New Tasting Notes
Final tea from my TSR order. Been meaning to try this shou for awhile as it’s on the lighter side of fermentation and is well-loved. I don’t sample shou as much anymore, but I think for the price, this is really nice and I’ll probably have to get a tuo. I just need to try it a couple more times before changing my mind.
This one tastes and smells more distinct than many of the shous I’ve had. Fruitier and less earthy, with a more potent sweetness and more interesting nose. I quite like it!
Flavors: Dirt, Earth, Fruity, Plum, Smooth, Sweet, Wet Earth, Wood
From my first ever order from TSR. First tea I’ve tried from Haiwan, and the 200th tea I’ve reviewed!!! This one is super yummy! I think there is a lot going on here and it’s hard to untangle.
There’s a nice mouthfeel with ever so slight of an astringent note that keeps you pining for more. The sweetness is pretty good and it’s got a good lasting flavor. I need to try it one more time after a bit of a rest, but I am almost 100% positive I am buying a cake of this 7452 homage very soon (at an amazing price – $0.19/g!).
Flavors: Astringent, Fruity, Honey, Sweet
Isn’t it a wonderful thing when a kind friend who knows you’re knotted up like a bad macrame project sends a surprise to untangle you? One of those thoughtful gifts arrived today, and this herbal blend was in the box.
It’s beautiful—looks just like something the herb granny would’ve gathered in her basket just last week. Big mint leaves, fresh chamomile. And while the flavor profile is typical of a mint-and-cami tisane, the provenance of each ingredient is fair proof that they were selected thoughtfully and deliberately for medicinal purposes.
Until I read the tea description, I had never heard of Mexican Toronjil Rojo, but I’m catching a very mild anise hint with it, as advertised. We’ll test the relaxation efficacy at bedtime (when the brain turns on the moment my left ear hits the pillow), but there’s tulsi in this little leaf garden, which is one herb that actually works on me.
Thank you, friend! <3
I had a cup of this today and it was really nice! Osmanthus is a floral flavour that I’ve maybe turned my nose up at a bit in the past and just sort of felt like it wasn’t for me, but last year I had a little bit of a change of heart and this tea was an element of that. It’s full bodied with a briskness and slight astringency from the black tea I really enjoy with woody and cocoa like notes, but also bright and lush feeling with fruiter peach, persimmon, or honey-like notes from the osmanthus. It’s one of the first osmanthus teas I’ve had where I felt like I finally got what other people had been describing when it comes to this flower…
Had this one yesterday and it was a really nice sort of rediscovery moment? I think this is probably my favourite tea I own from Thesaurus. It’s woodsy and herbaceous with the tulsi coming off probably the strongest of the ingredient. Basil-y to be expected, but with a milder sort of spiced undertone to it that’s clove-ish. I don’t know what type of tulsi this uses, but I’ve found purple tulsi has the most distinct spices notes to it in my opinion and this loosely reminds me of that.
But I think what makes the cup, for me at least, is that really soft and natural touch of maple. It’s not there to be strong and in your face, and the blend isn’t trying to hide from it’s more herbal and earthy notes but that inclusion just gives a little balance while also making this tea feel different from the many other more herby blends out there. It’s very nice.
Made this over the weekend and it was just sort of weird. Very roasty and earthy notes of coffee but with an almost syrupy and soda-like sweet pineapple. There was a DT blend year and years ago called Grilled Pineapple that had a similar weird juxtaposition of a more candied pineapple note with a savory/roasted element that didn’t feel connected. That blend was honestly pretty bad, this one at least it more just strange. I keep hoping I’ll get used to it, and I really just never seem to.
Iced!
I was helping with a photo shoot today, and the studio just gets so hot so I was drinking tons of iced water and tea. This was one of the things I slurped back earlier in the afternoon and it was super refreshing. I’d have loved to savor the ripe strawberry notes a little more, but it was starting to feel like a sauna so I finished this off quite quickly before moving onto my next tea…
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.
A late night cuppa from this weekend!
I wanted something sweeter but not chocolate and this was just calling me name. I sort of wish we’d gone with a name more like “Maple Walnut” because then maybe there’d be a shot of having it all year long. It’s just such a beautiful rich walnut flavour with that warm, buttery hint of maple. Almost pancake-like in some ways but maybe not quite there since it doesn’t have the cake-y element. It’s so smooth, though!
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.
Made a mug of this last night and it was so good albeit very sweet. The syrupy notes of lychee and strawberry candy reminded me a little bit of canned fruit cocktails. But, also, there’s a food trend right now of “candying fruit” where people will melt down hard candies like jolly ranchers and create hard candy shells around things like grapes or strawberries. I haven’t actually had this before, but this tea sort of tasted how I imagine they would based on visual alone.
This kind of thing: https://www.tiktok.com/@candiedbybeck/video/7277151880961084680
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.
Somehow I forgot to write a tasting note for this tea when it came out a few weeks ago, so I’m making up for that now. It’s one of this year’s new Spring Wellness blends, though I also think it’s very much the kind of tea that someone might drink without ever knowing it was developed to be functional since it’s still very flavour forward!
Aside from the green tea base, the main ingredients in this blend are prickly pear, dragonfruit, aloe vera, and rose. The name “Cactus Rose” is actually a reference specifically to the the prickly pear since that’s one of the other names that fruit goes by, but I’ve seen a few people who maybe don’t know that’s an alternative name of the fruit who assume it’s referencing the aloe vera (which is a succulent like a cactus) and the rose. I guess in a round-a-bout way it’s all of the above?
In terms of function, this is meant to be a bit more of a hydrating/skin nourishing blend. So, prickly pear because of the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory elements, aloe because of how hydrating and replenishing it is, and then rose for similar reasons a well. Lots of inspiration from the cosmetics industry when it comes to facial products.
In terms of flavour I’d call this light and tropical with a bit of a floral sort of rosy undertone to it. Kind of lush and dewy is maybe how I’d describe it? Prickly pear and dragonfruit are both somewhat harder tropical fruit flavours to describe, but think maybe like a delicate pear and kiwi cross? Maybe just a little bit melony? Not super tart or sugary or anything like that. Just very fresh. I think it’s very nice iced or as a teapop because of that.
If you’re not typically a fan of rose I wouldn’t let that scare you off this blend. Unless you’re steeping it for a very long time, it’s more fruit forward than floral. Think teas like Green Passionfruit or maybe Buddha’s Blend if you want other DT blends to reference vibe-wise. That combination of rose and dragonfruit gives a soft pinkish colour to the blend when steeped which is also very pretty.
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.
Cold Brew!
This is one of my favourite 52Teas blends and I actually have a fairly large tin of it because I bought up a lot of the extra stock of it in a previous year’s countdown box. So, I was thrilled to see it come up again so I could give that tin a little bit of a top up. I mean, it just tastes exactly like the name. Sometimes soda inspired blends can come off at flat/thin because we’re so used to not just the carbonation of soda but the sweetness and syrupy mouthfeel. But I never feel like I’m missing out on anything when I drink this one!
Another from this past winter’s countdown that I was very excited to try!
Personally I love a good POG juice or smoothie, though when I realized this wasn’t the more traditional combination of fruits (pineapple or passionfruit, orange, and guava) I actually got more excited because I think this is so dang clever and creative! Plus, the trio of flavours are so complimentary. Spiced orange is a classic, pomegranate and orange is just really juicy and fresh, and I think spiced pomegranate is a slept on sort of iteration of a mulled wine type profile.
I think the flavours totally deliver and though the ginger could maybe be stronger I think you can clearly taste all three flavours. It’s bright but has depth and warmth from that spice inclusion, and I love the natural sweetness level of those fruits. I think it does everything Anne wanted it to!
Though I totally expected a banana tea to be included in this past winter’s countdown, I was kind of surprised to see that this was the one that got the most votes. Personally there are other banana blends I’d have liked to see over this one but mostly because I wish the one oolong slot in the box had gone to something else since I think 52Tea’s oolong blends are typically quite exceptional but few and far between…
That said, I made a mug of this on Monday and it was quite delicious. Very custardy with a fresh and creamy banana note. I particularly love the flavour floral elements of the green tea base that come out even though I personally feel like they don’t quite work with the eggnog inspiration on a more conceptual level.
Sipping on this while reading a new graphic novel! This limited series is Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, which was pitched to me by a friend as Animal Crossing with serial killers and, yeah, that’s pretty spot on. I’m just eating up the vibe of the pastel and water colour illustrations crossed with such dark subject matter. But, it’s also maybe the coziest murder mystery I’ve ever read, so it definitely needed an equally cozy tea to pair with it. Queue this sticky rice dianhong: full bodied but so, so starchy and creamy with really distinct notes of glutinous rice, coconut milk, and a gentle pillow of malt and cocoa to end the sip on. I really, really like sticky rice herb infused teas in general (especially ripe pu’erh), but this is my first time trying it with a black tea and it’s just ticking every single box on the “comfort tea” list for me. I mean, wow. This just works SO WELL. Between the comic and the tea, I’m hard pressed to think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBSgyuSVc2/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W38MtB0SgI&ab_channel=MagicCityHippies
Gongfu!
I found this a little more medium bodied with a more syrupy feeling liquor. It took a couple steeps for me to really start getting into this mini, but I eventually bought in for the more herbal and medicinal aftertaste alone. It was an interesting combination of very lightly cooling mint, pine-y juniper berry, and fresh dill, in particular on the exhale when it came to those more resinous tree sap notes. It’s been a while since I last had the original 2018 pressing of W2T’s Arbor Red, but for some reason my brain kept making a connection with that tea as I sipped on this one – but maybe a little less punchy and intense. I would be curious if they use material from the same regions…
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFD-yqpSq2_/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezmu0fQGclg&ab_channel=MajakDoor
Gongfu Sipdown (2749)!
I’ve been holding off on finishing this tea, but it was time to let it go! It took a steep or two to really go all out, as evidenced by the one shot here with a more red liquor, but when it gets thick it gets THICK. Really oily and slick liquor with such a deeply earthy and camphorous profile. There’s just so much flavour of pretrichor and rain-soaked soil packed into each sip, with a smooth and brothy finish. Leather, as well. Just all those deeper and wonderful flavours that evoke walking through the forest! I will definitely miss this one in my stash!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFGYmt9SVhW/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O66FyzbRYP4&ab_channel=OlderSibling-Topic
My first impression wasn’t anything special. It tastes like Earl Grey. Not in a particularly interesting way. Black tea. Bergamot. Meh.
And yet, I keep coming back to it. Even with a perfectly nice PdT Blue of London tin sitting in my cupboard.
The color is a dark, rich, almost coffee-like red that steeps without any fines making it through my mesh infuser. The aroma has punch, but isn’t overpowering. The black tea is front and center, smooth, if maybe just a touch peppery.
If this doesn’t contain natural bergamot, then this is the first artificially-flavored Earl Grey that’s fooled me. Unfortunately, Intergalactic Tea doesn’t offer up an ingredients list, so I guess it’ll remain a mystery. Either way, the bergamot is present enough for this to be an undeniable Earl Grey, but muted at the same time.
As I near the end of the 50g pouch (and that’s the only way Intergalactic sells it), I see myself ordering another before the day’s over. This is something I’m keeping stocked.
Flavors: Bergamot, Pepper
Preparation
Origines Tea Advent Calendar _ Day 17
Celebration in the stars, so is this green tea blend called…but smelling it, “peperkoek” (for me, in Dutch), or “pain d´épices” (in French) comes to mind. At least for the dry tea leaves, as steeped the ginger (a whopping 19%) takes over. The brew tastes as a no alcohol grogg again, with the typical clove taste very present. A very christmassy tea blend, and a quite different one as well! Nice.
Flavors: Cacao, Clove, Ginger, Green, Spices
Preparation
Poor, neglected Herbs & Kettles samples… Oops? This is why sipping through samples is one of my tea goals for this year. XD
Anyway, this is nice enough. I don’t taste rose, but there weren’t a ton of petals in the leaf, and honestly I don’t mind that it’s missing ha ha. Cardamom is definitely the predominant spice, as I would expect. There’s some clove and ginger in the background as well. The CTC base is fairly smooth, but still adds flavor (I do think I underleafed this cup slightly, but it’s not overly thin).
I mostly just ordered this to be thorough, because I am not a rose fan. But it made for a pleasant cuppa this morning!
Flavors: Cardamom, Clove, Floral, Ginger, Smooth, Spices, Thin
Preparation
Sipdown
I am glad they put this in the tins advent this year because I really enjoyed it when I had the sachet advent, but there was only the one serving.
This time, Ashman and I both enjoyed it and neither of us felt that it needed milk to smooth it out or sugar to make it more interesting or tone down briskness.
It is a very nice Assam and goes well with breakfast, although I finished it off today with lunch and as an accompaniment to my “dessert” of two Lindt truffles.
The first time I had this, it didn’t taste like much, so I made sure to try it overleafed the next time. I left it in the fridge overnight and added milk and sugar. Now I taste a lot of lavender on quite a decent black base. I also taste a nice, fresh blueberry. I don’t notice much lemon. This is really refreshing and enjoyable! The resteep is strong too!
