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Sipdown (180)!

I made this one quite a while back like probably two weeks ago for everyone closing with me at DAVIDsTEA one night. I didn’t feel super guilty brewing this one up for everyone on shift because it IS a DAVIDsTEA blend; it just happened to be online exclusive this year. Still, it’s probably good for everyone working to have tried it/have familiarity with it…

I’ve gotta say, we all thouroughly enjoyed watching this one infuse in the gravity steepers we use; it went through such a beautiful array of green shades including a STUNNING emerald green before it landed on an almost black-like swampy olive hue. That it and of itself was its own show!

I really enjoyed the cup; I love the smooth, mellow strawberry notes in this blend a whole lot. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement with me as well with the small exception of Stirling who enjoyed the tea but did not believe me that it was a strawberry rooibos. He was CONVINCED it was some sort of sweet/dessert like green tea and that I was just messing with him.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Commute tea from this morning.

Mostly, it just tasted like it normally does but for some reason it had a very, very black pepper tasting finish and I could not, for the life of myself, put my finger on what was causing it. It was very distracting though, and I DO NOT think it worked well with the flavour profile.

Definitely something I’m going to be watching in future infusions.

#ProjectTeaWall

I’ve been dreading crossing this tea off the list, but I finally caved and tried it when I was experiencing a bit of an upset stomach on shift. I knew the ginger would likely help settle it a bit…

Yeah; not gonna sugar coat this one: I dumped it.

Man, I do not like ginger and this is just SO MUCH ginger. As it should be, mind you, given it’s name. I just couldn’t handle it. Nothing about this one was redeeming for me. That said, I was definitely intrigued by a certain element of it even if I didn’t enjoy it. What was that element? Well, I thought this was oddly and potently earthy. This is really specific and weird, but the earthiness I was tasting reminded me so strongly of the way I completely dirt covered potato smells. It was the strangest flavour sensation…

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMJ5mgEzSwM&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=422

Of course, this isn’t the version that was playing on the radio when I was drinking the tea. The actual version was the one that the radio was playing. I like this cover A LOT better though, and even if I didn’t like the tea I do think that weird earthy quality of it compliments the tone of this singers voice and the style of music.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

This review is for the Dark Chocolate Delight infused shortbread!

So, this might actually be my favourite infused shortbread yet; it’s just perfectly chocolately and sweet and works really well for dunking in tea. That said, while I think the dark chocolate component of the tea is 100% spot on I could not, for the life of me, taste the blueberry in this shortbread! That’s such a big part of what makes this tea unique, and it felt absent.

Still loved it; but this loses points in my books for not being totally accurate to the tea even if it’s yummy as all hell.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Iced Latte.

I was craving matcha, and chose this one to drink so I could share with a coworker who hadn’t tried this flavour yet. +1 for product knowledge, right?

I still don’t like this one – it’s got very weird undertones to it that remind me of coconut that’s gone “off”. I’m sure what I’m picking up is the coconut nectar that’s used in this as a sweetener. I don’t actually think it’s gone bad, mind you. I just don’t like it.

The flavour of the mint itself is good though, albeit a bit light for my tastes. I wish I could taste the “menthol” a bit more, if you know what I mean? RLT’s mint flavours of matcha always had that minty kick in the finish that felt like you’d just finished brushing your teeth, a bit.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

#ProjectTeaWall

Obviously, obviously, obviously I’ve had English Breakfast before. It was just a matter of having this English Breakfast. I chose to drink it with milk/honey because that’s how so many people drink it and I wanted to get a good feel for how this one would taste the way more of our customers seem to prepare it.

I mean, not a lot to say. It was English Breakfast!? Strong, brisk, bold and takes milk and sweetener really well. Personally, I still prefer Irish Breakfast but this is a solid choice too. Now I only have one more “Breakfast” blend to check off for project tea wall; “David’s Breakfast” – the DT specialty one. I guess I’ll soon see how that one stacks up…

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Sipdown (181)!

I love, love, love the packaging for this one. It was pretty well enough on its own to make me want to try this one, despite the cheesy as all hell name.

Mint and lemon sounds like it should make for a really refreshing iced/cold brew; sort of lemonade-y I’d guess? So I cold brewed this one! I was really excited about it too.

It’s not bad, I guess. I definitely thought there would be more balance between the mint and the lemon notes but this is very much a ‘mint with lemon’ tisane and not ‘mint and lemon’ and there IS a big difference between those two things. I want to like it really badly, but it’s just strong and a little odd.

Also, if I’m being perfectly honest the intensity of the mint is giving me flashbacks of DAVIDsTEA’s Peppermint Amour and that time I found a maggot in the tea leaf. I still gag every time I have to open the tin of Peppermint Amour for a customer, by the way. Like, every damn time. While I was quickly able to shake the feeling of maggot tea whilst drinking this, the fact is brought up that unpleasant memory in the first place is just… ugh!

I think I’m content with just this one tasting, on this one. Again, it’s not the worst but I think I may just have more cons than pros this time around.

So this one is something that I normally wouldn’t drink really but it was a gift from a coworker at DAVIDsTEA who had tried it at a hotel on vacation and really like it, so she brought a whole bunch home with her for the staff to try.

And on the note of it being something I wouldn’t normally drink…

So my coworker, Leah, was aware of the fact I don’t generally drink bagged tea anymore and she was actually super nervous about sharing a bagged tea with me. It just made me feel really reflective/introspective and put some things in a bit of a new light for me. I don’t even want to be the kind of tea drinker or perceived as the kind of tea drinker that is “too good for something”. That kind of superiority is exactly why people are intimidated by loose leaf tea, and sometimes even the tea community as a whole. I know that my personal experience has always been a positive one, but I understand why people are sometimes scared to take those baby steps into some of the more ‘hardcore’ facets of tea.

The fact of the matter is, you can be surprised by any tea and taste is totally subjective! So, while I fall into this trap myself a lot, a bagged tea can be as good or better as a loose leaf one and it’s worth the occasional “step backwards” to give one a try. And bottom line, friend/coworker took the time to share something with me because it made them think of me, and I am appreciative of that. I don’t ever want someone to be scared to share a tea with me because I’m “too good for it”.

And you know what? When I drank this one on the bus ride to work today it was damn good. Very creamy and rich, with soft vanilla notes and delectable caramel goodness. I was reeled in from my first sip, and you damn well bet I got every last drop out of that travel mug.

So thank you, Leah!

Cold brew, and the final oolong from my oolong weekend.

I’n not really feeling this one tonight, which is odd because normally I really enjoy it. I’m wondering if maybe the reason it’s not vibing as well with me today is the weather? That seems like such a weird thing to be such a deciding factor in whether or not I’m going to enjoy a tea, but I’ve just become so accustomed to this being my rainy day/stormy weather tea that now that it’s just straight up snowing and cold it feels sort of like… c

Well, like cheating, I guess? To be drinking it, that is.

It’s also very floral tonight, and in a kind of fake-y way. So, probably going to dump out the bulk of the cold brew. It’s just not working for me tonight, and that’s ok. It’s just better to not waste my time with bad tea, is all.

Thank you very much for the sample Veck!

I’m saving the bulk of the sample you provided to Gong Fu, but I brought enough with me to work today for a Western mug as well because I really just wanted to try one of the things you sent me in the Slack Secret Santa exchange, and this one fit my oolong themed weekend.

My coworkers got a good laugh over the name of this one; I had to give them a short run down and explain the name’s origin/that it’s based off an actual place and not just a silly sounding pairing of words…

Tasting notes I scribbled on my cup today:

- Smooth. Really smooth.
- Light to medium bodied
- Delicate floral flavour that reminds me a bit of lilies?
- Soft grassy undertones
- Stronger/more prominent honey notes

This was just delectable overall, and a real treat! Thank you Veck!