Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Butterscotch Matcha lends its creamy velvety taste to many baked products and also different ice creams. Its sweetness is also excellent for many candies and other snacks. It is the perfect choice for those with a compelling sweet tooth who want to make it a worthwhile experience. This makes it an instant favorite with the young who love all things sweet and tasty. For special occasions, Butterscotch Matcha lends its sweet appeal to any palate looking for the ultimate sweetness elixir.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The third from the “Choose Your Own” Matcha sampler!
This one has been on my personal wishlist for a while and I was very excited to get to try it recently. Like the others from the sampler, I made it in cashew milk.
The dry matcha smells very strongly of butterscotch; it reminds me of Butter Ripple Schnapps, which is a favourite drink of mine. It’s a little grassy too from the matcha itself.
This was very delightful; the butterscotch flavor really comes through and creates a sugary sweet drink that reminds me of melted down Butterscotch Ripple ice cream; it’s not nearly as boozy anymore so it’s reminding me less of Butter Ripple Schnapps. The mild nuttiness of the cashew milk compliments the sweetness very well also, and there’s a gentle vegetal note from the matcha itself – it’s not as grassy as the dry leaf smelled but it is present.
This one was very interesting and tasty and I’m really happy I finally got to try it. I imagine it would also work wonderfully in a hot latte as well – butterscotch is a very adaptable flavor. So far, this is my favourite of the matchas from this sampler that I’ve tried
Coffee Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
When the easily recognizable and well loved taste of deliciously aromatic coffee is combined with the wildly popular regal Matcha, the resulting Coffee Matcha treat leaves its many takers delightfully breathless with pure palate sensations. This all-day treat provides the best companion for many days when work becomes too heavy or too boring and a person needs a delectable snack to carry them through the tedium. Coffee Matcha’s unforgettable taste and delicious aroma is irresistible to many coffee lovers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The second matcha sample from Red Leaf Tea’s new “Choose Your Own” sampler!
I’m not a coffee person so on the rare occasion that I do decide I want to partake in some java I usually go for actual coffee, not coffee flavored tea. To me those two things are separate, and for a reason. However, I still couldn’t resist trying this flavour – I had this gut feeling that it was going to be done well.
Like the previous matcha from this sampler, I made this in cashew milk. It mixed up such a bright, cheery green too and the smell was definitely freshly brewed coffee; quite roasty.
I was surprised by just how strong and sweet this one is; and I know that sweet kick isn’t from the cashew milk either since it’s unsweetened – but with the level of rich sugaryness it made me think I was drinking more of a Iced Coffee/ Iced Cappuccino type drink like you can get from Starbucks or Tim Hortons or whatever your coffee shop of choice is. At the same time, though it was quite sweet, it maintained a nice level of roast in the flavor and had some surprising caramel notes. And of course, from the milk, there was a faint nuttyness that worked really well with the coffee flavor. It probably only made the idea of drinking some sort of fancy sweet coffee drink stronger, if I’m being honest.
I wouldn’t buy this one again if I’m being honest; I just don’t do coffee – but it was surprisingly more nuanced than anticipated and like my gut told me it was in fact well done. So I do recommend trying it if coffee and sweet coffee drinks are your thing.
Neapolitan Ice Cream Iced Tea by Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Southern Boy Teas
Tea Description:
Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream in an iced tea, from our Southern Boy Teas collection. This is a great blend of finely processed (CTC) Indian black tea blended with organic flavors and sealed in an oversized teabag. Each individually packaged teabag will yield 2-quarts (a full gallon if you re-steep) of the best iced tea you’ve ever had.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about SBT’s subscription service here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s easy to get hooked on these iced teas. They’re just so flavourful and easy to prepare, there’s really nothing not to love. I’ve tried a couple of other “ice cream” flavoured teas, but this one is still by far the best. This one got the standard SBT brewing treatment from me – 2 mins in a 1/4 litre of boiling water, topped up to 1.8 litres with cold water, and into the fridge overnight. The main flavour I can pick out here is chocolate, followed by a creamy vanilla in the background. The strawberry is a little shy and fleeting, but it’s identifiable in the mid sip most of the time. The three combine beautifully in the aftertaste, to give the full neapolitan effect. Amazing!
I’m actually finding it hard not to gulp this one down – it’s so refreshing, and the flavour is absolutely fitting on a warm, just-about-summer day. The black base tea is smooth and unobtrusive, supporting the flavours without ever overpowering them. I’m surprised it took me so long to work out that iced black tea is what I’ve been lacking at work every summer. It’s a lot more refreshing than my usual hot tea, and because it’s black I can get my caffeine fix in as well. Paired with the great flavour, it really is a win-win-win!
This one comes highly recommended. It’s sweet, delicious, and unbelievably flavour-accurate. Your summer needs these teas.
A-Tisket A-Tasket Green Tea by Adagio
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Adagio
Tea Description:
A sunny, citrusy green tea, with a hint of delicious vanilla. Contains green tea, lemongrass, sunflower petals, citrus peels, and lemon and vanilla flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Over time, this has become one of my favourite Adagio teas, and it takes a lot for me to say that. This is a green tea blend, part of the Sunlit Blooms collection, containing lemongrass, citrus peel, and lemon and vanilla flavourings. The dry leaf is primarily green tea, and the leaves are medium to dark green, fairly long and folded. No specific variety is given, but I’d say Dragonwell as an educated guess.
There’s also a generous scattering of sunflower petals, which I assume are there to carry the lemon and vanilla flavourings. Lemongrass and citrus peel are less in evidence, although it’s possible to find the occasional piece if you stir the leaf up and look hard. This hardly sounds encouraging, but as this one actually turns out to be a great tea I’m going to refrain from further comment.
I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in water cooled to around 180 degrees. The resulting liquor is a bright golden yellow, and smells mildly citrusy. To taste, it’s a different story entirely. Lemon cream, in the best bakery sense of the words! Although the green tea is a large proportion of the mixture, it’s completely unobtrusive in the finished cup, and super-smooth to boot. This means that the flavours really shine through, with lemon the first flavour to emerge, followed by a wash of vanilla and cream in the mid-sip. It’s truly wonderful, and sipping on this is putting me in mind of a huge lemon sponge coated in light, fluffy vanilla buttercream.
The lemon here is candy-like and a little tart, which works with the sweet, desserty vibe of the blend overall. Personally, I could probably take a tad more sharpness with all the creamy sweetness, but it’s so great I can’t say I’m all that concerned. This is lemon cream in tea form! A dessert replacement if ever there was one!
Adagio can be hit and miss in my experience, but this one is a definite hit. It’s just so perfectly put together, with really well balanced flavours. This is a must-try blend for anyone who appreciates a good dessert tea. I don’t think there are many that can match this one for pure lemon creaminess. Spectacular!
Pom Tango Black from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
This may have been a long, cold winter, but this exotic fruit-filled black tea is a sure sign of sunnier days ahead. Bursting with fruity pomegranate seeds and big, luscious pieces of mango, it’s like a cross between your favourite breakfast tea and the best juice ever. And since spring weather can still be a bit unpredictable, you’ll be happy to know it’s equally amazing hot or iced. One cup and you’ll feel like dancing for joy. Limited edition.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is part five of a five part review of the DAVIDsTEA Summer Collection.
This is obviously a popular blend because this is the third, I believe, year it’s come back in a row! It’s also the only non-herbal blend in this years collection. This is my first time trying it. Similar to Just Peachy I’m not really big into mango as a flavour, though you wouldn’t be able to tell based on how much of it I’ve been drinking lately. This year I’ve been much more open to trying things I’ve previously avoided, so I figured it was time to try this one out and see what the big deal about it is.
I prepared it cold brewed for my first tasting; based on the smell of the dry leaf I’m expecting more mango flavour than pomegranate though the smell of the tea steeping did smell strongly of both mango and pomegranate so I could be pleasantly surprised here.
The first thing I taste is indeed a very strong mango flavour; but it’s vibrant and juicy and I don’t mind it at all. The pomegranate flavour is pretty strong too. I don’t think I’ve ever tried mango and pomegranate paired together in anything, but they work really well together! The sweet, almost berry-like pomegranate flavour and tropical mango have really great juxtaposition and are just phenomenally mouth watering. I really, really love the flavour of pomegranate but it’s one of those fruits that I never think about or crave so when I do have it I kind of have that moment where I mentally go “I love pomegranate – why don’t I eat it more often?”. I’m definitely doing that right now, and kicking myself for not trying it sooner.
Other notes observed are sweet red apple, not surprising given that pomegranate is often described as tasting like a cross of cranberry and apple, and very juicy, ripe orange. The black base is smooth and mild, providing the perfect background for the lovely array of fruit flavours. Overall, this is a hydrating, robust and ultimately fun tea. I can definitely see it lending itself well to hot preparation methods, or to tea soda!
I may end up purchasing more of it so I can test out both of those methods of prep, though I don’t see myself getting a larger quantity because like I’ve talked about neither of the primary flavours, mango and pomegranate, are ones I lean towards heavily in every day drinking. I finally understand the popularity of this blend, though!
Overall thoughts about the collection as a whole?
Just Peachy and this Strawberry Colada are my favourites and I _will_ be picking up more of each. I’m kind of leaning towards a full 100g of Just Peachy because it’s so different from the other tisanes that I have on hand, but while Strawberry Colada is my favourite I know I wont get more than 50g. I made the mistake of getting a ton of Tropicalia (over 100g) and the coconut turned before I finished all of it. This blend was solid, and I might pick up another sample size just to try it in a few other ways. Coconut Ice and Hard Candy were easily my least favourites, though neither were necessarily bad. But there’s no way I’ll be spending money on either again.
As a whole, I think this is the best collection DT has had in a long time – though more variety would be welcomed.
