1120 Tasting Notes

80
drank Green Passionfruit by DAVIDsTEA
1120 tasting notes

I got this as part of a set of teas recommended for drinking iced, and it turns out that I like it the best cold steeped. That’s what brings out the best balance between the green tea base and the sweet dried fruit pieces; otherwise it’s more of a lackluster green with too-subtle fruit additions. Very refreshing and with a nice natural sweetness when cold steeped!

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80
drank Honeycrisp Apple by DAVIDsTEA
1120 tasting notes

I love the scent of the dry leaf for this one, but to me it’s a distinctly artificial apple; definitely brings to mind a candy rather than an orchard.

Brewed, I’m getting more of a conventional fruit smell, and the taste is mainly fruit as well, with only a bit of a “candy” edge. I notice the apple and pear in equal measures. Very sweet without any additions, and there’s so much fruit and added flavor that I don’t notice the green tea at all. If this is your thing, it’s delicious!

Flavors: Apple, Apple Candy, Pear

Preparation
2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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40

I’m not a big fan of cranberries so this isn’t something I’d typically go out and buy, but as this is part of the fall collection and I do love trying seasonal drinks, I decided to give it a shot when it was offered as a sample choice with my most recent Davidstea order.

I share the apparently common observation that this is surprisingly tart: as expected of the ingredients, but perhaps not so typical of a muffin. But after I’ve gotten over that, this tisane doesn’t pack much of a punch. The primary note I notice, when tasting an especially when smelling is actually the dandelion root, which I personally dislike. The fruit notes are mostly lost other than the general tartness, although I occasionally get some of the orange peel. I only get the smallest hint of muffins, and even then it’s only when I’m looking for it.

Too much dandelion, not enough cranberry orange muffin. Not recommended.

Flavors: Dandelion, Tart

Preparation
1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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87
drank Lime Gelato by DAVIDsTEA
1120 tasting notes

Not gonna lie, I love these gimmicky dessert teas. Lime gelato as a tea is such a silly idea, and it’s obviously nothing like actually eating gelato, but I’m into it.

There’s definitely lime flavor here, more on the artificial side, and while it’s not an official note I actually notice a bit of cherry here as well. I don’t taste any of the green tea base whatsoever, and I wouldn’t have been able to pick out the lemongrass or pineapple if I didn’t know about them. There is a slight cream flavor, which is where the gelato part comes in, but it’s subtle.

Like any tea of this nature, light sugar or sweetener really brings out the flavors in this blend. It’s a really nice treat!

Flavors: Cherry, Cream, Lime

Preparation
2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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85
drank Cocomint Cream by DAVIDsTEA
1120 tasting notes

This was part of a trio of holiday teas that had been discounted after the holidays, and it was in fact the part that made me hesitant to buy the set as coconut is the ultimate hit-or-miss flavor for me. Fortunately for me, this is definitely a hit!

Taken as a whole, this tea reminds me of… leaves. If I weren’t aware of the ingredients, I would definitely think there was at least a touch of green tea in here, but that’s not the case. When I look for individual notes I get: a lot of spearmint, mild apple, and coconut mainly in the aftertaste. The spearmint they use is really lovely, it gives the whole thing a surprising amount of body. And it’s naturally quite sweet, which is nice as I’d rather not load up on sugar or sweeteners before bed.

So if this blend has caught your eye but you’re hesitant about a specific ingredient, I’d say it’s worth a try! I don’t think the combination would ultimately work for everyone, but leafy and minty is a good thing in my book.

Flavors: Apple, Coconut, Grass, Spearmint

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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65
drank Chill Out by The Tea Spot
1120 tasting notes

I’ve been enjoying cold brewing recently and anything that’s designed to make a more efficient cold brewing experience appeals to me, so I picked this up along with a Steep & Go. They recommend a10-15 minute steeping time at minimum, with 6 hours being the maximum; I ended up drinking this after about an hour.

This herbal blend definitely succeeds in providing ample flavor through cold brewing. The Tea Spot seems to be marketing in part to people who are looking to tea as an easy and potentially healthy water inhancer, and this is definitely a winner in that category. If you’re willing to wait, you get a way more flavorful result than any of those iced tea powder packets and flavor drops, plus it has a natural sweetness instead of using sweeteners.

Flavor-wise, I would call this an even split between the hibiscus and the licorice, with no peppermint at all. The hibiscus provides the sweetness and is also quite tart, while the licorice provides a bitter edge. I tend to dislike licorice, so I’m glad I only picked up a single packet of this to try, but for what it’s worth this is probably the best licorice tea I’ve ever had. I think it’s a good one, just not the best choice for me.

By the way, the Steep & Go itself is awesome.

Flavors: Hibiscus, Licorice

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 20 OZ / 591 ML

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70
drank Carol by Lupicia
1120 tasting notes

I got this as a free sample with the magazine, which seems like a common occurrence. Unlike some of the samples I’ve gotten this way, this tea sounded right up my ally so I made it immediately.

Carol doesn’t taste like Christmas to me beyond that I think it would make a good crowd pleaser at a party. The strawberry and cream notes are mellow and inoffensive, but definitely present in the background; nothing about it blows me away, but nothing stands out as particularly bad either. I like it just fine.

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83

I wasn’t thrilled to get this in a mystery bag as I’m not usually a fan of chocolate in teas and haven’t been impressed by any other honeybush I’ve tried, but it turned out to be an exception!

The scent is strong, distinct oranges, leaning more toward authentic than a fake cough syrup orange — I can smell the rind! — but there’s a slight medicinal edge. No chocolate to be found here! Nonetheless, I like it a lot.

It tastes more or less like it smells, although in flavor the honeybush peeks out from under the orange and there’s a slight unpleasant bitter edge. I would have never guessed there was chocolate if it wasn’t in the name!

Flavors: Orange, Orange Zest

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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92

I’m pretty easy to satisfy as far as jasmine green teas go, so choosing this as a sample from Yezi felt like a safe bet, and as it turns out I was correct.

Opening the packet, there’s a really nice jasmine aroma, just purely floral and fairly strong. Upon brewing, the same aroma persists — they’re not playing around with the jasmine here!

The actual liquor has a surprisingly light taste considering the strength of the scent — it’s not bad, especially for a tea that’s advertised as being good for multiple steeps, just more subtle than I expected. It stands on its own without sweetener, which I don’t always find true of floral teas, probably because the green tea isn’t the slightest bit bitter. Just a nice soft, smooth jasmine.

I don’t feel like this is dramatically different from other jasmine greens, but it’s an excellent version and one of my favorites.

Flavors: Floral, Jasmine

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 1 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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80
drank Jasmin Mandarin by Lupicia
1120 tasting notes

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Profile

Bio

Likes:
• green teas
• floral notes of all kinds
• dessert teas

Dislikes
• licorice
• heavy spice

Quick summary of ratings:

90s: Outstanding, definite rebuy
80s: Very good, doesn’t blow me away
70s: Good, but some type of flaw
60s: All right, worth a taste
50s: Not so great, but drinkable
40s and below: Various levels of dislike to hate. It just depends on how gross I think it is.

Location

USA

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