New Tasting Notes

Still a bit meh on this one. Very muted chocolate, toffee thing going on.

Sweet juicy green melon candy in liquid form with the aftertaste of lilacs lingering on the palate. I ration this tea pretty heavily because it’s sooo bloody hard to get Lupicia here in Canada, but this was a little new year treat for myself and damn did it deliver!

Cold Brew!

Another rather floral tasting cold brew, though in this case that’s driven both by the greener oolong tea base and the type of grape flavouring that’s used. Even cold brew I find this highly aromatic with the perfect juxtaposition between heady florals like orchid, magnolia, lilac, and jasmine and the sweeter, almost syrupy juicy grape notes. It’s the perfect natural sweetness, too.

This summer I fulfilled a bit of a bucket list item and treated myself to a bunch of $40+ dollar muscat grapes imported from Japan, and they were so good. Tasting this tea now after tasting such a perfect version of the real thing… I think it does a very good job recreating the flavour while not abandoning the notes of the oolong itself.

Cold Brew!

I haven’t had this tea in such a long time, but it used to be a favourite so I’m brewing it up for nostalgia’s sake. I definitely don’t think it’s worthy of the 93 rating anymore, but I also think that’s more from age than anything else. It’s still nice though, with a smooth and sort of floral and bread-y tasting black tea with soft notes of supple white peach and a lighter honey note. The honey reads a bit fake-y to me now, but not in a bad way and it still suits the peach well. The heat is almost non existent, but it does kind of slowly crawl and build on the back of the throat over the drink to the point where it’s just a tickle as you’re finishing the brew. Refreshing, not overly flavoured or sweet, and not half bad at all given just how old it is.

From a TTB! This is a bit plantlike. It would be better with more depth/boldness. Not bad with milk and sugar, but it also doesn’t stand out in any way. Based on other reviews, it seems like this would have been better fresh, though I’m always grateful to try things in a TTB!

Sipdown (2729)!

I was sad to see that there was only enough leaf left in the tin for this one last cup, but damn if it wasn’t a delicious one. Really, really smooth and creamy with that perfect pure play coconut note on a buttery, floral and refreshing oolong base. This is something I’d definitely buy again.

Sipdown 1 – 2025

Finished this off this morning. Chain drinking cups of tea and worrying about the surrounding fires. Luckily we are not in immediate danger, but watching so many communities around us burn is pretty devastating. I hope everyone in the LA area is staying safe.

A bit better than I originally rated this. Working on drinking through it at work.

I love a cranberry tea, so y’all know I had to try this one!

The dry leaf aroma is kind of off smelling to me, like sugar free red jello but with a slight medicinal/cough drop sort of edge to it. Wasn’t the most promising, but steeped up I found the cup much, much more enjoyable. There’s still maybe a touch of a medicinal undertone/edge to it, but the cranberry was pleasantly thick and jammy with a creamy edge to it and just a hint of warming cinnamon. The cinnamon flirts a bit with this mulled fruit sort of vibe, but neither the spice or fruit notes themselves are strong enough to full commit to that sort of direction. Still, there’s a sort of festive feel to the cup from the combination. As a lover of cranberry teas, it’s pretty solid!

A simple and straight forward cup of tea, but by no stretch a bad one. It’s very light bodied and delicate with notes of honeycomb, freshly whipped cream, and oat straw that come together to create a profile just a smidge sweeter and more honey-forward in taste than a plain white tea would be. I’d obviously love a little more honey, but it’s still such a calm and relaxing profile that I think works well for quiet little moments.

Cold Brew!

Sipping on this one right now while I work on these tasting notes. I’d intended to have it last night as a bit of a refresher, but truthfully I fell asleep early. I’ve just been sooo tired the last few days. Going back to work and not getting to have my afternoon nap is gonna be rough!

This is pretty nice, though! It’s very lemon forward with a sweeter and almost limoncello-like kind of citrusy flavour. I taste that almost lawn clipping sort of edge of the lemongrass ever so slightly, but mostly this manages to lean into the brightness of the lemon without being too forward of a grassy note. The coconut comes through on the backend, and it’s not unpleasant but I do think it doesn’t necessarily seamlessly work with the lemon. They’re not totally at odds with one another, but it feels like some sort of bridge flavour is missing that would better connect the whole profile. I do like that the aftertaste is quite buttery and almost poundcake-like, though. It’s a nice way to close out the sip.

Gotta love a comfort tea! Usually I like to drink this when it’s raining really heavily, but the last few days have been more of a blizzard outside – very cold and gross and definitely not the sort of weather you want to leave your house to venture into. So instead I just enjoyed sipping on a cup of this smooth, starchy goodness. I have some other teas on the way from Bitterleaf with sticky rice herb in them, and I’ve been very antsy waiting for them but this definitely took the edge off! It’s just such a cozy blanket of a 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

Cold shook one stick pack of this into a bottle of ice water. Normally for a bottle this size I’d probably use two backs, so this was definitely a little thinner and less punchy than I’ve become used to. However, it was still very refreshing with a pomegranate flavour very reminiscent of a Vitamin Water.

I’ve seen a couple people this year post about trying the koridashi (aka ice brewing) technique but with snow, and I really wanted to try it for myself – I just had to wait for the right snowfall so I could gather some fresh, fluffy and undisturbed snow from around my apartment building first thing in the morning. Outside of hojicha and matcha, I don’t normally love Japanese green teas a whole lot, but I do really enjoy sake, which is why I wanted to give this sencha a try. I’ve already steeped this tea a few different ways prior to this, and in general, I think it tastes fine with a smooth, buttery flavour and notes of nori lightly perfumed with sweeter, peachy fruit notes imparted from the sake barrel. But this brewing method? Wow. Like, WOW. Much more crisp, sweet and sake forward with almost effervescent notes of floral white peach and Fuji apple balanced by rich brown butter. Basically, all the best parts of this tea that I’ve tasted previously but just amped up a bit!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdKgCaSN3p/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tMe_LpUHAQ&ab_channel=MJLenderman

Gongfu!

Brewed this session paired with some melt in your mouth white nectarines nibbled on in between infusions. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with ginseng root, but I’ve never tried the flowers (also called San Qi Hua) before. Aside from looking absolutely wild, there is an immediate STRONG aroma that comes off the dry leaf. It’s earthy and woody in a bit of a musky sort of way with notes of potting soil, broccoli, anise, petrichor, and parchment paper. Steeped up all of the notes from the dry aroma only intensity, creating a bordering on pungent aroma that wafts from the gaiwan. I can’t quite decide if I like it or not.

The liquor is surprisingly thick given how pale it brews up, with a strong coating feeling on the palate. It’s a touch bitter in the top notes with really woody notes of dry tree bark alongside an interesting vegetal flavour. I think part of why the vegetal notes are so intriguing to me is that they’re almost equal parts raw and steamed/cooked tasting. Fresh garden peans and beans still lightly caked in damp soil contrasting against steamed broccoli and kale. The finish is very, very sweet and licorice-like in a cloying sort of way, but also still quite earthy. I enjoy it when I take small sips, but bigger ones are almost somewhat overwhelming feeling. I’ve heard that these Ginseng Flowers are very much and acquired taste, and I could see how with time and experimentation with the leaf to water ratios and steep times that could be true.

Regardless, it was a really unique and educational brewing experience, and I’m glad to now have this unique tisane as part of my flavour library.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEfiQXGpH7y/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4zVmJUcBI8&ab_channel=FosterThePeople

2024 Advent Calendar #5

Trying to psych myself to go for a walk but after a quick errand in the frigid temps and wind, I’m going to sip tea and plan for summer instead. The sachet smelled like chocolate and raspberries when I pulled it from the packet. Using my largest pottery mug I steeped this for about 3+ minutes. Sipping I taste the strawberries, some figs, and chocolate. The elderberry comes through as well. A good mug for a cold, blustery day.

Gongfu!

Tried this one for the first time yesterday. It’s very enjoyable, but quite a bit different from what I’d expected it to taste like. Medium-bodied but with a very slick and sticky feeling liquor. Though the tail end of the sip was usually at least a bit starchy and sweet potato-esque, I mostly found this to be a rather fragrant and floral tasting oolong with really prominent notes of candied violets, rose, and magnolia with jammy black currant and lychee undertones. I was really anticipating more of a sweet brown sort of flavour direction with some more minerality, but it’s amazing how “purple” the whole session tasted!! Has anyone else tried this tea or has more experience with this Xiang Fan Shu fragrance/varietal of shuixian? I’m curious to hear other opinions since I feel like my tasting notes are off enough from the site description…

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEiQHRjSA32/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01oI7AhwPLY&ab_channel=ROLEMODELVEVO

Had this a few days ago and it was better than I’d remembered it being. Smooth and just a bit creamy with a very aromatic, fresh rose flavour. Not complex or anything, but just a solid rose black tea that fit my mood pretty well!

Sipped on a hot mug of this one last night. I wish I had an ingredients list to cross reference, but I got my sample of this tea (and the others from the same company) from a coworker and the sample bag just has the blend name on it. It’s nice, though! Not an overly complex blend, but fruity with a mellow tartness. I taste a bit of a berry sort of vibe, maybe strawberry? There’s a little cinnamon too, which balances it out a touch and adds a little bit of coziness. Though, I did feel like there was a bit of a numbing quality on my tongue – not unpleasant but a bit weird.

A good example of one of my favourite areas, but also not exceptional.

The aroma is sweet, floral and fruity. The taste is more bitter, sour, and mineral on the other hand. The tea is very bright at the moment with notes of rapeseed and green apples.

Fresh order from LP! This one was made/selected purely for the vibes. Almost no discernible taste to it. I am finding that a sizable portion of LP’s offerings are curated in this manner.

The liquor is a very clear pinkish orange. Mouthfeel is fairly thick, but not particularly unique. A touch of pleasant bitterness at the forefront that fades to hui gan. This is where the tea shines – the aftertaste is long and complex with tingling sensations on the tongue and roof of the mouth extending back to the soft palate. If that is what you are looking for from your puerh, then this tea is a nice semi-aged option. However, I prefer a better mix of flavor and mouthfeel. Sadly, I will not be caking this one, but I am glad to have the opportunity to try it!

Another sample from my EOT order. I agree with beerandbeancurd’s assessment that this one is a bit hyped up on EOT’s website. It is very easy to drink, but there isn’t a ton to latch on to. It definitely has a nice and aged flavor to it with some storage notes, just nothing that stands out or is particularly strong. It does have great longevity, but won’t be caking this one either.

Got my first order from EOT today and gave this one a try. It’s not too bad! I can definitely tell this is quality leaf material, and I think it has great potential. It must have seen mostly dry storage as it is the youngest tasting 2004 tea I’ve had. None of the notes or flavors are off putting, and the mouthfeel is nice with a bit of cha qi. I just don’t think it’s overall my style, at least yet. Great price for the age and quality, but probably won’t be caking this one.

Busy day so just marking a sipdown of this blend from the 2023 advent calendar, for the sipdown challenge prompt. Note to future self – add this to my sipdown tracker!