658 Tasting Notes

86
drank Razmintazz by Tealish
658 tasting notes

Today was supposed to be strictly productive, but instead a friend coaxed me outside with promises of enjoying the weather on the patio at Red Tea Box. Unfortunately we were too late for their lunch. Fair enough, but so disappointing! Instead, we hit up Fresh and Tealish and took it to the park for a picnic, and then followed it up with Dufflet. This was a fair substitute. Man, I can’t believe how amazing the weather is in mid-March!

So, I got this iced to-go from Tealish, having heard good things from De and aisling. The girl preparing it also said it was her favourite iced tea. I can see why! It was really flavourful and incredibly refreshing. The mint was just enough to be cooling, and not enough to be overbearing. I was surprised by how nice a raspberry flavour this yielded. I can’t say I really noticed the chamomile, which is probably for the best.

Tina S.

Darnit, now I want to try it.

Daddyselephant

I bring you some. You try. You like. I know things.

Tina S.

Yay tea samples!

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I took my sample of this along to work and made it there. I’m regretting not saving it for more ideal conditions, though. It was a nice, standard Dan Cong as far as I could tell; I didn’t manage to taste much more of a nut/almond note than from any other Dan Cong I’ve tried.

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84

I basically expected to be underwhelmed by this tea based on its very subtle vanilla aroma. My world was not rocked by the first couple of sips, but as I continued I realized I actually really loved it! It’s subtle, for sure. It doesn’t beat you over the head with vanilla or with sweetness. But it’s a very nice, balanced black with an awesome creamy quality added by the vanilla.

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83

I like this! Hooray! It’s actually the one I didn’t really want to like as it’s highly ridiculous. But it’s fruity, it’s creamy. It’s a nice-looking blend, too. It smelled like Swampwater to me, and tastes like a sweeter verison I think. In fact, it tastes rather sugary to me! So sugary that I decided to be a diabetes nerd and check a drop of it with a blood glucose test strip. I was kind of surprised that the result was 3.6 mmol/L though I didn’t know if I should be, so I tried to calculate it. I don’t know if the unit conversion works the same way, but if my calculations are right that translates to 65 mg/dl, so I think this 500 ml jumbo-mug equals an almost disappointingly undramatic .325 g of glucose plus, I guess, probably the same amount of fructose? This is all very highly unscientific and I don’t know what I am talking about, but it was interesting and makes me better trust that DT’s assertion “our teas have all tested below 1 g of sugar per cup of tea (according to our steeping instructions)” applies even to a tea with jelly beans in it!

Also, I wish I understood science/math/WHATEVER.

Tamm

I actually thought that this tea would be interesting. I don’t know if you ever had those really awful plain-ish jellybeans people get on Easter, but hopefully this tea isn’t at all like that!

nomadinjeopardy

It’s been a while, but no I don’t think so! Just very sweet and fruity.

Indigobloom

Okay now I have to try this one… the jelly beans kinda threw me off but now I’m intrigued! The sample I had in store was ok, maybe the at home version will be fruitier :)

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90

I had this last night and it was rather more flavourful. And, looking at my previous note, I’m surprised at the mention of how pale it was since last night’s cup was quite pink! I must have got more cranberries or gojis last night, I guess. Anyway, I’m raising the rating since it is delicious and went further this time.

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71
drank Gold Rush by DAVIDsTEA
658 tasting notes

I liked this, but was expecting more from it. It definitely has a nice creamy caramel flavour going for it. And I was expecting it to be heavy on the additions and light on the tea from others’ reviews, but I actually didn’t expect this! It was basically all mulberries with a few coconut shavings and a very few tea leaves. Something about paying 11.50 for, basically, 50 grams of dried berries with some added flavouring does not sit right with me. And paying what seems to be the “white tea” price for something that is really just honorarily a white tea is also silly. I think if this was priced as an herbal it would still be obscene, but more affordable.

It was tasty but not outstanding, and I feel ripped off so wouldn’t buy it again. While I found it underwhelming, though, the man-of-the-house volunteered that it was “really good” (as opposed to his usual “it’s good” when prompted). But the berry carnage in the Breville’s brewing basket freaked him out when I asked him to go make the next batch of tea.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 7 min, 0 sec
SimpliciTEA

I hate to say it, but your description of, too many flavoring bits, and too little tea, reminds me of Teavana. I hope Davids Tea is not going the route of Teavana!

nomadinjeopardy

I hope not, too! Teavana is already opening here in Toronto.

papabear

I also found this tea rather expensive to the about of brew you are able to make out of it.

Drunk From Tea

Really!? Theres a Teavana opening here in Toronto!? Where??!!

nomadinjeopardy

Holt Renfrew, apparently! I think I’ve heard rumour of other locations, but saw this a few days ago: http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/ret/2881407102.html

Magda

As far as expense goes, I think the mulberries themselves have more to do with the cost than it being “white tea price”… recent DT white teas have only been $16-20/100g (Checkmate, Cherry Potion, Mango Madness). However, the Caramel Spice blend in the Fall Collection was priced higher than black teas usually are, and it also contained golden mulberries. Perhaps mulberries are high-priced because they have so many benefits – http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mulberries.html

Maybe this perspective will help you feel less ripped off! :)

nomadinjeopardy

Hehe! Thanks! It would, except I think my issue is 1) dried fruits and berries don’t steep up a whole lotta flavour and 2) I noticed on my last trip to Bulk Barn that their mulberries were something like $2.25/100 g. But I will tell myself that GOLDEN mulberries are much more luxurious and thus worth it. :)

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72
drank Daydreamer by DAVIDsTEA
658 tasting notes

This is alright. The sencha seemed nice albeit a little quick to go bitter. Very sweet and fruity, dominated by mango. A nice tea, but there are too many similar and more outstanding teas out there. I’ll see how I like it next time, when I will try a shorter steep (3 minutes this time).

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59

I had this one today in-store as a sample. And then I bought some just because I had a brief burst of the old familiar feeling where I have to try all the new teas. So I got some of each of the four new teas. And drank this one first. And yep, hibiscus!

What is with the employees always trying to sell me on the box of the seasonal collections? The girl in the store practically cut me off when I asked for 20 g of each of the spring teas minus Pink Flamingo, pointed to the shelf, and said that the box had them all. I clarified that I didn’t want Pink Flamingo and added that it is $8 cheaper to buy them individually anyway, and she didn’t seem to believe me! I don’t find that they are very aggressive sales-wise so it always takes me by surprise when they try to insist. Anyway.

This is way too sour. It would probably be good otherwise; I like the fruit flavours I get a glimpse of under there. But, even at 3 minutes, this is way too tart. And alarmingly red! I don’t know if I’ve really had a black blend with hibiscus before, but it’s really odd. The tea is completely overridden by the hibiscus. Would probably be better cold.

Daddyselephant

Yeah, they did the same thing to me when we were getting ours, high ups must be telling them to do so. I was only getting 10 g of each, so there was really no point to wasting money on the big box!

cteresa

Hibiscus is way overpowering. Using it with black tea does not sound too enticing ( though there is this blend called eros I want to try one day).

TeaBrat

I don’t understand why so many tea companies put hibiscus in everything, it seems a lot of people don’t like it…

nomadinjeopardy

It’s definitely an odd choice. I don’t know why tea companies are so heavy-handed with it, either. I think in smaller amounts it could be alright.

cteresa

Hibiscus is strong stuff, and something I think not nearly everybody can identify. People can dislike it but not identify it, and it is true that hibiscus gives a lot of body and color to tisanes. I blame celestial seasonings actually for the hibiscus trend, a lot of their “zinger” blends seem to have been ahead of the trend and maybe causing it. A ton of caffeine-free “teas” or “fruit” teas nearly always got hibiscus and they do seem to sell. I hate it and hoping the trend passes. But maybe it is like one of those fresh coriander things – some people seriously hate it and can not figure out why some of us love it.

I got one or two unabashed hibiscus blends where the hibiscus works (a red fruit thing, a spicy apple thing) but those are not subtle. I have only once picked up a hibiscus blend done subtly and where it did not overpower everthing else, and it was btw Yumchaa´s Adventure blend (but then again, I think whoever does their blends is a genius at balancing tastes)

ChibiiCherry

I didn’t find them particularly pushy where I am, but I only picked up the one tea. I sampled two of the summer blends but I didn’t find most of them particularly enticing. I do find that a lot of teas now have hibiscus and I think its an acquired taste, I personally like it in this blend but it wouldn’t be a tea I would have every day. Its definitely one I want to keep in my cupboard though. To each their own though!

Kittenna

Oh my, yes, the push to get us to buy the whole box must come from higher up. I was the only customer in the store with two employees there, and I asked for 15g (so 16g) of each tea, and they tried to sell me on the pre-packaged stuff, but I’ve previously calculated and it’s significantly cheaper to just buy each one individually. It’s not like you even get some nice little tins for the extra price. They kept trying to convince me though, and I was all ‘geez, you’d be done weighing it all out now if you just gave me the tea like I asked….’ (Even if I had wanted 26g of each I wouldn’t have bought the box…)

Angrboda

Gosh, at that point even I, who is somewhat conflict shy, would start wondering if I should ask them if they wanted to sell me the things I was asking for or if I should just find somewhere else to shop…

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71

I’m similarly confused about this one. I didn’t dislike it, but got more of a nutty, spiced flavour from it than apple. I tasted almonds and cinnamon with a little floral. Odd! Not bad, but odd. I think perhaps the apple flavouring is supposed to come just from the apple pieces, which aren’t going to impart a terrible lot of flavour.

Tina S.

Not bad but odd sums it up well!

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92

Verdant’s blends are so cool. I was thrilled to see the combination of the Laoshan black, which is just the best ever, and Big Red Robe. And chocolate, of course!

The layers of flavour in this are amazing. There’s a lot going on, but it ties together incredibly well. I received it in the February tea of the month box, and only read the description included before trying it. I was a little apprehensive at the somewhat vague mention of “spices”, as I’m not typically good at isolating and pinning down what it is I’m tasting but hate not being able to identify flavours. My reaction to the first sip was: wow, is there mint in this? Ooh, there’s the cacao. I think I taste cinnamon, and is there fennel in there?

Spot on! That’s a first for me. I can make each out clearly, but they work together to make a tea that tastes like raw chocolate laced with spices and mild mint. Perfection! I’m not sure if I can make out the marigold and/or chamomile. I think they’re just mingling in there with the rest. I’m also getting the sweet, malty characteristics from the two base teas, but they seem to blend pretty seamlessly.

Spoonvonstup

I loved this one, too!! I’ve been really excited to see what other people thought of the TotM extra.

Plunkybug

Bummer to see there’s fennel.

Spoonvonstup

Why is that a bummer? Are you allergic?

Plunkybug

No, I just vehemently hate fennel and anise and anything that remotely tastes like (black) licorice.

BTVSGal

This is on my buy list:)

Kittenna

How strong is the fennel/licoricey flavour? This tea sounds really good, but I’m apprehensive about trying it as I typically dislike teas with those flavours…

nomadinjeopardy

It’s odd. I don’t like those flavours, either. And I could taste them, yet I didn’t dislike it! They’re detectable but not too strong and somehow it worked for me.

Kittenna

That sounds good enough for me :) I think 1 oz. is only 6.75, so I think it’s worth a shot when I make my next Verdant order. Now that I’ve gotten over my fear of chamomile (which you say isn’t terribly apparent anyhow), this just sounds intriguing enough that I need to try it!

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