time before.
I had no idea Teavana made something similar. The oil slick is such a turnoff, and totally ruins the experience, in my opinion.
I think Teavana called theirs White Chocolate Peppermint, and it really just looks like white and dark chocolate bits. I’ve got a few chocolate teas coming, and I really hope they pass on the oils.
Ah, I see it’s a rooibos. Just too bad you have to commit to 2 oz. with them.
Went to brew this just now, and whatever the artificial flavor is in this tea literally knocked me off my feet. It smells wrong to me. Really, really wrong.
I’ve put it away for later, perhaps as a gift for someone else (even though it’s only 20g), unless someone can convince me it tastes infinitely better than it smells.
i am allergic to something in this blend. i read the ingredients and i KNOW my allergies— david’s is NOT good for diligence towards ingredients lists. thus i am cautious.
I love this one. It’s one of a few rooibos teas that I actually like.
Heather, I would love to send this to you, if you’d like it.
Sure!
Okay birthday cake, you’re up next in the taste testing evening extraordinaire of decaf teas of (hopeful) deliciousness.
So, I get why people think this smells like maple syrup. Having grown up surrounded by the stuff, I’d say this smells more like pancake syrup with some maple flavor added to it, Aunt Jemimma style. Steeped it smells pretty much the same.
I’m surprised by the taste of this tea. It tastes.. a bit buttery, a tiny bit maple-y at the end of the sip, and that’s really it. I decided to add some Truvia because, well, I thought it would add some complexity. Thankfully, it did. I can taste more of the icing-like flavor now, and the maple tastes real and ripe. It’s still lacking for me though. Zero cake, and zero… I dunno. Depth?
Maybe I steeped it wrong (followed the package instructions) and I know I leafed it perfectly. I’ll try again with the few tsp I have left, however I doubt I’ll ever buy this again.
Preparation
This tea tends to be pretty weak in the flavor department so it is probably not your brewing that caused you to find it lacking. Personally I dont mind this tea in the evening because I think I just really like the smell of it. It’s not a bad latte – that helps bring out the creaminess and some sweetness
Definitely pancake syrup, not real maple syrup. :) I might have a cup now, though.
The more I drink it, the more of the pancake syrup-y smell comes out, and the more I think… overbuttered popcorn? Or maybe even caramel corn. It’s like there’s that same feeling on my lips. I kinda like it considering I’ve gone grain-free in the past few months. I’ll definitely try it as a latte, or maybe a latte smoothie?
It does smell divine though.. I could easily have my house smell like this all winter.
Try a tiny tiny pinch of salt in it, wow. Just a few grains.
I think this is what I’m drinking. With my huge haul of tea today, I decided I should probably hold off on all of the caffeinated Mariage Freres goodness and dive into all of the smaller size decaf blends from DAVID’s that I grabbed today. This was the first one that grabbed me, because I really need some extra spice right now to continue slaying the chest cold in record time.
Dry, the smell surprised me. Coconut spice chai? Intriguing. For some reason I thought the coco in this was cocoa instead of coconut.
Steeped, it smells the same, if a bit of an odd coconut smell. The flavor seems a bit off too, a bit chemical-y perhaps, or the cardamom is reacting somehow with the coconut. It’s nice, buttery, spicy and pleasant, I’m just.. loving other stuff more. Have @ 1.5tsp left, so this may go into the swap or gift box.
Preparation
This definitely smells like ripe blueberries out of the bag, and a bit less so after steeping. I was surprised at the first sip how much this does taste like blueberries, if a bit tartly (kind of like a dry wine). Truvia made it juicier, yet drier at the same time. The raisins are definitely prominent.
I like this, and I can imagine it amazeballs as an iced tea. Yummy, although I’d prefer it a bit more complex. Maybe it’s the cold, so I’ll definitely try this again in a few days.
ah……. if only i liked rooiboos……. =0)
If it helps, the lemon masks all rooibos taste, flavor and feel. Or, at least it did to me.
i don’t think it’s the taste…. it’s a twang i get that announces a new allergy…. i try not to play too much with it. i love the smell of some of the blends…. buuuuut =0(
Oh, I understand that all too well. Note to self: remove all rooibos from swap with JustJames. Oh, wait, I’m good since it’s all flavored black tea. :)