DAVIDsTEA

I bought some triple sweet cream coffee creamer while I was grocery shopping the other day with the intent to use it to make this tea taste better.

I made some this morning in the new tea canteen I got as an early Christmas present from DAVIDsTEA. With creamer, it’s nice and sweet — chocolate coconut and light on both flavors. I’d up the rating for the version with creamer to about a 50 — something I should have no trouble finishing now. Still really disappointed that this was so terrible straight.

My fiance loved the smell of this one. He asked if he could eat the dry leaves for breakfast due to their sweet, chocolatey goodness.

I, on the other hand, should probably abandon hope in chocolate teas.

The steeped tea is still sweet chocolate. It tastes bland — no chocolate, no sweetness, just tea. The aftertaste is a less-aggressive licorice than what I’ve had in Yogi’s Throat Coat, but no less strange. I feel like this would be a great tea for a sore throat … but I’m not loving it outside that context. The taste gets more licoricey as it cools.

Not my cup of tea.

This is my current favorite from the Winter Collection. All the comments about it being a really heavy tea that you don’t get a whole lot of “bang for your buck” with are accurate. In the 25g pouch I got from DAVIDsTEA, there’s enough for maybe three cups of tea.

The taste of the brewed tea is all apple cider spices. I can’t taste any fruit in this, but the spices are nicely blended and not overwhelming. I can see this being great blended with a tea with a stronger apple taste.

Resteep — 8 minutes, boiling water, 4tsp per 16oz: This resteeps really nicely! The spicy flavor didn’t degrade at all and it’s still nicely balanced. Yum!

We’re getting pummeled by an epic snow storm … again. This is probably the fourth big, bad, world-ending snow storm we’ve had in two months and, once again, my fiance and I are at home to ride out the storm. (Little cars + long commutes + blizzard = snow day to avoid commuter-death)

The bright side to this snow day is that I have access to all my teas! I’ve been happily sipping down all day long! I used the last of this to make a pot of tea.

I added some sugar to this just to see if made the chocolate pop more. Sadly it doesn’t. The mint just overpowers everything else with the chocolate relegated to the background — providing a lovely creamy finish. The sugar kind of mucks everything up here, this is one I like so much better plain.

This is the Winter Collection tea I was most looking forward to, and I wasn’t wowed by it. I was expecting much more of a creamy, sweet taste from the white chocolate. The smell was sweet mint, the taste of the brewed tea was overwhelmingly mint. The mouthfeel was creamy from the chocolate, but mostly cold mint. Only towards the end of the cup did the heat from the peppercorns come through.

Not a bad tea, more one I’m on the fence about. I’m not in love with it, but I don’t hate it either. Really wishing this would be the herbal to end all herbals; looks like that title still goes to Pistachio Cream for me. :-/

I was hoping I was never going to have to review this one, haha. But alas, the cold bug has hit me and I decided to try this blend to see if it would help any. I like to drink mint teas when I’m sick, but I didn’t want to associate my plain peppermint tea with being sick. This one obviously is a little different due to the addition of the eucalyptus. I’m glad I have this in my cupboard now, as it has done good in helping me feel better. Anything to try to take less cold meds, yeah?

I like this one more than I thought I would. It does taste like spice cake and gingerbread, both things I love. I bought 30 grams initially, then repurchased 100g (took 50g to work, left 50g at home) and then….just bought another 100 g tin…..it has been my recent “go- to” tea, when I want a pleasant tasting caffeinated black tea. I sometimes do tea swaps at work – I also bought our dietician and ward clerk 25 grams of this each to try ( one liked it, one didnt ).

I made up a liter in the breville, so will be sipping it through the morning….with a bit of rock sugar and frothed milk – yum, spice cake!

It seems so cold out! I feel worn out from the work week, and not very motivated to tackle the very long list of weekend chores. Hopefully, this tea perks me up!!

Thank you Whiskey Buzz,

This is no ordinary Earl Grey.
LOVE the creaminess of this and Earl Grey
Has been one of my favorites for 30 years.
Smooth, creamy, and a taste of Heaven.

Ok, to be honest when I first tea from DAVID’sTEA was a Forever Nuts latte with soyamilk and agave. So I already know what Forever Nuts tastes like. (Amazing) BUT I have always gotten my beloved Forever Nuts in a latte, I’ve never had it as a regular normal tea. So I steeped it for 7 minutes, added some cane sugar, and let it cool. And like I always do, I’m drinking it as I type this wonderful review.

~~So my first sip was AMAZINGLY AMAZING AND FABULOUS AND FANTASTICAL!!! I thought Forever Nuts tasted good as a latte but boy was I wrong! It tastes even better as a regular tea!!! I love the fruityness and nuttiness of it all. I especially loved watching the water turn pink when I dropped the tea bag in :)

~~~P.S this review was supposed to be posted this morning but I ran out of time and had to head downtown so that’s why it’s so late haha :)

steepster ate my note! Or I fell asleep and someone turned off my computer for me and I lost it…. yeah, that sounds like what must’ve happened.

I’ve been stuck in bed with a trashed ankle for 6 weeks now. Fell off of JAva and got my toe caught on part of the stirrup, so as I fell, my whole body weight came down on my ankle, snapping it back. Not a single bone is broken, but I shredded the ligaments and totally dislocated the foot. Let’s just say that if I didn’t have skin, I wouldn’t have a foot right now…6 screws, 2 plates, and a couple different casts later, and I’m put back together (for now). second surgery in January to remove the hardware, more time off the foot, and then a TON of physio. Ugh. Breaking my ankle would have been WAY better. Ah well, worst injury in 16+ years of horses so I shouldn’t complain too much.

The worst part of this bedrest has been my inability to make tea! I’m stuck in bed, less than 10 feet from my tea wall and my kettle, but crutches + trying to fill a kettle/make tea = bad times. Dad got a wheelchair for me, and I can finally make tea myself! still need someone to fill my kettle for me though…

But because it’s still tough to make a proper cuppa, i’ve been living off of teas and tisanes that I can toss in a filter bag, toss in a leakproof mug, then toss across to my bed. This has been one of my go to choices.

I LOVE mulberry leaf. It’s sweet and buttery and feels a bit rich. it’s a comforting thing. I enjoy Mulberry Magic, but find it to get a tad bitter after a while, possibly something about the macademia nuts in it. I really really like the pistachio substitution, it’s a lot creamier, doesn’t get bitter no matter how long it steeps, and the chamomile has been an added comfort that takes the edge off of any soreness I’m feeling.

All in all, the perfect balance of feeling like i’m drinking proper tea, easy grab and go, satisfying my sweet tooth, and bringing comfort and warmth to an otherwise depressing existence.

The first time I tried this was just under a year ago and this was while I worked at the store for the holidays. My store manager forced me to try this because I was coming down with some sort of cold. I remember smelling it initially and it was so strange and not something I’d go for. I think it was steeped was quite strong (too many leaves to water ratio) and I ended up really disliking it. Also I think it was mostly the ginger taste that put me off more than the sea lettuce.

Fast forward to the end of August, I had developed a liking for ginger this summer (thanks to all the fresh green juices I’ve been having) and I was in the store as a customer. This time I looked at Splash and thought to give it a try again. I bought a 30 gram bag.

I steeped it today (Nov 15) and I used one perfect spoon worth of it in a cup
Turns out, I actually REALLY like it! It’s definitely an acquired taste so unless you dislike ginger and sea greens types then I don’t think you will like this.
I love having hot lemon water during the cooler months, so earlier after my second steep I added half of a lemon to the tea and I found it just perfect, a gingery lemon tea.

Ps: I had it on my desk while I was working and completely forgot I had 1/4 bit of it left so it’s completely cold. I tried it and it tastes and smells like ginger ale (without the sugar + bubbles) to me. Bonus!

update – with cane sugar and coconut milk, this is divine.

I hated the dry leaf smell in the store, reminded me of Jumpy Monkey which I hated… but the salesperson assured me that this was a “favourite” so I picked up a whole 15g on the whim that I’d like it.
And, I do! I love puerh, and coffee, and chocolate… this will be my new morning tea for a while and give Chocolate Rocket a rest. :)

Okay, dry leaf smells amazing.
I used two teaspoons for about 6 minutes (I like my tea stronger). Just plain, I was not too impressed… tastes like coffee and a bit like jumpy monkey which I HATE… wah. However, a slight creaminess at the end of each sip.
I NEEDED to add sugar which I never do… and it tastes much better! Yay! It seems the cane sugar brings out the chocolate-y notes. It may need to grow on me. I have 25gs but I don’t know if I will re-buy.

Tasty stuff! I wish it wasn’t only seasonal. Not too strong a flavour of rooibos, and good gingery taste.

Interesting. Definitely has the “Gingerbread” flavour.

I added just a tiny bit of sugar (probably about 1/3 tsp) and it brightened the taste even more. Really, really tastes like gingerbread!

I really like it – has the cinnamon kick in there, and ginger as well. I don’t really taste the pineapple in there, but thats okay. The sugar made it more ‘cookie-ish’.

I used about 1 1/2 tsp for my 8 oz cup, instead of 1 1/4.

Glad I got a sample of this. Not sure if I want to get more of it, though.

Made this as a ‘latte’. I put that in quotations because I don’t have a cream-frother machine… but I DID end up boiling a big pot of milk in the process of making my own yogurt (yes, I make my own yogurt! :) )

So, I scooped up the boiled foamy bubbly milk on the top and plopped into my mug, after adding my sugar.

Mmmmmm yummy. But I don’t taste chocolate in this still, unless I’ve put the sugar in then it gives it that sweet chocolatey flavour.

So I took a trip over to Davids Tea today, while running errands at my local mall, and decided to check out the new winter collection.

I picked up a bunch of tea samples (10 grams each of Coffee Cake, White Chocolate Frost, Alpine Punch, Gingerbread, Choconut Oolong and this one – Chocolate Chili Chai).

Once steeped for 5 minutes, I had to take a sip to taste it plain.

Nope.

Black tea just doesn’t do it for me plain. I need some sugar to bring out the flavour and a dash of milk too.

Much better!

I can feel a little bit of the chili heat in there, on my tongue a little, and it’s very smooth.

I like it. But I can only go with trying out different teas, and not commit to just one tea. That commitment is for straight-up green tea as my go-to.

Another sample that I’ve had just lying around. I wasn’t so sure about this one. Then I opened the packet and was loving the fresh orange scent. Then I tasted it, and it was entirely ginger. There’s a little orange and a hint of earthiness in the flavor, but it’s primarily ginger. I’m not a huge fan of ginger, so this isn’t my favorite tea. It was a little better with some milk and sugar, but not something that I would ever purchase.

-Dry blend has medium and large black and green tea leaves with pieces of orange peel and ginger.
-Dry leaves smell of fresh orange juice with a hint of ginger. Tea liquor aroma is of orange and ginger with an earthy note.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Strong ginger flavor with a light orange finish. Earthy ginger aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Fair tea. Strong ginger flavor with an earthy undertone and hints of orange.

I do love that fulfilling taste of toasted grain, with that mild grassy base. They just go so well together. Really makes me feel all zen and renewed. Today, I found the amount of rice just perfect for my needs.

What’s more, it makes me reminisce the happy days when I still lived close to good sushi all around. (I noticed this was unmistakably the general variety they serve at the sushi restaurants – is this a tradition?)

I’m also searching for a really good barley-based tea, especially since this steep used up the last bit I had in my cupboard…

I’m not sure why I bought this but I am glad I did. I had never tasted straight mint tea but I thought it would be something great to have in my cupboard. Right now I am coming down with a cold and it really helps with my sore throat. I add honey to it and it becomes sweet and minty, yum! Way better than chamomile as a cold remedy in my opinion, but both are really good to keep on hand at all times! This morning I am still sick and in the mood for something stronger, so I mixed a tiny bit of this with my nepal black and some honey and it was sooo good! When I am out of this I really want to try the peppermint tea, they didn’t have it in stock the last time I went to the store. I feel like I am going to like it even better than spearmint.

I was SO excited about this tea. It would be pretty decent, except it has this kind of terrible aftertaste that I am assuming is the licorice.. It lingers on your tongue and mouth for AGES. I’ve had a pumpkin/cinnamon bagel with cream cheese and a full glass of water since drinking this, AND I CAN STILL TASTE THE LICORICE!!! WHY IS THIS A NECESSARY INGREDIENT? This tea would be really great without it. Maybe sugar/milk will disguise it? I’ll have to try.

After my other tea fiascos this evening, I wanted to try something that I could easily see – yes, this will help me fall asleep. Rooibos, lavender, coconut? Odd combo, however it sounded like this might do the trick. Bought 20g to try it out, and after making a liter of tea (4 cups), there’s enough for just one more cup – so into the swap/gift box it went.

I was surprised by the smell, having yet to smell lavender and coconut together. Reminded me of floral sunscreen, which is okay. Unfortunately, it tastes like floral sunscreen to me, which is something other than what I wanted. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the other amazing coconut teas of late, however this coconut tastes… too creamy. Does that even make sense? I cook with coconut oil almost exclusively and eat a tremendous amount of coconut milk in my curries, so I like to think I’m pretty familiar with coconut. Maybe it’s the oil/buttery feel from the flavoring, coupled with the lavender and coconut?

While moderately sweet already, I had to add some Truvia. Yea, the coconut comes out more clearly now, but the darn oil slick on top… yes, I can actually see it, even though I have a huge black mug.

It’s drinkable, however I’ll purchase other teas in the future.