17258 Tasting Notes
Pulled this one out because I was craving a more smooth, buttery coconut tea but also wanted what ever I made to not feel too thin or light. So the dense, heavier body and slight earthiness of the pu’erh with the stronger notes of cinnamon, anise, and allspice here were the exact right addition to really lean into those kind of crepe-like cookie and coconut flavours while still having a substantial feeling cuppa.
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!
I had such a strong lychee craving the other day so I pulled this blend out because I knew that (even though it’s older) it would majorly deliver on the intense, punchy and sweet lychee flavour I was seeking. It’s very strongly flavoured but also that just makes it even juicier and more mouth-watering. Perfectly fit what I was looking for.
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.
More early morning mate! Even though I think Guayaki’s Classic Gold is my current favourite in my rotation, this is a fairly close second. One thing that’s very clear is that I definitely have a preference for Mateina’s sparkling flavours. This one is just so much fresher and more juicy tasting than their other options, and doesn’t have the metallic/brassy note that kind of erks me.
As I mentioned relatively recently, I’ve been drinking a lot of yerba mate based RTDs as part of my morning commute the last few weeks. This is one that I really loved the last time I had it, so I made sure to buy a few more last time I was at the grocery store. It’s such a refreshingly different flavour with a very strong balance of the smokier, grassy taste of the mate itself and a sweet, bright and almost cola gummy candy type of flavour. Lighter and less intense than a regular coke, though.
A wee bit of tartness to the top notes, but mostly a very sweet and candy or soda-like strawberry flavour. In fact, I recently bought a case of Strawberry Fanta and the juicy flavour of this blend was pretty spot on for that style of strawberry. Almost grenadine like, in a way. It did a great job of introducing a little brightness with an air of indulgence for a mid afternoon cuppa!
Gongfu!
Enjoyed this session with a few blackberries snacked on in between the steeps. Though not quite as intense and full-bodied as expected, this was still a rich session with a smooth and more forest-y leaning flavour. Woody with that brothy and more umami sort of undertone that I see so commonly described as mushroom-like. Also just a bit creamy, but more in the sense of cooking cream and less a sweet, custardy creaminess. Probably because it is woodier in profile with some pine-y element, but I did taste rosemary and juniper at different points. The finish and aftertaste of infusions are where this tea is at its sweetest. Many years ago, a coworker gifted me a bunch of ouzo flavoured hard candies because she knew how much I enjoy the taste of black licorice, and the notes I’m picking up here are reminding me heavily of them: very anise and even absinthe-like.
I wanted to try this tea because of BLT’s description of it as more herbal and licorice-like (spot on!), and I feel like it really didn’t register to me that this was a twenty-four year old tea until halfway through this morning’s session. That’s wild. If this tea was a person, it would have hit all the big milestones: getting its license, voting, legal drinking age. What an incredible treat and luxury it is to get to enjoy aged teas like this one!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJpgo0UStjb/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFRJCKVhwJs&ab_channel=OliverMalcolm-Topic
Sipped this in the evening while enjoying a little sun in the park! It’s probably a little late in the day for a matcha, but that’s not really stopping me from enjoying this super frothy throwback from a past DT summer collection. I’m usually picky when it comes to mint flavoured matchas, but this is one of my favourites. It’s sweet and cooling with a crisp spearmint-like flavour, just a hint of rum and a slight citrusy lime brightness. Good iced or with sparkling water, but I actually most like it as usucha like I’m drinking right now. Complex for a flavoured matcha, but ultimately, it is really well balanced!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsNM5TSyC1/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM3kubPX41c&ab_channel=DavidDeanBurkhart
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!
It’s the incredibly thick but smooth mouthfeel that really catches my attention with this one, and that’s saying something because I’m usually a flavour first and foremost kind of tea drinker. Not in terms of taste, but this viscous black tea liquor really does make me think of hot cocoa made from scratch on the stovetop. Velvety, warm goodness! The infusions are warm and cozy, though, but more a combination of malt, fresh-out-of-the-oven brioche breads, and a softer oaky woodiness. Very rosey and floral in the finish with the lingering sweetness of something like a parma violet hardcandy. Loving the complexity balanced with this snuggly feeling!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJunPrByaFv/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbVKF5yjTSM&ab_channel=CaravanPalace-Topic
Gongfu!
Enjoying this tea with some muscat grapes this morning and rereading some earlier volumes of Dandadan while I impatiently wait for the second season of the anime!! This is a really, really cozy and warming black tea with such a bold body and pleasantly light bite of astringency at the top of the sip. Very strong spice notes led by cinnamon and allspice, which lean in perfectly to the more starchy and grain-like mid sip notes of baked yams, baker’s chocolate, mugicha, and freshly baked rolls. The undertones are a bit fruity in a more dense, darkly sweet, or “brown tasting” way – think raisins or dates.
It’s absolutely pouring today with some seriously intense thunder, so this is tea so reminiscent of fresh raisin bread or hot cross buns straight out of the oven is absolutely the perfect tea to hunker down with while staying snuggly inside with something good to read!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJwkpFstcrr/?img_index=1
And it really never stops being both challenging and hilarious to explain the plot of this manga/anime to other people, as evidenced by the last few slides here…
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVIWIbUG9Qw&ab_channel=B%C3%98RNS
Iced Latte!
All weekend I had such a strong craving for this tea specifically as an iced latte, and I was driving myself insane because I couldn’t find my bag of this tea no matter how many times I checked my black tea sample drawers. Then I remembered Monday morning as I was getting ready for work that this wasn’t in a bag but in a tin (which are stored elsewhere). Wow, I was kicking myself for that.
For the most part this was exactly what I was looking for out of my iced latte I’d been craving. Super, super creamy tasting with a silky sort of butteriness and vanilla flavour on top of the actual creaminess of the milk. Very nutty too, but more equal parts almond cream and pistachio cream rather than a straight pistachio flavour. Honestly, I appreciated the nutty flavour a lot but I could have used a little more pistachio and a little more overall sweetness too. Maybe I’m a little spoiled now by the Pistachio Matcha, which so perfectly nails that pistachio pudding mix flavour I love and find so nostalgic.
But at least I got my latte in the end!
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.
