My lovely, kind, smart and wonderful fiancé has one fatal flaw. He doesn’t like strawberries, you guys. STRAWBERRIES. How?! I wish I could tell you. I, on the other hand, clearly am a fan. So when I dug this tea out of my sample stash, I knew that this could go one of two ways: I could love it, and rejoice in the more-for-me glory, or it could fall seriously flat and I wouldn’t be able to pawn it off on him as I so often do with teas that I don’t love (Whoops. Sorry for all the rejects, honey).
At first sniff, I could pick out all the key players– chocolate, strawberry and rose, all present and accounted for. My hopes rose even more after steeping a generous teaspoon in my cup– the brewed aroma alone made my kitchen smell like I’d just finish dipping a batch of chocolate-covered berries.
And did it deliver? YES. (insert hallelujah hands emoji *here*). I lost a little bit of the rose in the brewed tea, but my cup was perfectly evocative of my favorite little red fruit covered in creamy, sweet chocolate. As a latte, this was divine.
Thankfully, this little pouch will get tucked away in the all-mine corner of my tea cabinet, and I don’t think my fiancé will mind one bit.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description
A romantic blend of black tea, chocolate, strawberries and rose petals.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vanilla Orchid Oolong from David’s Tea. . .The Perfect Vanilla Tea?
If there’s one tea-quest I am always on, it’s finding the perfect creamy vanilla blend.
A few years ago, my absolute favorite apple custard tea was discontinued, and ever since, I’ve been hunting for the perfect creamy, unctuous replacement. So when a tea claims to be “creamy vanilla”, I usually snap it up before you can say “cuppa”.
This offering from David’s claims to be a lightly floral oolong with hints of creamy vanilla. Ding ding ding! The dry leaf smells incredible, like thick and creamy vanilla custard. Brewed, the oolong unfurls beautifully into full leaves, leaving a light liquor and full-bodied cup.
I love this blend most with a hint of cream and a touch of honey, which takes it more from floral-vanilla (as an undoctored cup) to the creamy, custards vanilla that I’m craving. Is this tea a perfect sip-alike for my beloved discontinued tisane?
Unfortunately not. But it’s a delicious cup that I reach for time and time again when I want something light, creamy, and dessert-like with some unusual undertones. The hunt continues, but I’ll keep drinking this one in the meantime.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description
We’re still searching for the secret to eternal bliss, but we’re pretty sure one cup of this blend will get you at least five minutes’ worth. It all starts with the very best leaves: a premium oolong from China’s Fujian Province called Huang Jin Gui. A popular wedding gift in China, Huang Jin Gui is prized for its pretty yellow colour and romantic floral scent. Here we bring out this special leaf’s orchid aroma with a touch of vanilla. The result? A perfectly balanced, subtle cup that’s equal parts rich, creamy and floral. Feeling blissful yet? (MK Kosher).
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea Advent Calendar from Davids Tea. . . Teas 8-14
Week two of 24 days of tea! Lots of hits, a few misses– overall, I just cannot stress enough what a fun calendar this is. Every year, I wonder if the $40 price tag is worth it for something just for fun, and every year, I’m reminded what a sweet treat it is to get to open a surprise on the daily, and try a few dozen new teas all in one fell swoop. We still have ten days to go, but so far, I’m super pleased with this year’s calendar.
Day 8: Organic Ginger Pear. This one has been on my wishlist for a while, so I was pumped to see it as a sample. It’s supposed to be a white tea, but I’ll be real honest with you guys– upon first glance, there is a nary a leaf to be seen in this chunky mix. Near the bottom, there are a few tiny leaves broken up, but I’d say this blend is 90% fruit and ginger. That being said, it totally delivers. It is light and sweet, just a touch spicy and both the pear and ginger flavors shine. It was the perfect tea to sip after dinner, equally sweet and dessert-like without being heavy.
Day 9: Forever Nuts. A forever DT classic. The first time I sniffed Forever Nuts in store when I discovered David’s a few years ago, the salesperson eagerly informed me that because it was “like granola– in fact, you can even eat it!”. Um, I’m okay, thanks. But it is a delicious herbal, bright pink and reminiscent of those cinnamon-sugar nuts from the ballpark that I could eat by the handful. I think I’ll save those for the munching and leave Forever Nuts just for sipping.
Day 10: Green Passionfruit. The dry leaf is absolutely gorgeous, fruity and bright with visible tea leaves. I’ll be honest, green tea isn’t usually my first choice, but the fruit balances this one beautifully and makes it a great gateway without any vegetal bitterness that can sometimes accompany greens.
Day 11: Hot Chocolate Pu’erh. My fiance’s absolute favorite drink in the wintertime is hot chocolate, hands down. So last year, when we stumbled on this blend at David’s, he couldn’t pick it up fast enough. He ran out sometime in February, but was eagerly awaiting the re-release this year. It’s a decent pu’erh, mimicking the thick and creamy mouthfeel of cocoa right off the bat, made even better with the addition of milk. It’s of course less sweet than its dairy- and sugar-laden counterpart, but it makes a great substitute for those who would prefer not to see their beloved go into a sugar coma from seasonal beverage overdose. (Ahem.)
Day 12: Bear Trap Herbal. I’ve heard a lot of hype about this one, but I have to be honest– it fell a little flat for me. It’s fruit-forward, absolutely– notes of berry and tart hibiscus are what I mostly taste, and there’s not too much depth to it. It’s certainly drinkable (and I’d bet it would be tasty iced), but fruit tea can fall a little flat without anything special to it, and I think I have better in my tea cabinet instead.
Day 13: Crème Caramel Rooibos. YOU GUYS. I had such high hopes for this one. I’d even read a description online that it sipped like liquid caramel. Hello, hi, gimme. On first sniff, it smells like a straight red rooibos to me (though there are scant caramelly pieces strewn throughout) and brewed? It drinks like straight red rooibos. Even worse, I can taste that signature medicinal rooibos flavor that so often turns me off to straight rooibos. Maybe a rooibos lover would be able to pick out flavors that I hadn’t, but this one just doesn’t do enough for me.
Day 14: Irish Breakfast. PHEW. After all the sweet, sugary flavored teas of the first fourteen days, this one was a welcome relief. Dark, malty and robust, it’s a great straight tea that takes milk and sweet incredibly well. One more installment to go, friends! This was a great week of sipping, and while I stumbled across a few misses, there were a few hits in here that I’ll definitely be adding to my permanent tea cabinet. Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
No longer sold as a calendar, but individual teas are for sale on website.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holiday Tea Alert! Candy Cane Crush From Davids Tea
When I was just a teeny tea drinker (i.e. younger), my favorite thing to do around the holidays was to help my mom bake cookies. She is the absolute master of cookie baking, and now that I’m a grown adult with an understanding of the craziness of Christmas and the expectation of holiday baking, I truly have no idea how she does it.
When it comes to my own cookie baking around Christmastime, I like to keep it simple. My mom makes this insanely delicious white chocolate/dark chocolate candy cane bark that, as a child, I never really gravitated towards. As an adult, though? GIMME. It is creamy and sweet without being overdone, pepperminty and fresh without that toothpaste-esque quality. And when I sniffed David’s Tea’s new Candy Cane Crush in store this past weekend, I was immediately reminded of my mom’s low-key delicious holiday treat.
This tea is like tastier, more intensely delicious upgrade to David’s previous peppermint-vanilla holiday tea, Santa’s Secret. Candy Cane Crush has white chocolate chips, snowflake sprinkles, and visible chunks of candy cane. It’s not just a beautiful tea to look at, it delivers on the dry leaf scent 100% to boot. Steeped, it’s sweet enough to taste like a treat without being overdone, and with a touch of milk added, it’s the perfect festive indulgence. I get that creamy vanilla flavor from the melted white chocolate, and it delivers wholeheatedly on the true candy-cane flavor from the peppermint.
Is this an everyday tea for me? Probably not. But is it perfect in the chilly days leading up to Christmas, an delicious, festive substitute at 8 AM before it’s socially acceptable to start eating Christmas candy? Yes and yes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Flavored Black Tea
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
This creamy, mint black tea is strewn with candy cane bits and snowflake sprinkles.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry Muffin from Davids Tea
On a whim, I picked this herbal blend up from DT during our annual pre-Christmas pilgrimage to Chicago this past weekend. I’ve been craving more interesting herbals lately to sip in the afternoon and evenings (because mama loves her black tea, but caffeine does not reciprocate the love past 3 PM, friends), and this one fit the bill.
On first sniff, it smells… like a blueberry muffin? I get the cakey crumb of a warm muffin here, with whiffs of vanilla and berry. YUM. Let’s get this one a-brewin’, shall we? This tea is practically all chunk and no leaf (which is no surprise, as a tisane), but I can see how it will go by quickly with this much heft to it. That said, it’s a beautiful mix with visible fruit and even veg pieces– looks like some carrot and even beetroot for that beautiful bright pink we’ve all come to know and love!
Upon sipping, I’m torn. I definitely get the blueberry muffin notes that I sniffed pre-brew, but it’s almost overwhelmingly overpowered by (you guessed it) hibiscus tartness. I’m not a hibiscus hater across the board, but this one took a lovely, creamy cup and turned it on its head. I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit disappointed. A second steep and the tartness has gone, but as is fairly typical with most herbals, the creaminess and nuance of flavor from the first steep is gone with it. It’s a decent re-steep, but not perfect. I’m not giving up on this one yet, because while the flavor didn’t perfectly match the scent, it was an enjoyable cuppa. Perhaps as a coconut milk latte, or with a shorter steep time I’d find the cup I know is in there somewhere. In the meantime, David– maybe call this one a blueberry tart instead of a muffin next go-around, mmmk?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Davids Tea
Description
With apple, raisins, carrot and blueberries, this tea is the breakfast of champions.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!