618 Tasting Notes
I came home from work today and I felt like I needed a cup of tea. I made a bit of Harney & Son’s Tower of London Blend (Review on that one later) and then felt like having another. This tea smelled like strong wheat – very rich, roasted and hearty grains. The taste isn’t very different from the smell. It’s a starchy kind of tea with a whole bunch of toasty flavor. What I dislike is that there is very little dimension to the tea. It’s just relatively flat.. toasty, almost like bread.. but not the good kind. I think this would be good if you paired it with some kind of food. On its own, I’m not impressed and a bit underwhelmed. Soba Cha isn’t necessarily BAD, it’s just uneventful for me.
It’s too late for black tea right now (I’ve got to get up early tomorrow morning) and I don’t want to drink my last bag of Caramel Creme Rooibos. Banana Dulce it is! This isn’t my first time drinking this tea. I’ve had it a few times and must say that I didn’t LOVE it right from the start. I messed around with the steep time and for me, around three minutes is best.
Very Long (and unnecessary) Nap: Check.
Pancakes for Dinner: Check.
A Hot Cup of Tea: Check.
I don’t do backflips for chamomile, but this blend is very enjoyable for me. The tiny flowers are cute and there are actual shreds of coconut, pieces of (kinda-soft) banana, something that looks like banana dusted in graham cracker, very small bits of rooibos and longer strands of lemongrass.
The taste is comforting. The chamomile flowers give you that VERY distinct chamomile taste, but it’s enhanced by the coconut and banana. I’m not sure if the coconut and banana are really strong, but weave themselves softly with the chamomile. My tongue doesn’t get a trace of rooibos, to be honest. I’m also not getting a ton of lavender or lemongrass. Strangely, when I sip.. I sense that everything is there, though. It feels FULL – like I’ve eaten a sachet kept in a sock drawer (without getting the individual components).
No, I don’t feel like I’ve been taken away to a tropical beach nor do I feel like I’ve eaten a hefty dessert. It’s a very different and interesting tea. Floral? Yes. Slightly sweet? Yes. Dessert-like? Not really. Bizarre? You betcha. I’m not scared away by this tea and I might have another cup when I finish writing this tasting note. I really can’t put my finger on what this tea is, but it’s quite nice for tonight.
Preparation
This tea looks like creme brûlée from DavidsTea. I love the rooibos and the bright petals. The tea is sweet with that distinct amaretto flavor and a nice bit of peach and apricot (I can’t tell the difference between the two), but the fruit portion is quite juicy! This is a great combination. The tea is very rich and actually makes me wonder if I had eaten a very large dessert. Yum! I am not sure if this will be a purchase for me only because I find it slightly similar to the creme brûlée (richness-wise) and I like that one a bit more. I am so glad to have tried this, though. This is a great treat! Thank you so much, Ottawa Tea!
It’s rainy today and rain always has me craving tea. Wait, I always crave tea.. but it seems more appropriate to sip on a cup while it’s raining. Instead of going for something flavored (the kind of tea I typically drink) — I was in the mood for something a bit different. These leaves are long and wiry. I definitely struggled trying to measure the leaves in my little spoon. The color of the tea wasn’t that pretty, in my opinion. It was a dirty yellow, not bright or clean looking like some other oolongs. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this appearance.. maybe something not so great? I was really surprised after the first few sips.The flavor is definitely that familiar oolong taste (no fruit, unfortunately) with a nice honey finish. I’ve never actually gotten a honey taste from a tea before, so I’m quite glad that I was able to experience this. The honey finish is what bumps this tea up. It lingers in the mouth leaving you wanting more. Quite delicious! I saved the leaves and think I’ll treat myself to another steep. Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for this good cup!
Preparation
Maybe it’s because I’m in the mood for a tart, fruity tea, but this tea is very fitting for this rainy evening. I love the bright lemon flavors! The beginning of the sip is a little bland, but the tart finish is rather enjoyable. It’s not a jaw-dropping tea, but I’m very pleased with it tonight. Thanks, TeaEqualsBliss!
I’ve tried this both hot and iced, and I have to say that neither blew me away. Yes, there’s hibiscus, a tiny bit of something that wants to be blueberry and a bit of peach. On a positive note, the dry leaf is quite nice. Small pieces of fruit and flower petals make it very pretty to look at! Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for a sample!
I had this tea again and I realize that I keep coming back to this one. The tea smells buttery, sweet and woodsy. It makes a really enjoyable cup for me at the end of the day. This will definitely be a repurchase unless someone points me in the direction of another good rooibos caramel tea. Delicious cup!
This is just an okay tea. I thought that it sounded delicious in its description, but I’m honestly just tasting hibiscus.. rooibos with a whole lot of TART flavor! The sweetness that I’m wanting is mostly in the scent and a tiny bit at the tail end of the sip. I’ll finish the cup, but I’m not crazy about this tea. Thanks, TeaEqualsBliss!
This tea is pretty yummy. Definitely has a sweetness to it that I like (I think it’s the vanilla and perhaps the white chocolate), but also a nice mint component as well. I think that the mint is the dominant flavor, followed by the sweetness in the swallow. The honeybush is a fantastic background for these flavors. Not my favorite from 52Teas, but I’m glad that I tried a pouch. It’s a bit too much mint and not enough of the vanilla/chocolate. I might want to try this tea iced now that the weather is getting warmer!
This is an interesting tea. The bright fruits against the black tea leaves are really pretty. I’m loving the fruity scent, even if it is a bit bizarre.. just something I haven’t tried before. The oolong is definitely earthy and most of the fruit flavor is at the end of the sip. It sort of reminds me of a natural fruit and veggie smoothie. Strange and interesting, but not my favorite DAVIDsTEA. Thank you to laney for a sample of this!
I agree this is the kind of tea that tastes best when accompanied by food. I’ve had it many times at Korean restaurants, and it goes well with kimchi and spicy noodles, but I’m not sure if I’d want to drink it by itself. I didn’t know Harney’s made a version of it…interesting!
i first had this with noodles in tokyo but i also love it on its own. more of an acquired taste in that sense i guess. i like the nutty flavor but i also like coffee so it depends.