New Tasting Notes
TTB! I’ve tried their banana hojicha before, and I didn’t love it. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this plain version a bit more! Hojicha is too toasty for me sometimes, but with lots of sweetener and milk, this was pretty tasty, and I like having the last few sips with some whipped cream.
Summer 2025 Herbal TTB!
Tried this one last night, against my better judgment ha ha. And as I expected, I really didn’t like it. I always have issues with honey flavoring tasting like a lozenge, and here a strong honey flavor is paired with red rooibos which is really the worst combination possible for me. So yeah, it tasted like a honey-flavored throat lozenge. Not for me!
Flavors: Artificial, Honey, Medicinal, Red Rooibos, Sweet
Preparation
Sipdown (3046)!
This was the last tea that I brought to share, and it was also a sipdown since there were enough of us present to use all the remaining packets. The friend I was with and I first connected outside of our office for our shared love of bubble tea, and we love comparing interesting drink or snack finds from T&T so it made sense to share this with her!
I think because I’ve tried it once and knew what to expected this time around I enjoyed it much more. I adjusted the amount of water to be lower, and thus the drink was a little richer and creamier but still had that fresh and delicate gardenia note that’s so unique in an instant milk tea like this. She said the sweet, creamy flavour made her think of White Rabbit candies and I totally agree. Like a floral version of those – in the best way.
Would I buy this again? Maybe! I’d definitely be open to trying other flavours from the same brand, though!
Another tea that I brought with to my friend’s house this past Saturday to share.
She and her partner are both pretty into matcha, so I thought they might be curious to try another kind of powdered straight tea. We whisked ours up hot with some milk, and it was pleasantly cozy with strong nutty notes and a bit of a borderline floral undertone. She said it reminded her a lot of hojicha powder, and I actually agree that the nutty flavours were really similar. Although I found this to be a bit brighter and with greener undertones. It was nice, but personally I feel like I still haven’t found my perfect way to brew (well, whisk) it up yet.
I spent most of this past Saturday at a friend’s house semi-catching up with her and semi-helping babysit. She’d been solo parenting for a few days while her partner was out of town. I always bring tea when I go over because they’re a big tea household, and straight black teas in particular are a favourite – this one has a more unique origin so I waned to share! We started with it because we needed the caffeine and the bold, brisk flavour. It is very bold too. Definitely slaps you awake with maltiness tinged with notes of crunchy autumnal leaves and lemon peel with a coppery, sweet finish. I enjoyed it quite a lot.
Iced Latte!
Shaken up using the water bottle method with some protein milk. It’s honestly not bad, but it tastes more like an extra creamy vanilla to me than it does marshmallow. I guess I can kind of get it a bit more clearly in the finish/aftertaste but I definitely want a stronger note than what I’m actually getting. I’ll need to try it straight too and see if that makes any difference at all.
Sipdown (3047)!
I’m bummed out by this sipdown. Not because I think there’s anything wrong with the tea, but because I’m soooo congested that I can only just barely taste the faintest hint or idea of banana as I’m drinking it. I wasn’t feeling sick when I started the cold brew, so I fully expected to get to revel in the dreamy, creamy banana and eggnog notes. This is just such a tease made worse by the knowledge that it was the last of this blend in my stash…
Cold Brew!
Even at five or so years old, this is such an intensely artificial and fake tasting grape flavoured blend that, frankly, I still cannot get enough of. It’s so punchy and crisp at the end of the sip, with the cooling undertones of the white tea itself. Y’know the grape scented purple “Mr. Sketch” markers? Truly, I think this tastes like if you could drink those. I’m sure I’m not selling it well, but I mean it only from a place of adoration.
A Mugtober selection!
I realized that I hadn’t really shown off any glassware, so I picked out a simple glass cup with some small rose gold decals of, well, roses on it. I went with this blend because it’s a rose flavoured tea, and I added a bit of milk since it takes it pretty well. It’s a totally fine tea. Brisk and malty with aromatic notes of fresh rose. I’ve had better rose black teas, but I’ve had much worse too. This one delivers on what it says it will, without more or less. So I’ve got no complaints, really.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phMjH-GMmHY
I chose this Lion King inspired blend as my pairing for a Mugtober pick from this weekend. A gorgeous woodfired mug with a super intricately carved zebra on it. So, kind of sticking with a bit of a loose African theme with this combo. Also, I’ll take any excuse to drink this tea because it’s one of my favourites. Really sweet, fresh and juicy with notes of amaretto, maraschino cherries, and freshly sliced oranges. It’s excellent, and just always makes me smile when I sip it.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMZB86wdetA
Another Mugtober pairing!
The mug was the one I picked up this past summer when I went home to visit my family in Saskatchewan. I always try to grab a piece of local pottery when I travel, and coming home is no exception to that. It’s got a very natural feel to it, with a deepy rusty colour glaze on top and some crawling/gloopy white on the bottom to go alongside some debossed leaves.
Though I really like it as a latte mug, I wanted to pick a tea to go with it that was also from Regina (ie. local to the mug) so I went with this one. The tea and the mug were actually purchased from shops that are on the same street/right next to each other too. It’s perhaps my favourite blend carried by Cuppa Tea. Usually I’d have it iced or cold brewed, but it’s nice hot too. Tart and bright with subtle umami undertones of tomato to go with strong notes of hibiscus, cherry, and orange.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsfVTt55ioE
Another Mugtober pairing!
The mug for this one had cats on it, and honestly maybe it’s a stretch since they weren’t even black cats but I really latched onto the idea of combining cats and superstition. So, here we are. Also, maybe some bias on my part because I did own a cat growing up named Licorice…
Anyway, that’s exactly what this tea tastes like. Black licorice, that is. Not cats. It’s very sweet and mouthcoating with such a strong and extreme anise flavour. I adore it, but it’s certainly for a REALLY specific kind of person. Honestly Mastress Alita would probably love it.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae33BZmqrUc
This was yesterday’s tea selection/pairing for Mugtober!
The mug was a coffee cup from Satanic Tea Co/Pitch Black North with the phrase “Hail Satan & Steep Tea” on it, so a tea called Underworld felt pretty on the nose. I don’t really own a lot of coffee mugs – at least, the stereotypically shaped 12oz ones that you might find in an average office space. I obviously have a penchant for handmade mugs, or a bias towards the fun designs from DT. However, I couldn’t resist this one…
The tea was very good! In a lot of ways it makes me think of Black Forest cake. Similar sort of fudgey chocolate notes with sweet, dense and candied cherry notes. No tartness. More on the dark chocolate side, as well. I get a bit of the pomegranate/grenadine notes that, while out of place for Black Forest, still compliment that profile. It’s rich, and very pleasant.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsNfJhKmJmU
Today’s mugtober selection!
The mug I picked out was the Nordic Mug from DT made in collaboration with First Nations artist Emily Kewagashig, for the Manoomin Collection. The artwork is heavily inspired by the tea blends we made in partnership with Tea Horse. It’s really, really quite special and stunning – and it makes me so homesick for all the indigenous art and murals that I grew up with in school and in my neighborhood back home in Saskatchewan. Although, both Emily and Tea Horse are actually from Ontario.
I chose this tea, which is also from an Indigenous owned tea company, as my tea choice. It’s a very fine teabag cut, with juicy and tart notes of hibiscus and red fruit paired with different spices – namely cinnamon. In some ways, it has a mulled wine kind of taste to it. The combination of those berry-like red fruit notes and the cinnamon definitely has the warmth to evoke the idea of love, and it’s ultimately quite pleasant and smooth.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJoWqITKtFs
Gongfu!
Enjoyed this session paired with some ripe raspberries. It’s such a soft and creamy feeling liquor, with a delicate and buttery profile that makes me think a lot of White Rabbit candies, honeysuckle, and woodruff. Quite sweet, but in a way that doesn’t feel harsh or cloying. Instead, those creamier cooked milk notes and florals give off a fresh feeling decadence that makes this Yunnan white tea stand out amongst other aged whites I’ve tasted.
Also, raspberries make the most adorable little edible teacups to eat/drink your tea straight out of. Better with something a bit more full-bodied and strong like a shou, but still a very fun and playful way to step up the tea session snacking…
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQIANmuEglh/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVIf3NXf-_g
Gongfu Sipdown (3048)!
This green tea definitely springs to life when steeped in this way; medium-bodied with a really strong nutty and vegetal profiles with notes like chesnut, grilled corn, bamboo shoots, and steamed artichoke. I really, really love the grilled corn note a lot. It’s definitely something that I’ve come to associate pretty heavily with Korean/Jeju Island green teas like this one. About four solid infusions in total, which isn’t too shabby at all!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQKjRaKEp_C/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EskhDO96bc
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.
Grandpa Style!
I swear it’s not just because I snagged this photo while picking out pumpkins, but it really does remind me of home-baked pumpkin bread. Something about the darker, deeply malty profile and more warming notes of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and caraway. So smooth, with molasses, cocoa, and carob notes flooding the mid-sip alongside all of these cozier, aromatic spice notes and the undertones of raisins, cooked and caramelized sweet potatoes and squash, and a sweet finish. Very, very autumnally-coded as far as black teas go, and so forgiving and perfect for thermos brewing!!
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQNI898Etxx/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTxLnq3IAeA
If malty rain were a thing, I think it would be this black tea cake. It’s very smooth and round on the palate with a fresh, crisp and clean minerality that finishes delicately sweet and mellow. All of this is seamlessly integrated with a rich maltiness and an undertone that I think is best described as fruit nectar. Slightly golden leaning, with elements of orchard fruits like ripe, juicy pears. Pretty well suited for yet another overcast, drizzly day. Cozy and comforting, but with elements that mirror the weather outside and the petrichor hanging in the air!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQPicVFCRxz/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xaf8ovAFVE
Gongfu!
It’s full bodied and pleasantly brisk and tannic, with snappy notes of bright red fruits, a punch of savory smoke, and aromatic top notes of vanilla extract. All of this is followed by leather, char, and wood, with a brothy and umami tail end of the sip that lingers in the back of the throat. It’s very bold and very good. Because the smoke is so intense, I likely wouldn’t recommend this tea to just anyone. However, if like me, you’re into a smoky tea that slaps you in the palate or enjoy chasing out teas that have been more uniquely smoked, then I think this is a must try!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQR880IiYsp/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpqU8Oi1YGo
Gongfu!
The profile of this sheng is more green and woody out of the gate, with an unexpected softness to the mouthfeel that almost feels like cotton candy melting on your tongue, but it quickly ramps up. By steep three, it feels snappy with pleasantly bitter lemon rind notes to go alongside tree sap and an herbaceous and medicinal finish that coats the throat in a slick, soothing sort of it. I feel like I’ve had herbal liqueurs with tasting notes very similar to this, but less balanced feeling. Very crazy watching the profile and intensity switch up so dramatically within the same session, but was definitely a lovely kickstart to the week!!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQVAnbJkvA2/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phw4fdVXWT4
There’s a lot of ingredients in this blend, but most of them don’t come through in the taste very much. Instead it’s a really thick, muddy feeling liquor with strong notes of cocoa powder, cardamom, and a bit of a peppery kick to the finish. Not bad, but not super memorable either.
Cold Brew!
I just finished a cold brew of this tea, but honestly I’m so congested right now that I barely tasted the orange flavour at all. Kind of a disappointment, but I was feeling fine yesterday when I started the cold brew…
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.
