I am a huge fan of matcha. I drink a matcha latte every morning. I take two-three matcha-spoonfulls (.5tsp each) and mix it with a little over a half cup of hot water, using a matcha bamboo whisk. Then I add it to a glass of hot milk and add a tbsp of agave to sweeten it up. Mega yum! Matcha gives me a great energy boost and it also has a lot of health benefits which makes me happy.
Back in the fall I was a huge fan of DAVIDsTEA’s Pumpkin Pie Matcha. It was so good! So, when I saw their new Maple Matcha I knew I had to try it. I was a little put off by the fact that is says “low caffeine”, because matcha is not a low-caffeine beverage. I am going to assume that there must be a lot of sugar and flavor in order for the matcha to be diluted enough to be considered low-caffeine. Nonetheless, I gave it a go, preparing my usual way as I stated above.
The matcha didnt smell very maple-y, to me. Honestly, I couldn’t really detect maple in the scent. Once I turned it into a latte, I started to be able to taste maple. I would liken this to matcha pancakes covered in maple syrup. For me, this is a good thing, but I know some people aren’t into things being overly sweet. This certainly does not need sweetener. The matcha part isn’t very strong so I really can tell it is diluted, which confirmed my earlier suspicions. This would be great for someone who is just starting to get accustomed to matcha and is experimenting with flavors as it isn’t very strong.
In conclusion, if you like sweet matcha lattes that have been lightly touched with maple syrup, you will enjoy this treat! As for me, I will finish my 2oz tin but most likely will not repurchase. I am glad I tried it, though!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Description
We gave this all-natural matcha the Canadian treatment with a sweet drizzle of maple.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Love Tea #7: The Fifty Shades of Grey of Teas from DAVIDsTea. . . . .
Dear David’s Tea,
What happened to Love Teas 1-6? Did you kill them, David? If so, how? If not, where are they? Are they okay? Can I check in on them?
But, David, between you and me, I’m glad they’re out of the picture.
Because this #7 is a delight. It’s like Valentine’s Day in a tea. Chocolate. Strawberries. Roses. You hit all the high points, plus it genuinely tastes good.
Did you see this in my wish list, David, and magic it into my Sororitea Sisters care package? Are you stalking me in addition to murdering your previous teas?
I’m cool with it, David. If you keep making luscious, rich teas like this that are totally not a ‘zert (but secretly are), I will forgive you. For the stalking. And the murder. I know you will deny both. But shhhhh. We live in the era of 50 Shades of Grey. Vaguely terrifying men like you, David, are very fashionable at the moment.
Oh, and David? Would it be weird if I asked you to tell my husband I want a tin of this ?
That’s definitely weird. Forget I asked.
Love, Super Starling!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
A romantic blend of black tea, chocolate, strawberries and rose petals.
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Cardamom French Toast Tea-Infused Milk Chocolate Bar from DAVIDs Tea. . . .
I believe it was about a year ago that DAVIDsTEA introduced tea-infused chocolate to their store selection. Since then I have tried a few different varieties but have found them to be rather hit or miss. Plus, with the hefty price tag they boast of about $6 per chocolate bar, I find they are often not worth what I am paying.
The thing is in order to make their bars unique and different from the countless chocolate offerings in their world, DAVIDsTEA has put the actual loose leaf tea into the chocolate. This sometimes works as it not only provides flavor but also gives the chocolate a fun crunch. And sometimes it doesn’t work because the pieces of tea are a little too big and a little too hard and leave me a little fearful that the crunch will be more of a crack.
Well, the other day I was out for dinner with my sister and came across a DAVIDsTEA I had never been in before. Since there were some newly released teas I decided to go in and grab a few samples. While there I realized they still had quite a bit of their holiday offerings on sale, including their mini chocolate bars. At $2 a piece, I figured the price was right and grabbed a couple to try – this and the Blueberry Muffin tea-infused white chocolate bar. The Blueberry Muffin tea was one of those teeth-cracking bars that mostly tasted of white chocolate. This bar is significantly better.
The milk chocolate is rich and creamy which highlights the silky custard-like texture you get with good french toast. The tea imparts a great deal of that eggy flavor that is standard in the breakfast classic and one of the components I enjoyed the most when it came to this tea blend. There is also a nice dash of cinnamon to really round things out and help conjure up the illusion of the delectable breakfast treat that inspires the tea and this chocolate. I will say the chocolate drowns out the cardamom that was so prominent in the actual tea. Personally, I don’t mind this since I am not a lover of cardamom but I feel it is worth mentioning for those who might be bothered by its lacking.
All in all, this is one of the better DAVIDsTEA chocolate bars I have tried. Unlike other bars, the tea is distinctive in flavor while not being too present in the texture. In the past, some of the bars have simply tasted like other chocolates you could find in stores for much cheaper than they were being sold at DAVIDs. This bar is unique and definitely worth the price tag as it highlights the best parts of the tea that inspires it.
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
This candy bar is not available online but may be available in stores.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Berry Romantic from DAVIDs Tea. . . . .
They say to never judge a book by its cover. I know this– really, I do. But you guys. This tea is SO PRETTY. It might’ve tasted like swamp muck and I would’ve been too distracted by the big, beautiful flower buds and petals, strawberry pieces, and fairy-like flowery-somethings filling up my cup to actually notice.
Luckily, that’s not the case.
This tea delivers just as much on the palate as it does on the eyes, with creamy strawberry notes atop delicate, floral oolong leaves. With a little honey, it’s perfectly sweet– but even without, it’s a beautiful mix of creamy, fruity and just a touch floral. On a second steep, I lost a bit of the berry, with mostly that creamy floral oolong remaining, but I’m not complaining.
This tea is the perfect cup to sip in these late-winter-early-spring-but-not-quite-oh-here’s-some-more-snow-for-you days that us northerners are still plodding through. A book I’ll happily claim to live up to its cover!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
A romantic strawberries-and-cream tea, strewn with pretty flower petals.
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The 2017 Valentine’s Day Collection from DAVIDs Tea. . . .
Valentine’s Day, the Hallmark holiday. A wonderful time to celebrate those you love with flowers and cards and chocolates and gifts. Red and pink hearts abound. All the while, intelligent companies bank on this commercial goldmine, like Lindt which sells the same Milk Chocolate Lindor Balls you can get year-round but in a heart-shaped box and with an inflated price tag. DAVIDsTEA is no stranger to the Valentine’s Day game and lucky for us that means new Valentine’-inspired teas to try. That and cute heart-shaped tea tins for those hoping to impress their tea-loving sweethearts.
The Earl’s Valentine is a returning Valentine’s Day blend that was sold last year to a great deal of popularity. It is branded as a black early grey based tea, but there are more chocolate curls and rosebuds in the dry mix than actual tea leaf. It is made with roasted carob, black tea, chocolate pieces, rose buds, cornflower petals, natural and artificial bergamot, chocolate and cocoa flavouring. It brews up a caramel brown color and looks rather oily on top, probably due to the chocolate pieces. Thankfully the slickness of that oil goes unnoticed unless you are focusing on it. As for the flavor, the earl grey base, though it appears minimal compared to the other ingredients in the dry leaf, is quite present. The bottom of the sip is brisk and citrusy while the silky milk chocolate floats on top. Sandwiched in between is the rose which acts as a nice segue between the other flavors that might seem out of sync without its presence. Sweet yet floral, this blend delivers on what it promises and should be enjoyable if you enjoy bergamot and can look past the sheen on the top of your mug.
Berry Romantic, one of the new blends introduced this year, is a strawberries-and-cream tea made with apple, oolong tea, cane sugar, blackberry leaf, gomphrena petals, jasmine buds, strawberries, rose buds, natural strawberry flavouring and artificial cream flavouring. The dry leaf looks quite lovely and smells like a bouquet of flowers. The blend steeps up almost golden and has an unexpectedly thick mouthfeel that compliments the “cream” flavor. Unfortunately, the berry doesn’t remind me of the fruit so much as a generic berry flavoring. Also, I do pick up on the apple more than I would like, though I suppose that would make sense since it is the first ingredient. On the plus side though, despite the various floral ingredients, it is not a particularly floral-tasting tea and the blackberry leaf and cane sugar do not make this overly sweet. It is better than expected but still more synthetic and processed tasting than I normally like.
White Chocolate Rose, the other new blend for 2017’s Valentine’s Day, is probably the one I was most excited about. I don’t usually love floral teas so the rose should be more off putting to me but something about the simplicity of this blend just called to me. Black tea, white chocolate , rose buds, and natural and artificial flavouring make up this offering – no added sweeteners which DAVIDs has become so found of and no mile-long list of ingredients. The dry leaf is beautiful with its large pink rosebuds and its bright white chocolate pieces amidst the black tea base. Brewed up it is very similar in appearance to The Earl’s Valentine, caramel brown and with a slickness on top which, again like The Earl’s Valentine, is inoffensive in regards to the texture. Scent-wise this is all rose and that translates into the flavor as well. I saw white chocolate so I know it is in here but I just can’t find where. Nevertheless, I think this is my favorite of the three as it is the most natural in the mix. It is also the prettiest/most romantic looking blend, though all would make for an aesthetically pleasing present.
If your Valentine like chocolate teas or floral blends, these might be worth taking a look at. If not, I would recommend going with teaware instead…or flowers or chocolate or jewelry or any other classic Valentine’s Day present.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Various
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
truly, madly, steeply
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!