New Tasting Notes
Every now and then we go to World Market to get some guilty pleasure candy bars or cookies. Today’s haul was Tunnock’s Snowballs, a Milka Kuhflecken bar, a RitterSport whole hazelnut and dark chocolate bar, and this tea, which I was shocked to see there.
I have wanted to try it ever since I first saw it hit their website but I have been resisting buying tea. Ashman, however, loves strawberry tea and deserves to try it, right?
I made a pot full strength to try since it is new to us. It was good, although a stronger tea base wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t a super weak base like their caramel tea was, though.
We resteeped afterward, not combining in my usual way. It was weak to me, but drinkable to Ashman who didn’t mind. A combining of the two steeps immediately would be great for him.
Harney says their teabags are for 8 ounces and sachets are for 12 ounces. The sachet was absolutely full to bursting after steeping! You would have thought I had made an oolong tea.
I decided to tear open the sachets and leave it loose in the tin so that I can overleaf mine just a bit, though he says he will use his usual three teaspoons in the mornings. In the process, I decided to also weigh these on my Upton scale.
Most of the bags were spot on 3.0 grams. A few were a little over, and one was a mere 2.65! The bags along registered at .2 if I remember correctly. The tin is labeled as being 40 grams of tea and was 8.99, but we actually got slightly more tea than that.
It was a decent tea and we will happily drink it. When I buy more strawberry tea it will probably be one of Lupicia’s many. Our favorite ever strawberry tea was discontinued long again – Anna’s Blend by TeaGeschwendner (or Teegeschwendner, depending on what country you are in). How I would love for that lne to make a comeback. It was very similar to Marco Polo by Mariage Freres, but with a tang of yogurt and not at all finicky as MP could be.
Edited to add: I went back and drank the final cup of the resteep after it had cooled and it seemed stronger. I think this will suit us both pretty well.
Cold steep. I used two teabags for a 16-ounce mason jar.
This is actually quite nice. It’s definitely tart, though oddly doesn’t taste like hibiscus. Obviously it does have hibiscus, which I’m sure is contributing, but the tartness is more like rhubarb sour candy. I added a teaspoon of sugar and it definitely tastes more balanced that way. I could do without the slight cloying, musty sweetness of the blackberry leaves, but thankfully it’s quite restrained.
Otherwise I would definitely consider buying this one for cold steeping, as it’s quite unique in flavor and I love rhubarb (and sour candy!).
Flavors: Artificial, Candy, Musty, Rhubarb, Sour, Sweet, Tangy
Preparation
It sounds delicious! Is it your usual practice to prep cold infusions in mason jars? I am envisioning a refrigerator shelf filled with rows of colorful cold steeps awaiting your sip!
I use 1L mason jars (the type with the “snap” style tops) for all my coldbrew. Works great!
No, I usually use a Hario cold brew bottle! But I wanted to try these in smaller quantities so mason jar it is.
Dry, this smells like full-on banana Runts.
Hmm… This is an odd one. I definitely taste banana, and it is decidedly Runt-y. But then there’s chamomile? Which makes for a strange combination with the very artificial and almost medicinal banana flavor. There’s a hint of cinnamon, and bubblegum for some reason. Overall it tastes quite muddled, and the mixed base isn’t helping things.
Very strange, definitely going into the rehoming box.
Flavors: Artificial, Banana, Bubblegum, Candy, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Dry Grass, Medicinal, Muddled, Murky, Pollen
Preparation
Gongfu!
I enjoyed this goisicha paired with some tomatillos! Usually I just add them to salsa or pico de gallo, but all week I’ve been enjoying snacking on these tomatillos on their own and wondering if I could find a tea pairing that would work with their intensely tart, tangy, and almost green apple-like taste. Then it struck me that this twice fermented Japanese tea might just be bold and funky enough to work!! Honestly? It’s a strange pairing, but not a bad one.
The tomatillo is a bit more strongly flavoured than the tea, so I had to stick with small ceviche-like slices of it. But they definitely both share a tangy, fruity quality that plays off each other in different and interesting ways. Contrasted against the sharp, bright acidity of the tomatillo, the tea almost becomes fruitier in a darker, sweeter way with more emphasis on notes of tamarind or apricots. The tomatillo, in turn, almost has a saltiness that comes to the forefront and sour notes of fresh lime. Both share unifying apple-like notes, though more cider-like and hoppy in the tea and crisp like a Granny Smith in the tomatillos. It’s very funky in quite a fun way, but also strangely really left me craving a good margarita!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM5dCaCxTxG/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvOj5Q0V0C4&ab_channel=DavidDeanBurkhart
Had a single serving of this from redeeming a card on Adagio’s website.
To me, this is not a chai. I suppose technically it has added spices, but I can’t taste anything but the Red Hots cinnamon flavoring. It’s a slightly milder version of Hot Cinnamon Spice, with an oolong base, though I don’t taste much of the base anyway.
Flavors: Artificial, Candy, Cinnamon, Sweet, Thin
Preparation
So I did something cursed with this matcha.
A few years back, there was a very internet-based food trend of people adding milk to their pepsi. This was called “pilk.” Well, a few weeks ago I saw that Pepsi’s official social media had posted them making a “pilkcha” – aka a Pepsi Matcha Latte. I laughed and admired how clever their social media team was for building off this previous shock value trend with matcha (which is very trendy atm), and then moved on.
Well, I tried to move on. I couldn’t get the pilkcha out of my head. So, yesterday afternoon I decided that I would try it. Y’know, for the laughs. It would be a funny way to cap off the week of matchas post I was working on. So I put the pepsi in a glass, whisked up some matcha in some protein milk, and got ready to film what would surely be a gross but entertaining little video.
Chaos. Abundant chaos.
I don’t know what caused the reaction that happened, but the moment my matcha hit the Pepsi it started to fizzle up like a coke and mentos volcano. Definitely made quite the mess. So, no fun aesthetic photo of my abomination, but I did get a short video of it flooding over the cup. So that’s something.
After cleaning everything up, I did of course try it. Well, a few sips. It tasted fine. Kind of like a float made with vanilla ice cream and cola, but not nearly as sweet/rich. The texture was awful though. Very, very thick and chunky. So I didn’t exactly finish my Pilkcha. It was an experience, though…
Tea Video: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (Scroll to the end)
I read years ago that it was a regional favorite somewhere in the midwest to add milk to Pepsi. I love floats, and I thought it might be similar. It took me until just a few days ago to try it but all I had on hand was a Mexican Coke. I wasn’t sure how much milk to add so just put a small sploosh. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as melted ice cream which is obviously much sweeter than plain milk. I won’t be doing it again. Ha ha! But floats? Bring it on!
I’m not really a huge fan of this matcha. It tastes way too buttery to me, like the cheap buttercream of grocery store birthday cakes. But I have a full tin of it, so I’m trying to slowly make my way through it and trick myself into enjoying it more than I do. Well, trick isn’t the right word. Willfully force myself into it!?
Anyway, I made it in a new mug that I really love and I honestly think that just swapping out the teaware into something that made me excited did make a marginal difference in my perfection of this mug. Like, it was fine.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (7th Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv_5cAqBDSg&ab_channel=Bobbing
Iced Latte!
I had a pretty even split of flavoured and unflavoured matchas this past week, but I realized later in the week that basically all of my flavourted choices had been rather decadent instead of fruity, which arguably is a little more summer-y!? So, I made this one up as an iced latte and only realized halfway through drinking it that it basically tasted like a melted banana milkshake which definitely falls more on the decadent side I was kind of trying to avoid versus the more bright and lively fruity matcha flavours. Oops. I guess I was just in a specific sort of mood this week…
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (6th Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm-AJJmFwqg&ab_channel=Madelline-Topic
Steeped this one overnight.
This has a much stronger added flavor than the peach version. The crisp nashi is on point, but very powerful. I do taste a touch of honey as well, thankfully it doesn’t taste like other honey-flavored teas I’ve tried (and not enjoyed). There is an underlying green tea and oolong flavor, it’s quite mild but honestly I don’t mind that for an iced tea. And again, I don’t taste the added sugar at all. So odd, I guess it must be making some difference, or why would they add it?
Anyway, very refreshing and enjoyable! Doesn’t need sweetener at all. I do think they could tone it down just a touch with the flavoring, but still tasty as-is. I saw a recommendation for steeping this in sparkling water too, and that could be fun!
Flavors: Clean, Crisp, Honey, Light, Pear, Sweet
Preparation
Latte!
This was the only hot matcha latte I made this week. I had it one a day where I’d slept in a bit and breakfast was really more of a brunch, so it just ended up fitting better into my day to have it following that first meal. I paired it with some maple candies as a sweet treat, and sipped on the syrupy, smooth flavour while reading some manga.
I’ve been trying to catch up on Dandadan (since the second season is airing), and I’m pretty close! I think I have three more issues to go, and then I’ll be at the point where I’m reading as they come out.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (5th Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwVRXvweQQk&ab_channel=PeteyUSA
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.
One of the many matchas I incorporated into my morning routine this past week. It had the deepest green colour of everything I drank, and I remember thinking while sipping on it how fitting “emerald” was for the name. Taste wise, it’s not as nuanced as some of the other straight matchas that I had but the tasting notes that are present are ones I really, really enjoy. In particular it’s VERY creamy with a rather milky profile that comes off as smooth a velvety. Nice and naturally sweet, as well.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (4th Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOt4kyZmuqI&ab_channel=KoteriVEVO
Iced Latte Sipdown (2990)!
Did it feel weird to pull out the last bit of my eggnog flavoured matcha during what is, essentially, my summer vacation!? Yes, for sure. It has been so hot this past week. However, I got a bunch of Portuguese egg tarts in my grocery delivery box and I just knew this would pair great with them.
It absolutely did, too! Super rich and custard-y tasting with a vanilla creaminess and then subtle notes of spices like nutmeg that broke up some of the decadence while marrying with the buttery, flaky pie crust notes. It was an indulgent breakfast, but such a damn good one! Pretty perfect way to finally finish off this matcha.
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (3rd Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZPjsghAAlE&ab_channel=Maz-Topic
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.
Of the eight different matchas I had this past week, this was the most mellow and delicate tasting with smooth, silky floral notes alongside a dewy, light and fresh green finish. Virtually no bitterness or astringency. Very, very easy going and light feeling! Also, such an absolutely intensely vibrant and beautiful microfoam when all whisked up. Definitely a favourite in my stash.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (2nd Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEJ_9veuPXI&ab_channel=jbrekkieVEVO
I’ve been on vacation for about a week and a half now, and one of the things I ended up doing a few days in was beginning my morning each day with a different matcha. It ended up becoming a really nice little routine.
I drank this plain and hot because I can’t quite bring myself to take matcha this pricey and make it into a latte. This was a particularly nutty tasting bowl of matcha with some upfront umami savory notes before finishing with a more buttery note of toasted macadamia nuts. So smooth, and just a gorgeous colour too.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3XbFkSH1h/?img_index=1 (First Pic)
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp4MfzobwWw&ab_channel=SauceOnly
The two friends I visited this past week are also huge T&T shoppers, and we often compare and share different purchases with each other. This time around, they gave me some “instant tea” packets they’d bought during their last trip. One was a Thai Iced Tea mix that I’ve yet to try, and the other was these instant Royal Milk Tea stick packs imported from I believe Japan…
They’re honestly HUGE looking. Like, easily three times the size of most of the stick pack products I own (tea or otherwise). So I kind of didn’t believe him when my friend said he found them very weak tasting and recommended I used two for a drink. Well, I shook up one of the packs into a bottle of water yesterday. Visually, it looked like milk tea with that distinct creamy brown colour. Not watery or thin in appearance. Well, taste wise, it was in fact shockingly light given just how much powder had gone into the beverage. Creamy in taste but not in mouthfeel, with a subtle malty and raisin-y sort of flavour.
I probably should have trusted my friend and doubled up the dosing, because it was very, very mid tasting. Just lacking richness, really. But now I know for next time!
One of the teas I brought back from Germany!
I’ve been waiting to try this tea because I wanted to share it with my friend and her partner since they are probably the biggest consumers of milk oolong that I know. They both really enjoy it (flavoured and unflavoured), but he is especially into it and has an ongoing ranking list of the best/worst milk oolong he’s tried.
So, we made a few cups to sip on while catching up and I think we all actually felt kind of the same about it. Very smooth, a little buttery and particularly floral with undertones of sweet pea blossoms, lilacs, and pandan. We thought it was good, but not the best we’ve tried either. Ended up pretty solidly in the middle of the ranking, which I think is pretty fair all things considered.
I spent Friday afternoon hanging out with a friend, her partner, and their ridiculously adorable two month old. I always bring tea whenever I visit since they’re both tea drinkers, but this time around I was a bit more strategic with what I brought since they’ve been really trying to control their caffeine intake a lot more. Understandable.
This is by far one of my favourite teas I’ve discovered this year, and caffeine free because it’s a tisane – so I was excited to bring it for them to try. Thankfully, they also adored it. I knew for sure that her partner would because he’s a huge fan of marzipan and this tea does taste SO MUCH like sweet, nutty marzipan.
We drank it after lunch, and it was just a very perfect digestif.
I’m not feeling sick, but last night I made a very large mug of this tea because I’d basically spent the day snacking on sweet things and was feeling a little sugar overloaded. So, I thought the intense, crisp peppermint and eucalyptus was serve as a sort of “reset” from all that sweetness while also being really soothing and comforting. And it was! I drank this while watching some anime, and it was just cozy. The steam coming off the mug was particularly wonderful, and just inhaling that while I watched my show was phenomenal.
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.
Gongfu Sipdown (2991)!
This is one of those rock oolongs where you can really taste the fire on the leaves right from the first steep. It’s notably astringent, but in a welcome way where that touch of texture adds complexity to each sip. Really roasty, mineral rich notes of charcoal and leather tempered by the warming spice and woodier cinnamon notes it’s named after. Definitely deepens over time with the lush, dense sweetness of orchids, osmanthus, and plums pushing up from the undertones into the mid-sip to dance alongside the spice, grilled peanuts, and barley. At times, there’s a bit of a herbaceous finish that teases cannabis, as if smelling someone smoke a joint from across the street. Even though I drank it very early this morning, the energy this tea carried is that of a laaaatteeee summer evening spent walking the streets after a really lively BBQ or bonfire and a few drinks. Warm and glowy, where you know in the moment that you’re going to look back fondly on this moment in a few years’ time.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM1AITOSwdg/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DERhmibDUFs&ab_channel=RUDECATVEVO
Dang this is another winner for sure! Super unique for a high mountain oolong. Very floral but in a way that is different to any tea I’ve had. I’m so bad with flower smells, but seems like gardenia maybe? Just a (uneducated) guess.
No bitterness, astringency, sweetness. Very smooth. Velvety smell with thick mouthfeel. Good longevity at 7-8+ infusions.
Harvest: May 16, 2025
Cultivar: Qingxin
Location: Tsui Feng, Lishan
Elevation: 1900 m
Flavors: Butter, Cream, Floral, Smooth
Part of a Taylors of Harrogate sampler I bought, mostly out of interest in the fruit infusions.
This is a bit odd. The idea of mango and cardamom sounds good, but somehow this ends up tasting oddly herbaceous and savory, like mango and sage? Not sure what is combining to make that flavor, but I’m not a fan ha ha. Will definitely put the rest of these in the rehoming box.
Flavors: Dry Grass, Fruity, Herbaceous, Mango, Sage, Savory
Preparation
Impulse purchase! So for some reason I was on Amazon, looking at Taylors of Harrogate fruit infusions (I don’t recall why), and saw that Osulloc was having a sale. So I ended up grabbing one of their teabag samplers, and also a set of these cold brew sachets, because why not?
The package claims you only need to steep this for 2-3 minutes, but I’m calling bullshit. I found I had to steep it for a few hours to get any real flavor out of it. Which honestly is fine for me, I’m not a person who needs an “on-the-go” iced tea solution.
Anyway, it’s pleasant. The peach flavor is nice, not too strong or artificial. I do find the actual tea taste to be lacking a bit, it tastes more like a tea flavored water than actual tea. I was a bit nervous when I saw sugar in the ingredients, but the sweetness isn’t really noticeable either.
Nice and refreshing, if a bit light. I think I’ll try steeping it overnight, which is what I normally do for cold brew. Might be worth trying a hot steep as well. Excited to try the honey pear and muscat flavors!
Flavors: Honey, Light, Peach, Stonefruit, Sweet, Watery
What kind of mad tea science is going on in this house when I’m not looking? Are we doing Tea Math now? Is this the new Girl Math?
@AliasHali, Tea math is fun for boys and girls! :-)
AliasHali: Ever since a puerh discrepancy, some of us have been getting our jollies measuring tea. And you KNOW we do weird stuff in this house. Also, I wanted to know just HOW economical (or not) this tin of sachets is compared to the Lupicia Strawberry teas we buy.