17349 Tasting Notes
A very interesting tea that my coworker brought back from Japan for me to try!
It seems like some, if not all, of the ingredients in this tea are upcycled. The yuzu seeds, for example. I was super curious about this one because I have no concept for what yuzu seeds should taste like – and new ingredients/flavours are always appealing. They looked cool! Because they were rather large and round (and also hollow?) they reminded me a bit of popped lotus seeds, and it was neat seeing them mixed in with the more twiggy hojicha base.
The hojicha was a bit of a lighter roast with more of a mineral profile that had some brassiness to it, a little bit of a woody or bark-like character, and a lot of nuttiness that read as quite golden. So, so smooth. Taste wise, I really didn’t feel like there was anything citrusy to the profile but that wasn’t really a surprise. Seeds and leaves rarely totally mirror the taste of the fruits they’re from. Hard to 100% say it was from the seeds, but there was an almost sunflower seed/oil kind of note that I think was stemming more from the seeds than the green tea.
Overall I thought this was really nice, though! Quite clean, balanced, and a really nice medium level intensity that felt well suited for a bunch of different times of day or moods.
Cold Brew Sipdown (2938)!
Another sipdown that is a little bit sad because I do really adore this blend. I find the root beer flavour really, really crystal clear with a surprisingly crisp and clean sweet finish. Though I can still distinctly tasting the mineral and woodier notes of the rooibos or the lick of sweetness in the back of my throat from the licorice root, there’s still something quite refreshingly balanced about the taste while note ignoring the distinct characteristics of the ingredients that make up that sum.
That said, I own a lot of root beer teas so it feels a little silly to not finish a few of them off. I mean, how many root beer blends does one person reasonably need. It’s certainly less than like five to eight, right? Right!?
A bit thinner in mouthfeel than something like a hojicha, but ultimately that exact same sort of vibe of liquid warmth, comfort and toastiness with distinct notes of roasted grains or nuts like barley, chestnut or buckwheat. Maybe especially the buckwheat.
I think it’s largely because I’ve gotten to hear Mark and Denise speak so much about what Manoomin means to them and the way it’s harvested and hand roasted and that has only deepened my appreciation, but I just find this ingredient so beautiful and I wish more people were familiar with it because it makes such a comforting cup of tea just entrenched in so much history, culture, and love.
Sipdown (2939)!
Definitely one of the more unique blends I’ve had from 52Teas, so it’s something that I’ve been hesitant to finish off since I for sure have a penchant for hoarding things that feel special. Trying to be better about drinking those teas down, though…
Between the warming and aromatic notes of cinnamon and other festive spices, the citrusy finish of the lemongrass, and that deeper and slightly jammy stonefruit note this final mug was really making me think of the “spiced plum” sort of candles or body soaps you mind from shops like The Body Shop, Lush, or Bath & Body Works around the holidays. Not in a bad way, though. Sometimes when people make that comparison it’s because it’s SO intense and perfumy/artificial, but in this case I more mean it as something very nostalgic with that iconic almost “hallmark” feel about it.
I just said in another tasting note that I’ve been doing doing some initial work on winter tea development, so it was actually really nice to revisit this blend and kind of lean into that mindset.
Iced Tea Sipdown (2940)!
Continuing my weird and unexpected green tea kick, I used that momentum to finish of this somewhat older sampler. It’s not my favourite blend because I found the green tea pretty lawn clipping-y tasting, and I wish the passionfruit was stronger either in sweetness or maybe acidity. However, I found a pretty nice way to finish it off by making it iced and adding in a splash of lemonade. I found the lemonade balanced out the green tea a bit more without masking the banana notes of the blend, and added that little bit of brightness I felt was missing.
Cold Brew Sipdown (2941)!
This is a 52Teas blend I wouldn’t mind seeing come back in the future. Not only does it kind of fit with every season thanks to the unique cranberry and lemon combination, but that cranberry is especially crisp, clean and bright tasting with such a pleasant citrusy finish and a fresh note of green tea.
I have vert weirdly and uncharacteristically been in a green tea mood the last few weeks and this was one of those blends that just called out to me on so many different levels. I was sad to see it go.
Iced Latte!
It feels like almost the exact opposite time of year to be drinking a gingerbread matcha latte right now, but here’s a little peak behind the curtain for my work life: I’m actually doing the development on a future winter/holiday collection right now despite the fact it’s getting to be peak summer weather. Always working ahead, and constantly in a strange push/pull of seasonal mindsets…
Anyway, this is one of two mini tins of this matcha that I’ve now polished off. It does capture that gingerbread flavour really well with those molasses-y undertones alongside distinct notes of ginger, clove, allspice, and cinnamon. I made the iced latte with oat milk, and it added such a nice thickness and almost a kind of biscuit or pudding-like undertone to the profile as well. I wish it was more matcha forward, but fine overall.
Good for helping me channel that wintery mindset I needed this afternoon.
Had this the other day and, though I believe it is intended to be yuzu flavoured, I kept thinking how much the very bright and almost slightly sour citrus notes reminded me of lime or even calamansi. It was very fresh though, balanced by a slightly floral leaning and malty brisk black tea base. Medium to full bodied. It felt like the kind of tea I would only grow to appreciate more over time.
Iced!
I had this earlier in the week over ice along with the freshly squeezed juice of about half a lime, and the resulting drink was so incredibly thirst quenching. With the sweet, cooling feeling of the nana mint in the blend that lime addition just pushed this into tasting so much like a mojito that I kind of felt like I was relaxing on the terrace on a crisp, summery afternoon and not plugging away at an excel sheet at my desk. Cannot recommend trying this enough – it’s a simple recipe and a very fun way to elevate this blend.
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!
Made this over the weekend and it was slurped down so quickly. Very juicy, tart and bright with the kind of intense red cherry flavour that makes me think of Sour Cherry Blaster candies, but less artificial and sweet and the type of acidity hurts your tongue less overtime than eating a handful of the gummies would. A touch apple-y in the finish from the ACV powder, but in that fresh and bright feeling kind of way.
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.
Heh, I guess I’m not too surprised that you mention a woody bark-like character for the hojicha. You are generally professional and charitable in your notes. Earlier today I was reading Harney’s description of their own hojicha product, and was amused by their somewhat less charitable reference to it as “roasted twigs”! I guess their elaborate explanation was educational, at least. And who’s to say that roasted twigs are less than wonderful? After all, the same could be said of rooibos, which appeals to many, and is graded according to the amount of stems in it (according to Wikipedia.). Anyhow, the coincidental references to woodiness amused me. Thanks for making me smile!