308 Tasting Notes
I purchased this on a whim right before the Sunshine collection was removed from the DT website. I purchased three teas (Cool Cactus, Key Lime, and Sunny Citrus) and just recently transferred them from their clear baggies in fruit-shaped boxes to DT tins. I ordered this particular tea because of the name (let’s be real) and because it contained prickly pear flavoring, a fruit I really enjoy. The smell of the dry blend was a bit underwhelming, but my curiosity got the better of me this afternoon. I was craving something sweet and refreshing after cleaning out a corner of my grandmother’s living room. I steeped this per the instructions on the packaging (with twice the tea since I’d be drinking it iced). I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first sip. The blend is light, as I expected from a green tea blend, but very flavorful – a combination of sweet and slightly tart pineapple, bright citrus flavor thanks to the lemongrass, and a subtle hint of berry from the strawberry leaf and prickly pear flavoring. I enjoyed this and I’m glad I went out on a limb and snagged this 100-gram bag when it was on a 3 for $30 sale. I hope I enjoy the other two teas I picked up from the Sunshine collection as much as this one.
This was another tea I was expecting to love, despite the presence of rooibos. It turns out rooibos and hibiscus just don’t jive together very well on my palate. Thankfully, I only purchased a pitcher pack instead of committing to a 50-gram bag. We ended up drinking the majority of the pitcher of iced tea in combination with San Pellegrino (Aranciata or Limonata). It just wasn’t my cup of tea (pun intended).
I really wanted to love this tea, but there was a strange aftertaste that turned me off. There’s just enough sweet strawberry to take the tart edge off the hibiscus and rhubarb. I steeped this for iced tea, and, while I enjoyed it enough to finish my glass, it’s not a tea I would repurchase. It was pleasant, but I wasn’t wowed. This is another blend that I’ll re-home.
This tea was quite the disappointment. The eucalyptus was so overwhelming, especially in combination with the sour/tart hibiscus and citrus flavors. I thought the apple and carrot would lend some sweetness to the blend and temper it a bit. It didn’t. I only steeped it once for iced tea. I couldn’t finish the glass and promptly re-homed the blend.
To my surprise I really like this tea. Chocolate teas are really hit or miss with me, but I’ve recently discovered that I’ve been drinking them wrong. Hot tea is something I rarely enjoy. I’m from the south, where it’s summer 8+ months a year. Iced tea is my jam. I don’t know why it never dawned on me that I should consider preparing them iced. I’ve been drinking this lovely blend of chocolate, coconut and pecan as an iced latte, and it is just delicious. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I’d consider repurchasing it when I’ve finished my 50-gram bag. Add some coconut almond milk and a few drops of stevia drops (caramel or English toffee) and you’ve got yourself a relatively low-calorie indulgence that tastes like liquefied Samoa cookies. I’m down with that.
I purchased this tea last year against my better judgment. I’m a sucker for hibiscus, but I don’t usually care for the taste of cherries (in teas) when they’re not combined with another flavor to offset the strong/overwhelming taste. The only way I can drink this tea is iced and when it’s combined with another tea to offset the hyper-tart, acidic, strong flavor of cherries. I’ve steeped it with Lime Gelato a few times, and its yogurt bits and light, but present, lime flavor, seems to be a good choice to mellow out the overwhelming cherry-ness of this tea. I’d say if you appreciate the tartness of hibiscus AND the tartness of cherries, then this tea might be right up your alley. I’m happy that I only have a few grams left of this 25-gram bag to finish off.
This is my go-to iced (fruity) tea these days. I love the combination of flavors. I’m a real sucker for both melon-flavored teas and hibiscus teas, so I knew there was probably a 0.01% chance that I wouldn’t like it. I’ve repurchased it a few times despite my attempts to find suitable replacements locally as there’s no DAVIDsTEA anywhere near Texas. Love it.
Chocolate and bananas isn’t high on my list of flavor combinations I lean toward when purchasing tea. In fact, anything involving chocolate is probably toward the bottom of the list, along with teas that have strong spices in them. I decided to try this sample because it was the only one of 3 I received that didn’t have spices in it.
But, I digress…
The aroma of the dry leaves was promising, the banana note was definitely present. However, the minute the little biodegradable filter hit the hot water I could tell this was going to be a no-go. After allowing the leaves to steep for 6 minutes in boiling water, I removed the filter and reluctantly took a small sip. I salvaged my cuppa by adding a touch of creamer and a bit of coconut sugar. That helped to mellow the overwhelming taste of chocolate and make it a lot more palatable.
I probably would’ve enjoyed this a bit more had the banana been more present. Imagine a slice of banana cream pie made with unripe bananas and completely covered with chocolate sauce. That’s what this tastes like to me.
