DAVIDsTEA

Day 16 DAVIDs Tea Advent Calendar 2023

After an evening of gift wrapping and a chilly dog walk, it was nice to sit with a mug near the lights of the Christmas tree and listening to music. I steeped for about 3 minutes. Reading the ingredient list, I was pretty sure this one wasn’t going to be a hit. I found it to be tart, sour and hibiscus heavy. I had hoped something a bit lighter as a white tea. It was enjoyable enough but I probably wouldn’t pick it out for myself again.

This is a really hard flavor to land. As far as I know, Butiki is the only other company that has ever put out a latke blend. I appreciate the effort, care, and ambition that goes into doing a blend like this. And I wanted to make sure that I gave it full consideration so I’ve had it a few times now before finally sitting down to write up a note.

No doubt, this is a delicious blend. Apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, nice woody rooibos base. Big cozy fall vibes. But it’s apple-cinnamon pancake, not apple-cinnamon potato pancake. For one mug, I went out of my way to add extra bits of potato from the blend to see if that would help. That definitely upped the potato-starchy element, but it still leaned too sweet. I even tried adding salt, which used to work to bring out the savory aspects of Butiki’s blend, but didn’t seem to do much here. This is definitely a very DavidsTea take on the concept, which is to say that it skews sweeter than I’d ideally like it to be for a latke blend. I realize that most of DavidsTea’s market probably won’t be clamoring at the doors for a tea to be more savory, though, so this is just a matter of my preference.

Day 14 DAVIDs Tea Advent Calendar

Baked good teas can be hit or miss but this is for sure a hit! This is so fun, delicious, and sweet. A fantastic dessert tea. I definitely would get this again.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 13

This tea is the liquefied version of those red cinnamon heart candies I used to get for Valentine’s Day as a kid (…from my parents). It’s got strong Big Red gum energy, but with honey-like sweetness added in.

I dunno, I kinda dig it?! It’s fun and kitschy. I’m not sure I could drink more than a small cup at a time, but I could imagine it satisfying a very specific craving every so often. Arby suggested adding milk, so I’ll add a splash of oat milk next time I brew it up.

I feel like “Chai” is a bit misleading, though… this is pretty much pure cinnamon, with just a smidge of apple sweetness!

Day 13 Davids Tea Advent Calendar

It’s chamomile with no frills. I think it’s been a while since I’ve had a basic chamomile tea with no other herbal add ins. It feels silky and reminds me of summer. It’s kind of mellow, not bad, but not super exciting either. Here’s hoping for a good night sleep!

Damn Kelly, you knocked this one out of the park!

I know this isn’t actually a Hanukkah tea, but jelly donuts (sufganiyot) are a Hanukkah food so I saved it to enjoy for the holiday. And I’m glad I did because the actual sufganiyot I had today were, sadly, not particularly good. This tea, on the other hand, is. It’s a dead ringer for the flavor profile: red berry jammy, powdered sugar, and pastry. The stevia isn’t even gumming up the works. I am getting almost a raspberry quality to the jam, not just strawberry. I tried this as a latte but I actually prefer it hot and undoctored. It’s more “strawberry milk” as a latte but more “jelly donut covered in powdered sugar” undoctored. Definitely not for someone who doesn’t like flavored teas or sweet teas – it is very sweet – but this hits a very particular cultural note for me very well. I’ve still got the latke tea tucked away to try too!

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 7

I’m behind! We were out of town this weekend visiting family. I did bring a few of the bagged teas from my homemade advent, but alas — tragedy struck, and my lavender-scented hand sanitizer leaked all over them. :( That and the fact that I’d have to heat my water in a hotel Keurig didn’t lead to any enjoyable tea sessions while we were away.

One tea bag in a paper envelope is probably too lavender-soaked to drink, but a few were OK, including this one. I drank it when we returned home, exhausted from getting up super early after we changed our flight to avoid bad weather.

Aaaaaaaanywaaaaay… what an odd tea! But I kinda like it? The eartht pu’erh sitting behind the lighter coffee flavor is fun and unexpected, and then the vanilla arrives at the end. It’s definitely a novelty, but one I might crave at unexpected moments?!

Day 6 of Around the World Advent Calendar 2023 features this tea.

Notes from box: Experience the craftsmanship of family-owned Jun Chiyabari tea garden with this vibrant tea from the high mountains of Nepal’s Hile-Dhankutu.

My notes: This tea has a floral and vegetal smell, like a deliciously fresh meadow perfume. The liquor produced is light and crisply grassy and highly drinkable, but not very memorable. However, this does not bother me. It could be that my palate is just not refined enough to truly appreciate it, and drinking it was a fine way to spend an hour in the afternoon. For me, enjoyable and forgettable in equal measures.

Day 10 of Around the World Advent Calendar 2023 features this tea.

Notes from box: Take in the oh so cool & refreshing & minty taste of the Pacific Northwest with every sip.

My notes: Lovely peppermint tea. I always oversteep a bit with peppermint, so my tea was caramel-colored by the time I drank it. I’m not sure that I’m feeling any special “amour” from this tea, and again, the leaves were pretty dried and grey (as seems to be the sad trend for the 2023 Around the World Advent Calendar), but it was delicious and minty smooth.

Day 7 of Around the World Advent Calendar 2023 features this tea.

Notes from box: Straight from the heart of sunny & scenic Croatia comes this aromatic, caffeine-free treat for you to love.

My notes: This is a bunch of lovely hay-scented flowers with an intoxicatingly calm aroma. They are a mustard yellow color and, if I have to be critical, look a little dusty and over-dry. The tea is mild and buttery and light and everything chamomile should be. If you are looking for something stronger, move along. This will not do it for you.

Day 8 of Around the World Advent Calendar 2023 features this tea.

Notes from box: Travel across the globe with this black tea featuring Saigon cinnamon that’s best served with condensed milk, hot or iced.

My notes: I brewed this tea strong (went past the 5-minute mark) because I find Davids Tea black teas to be very light and mild. It made a caramel-red liquor that was smooth and rich. However, for a chai, this was not spicy at all. There was a slight warming after swallowing that was very ginger-forward. After waiting for about 8-10 minutes of steeping, the tea was a tad bit spicier (which was enjoyable) but no longer hot. The flavorings are mild here and, unusually for me, I appreciated the cream flavoring, as it added a dairy note that was pleasant. Adding any real dairy to the tea, as suggested on the box note, would have dulled any flavor and created a cup of white, mild nothing. I did not finish my cold cup.

Day 1 Davids Tea Advent Calendar
It’s been a while since I have had any Davids blends in the house. They closed the shops near me and I’ve not ordered from them in the last year. I am so excited about this start to Advent. This is my second tasting of this (the first was on Dec 1). I absolutely would purchase this again. It is very much like the cranberry ginger ale of my childhood memories.

This is a decadent tea; the caramel note is very spot-on, and I love the noticable hint of saltiness in the aftertaste. It has a very buttery and creamy taste and mouthfeel, and leaves a strong coating sensation. It’s also very sweet. I’m sure a latte would make this even richer and creamier, but honestly, it doesn’t need it. Dessert in a cup. Should I feel guilty I’ve been having this for breakfast recently?

Oh…. this is a matcha made with the caramel lovers in mind! I received it as a sample from a new acquaintance and I just made a cup. It’s so good but caution: it’s already sweetened from the box so gauge added sugar or sweetener accordingly. I hate that it’s discontinued because this is a great starter matcha imo.

Day 2 of Around the World Advent Calendar 2023 features this tea.

Notes from box: Sip this creamy black tea and imagine a Parisian stroll alongside romantic tea shops with the smell of fresh rose petals in the air.

My notes: My first impression upon opening is that the rose petals are quite dry, curled and whitish like a poorly preserved corsage from 1992…that is to say, not at all as vibrant as pictured on the box. The tea brews a thin caramel liquid that, in my opinion, does not stand up to cream, so I drank it unadulterated. In the mouth, there is a balanced mix of butter and rose. I enjoyed my first few sips, but quickly found that the cream flavoring is decidedly unnatural and not to my liking. (I wish this tea maker had experimented with using nuts or small bits of confectionery to achieve the creaminess instead.) The smell became somewhat medicinal and soapy due to the flavoring. I did not finish my cup.

Day 1 of Around the World Advent Calendar 2023 features this tea.

Notes from box: Breathe in the high altitude of Nepalese mountains with this white tea’s crisp and light floral aroma grown in the Shangri-La Tea Estate.

My notes: Very mildly buttery in the mouth with hints of dry grass upon swallowing. Light wildflower and meadow grass aroma with very little floral on the palate. Very subtle, like a light bamboo-fiber cardigan that goes with everything in your closet. Would be good with many types of food. Enjoyable but not memorable.

Homemade Advent Calendar from Arby: Day 1

IT’S ADVENT SEASONNN! My life is severely overbooked and the obligation to drink + review too many teas will stress me out, so I’m keeping it conservative this year: I did the Steepster homemade calendar swap and got the 52Teas 12 Days of Christmas box. (Aaand then I was #teafluenced by CameronB to pick up the adorable Tea Thoughts stationery advent, so that will be arriving soon.) But I love reading advent reviews and seeing what everyone’s up to, so I’m excited!

Anyway, day 1! Arby’s teas aren’t numbered, so I decided to pick randomly. (Although I did let myself choose a second blend when the first pick was caffeine-free… morning tea requires caffeine!) So now I’m starting with this very seasonally appropriate green blend.

The taste is a bit weak compared to the citrusy sweet scent of the blend, but it’s not bad. I’m not really picking up fruitcake vibes — more like a creamy citrus? — but it’s pleasant enough. Interesting that the coconut doesn’t really come through in taste, though it does provide that sort of creamy backbone. Then there’s a slight zing from the cranberries, though I wouldn’t mind those being a bit stronger!

I love pineapple and coconut together, and thought this blend might make a lovely cold cup. Unfortunately, it smells and tastes awful to me. It’s the worst tea I’ve had in recent memory. I can’t give it another go or try different things with it, I can’t even open the packet again. Just posting this so I don’t accidentally try it again, because I will almost certainly forget about the reaction I had.

Just a quickie review for this new matcha that launched as a store exclusive a few weeks ago! Basically, this is Blueberry Matcha but with a generous addition of butterfly pea flower to give it a lovely teal blue sort of colouration. Delicious iced or, in my opinion, even more so as an iced latte.

Truly, though, it’s the same flavour as blueberry matcha. Basically we took the interest/feedback from Blue Magic Matcha that the colour was great but the mixed berry and ginger flavour wasn’t exactly what people wanted and then created this tea. Same cool colour, simplified direction.

(…and, if you’re sad it’s store exclusive, I would just recommend keeping an eye out on the website in the next few months…)

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 and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.