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.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
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!
Coconut Cream Pie from David’s Tea. . . . .
Full disclosure time, you guys.
I’ve never eaten coconut cream pie.
So before we dive into this tea review, I want you to know that I have zero frame of reference here and kiiiiiind of have no authority on the subject of which I am about to speak. Just FYI.
That said, if I were to try and imagine what coconut cream pie tastes like (creamy, coconutty, smooth, light?) I think I’d pull the exact same adjectives for this tea. It was lighter than I was anticipating, with a creamy oolong base just kind of slipping into the background. The oolong left plenty of room for the coconut and pie flavors to shine, and let’s face it– even on its brightest day, coconut isn’t exactly a wham-bam overpowering kind of flavor. The coconut is nice, if a bit weak.
The cream flavors are also nice, if a bit muted. I brewed this one nice and strong after reading some recommendations, but even then (as much as I did enjoy it), I was left wanting just a little more. An enjoyable sip, but nothing I’d reach for over and over. One bonus? Now I totally have an excuse to uh, “taste test” some real coconut cream pie to compare. Research. Dessert research. Mmmm.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description
Rich coconut. Creamy white chocolate. And a golden, buttery crust. Can anything top a coconut cream pie? It’s a dessert so dreamy, so fluffy, it’s like eating a deliciously retro cloud. If we had our way, we’d be snacking on coconut-filled custard 24/7. Lucky for us, this tea came along. It’s an unbelievably decadent blend of toasted coconut, white chocolate and cane sugar, all on a base of smooth-drinking oolong. The best part? It’s an all-natural blend. We’ve got pie hopes for this one…
ingredients
Oolong tea, white chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, milk powde r, butter oil, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), coconut, toasted coconut (coconut, sugar, dextrose, salt), cane sugar, natural coconut flavouring.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chai from David’s Tea
When seasons collide! Today I brewed up DAVIDsTEA’s Pumpkin Chai as an eggnog latte, combining a Fall favorite with a beloved holiday classic. The end result? Perfection!
Pumpkin Chai is one of the blends that people wait for each fall as it brings together both the Fall flavors of Pumpkin Spice and Chai. Add to that some caramel and you have a winner that people will buy year after year.
Brewed up as an eggnog latte, the sweet gooey caramel really shines. Underlying that is the creaminess of the eggnog that plays off the spices in the tea making for a decadent sugar and spice treat. Imagine a spiced bread pudding with a creamy vanilla-caramel icing. Awesome!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description
Let’s face it, the best thing about fall is pumpkin pie. And this spiced black tea is arguably just as delicious. 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 all year round.
ingredients
Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, caramel (milk, sugar, glucose s yrup, butter, sorbitol, mono and diglycerides), carrot, lemon peel, pumpkin candies (sugar, rice flour, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, corn starch, gum arabic, cellulose gum, yellow 6, confectioner