Law school has meant no time and not much spare money. That means that not only have I not had a lot of time to write reviews but I haven’t really been buying tea. So, even if I wanted to write a review, a lot of my teas are so old that I don’t think my reviews would have been fair assessments of the teas. However, like so many of you, I am stuck at home riding out this coronavirus storm which means my schedule has just opened up. Plus, a wonderful friend of mine has shared plenty of teas with me and I have splurged a little so I also have new teas in my cupboard that I can review while they are still in their prime. One such new tea is a super cute blend from DAVIDsTEA called Unicorn Dream.
First of all, while some little girls (and boys) like princesses or mermaids, I was in the unicorn camp. Literally obsessed with unicorns. And while I am older now, I am still a unicorn fan. For my 25th birthday (a few years back now), I had a unicorn-themed sweet table complete with balloon trees. When my sister placed the order for the balloons, the party store thought she made a mistake and actually said it was for a birthday for a 2 and 5 year old, not a 25 year old. Basically, I am sharing this story to make it clear that I am 100% the target audience for this tea.
DAVIDsTEA doubles down on the unicorn fantasy with one of the prettiest blends I have seen in a while. This comes complete with gold sugar pearls, mini marshmallows, pink heart sprinkles, and pink and white unicorn sprinkles, all on top of a colorful fruity/herbal base. It has butterfly pea flowers in it too which means when it brews up, it is a lovely purple color. It really is quite awesome and would probably appeal to the kid in everyone on looks alone.
Looks aren’t everything when it comes to tea though and thankfully it delivers on flavor as well. It is meant to be cotton candy flavored tea. I like to cold brew it because in addition to a berry cotton candy flavor the comes through, it has a marshmallow fluffiness. This is honestly what I imagine a cloud would taste like in a world of unicorns. It is sweet and fruity and definitely candy-like. I might be a bit bias but I genuinely believe this is the perfect tea for any kid, whether they be a young child or a 28-year-old kid at heart like myself. It’s nostalgia in a cup and certainly a ray of sunshine in these crazy times!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Warning: This tea will add some magic to your day. Our caffeine-free fruit infusion is filled with smile-inducing ingredients – from blue butterfly pea, yellow everlasting flowers & pretty pink hibiscus blossoms to unicorn & heart-shaped sprinkles. The result is an enchanting & addictive herbal tea that’s tart and lightly citrusy, with dreamy notes of sweet cotton candy and creamy marshmallow.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait/Davids Tea. . .
My vegan friend gave this to me because it has traces of yogurt in it. SUCKER. IT’S MINE NOW.
I made this today and spent a chunk of the day wandering around the office showing people what a beautiful pink it was iced.
Three of us drank from the same mug, and thought the same thing: delicious. There’s a lot of hibiscus here, and a bit of strawberry, and some cream on the end notes. Yum. The sweet and the tart and the cream all balance each other out like a gymnast on a pommel horse.
I love this and I’m sad my friend drank most of it before going vegan.
If Canada were in the World Cup, this blend from America’s Hat would inspire me to root for them. Alas, they are not, so I will have to root for England instead. Tea people love England, right?
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
Love rhubarb and strawberries? Try this sweet and tart caffeine-free infusion. It blends all the bright and juicy flavour of fresh-picked berries with a tart rhubarb punch and a hint of yogurt creaminess. Refreshingly fruity, it steeps up a satisfying deep red and is equally amazing hot or iced. Now that’s a beautiful thing.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chai/Davids Tea. . . . .
Recently I was teaching my brother’s girlfriend how to bake. We might have gotten a little excited though because we ended up making 5 different types of cookies and some walnut fudge. As a result of the fudge, we were left with just a small amount of sweetened condensed milk hanging out in the fridge. Since I’m not quite sure what anyone would have done with it, I thought I’d experiment a bit and try using it in tea…particularly a chai tea and with the recent release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Chai is what immediately came to mind. I planned on using the 52 Teas version of Pumpkin Chai but since I haven’t had it before, I didn’t want to use majority of the packet I had (if not the whole packet) for something that might not turn out. So that’s why I landed on using this Pumpkin Chai tea by DAVIDsTEA instead, a tea that I have actually blogged about before on SororiTea Sisters.
When I looked up recipes for incorporating condensed milk into tea, none were really clear and a lot suggested using it in an iced tea. I decided to go with the iced tea plan and then sort of just winged it. I used 3 perfect teaspoons of leaf in 6 oz of water, steeped per company directions. I filled an 8 oz glass 2/3 of the way with ice. I then put a giant teaspoonful of sweetened condensed milk. When I poured the tea over it, the ice melted but the milk sort of just went to the bottom so I stirred the crap out of it, and since it didn’t quite fill the glass, I topped it with some whipped cream, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
So, since DAVIDsTEA Pumpkin Chai is caramelly, and condensed milk is sweet, and whipped cream is sweet, this was one sweet drink. Not cloying like one would expect but definitely not for those who don’t like sugar. As for me, I’m not bothered by it. The caramel is really boosted here, it’s like drinking liquid caramel actually, with a nice pop of the spices, especially the cinnamon and clove, at the end of the sip. It’s actually quite good but I can’t help but feel this would be even better as a hot tea. Something tells me that would bring out the spices more, creating a richer drink with more contrast between the tea and the condensed milk. Hot, and perhaps a more traditional Chai that doesn’t highlight a caramel sweetness.
So all in all, this experiment worked out quite well I’d say. And since I still have condensed milk left, I’ll probably continue experimenting and try to perfect a recipe.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Let’s face it, the best thing about fall is the return of pumpkin spiced lattes. And this rich black tea is the perfect way to kick off the season. It’s got all the warmth of cinnamon and cloves, plus the sweetness of caramel and pumpkin candy. For a true autumn treat, top it up with steamed milk and stir in a spoonful of brown sugar. It’ll make you wish it were fall year round.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Peach Mai Tai from DAVIDs Tea. . . .
Peach teas can be hard to get right. They often times come off as artificial tasting or just tasting off. Because of this I have a love and hate relationship with peach teas. I love the idea of them because when done right they are amazing. But, so often I am let down because the peach taste is just not up to par. So, when I saw that Davids Tea was releasing yet another peach tea (yes, they release a lot of these sort of teas) I was interested.
Peach Mai Tai is based on the popular tropical mixed drink of the same name. The dry leaves smelt like peach and also had a nuttiness to it which is odd but perhaps something in the artificial flavors is contributing to that smell. I steeped the tea at 212 degrees for 3 minutes and served it over ice. The first taste is a very mild, mellow black tea. I do wish that Davids Tea would list what black tea is used as I am always curious about that. After the initial black tea taste the peach flavor pops up followed by a very subtle ginger back-taste. The peach in here is good. Although the ingredients have artificial flavors added peach is listed in the ingredients and I think that is why the peach is coming off tasting more genuine. I expected to taste the candied ginger in this more but overall nothing overpowers here, the black tea, ginger and peach are all in balance resulting in a very nice glass of iced tea.
I do like this tea, Davids Tea did get the peach flavor right. My only criticism is that this tea is very similar to Lady Marmalade that was released last year. As a tea addict I am always looking for something fresh and new and this tea, although very tasty, has been done by Davids Tea before.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Be a peach and pour another glass of this juicy and energizing black tea. With its mouthwatering tiki punch of peach, ginger and marigold blossom, you know you won’t want to share yours. Try it straight up for a bold and crisp iced tea. Or class it up by adding a splash of prosecco and fresh peach slices. Don’t forget the cute little cocktail umbrella!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apero Spritz from Davids Tea. . . .
Every year Davids Tea releases a Cocktail Collection with teas designed to be mixed with spirits in summertime party drinks. I love the idea of these teas! If you are like me and don’t drink spirits these teas are equally as fun made with sparkling water or simply served over ice.
One of the teas being offered this summer is Apero Spritz, a fruit infusion featuring bitter orange rind. The smell of this tea is amazing, the vibrant orange and passionfruit really stand out. I steeped this at 212 degrees for 5 minutes and served it over ice. It steeps up a beautiful deep reddish-orange color, talk about a pretty tea for a party! The first sip is faintly familiar to me, similar to a passionfruit juice drink I have had in the past. This tea is sweet and tropical tasting, the passionfruit is very rich and flavorful. The back end of the taste has a lovely bitterness, much like the bitterness one encounters when drinking grapefruit juice. I would not steep this longer than 5 minutes as I feel that the bitterness could become magnified with longer steep times.
Davids Tea released a You Tube video showing how to make several mixed drinks with this tea. They all look good but this tea is equally tasty prepared simply as an iced tea.
Overall I love this tea! I think that the bitter note really adds a unique depth making this tea stand out from the normal summer tropical teas soon to be released in a few months.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
What to do when you’re lounging in the late afternoon sun? Sip this refreshing apéritif-inspired fruit infusion – a sweet and vibrant sunset-coloured blend with grown-up notes of bitter orange rind. It’s light, juicy and will leave you feeling bubbly all over. For an elegant treat, serve it chilled in champagne flutes with a delicious assortment of cheese and fresh fruits. Cheers!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
