I want to start off by saying that one of my favorite things about this blend, without ever having tried it, is that this blend doesn’t have stevia in it. If you want to make it sweeter, that is up to you but this is a stevia-less blend. A rare find at DAVIDsTEA these days.
When I smelled the blend, I was impressed that the scent had an effervescence to it that captured the fizz of soda. Not sure how that’s a thing but the blend had a sparkle to it and I was interested to play with that which meant a teapop was in my future. However, I also wanted to know what this tasted like on its own so I also cold brewed the tea.
I set up the cold brew and then maybe forgot about the tea so this brewed for over 24 hours. What immediately caught my interest was that this does actually taste like cream soda. It’s creamy and vanilla and also fruity. Sometimes I find DAVIDsTEA fruit blends can taste a bit like waxy dried fruits and this is no exception and I think that is a result of the candied pineapple/mango. So at times it tastes tropical and at times it tastes artificial.
The teapop, made with Strawberry Perrier, takes this to a whole new level. The fizz of the perrier mixes with the vanilla creaminess to help really sell cream soda. Also the strawberry flavoring and carbonation flavor that comes with sparkling water helps drown out the artificial wax fruit flavor while still playing off the tropical fruit vibes. So that means the good parts of the tea are highlighted while the bad components are drowned out.
One thing not really mentioned above is the rhubarb. That’s because I don’t really get rhubarb from this at all. On the plus side that means this isn’t loaded up with hibiscus like a lot of fruit teas are. On the down side, no rhubarb means this is not a rhubarb cream soda tea and that could be disappointing for some. As for me, I don’t miss it. This is one of the better DAVIDsTEA blends that have come out recently and it is one I certainly enjoyed.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Let yourself get carried away with this totally poppin’ tea. With bright rhubarb, sweet apple and a fizzy tartness we can’t get enough of, our creamy and nostalgic blend will take you back to when things were simpler – and just a little sweeter. Add a splash of club soda and a scoop of lemon sorbet for a treat that’ll leave you feeling bubbly all day long.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Wild Jujube from Teasenz . . . . .
This is the tisane I was most excited for in my review box! As a child I LOVED those Jujyfruit candies, big win for nostagia. But also a health win since instead of processed candies, these are the Cure-All “Red date” fruit that’s popular in Eastern medicine, purported to help with anemia (perhaps vitamin c to help iron absorb?) and insomnia (hmm the scientist in me thinks any nice warm drink should help your body sleep, but we’ll see.)
The dry tisane smells like kettle corn and looks like baby bagel chips about the size of a dime! They feel spongy to the touch, the only other thing I’ve consumed with this texture was… ha well a candy, man my sweet tooth is getting outed in this post, BUT this is a plus for my “less added sugar” new year’s resolution.
So I left in the dry fruits in my cup to brew, trying a very eastern approach, not at all because I was traveling and my filter was to small… They were big enough pieces that it was easy to filter out while I drank, without the fear of tiny pieces getting stuck in my teeth, only to be discovered after smiling a lot at someone important (cringe).
The infusion is a wonderful cider color and it smells of caramels like a distant campfire. It tastes like streusel, a sweet buttery goodness, even though I didn’t add any sweetener… or butter (not a trend for me). Welp, one sip and I’m done for, might as well just order more now. There’s also a hint of Asian pear flavor this medium bodied drink. This would taste so, so great with shortbread cookies, pity there’s no oven in this hotel.
Insomnia verdict: I’m sleepy afterwards but I’m not sure if it’s correlation from binge watching SYFY’s Magicians in the wee hours or causation from the tea. Another experiment is called for, woohoo!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Dried fruit
Where to Buy: Teasenz
China’s most popular herbal tea made from wild jujube fruits from Ning Xia. The jujubes are dried while fresh and afterwards cut in slices with an optimal thickness for a perfect & healthy infusion.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Passion Fruit de la Crème from 52Teas. . .
I iced this blend with dinner tonight. It was the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad. The vanilla and white hold hands as the background to a lovely fruity top layer. It’s a chilly, sweet cream flavor that sparkles.
This berry-and-sugar-tasting blend is the Wonder Woman of teas: quiet yet tough, feminine yet sturdy. And, like Wonder Woman, it’s a summer blockbuster that’s stolen my heart.
I realize that calling a tea “feminine” might turn people away from it, which isn’t a result I want. There’s a weird bias against men liking “girly” things that doesn’t apply to women liking “manly” things. Which I think is a bunch of hooey.
So implore the dudes out there: try this tea. Get in touch with your Softer Side. Let the creamy, fruity deliciousness wash over you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
I’ve not done a passion fruit tea before – so I thought it was about time to change that! Because passion fruit tends to be a tart fruit, I thought the perfect tea base would be a sweet Bai Mu Dan from the Yunnan Province. Then I added some vanilla bean for some extra sweetness and a touch of creaminess.
This is really quite nice, I love the way the sweeter components soften the tart fruit just enough so I’m not puckering – but not so much that it obscures the flavor of the fruit. It’s going to make a really lovely summertime refresher!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry is Super Starling’s New Jam. . . Blueberry Jam from DAVIDsTea. . . . .
Are you looking for sweet, dark berries — but they aren’t in season? Or maybe they ARE in season but you don’t want to go outside? Because there are mosquitoes, mud, heat, and other people out there?
This tea is a lovely solution to that issue. This blend is mostly currants, blueberries, and elderberries. At first glance, you might think the blend is rolled into balls like an oolong, then you realize it’s berries! TONS OF BERRIES! There is black tea in this, but not much. This tea is a “1” on the David’s Tea caffeine scale, which means “Low.” (There’s “None,” “Low,” “Medium,” and “Stimulant.”) Black teas tend to be “2/Medium”, but this one has so little black tea in it that it’s a 1. This is great if black tea isn’t your jam (GET IT?) or if you need something less high in caffeine for health or time-of-day reasons.
This tea will also help you find a bridesmaid dress, if that’s what you need.
Seriously.
I bought this tea after a devastating day at the King of Prussia Mall. I’d forgotten to pack my bridesmaid dress for a wedding three hours away and was trying to find a replacement. Nearly in tears, I ducked into the KoP’s David’s Tea for a breather.
Sometimes a person just needs to stand among tea for a few minutes. Especially a David’s Tea store, which has a rainbow of pleasing colors, free things to sip, and, typically, interesting-looking employees.
Today was no exception. There was one cute nerdy girl and one badass punk girl, both of whom were lovely to behold and chat with. We talked about favorite flavors and my aversion to matcha. They let me sniff EVERYTHING. I bought this tea and Lemon Pound Cake (which I’ll also review shortly!).
Then I found a suitable bridesmaid dress replacement right after!
Was it the tea calm that gave me the inner strength to find the right dress?
YES.
PROBABLY.
So, in summary: I looked great in the dress, I like this tea, and I like the store. Win win win!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
A fruity blend of black tea, blueberries elderberries, cornflowers and stevia.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tropical Fruit from Storehouse Tea. . . .
Confession: I’ve written two reviews for this tea. The first review was written longhand in my journal after a party where I made a few non-tea-beverage tactical errors. It said:
“This tea tastes like what’d it be like to receive a Care Bear Stare.”
The rest of it is, basically, incomprehensible, mostly in terms of handwriting. So I’m writing it again.
“Tropical Fruit” ‘s ingredients include organic orange peel, organic apple, organic rose petals, organic calendula, and natural fruit flavors. Apples, oranges, and flowers aren’t really all that tropical, but the result is still sweet and fun anyway. It tastes like very vivid pastels might taste. I’d probably qualify this taste as more of a “spring” than a “summer” (as the tropics might be), but the accuracy of title-to-flavor isn’t one of my major sticking points.
I’ve drank both of these samples iced. It seems fitting to enjoy the tropics with a cool beverage at your hand.
Cold temperatures also seem to bring out the sweetness in a tea, which I especially enjoy doing with rooibos. It brings out a velvety, vanilla-like quality that makes everything taste like a wash of ice cream.
Or, you know, the Care Bear Stare.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Storehouse Tea
Description
Combines natural exotic tropical fruit flavors with caffeine free, Fair Trade red and green rooibos makes this infusion deliciously refreshing and rich in anti-oxidants. Excellent iced.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
