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DAVIDsTEA 24 Days of Tea: Day 4 out of 24

Whew, work has been kicking my butt lately, to the point where I haven’t had time to write some tea reviews. However, it hasn’t been too busy to the point where I can’t drink my teas, so I’m thankful for that. I’m going to catch up on writing reviews for Days 4 and 5, and drink Day 6, 7, and 8 today. Good times. :)

Pink Flamingo smells very fruity, and I was definitely able to tell it was a hibiscus tea from the sour aroma it has upon opening the tin. Lemongrass was unexpected though, and made me quite eager to try out the tea! As I watched the mixture brew, I felt like I had been (jokingly) played: the tea was way beyond pink, almost looking like grape juice (my friend who is also doing the 24DoT amusedly referred to the brew as ‘purple drank tea’). The resulting tea was quaffed hot with no sweetener, which was pleasantly sour and citrusy. The lemongrass notes were fine additions to the blend, I enjoyed those. While good hot, I imagine this tea would really shine as a cold, slightly sweetened iced tea for the summer months. I’ll have to give that a try sometime! All in all, not bad. Not the best tisane ever, but it’s earned a spot on my iced tea list.

DAVIDsTEA 24 Days of Tea: Day 3 out of 24

What a nice surprise, given that is currently my favorite oolong. Love that milky flavor, and just between you and I, if someone made a QMO scented cologne, I very well might rep that.

Lesson learned though: OOLONG LEAVES EXPAND. I tried brewing in my Zojirushi travel mug, and the leaves weren’t able to expand fully in the small strainer. The end result was noticeably weaker-flavored tea.

Love love love this tea.

DAVIDsTEA 24 Days of Tea: Day 2 out of 24

Chai is sort of my thing: I enjoy making it from scratch, and have been doing so for a few years now. Over time, I’ve developed a blend of spices that I really enjoy, at the cost of being hesitant to try pre-made chai blends from retailers. Since I know it won’t be exactly the same proportions of spices, it’s likely I won’t enjoy it as much as my recipe. But, when I opened today’s calendar slot and was greeted with this, I took it as an exercise to offer a more open mind to “other chai”. Not to mention that I was in the mood for vanilla today, which helped. :)

Tasted straight and with half-and-half + raw sugar. Straight, it’s surprisingly sweet-tasting: I had to double check the ingredient list to see if there was added sugar. Sadly, I didn’t taste much vanilla, despite seeing the specks of vanilla bean in the tea. Most of the flavor was cinnamon and ginger. In the end, I couldn’t get over the cloying sweetness I felt in the straight tea.

Fared better with half-and-half, although the vanilla I was expecting was still very mild. With the milk cutting the sweetness down to a reasonable level, I tasted more notes of clove.

All-in-all, not my favorite tea by a long shot. I’ll keep on making my homemade chai for the time being.

DAVIDsTEA 24 Days of Tea: Day 1 out of 24

Wow, that’s a lovely scent of the loose tea and a nice hot pink color when brewed (due to the beetroot). Unfortunately, the resulting tea (straight) is far weaker in flavor than I would expect, and there’s also a tinge of cloying artificial flavor. As a milk tea, it worked a bit better, but there are far better milk teas.

Fair warning, this is floral as heck, so if you’re not a fan of a flower shower, I’d advise to try another tea from MVTV. But if you’re a fan, like me, this tea is fantastic. Quite light tasting and smells great. I will admit that I have no idea how to optimally brew it, given that it’s a green/oolong blend (correct me if wrong)!

Ooof, this one is a doozy. Serves its medicinal purpose well; it will definitely cure what ails ya. Unfortunately the taste is reminiscent of molten Vicks Vaporub. Far too strong and herbal for casual sipping.

Recommended as a cold remedy.

The best Earl Grey I’ve had so far. Given that I love Earl Grey, that’s no small statement. No extra flavors, just a very solid classic EG. Enjoyable straight (hot/iced), but also makes a great milk tea. Would also recommend using in cooking for tea flavored desserts.

The loose tea smells incredibly sweet, with some of my friends describing it as having “butterscotch”, “caramel”, and “nutty” aromas. Tastes less sweet than it smells, and is quite refreshing. Makes for an EXCELLENT iced/milk tea.

Intensely creamy, almost as if it comes with a hint of condensed milk in every sip. Very smooth oolong flavor as well!