761 Tasting Notes
Chosen for medicinal purposes…I have the plague, and was trying to nap, so I didn’t want something too caffeine-y, but something with spice for my sinuses. Ear pressure got too bad though, and I had to get up. It’s good for this. I’m glad I have some. Thanks again to ShayneBear for this sample.
Tea to go today…wanted to see how this differs from Daydreamer, and I’m sad to say, not much, really. They are slightly different, but not different enough. I think I would have preferred this blend added to a white or light/green oolong base for something a little different.
Can I say which I like better? Nope. They are both sooooo similar. Will I stock either again? Maybe.
I’ve been waiting for the right time to give this sample from ShayneBear a try. Today seemed like the right day. Even though it is lovely outside, inside, I feel congestion and sinus pressure, and I am sneezing. I also woke up to a sore throat. So I figured the peppercorns and peppermint would be good for my congestion and sinus issues, the black tea would help me stay conscious so I can go out to do an errand or two downtown, and the chocolate and candy cane lips are purely for my emotional well being. :P
So I like this tea!! I don’t know why I waited so long to try it. Perhaps it is because of the mint, because I admit I am very picky about mint in my teas. I know this is one of the signature teas they have at DAVIDs, and it is included in just about every sample collection…ha!!
The mint and chocolate do balance very nicely, and I do feel a little tingle on my tongue that can only be from the peppercorns. Everything seems well balanced here, and I am enjoying this cuppa with milk and sugar, which is extra comforting to me. I’m grateful for the generous sample of this. YAY!
I’m probably gonna re-steep the leaves for a second batch for my Timolino or kids mug, get dressed, and head downtown for those few errands while it is nice out.
That sucks about the allergies! I’ve been experiencing them too since moving to Vic, but I have a feeling it’s because of the mold in my apartment. I had a fever for weeks near the end of the school year, sore throat, itchy eyes, fatigue etc. It sucks because sometimes you don’t know if you’re getting sick. Hope you won’t!
I know, I have been plagued with the “Am I sick or is it just allergies” question for a long time. I technically don’t have allergies. I was tested a few years ago, and nothing came up. They told me I have non-allergic rhinitis, which acts like allergies, but isn’t caused the same way, and isn’t treated the same way. Antihistamines don’t generally work because my reactions aren’t histamine based, they are nasal irritations. So the only antihistamines I can take are the old school “knock you out cold for several hours” kind because they are drying. Yay?
But I have been around people that have been sick, so it’s anyone’s guess now.
Weird, I never heard of that before, but that makes sense, experiencing irritations. I’ve been using Benadryl but it makes me super drowsy too so at that point you think ok, fine, might as well only take it at night, which really doesn’t help you during the day.
Basically, the nose gets irritated from environmental stuff, say pollen or dust (also environmental changes), the nose swells up and creates mucous and you end up stuffy, or with a runny nose or whatever. It’s not a histamine reaction though. It acts like allergies though.
So, I have had a bit of a love affair with this tea again! I am loving it sooooo much! I have been having some hard and stressful days at work lately, and this tea is to me what Bear Trap is for ShayneBear. I think it is calming and light and nutty and sweet, and…just perfect. I had to get some to try at home again, after my to go cup recently, and I have been very diligent about setting a timer to not overstep it. I think that 4 minutes seems to be alright. I might play with longer or shorter steep times.
I would say that the only downside to this tea right now are that the tea is bulky because of the popcorn, so it is hard to gage how much 1 1/2 tsp is, and in the bag, it is hard to get a good mix of ingredients. For this last part, I might opt for a tin, even though I have no space for one. Would a larger bag help here, you think?
Anyway, yes….REFILLING! One of my new faves!
Sometimes if you have enough room to shake the bag up that can help. Sometimes I even leave the spoon in it and see what lands in it. It can get dangerous if you drop or spill though, heh.
Oh yeah, I already shake the bag, but sometimes all I seem to get is popcorn.
Mmmmmm, I am soooo glad I got more of this tea. It is actually my first tea from DAVIDs and I remember feeling a little disappointed that it tasted mostly like apple, and less like popcorn or green tea, but having had a number of teas from DAVIDs now, I see this tea in a whole new light, and I love it. So long as I don’t over steep it or have the water too hot for it to turn bitter. I do let it steep a little longer though, as I think that brings the popcorn and green tea flavours out more. I was also disappointed at the lack of leaf compared to apples and popcorn, but now I just don’t care. :P This makes it a perfect tea for later at night when you want a tea with less caffeine content, and I would say since there is less leaf, there has to be less caffeine too. I also think the starches from the popcorn aid in some way too. I have fallen in love with this tea! I can see it in my future for the next several months, as I think it is a great spring and summer tea, and it does work well iced too. Whether or not it will be hearty enough as my morning tea in the late fall and winter, I don’t know yet. I will be getting lots more of this, also, because it weighs so little, you can get a lot of it and not pay as much. I got 26g of this and paid $3 and change, whereas for the 24g of Gold Rush, it was over $5.
Perfectly light and sweet for a gorgeous day like today, however, I do think I did slightly under-steep it a little. I also ate all the yummy mulberries afterward. It’s a pricy tea to have lots of, but I might get a full bag and alternate it with other less pricy teas so I don’t burn through it too fast.
Not seduced. It was bitter. I did get a slightly floral juicy note, but that was it. Happy it was free with my Timolino for Earth Day yesterday.
I thought the same thing when I had it at work today. Mine was an odd bitter flavour.
Maybe it was just brewed wrong or something, or it got too strong in the giant pot they use, but yeah, so not seduced, though I might be if I did it on my own.
I brewed the tea myself and tried to be careful but I have a bit of my sample leftover to try again. Could be me cause I don’t often have luck with flavoured greens.
you probably steeped it for too long. some teas can steep forever but this is one kind that gets very bitter if you leave it in too long. Try steeping for 3-4 minutes (no more) and see how you like it then.
This is still really good though my preparation is definitely lacking. I tried something else today, which kind of worked, but I accidentally added more water than I had wanted to, so it is still feeling a bit thin and weak after adding the milk to make it a latte. Still, I’m getting plenty of caramel taste and aroma from the matcha. I’m still having trouble with getting it to froth right, so I definitely want to pick up a proper matcha making kit from somewhere (taking suggestions, but so far leaning towards David’s) because even in my cereal bowl, using all of my whisks, I didn’t really get a sustaining froth. The only thing I got was sore arms. I do want to add matcha into my routine, but I need to get better at preparing it. I wonder if Jaga Silk does classes on making it at home? I know ShayneBear will help too.
This matcha, and I am sure the other RLT matchas, make me want to learn better. I know we plan on a group buy, so I want to get better before then.
Sooooo….I went to George’s Tea Emporium with ShayneBear last week, and I picked up a small tin of this. I was intrigued by the description of blackberry and maple, as I had been looking at both maple tea and black currant (which I know isn’t the same, but whatever) but wasn’t sure what to get and didn’t want to get too much (I’m lacking in space until I finish more teas).
The scent of this is pretty mild, but sweet, and the green tea mellows the main black base, I think. This tea is a bit more stripped down and basic, compared to my normal assortment of teas. It doesn’t look terribly fancy.
Brewed up a dark rich mahogany color…milk and sugar were added. This tea is one where it is subtle flavour, but it is there. Although I could not taste the blackberry itself, I could detect a light fruity taste, but most prominent was the juicy mouthfeel that is in the description. As for the maple flavour, I could faintly detect it as it was not the same kind of sweet that came from the sugar.
Overall, this is a nice tea. It’s a step up from a standard black blend with a little extra juicy sweetness. Does it have a place in my regular rotation? Maybe. But DAVIDs is much closer to me, and Murchies carries the same level of tea, and I’m lazy, but perhaps if we do another visit there, I will get some. My tin, albeit small, will likely last a while.
The maple tea they have is a mere shadow of the maple tea from Steam. If you want maple candy flavoured tea of awesome, I’ll get you some for the next meetup! (Maple candy like when they boil maple syrup till it solidifies in a candy mould. Srsly.)
oh man seriously?
Oh, yeah. Just need to let it cool a bit and then it’s MAPLE. Want some? :)
Oh absolutely!
omg….we may need to do a swap in the near future lol
Heather, it’s on my list for you! :)
Sipdown…unfortunately, I still found nothing remarkable about this one, I am sad to say. Whatever flavour was there was so subtle, it went right past me, though it is possible that the tea is just older and lost some of its punch. I dunno. It was far from horrible, but miles away from excellent.
