DAVIDsTEA

Another S’mores Chai latte. It’s my new fall obsession, tbh…

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

So, I set aside almost all of the teas that were requested to be added to the Discovery Tea Box and I think that I’m going to revisit all of them before they get shuffled back into my tea stash/cupboard – starting with this one, because Chai season is kind of creeping up and this is a pretty solid chai…

I’m having it as a latte though, ’cause Chai Lattes.

It’s really sweet; like, I forgot how sweet it is. Really though, it basically does nail the s’mores flavour profile, Quite toasty, lots of chocolate, hints of graham and then all of the creaminess of marshmallow – amplified by the fact this is in latte form. It’s a little weird tasting so much cinnamon because that’s not actually a flavour that I personally associate with s’mores but it IS what connects all the dots on this whole ‘chai’ flavour profile and it’s a very nice compliment to the rest of the flavours even if it does pull me out of the s’mores mindset a little bit.

I’m also weird because I like to add kiwi to my s’mores in real life so I find myself craving kiwi with this tea – but I also know that if one were to add kiwi into the cup it would probably make it taste pretty vile. So it’s a weird feeling craving that flavour and knowing it’s a dumb as shit craving…

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Hot cuppa, with some cream.

This is something that I enjoy but also don’t feel like I need to hoard at all – and so I’ve been having a periodic cup here and there when I’m craving a softer chai or a dessert type of profile. This cup, in particular, really tasted like warm, gooey marshmallow with sweet milk chocolate undertones and only the slightest hint of cinnamon. Quite tasty!

I really do hope that we get this one back during the Fall as either a limited edition tea or a permanent one, though. Even if I don’t feel the need to hoard it, I’d like to know that it’ll be around when I finish my tin so that the option for a restock exists…

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Missed my bus home from work earlier this week by a few minutes, so I managed to convince a friend to swing by and pick me up from the mall so I didn’t have to wait another hour for the next bus. I told her that I’d make her a cup of ANY tea from my stash whatever way she wanted in return; nothing off limits!

So, when we got to my house she stuck around for a little while to hang out and I made this one up for her as a latte. I also had a mug of it, but I opted to just have it hot straight. Her latte smelled pretty killer though, especially after we added a tiny amount of vanilla agave to it. Mmm! My cup was good too; strongest notes were milk chocolate, cinnamon, and apple with hints of the creamy melted down marshmallow. Still somewhat s’mores like, but reminded me a little more of a cinnamon/apple combo with complimenting chocolate notes.

Hoping this one gets a comeback in 2018.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Holy smokes this tea has been popular.

It’s been kind of insane the amount of people coming to the store looking specifically for this tea – people who’ve never been to a DT but heard about this from a friend or a coworker who just fell in love with the idea.

… and of course we’ve been having shortages of it country wide. My store is definitely no exception to this; we’ve been sold out for ages now. I’m very happy I snagged my tin of it when I did. I’m just having a very small cup of it now; I was really craving it but since I don’t know 100% that I’ll have a chance to purchase more if it I’m trying to ration what I bought. It’s rare I actually like a Chai, so I don’t plan on running out of this one any time soon.

I think what I enjoy about it the most is the overall creaminess that spreads to all of the other things in the blend. Creamy milk chocolate, creamy hazelnut, creamy cinnamon, and creamy marshmallow. Then of course hints of graham in the undertones, mixed alongside a light, earthy pu’erh base. I think it does capture the flavour of a S’more really well. I’m one of those people who LOVES burnt marshmallows though; so I’ve been trying to think of a way to add that flavour element into the tea without just oversteeping it and ruining the cup. So far, I’m thinking maybe a pinch of Lapsang Souchong mixed in?

Family tradition is also to add kiwi slices to our S’mores – we’ve done it for as long as I can remember. In fact, it was something so ingrained into me that up until like the eighth grade I actually thought that kiwi was one of the ‘mandatory’ ingredients that were included in a S’more. As essential as the marshmallow or chocolate. It was mind blowing finding out otherwise. I don’t know if adding a kiwi element to this tea would ruin the flavour for me or if I’d be pleasantly flooding with a nostalgic sort of flavour but it’s something I’ve also been playing around with the idea of.

The question is just how would I incorporate kiwi?

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

I wrote about the other Chai that DT released yesterday, but this is the other new one and honestly the one that I was much more interested in/intrigued by and that I also wound up liking a whole lot more.

My first tasting was actually as a latte, since this seems perfectly made for lattes!

For starters, this Chai is on a pu’erh base which I think it a brilliant move! The earthiness of the pu’erh is a great compliment to all of the elements of a S’more and I think it adds a something that goes beyond flavour – it makes you feel a bit more like you could be out camping roasting marshmallows over a fire, or even just over a BBQ pit in your backyard. It’s that ‘natural’ element! Plus, I think it just has more body overall as opposed to a black base which would just be kind of standard. It just works; and I think it’s something people who don’t like Pu’erh would probably enjoy just as much as people who do like the flavoured pu’erhs DT carries because it’s not overpowering so much as it is supportive.

Something else that works really well for me with this tea is the fact that it doesn’t have the full range of spices that you’d normally see – since I’m not big on traditional Chai teas anyway, the fact that this one really focuses on the cinnamon doesn’t bother me at all. It’s very smooth and toasty, and it compliments all the S’more elements really well. The other ingredient in this one that isn’t traditionally associated with S’mores is the brittle pieces – which are very sweet, and a little bit nutty since they use hazelnut. I’m not 100% sure of this, but they seem like they COULD be the same brittle used in Cotton Candy just without the colouring. Both teas use the same allergen warnings and the ingredients seem to match up in regard to the brittle, plus visually they’re similar so I don’t think that’s a huge leap to make. Obviously, of course, that means this is pretty sweet. I’d think that would likely be a given with the other ingredients, though!

Now for the S’mores! Firstly, both the chocolate and creamy marshmallow come through very clearly for me and while the graham is certainly part of what makes a S’more I’d argue that capturing those other two flavours is definitely just slightly more important. I do get a bit of graham but not as much as I’d ideally like to be able to taste. Now, I’m unsure if that’s just because it is a bit more of a delicate flavour and the fact I’m drinking this as a latte is masking it a bit more or if it’s just that it’s not strong. That’s basically my only real criticism though: I just want more graham cracker!

But yeah – really liked this one, and I hope it’s popular because I think it would be a very nice addition to the Pu’erh section of the tea wall as a core tea. I could definitely see this as a July/August TOTM next year if it’s popular enough!

Totally bought some for myself to have at home, too.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

I like grapefruit, but this is just a wee bit too tangy for me to love. I don’t hate it, and would definitely drink it again, but it takes a bit to get used to the “zing.” Maybe just a tad too much ginger? Almost tastes like the smell of grapefruit peel, for lack of better descriptor.

The smell made me question if I’d enjoy it or not (it’s not awful, just not what I was expecting), but YUM! I definitely get strawberry and cream in there. Neither too sweet nor too tart (though I’ve added a bit of honey, as I do with pretty well all my teas) – yum!

Welp; there’s a new collection out today! This time it’s Chai teas, which I guess means that as far as the DT world is concerned Fall is officially here! Time for big cozy sweaters, pumpkin everything, lattes, and tea on the front porch.

Personally, I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of a Chai themed collection because I don’t generally like Chai – but there’s certainly a demand for this kind of collection, and I will say that when I saw that the new Chai teas were more dessert themed I was a little more intrigued than I would have been otherwise.

So, I think this is probably the sweetest tasting of all three Chais from this collection; it’s got lots of white chocolate in it, as well as some cacao as well. I do like white chocolate a lot so that should mean this is great, right? Well…

The biggest issue for me personally is that there’s SO MUCH ginger in this tea. Like, I know I don’t like Chai in general most of the time so there was an expectation I’d already find this one pretty spice heavy but I mean they SPECIFICALLY were fairly heavy handed with the ginger in this one. It’s practically all I can smell in the dry leaf, and it’s the SECOND listed ingredient. For someone, that’s a dream come true but for me? Definitely not a selling point.

Steeped up, I didn’t hate it but it didn’t do anything for me either. It is fairly ginger heavy, but not as much as I’d expect just based on the smell. It’s also sweet, but I’d say in a more generic way than a specifically ‘white chocolate’ way. Honestly, for me it kind of reminds me of just a classic chai, but presweetened? I don’t know – there’s nothing terrible about that, but it’s not for me. The only thing I actually truly disliked was that this one falls culprit to oily mouthfeel because of the melted down chocolate. Not a surprise, but not super pleasant either.

I don’t know. This one could have been worse for me. By my own personal chai standards, it was drinkable. I’m curious what someone who really loves Chai would think about it, ‘cause I’m certainly NOT that person…

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

I don’t really like bananas, but I LOVE Banana bread, so I decided to give this a shot. AMAZING! My only complaint is that it’s so chunky (like trail mix!) the bag doesn’t go very far.

A lot more enjoyable than I was expecting it to be!

HOT: This tea tastes mostly like straight up coconut milk, with some grassy/floral tones to it. I found it to be a little boring, although I do enjoy coconut milk. I added a splash of cream, and it brought some vanilla notes out pretty strongly, and I tried some with lemon and was surprised to discover I preferred it this way. Overall I felt that the tea was good, especially if you like vanilla, just boring and lacking the depth of flavour that I prefer from oolong tea.

ICED: I normally prefer hot tea, but this tea has some extra floral and grass notes that come out a little more iced. I like it better without cream than with. With cream it tasted exactly like a glass of coconut milk.

Overall this tea was boring to me. I am sure however there are some coconut lovers out there that would be much more satisfied than I was.

A punch in the face of mango.

David’s tea has and has had a number of mango themed teas. I am fairly certain i have tried all of them, what sets Daydreamer apart, is this is truly a Mango tea. It is an absolute smack in the face with mango flavor.

The mango flavor itself is pretty natural, there are notes of artificial flavor, but it is not overly offputting.

It takes a second steep of the tea to even begin to taste the tea that is the base. On a third steep, it still predominately Mango.

So, I like this tea, but I do wish it had some more complexity and subtly.

Was ok. Couldn’t really tell what kind of fruits are in it. Got this in a sampler pack . I guess I prefer the kind of tea with more distinct and singular notes.

A pleasant light pineapplely tea.

I’ve been partaking in more straight, or at least unsweetened, if flavored, matcha for the past few weeks. Idk, felt like a sugar day so I went for this one.

My biggest peeve with this is that there’s always some sort of oily residue in my matcha maker afterwards, and it’s hard to clean out. But it’s a nicely flavored and not overwhelmingly sweet for flavored matcha

HOT: This tea tastes similar to hot chocolate, maybe more of a cookie taste than traditional deep chocolate. There is not as much nuttiness from the almond as I would have expected. I like it much better with cream, on it’s own there is a hint of bitterness that is unexpected from a dessert tea. The cream however draws out some of the almond, and there is an almost waffle-like flavour. I preferred it this way, hot. I think next time i will shave a little extra cocoa in for richness.

ICED: Similar to the hot chocolate blend from davidstea, I steeped this with a little extra chocolate and a splash of milk. the flavour is much milder and more creamy this way, and reminds me of a vanilla frappuccino.

Mediocre mint.

This Herbal tea is supposed to be mint and chocolate! It taste’s solely of mint. If you brew a strong enough cup, there are hints of white chocolate. But really this is a straight up mint tea, with no real other flavors.

Also, the white chocolate can make it a bit greasy, and give it a slightly odd mouth feel (particularly when iced).

I really like mint tea, so I find this tasty, just completely unremarkable.

Sipdown (255)

I hate honey in teas. Most are already sweet enough. But my throat is still sore and honey in tea is what is supposed to help so here we are. I pick teas I won’t mind not being their best. This tea was old and never a favorite so I figured it was no great loss to have with honey. Alas, the blackberry leaf and honey are playing off each other making this really quite sweet. Too sweet, perhaps.

Ginger. Whole lotta ginger and apple. Somehow that reads grapefruit. This is a weird one but not as bad as I expected given all the hate. Check out my full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2017/08/23/grapefruit-granita-from-davids-tea/

This tea really shines iced. Caramel Apple deliciousness….

I am nearing the end of 50 grams of this tea. It has taken me a while to get through it, primarily because it is mediocre when hot. It is an artificial apple tasting tea, but a nice artificial apple flavor. It drinks well, but nothing i would ever reach for.

However, when iced, a whole other flavor profile arises. The tea base itself becomes much more prominent with deep caramel richness, and a hint of apple.