New Tasting Notes
Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer – Day 4
Yay, another Deb tea! Admittedly, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a mimosa (as in, over a decade at least), so I don’t really remember what they taste like. Putting aside whether it lives up to the name, I like this blend! I’m getting lightly tart and sweet lemon and orange, with the turmeric lending enough earthiness to keep this from from feeling overly sweet.
Tea Thoughts Winter Countdown 2025 – Day 4
Day 3 was a cute floral gaiwan sticker. Day 4 is a Jin Jun Mei from a wholesaler, so can’t really make a distinct Steepster entry for it. This was a lovely accompaniment on a long and stressful workday – tasty and soothing enough to make the day easier, but not so distinctive that it’s a distraction. I hit my caffeine cap long before this steeped out, so throwing it in the fridge for a cold brew to be enjoyed later. Very smooth and malty, with a bit of natural sweetness. And no attendant tummy pain!
Simpson & Vail Advent 2025 – Day #4
Well I just happen to have a tin of this one. I am not seeing a tasting note for it, thought for sure I would have written one after all this time of having the tin around and had to add it to my cupboard, so I wonder if Steepster deleted a double tea entry or something. I like this one! In this advent sample, I only had 1 1/2 teaspoons in the pouch but usually for this chai I use two teaspoons for a mug. So it’s interesting that the pouches of advent samples have different amounts in them. This is a no-caff chai blend that brews up an orange yellow color. Maybe because there is a LOT of orange peel. It’s spicy while not being too spicy. A nice resteep too. I wish there was a bit more cinnamon though. And I’m not ENTIRELY convinced the orange needs to be there, or at least this much orange. It’s a good blend though. Somehow I don’t own any other chai blends without black tea or rooibos.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 9 minute steep
2025 Steepster Advent Swap: Day 4
This is a very nice cinnamon rooibos, but horchata it is not! There’s nothing rice-y about it, although I do get a little hint of creaminess toward the end of the sip that’s quite pleasant.
Definitely a good cold-weather sipper!
Flavors: Cinnamon, Creamy
As long as I have been a devotee of Constant Comment, both leaded and unleaded versions, I’ve always had it straight up without additives. Brought a couple of bags on a road trip and to mask potential hotel water weirdness, I added a little tub of their coffee station half and half. The orange rind and spices still rise to the top, but this makes my favorite soother even a little more soothing. A blessing…it’s been a long day!
Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 4
The first hibiscus blend of advent season! It’s okay, mostly it tastes like hibiscus, but it has a bit of a raspberry lean to it. The mint is fairly mild but adds some interest. Raspberry and mint go well together, so it’s not a bad combo. Mostly it’s just too much hibiscus for me, but it would probably be nice iced.
Flavors: Hibiscus, Juicy, Mint, Peppermint, Raspberry, Sour, Tangy, Tart
Preparation
Last tasting note up for the night is for this ever-so-slightly festive cup of brisk black tea with aromatic notes of soothing lavender and an ultra crisp and cooling peppermint finish. It’s simple, but definitely gives off “aromatherapy in a cup” vibes which is, admittedly, a little funny to think about given the artwork on the bag is literally the Grim Reaper with a candy cane scythe. I enjoy the tea a lot though, even year-round. Having it in the winter just felt especially appropriate.
Hot cuppa sipped slowly out of a yunomi cup earlier this week! Definitely getting the bright grassy notes and sweet corn undertones of the sencha itself, but beautifully integrated with a fresh, floral ripe peach notes and just a hint of sweeter side of rhubarb for a bit of complexity and depth. So smooth and enjoyable!
Sipdown (3097)!
Pleasantly surprised by this one! It was very smooth with a really creamy mouthfeel and flavour that was led by sweet, nutty notes of marzipan, nougat, and whipped cream. Those sweeter almond-dominant notes were rounded out by a soft, jam-like raspberry flavour that brought out a lot of the cherry undertones of the almond. It was balanced, decadent, and still very fresh feeling overall.
Cold Brew Sipdown (3098)!
Finished this off as a large pitcher sipped over the course of several days. I think the pitcher came out a little thin, but still pleasant and a nice way to polish off an older tea. Notes of tart cranberry, sweet orange, and bright lime stand out in this cold brew with more of a spiced finish that leans into the cinnamon. Were it heavier and more saturated in taste and spices, it might give off a bit of a Mulled Wine profile. However, this was a little more fruity and punch-like while still having those festive elements.
I placed a “Black Friday” order with Yunnan Sourcing last week, though they don’t really do Black Friday so it was more just an order placed around that time frame. It was delivered very quickly though, so I’ve already started dipping into it…
One of the things I ordered was a bunch of these different infused cha gao/tea resin varieties. This was the most unique sounding to me, so it’s where I started. One resin in a twelve ounce mug, lightly stirred until it dissolved. Honestly, I was surprised by how mild the flavour was. So much gentler than any other tea resin I’ve tried, and honestly almost watery. In the future, to my surprise, I’d probably use TWO of the little half a gram resin pieces.
I don’t even know if I could describe the taste – it was SO soft and light.
Evening cuppa! As the name states, this tea does pack a pretty impressively minty punch. However, it’s all the weird little fruity quirks and undertones that I like about it so much. Sometimes I get hints of banana or apple, a creaminess perhaps, or a little bit of that peppery anise-like sweetness of the tarragon.
Iced Tea!
A coworker made a huge pitcher of this tea for everyone working in the lab to enjoy. He definitely added a lot more sweetener than I usually drink this tea with, and to be honest it’s already quite sweet on its own. At first I did appreciate the punchy, candied mango and citrus notes. However, it got saccharine really quickly and I found myself wanting to dilute what he’d steeped up. A good reminder that different people definitely have different tastes.
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
An evening cuppa a few nights ago during a moment I wanted both a sweet treat and a cozy little hug. This delivers on both, with a flavour that essentially combines sweet banana taffy, less sweet baked banana, and a kiss of warming cinnamon. The undertones are a bit more earthy and mineral, with some of the oolong itself poking through. Still ultimately a sweeter chai, and with a banana flavour that I know is a bit more polarizing. However, I really liked it.
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Sipping on the last third of this mug as I tackle some tasting notes tonight.
By now this has mostly cooled down and I’m finding that with the lower temperature is coming a much more noticeably smoky undertone and finish. One that I don’t recall from past times drinking this tea, but that I really don’t mind at all. When it was hotter I was getting a lot more of the sweet, mouthcoating star anise and a stronger sandalwood note in the mid sip. Both are still present, they’ve just shifted a bit in intensity.
One thing that’s stayed consistent is that as I go in for a sip and my nose gets closer to the cup I get a strong aroma of incense. As if I’ve walked into a one of those tourist-y crystal shops that also have books on divination, tarot cards, and an inexplicable amount of buddha statues. You know the ones. It’s weirdly kind of nostalgic!?
Gongfu!
I’m still feeling florals after yesterday’s tea session, so today I pulled out Gardenia Red. It’s sweet and aromatic, with syrupy florals accented by punchy notes of ripe red berries and a bit of a brandied or stewed fruit undertone that’s a bit darker. At times, this session was almost saccharine in its fruitiness, though it never fully crossed that line. Despite that, the aromatics of the gardenia still really shine throughout the time spent with this tea. I’ve had it a few times now, but this is the first time gongfu. If you want to taste the full potential of this unique scented tea, then I would say this is the way to brew it.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR2vcF-EuQF/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmBDd2aDGZc
Gongfu!
I have such an incredibly soft spot for Jingmai sheng productions. This one is so sweet and fragrant, with strong notes of elderflower, peony, and those bright pink jellybeans you get around Easter. Almost syrupy in mouthfeel. It brews for a very long time before tapering off. In general, I tend to really like teas out of Jingmai, but there’s just something about the ones that Bitterleaf source that feel so tailored specifically to the exact qualities that I enjoy. Like they were sourced just for me…
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR0Td_FkqiJ/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMa4Ze04urc
Grandpa Style!
This is the ninth year of W2T’s annual Snoozefest release, and soon, I’ll have one more cake to add to this growing stack. I’ve been lucky and fast enough to grab a cake every year, including those first few where they sold out within the first few hours of going live. Every year I love going through the pile and seeing now the wrapper artwork has evolved over the years – so many shades of pink!!
…and it’s been a long moment since I’ve retasted that first year’s pressing, so I figured it was time I do that. Honestly, it smells great. Fragrant with an almost pungent fruity note. Tastes really great too, with a near equal fruity intensity. A mix of syrupy citrus peels, sweet stonefruits, and just a bit of apple cider-like vinegary twang. I really love how this tea has come into itself over the years!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRxmyg6EnJA/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHKXy9riC10
Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 4
This is okay. I’m not a rooibos lover, so I wasn’t expecting to love it. The rooibos is prominent, but thankfully not medicinal even though it’s paired with fruit. Strawberry is here as well, and it’s quite candylike. I don’t notice cream or vanilla in the slightest, so mostly it’s a strawberry rooibos. Not bad, but not something I would ever choose.
Flavors: Candy, Red Rooibos, Strawberry, Sweet, Woody
Preparation
knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 4
Theme: Carol of the Bells
Song: Carol of the Bells by George Winston
This sounds intriguing – a jasmine green tea with spearmint and sage. I love Nearly Nirvana from Bird & Blend, which has the jasmine and spearmint combination, so I was excited to try this one. However, I don’t taste either jasmine or sage. It’s a very tasty spearmint green tea though, and since I’m a spearmint fan, I found it very refreshing and soothing as an afternoon cuppa. Sweet and fresh!
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4QI6qCqE9NY&si=Mi5T1x3DTe593jZV
https://www.instagram.com/p/DR2xiYpD3Lo
Flavors: Crisp, Earthy, Fresh, Grassy, Mint, Spearmint, Sweet
Preparation
Whoops, this was for day 5 and today is just day 4! So, tomorrow will be day 4 tea.
I hoped to like this. It contains eucalyptus, not so common ingredient, but also pine buds which have relaxing properties and that is something I would love today.
But alas, I don’t like it too much. It was very floral and heavy in herbal notes; and from the ginger I barely noticed anything. Nothing warming, nothing spicy from that.
I think that the eukalyputs here was the strongest and sadly overwhelmed all the other ingredients. Well, not all teas can be winners, right?
