6444 Tasting Notes
I had one of the perfect teapot packages of this lying around and since I just got a brand new teapot I decided to brew this up.
This did not taste like any pie my mom has ever made but what it did taste like was the caramel apple lollipops my grandmother used to give me as a kid. Except someone had already eaten all the awesome chewy caramel so I was left, a little disappointed, with just the tart apple lollipop remains.
I could not find the cinnamon. Although I did pick up some of the vegetal green base. Not really the best compliment to the candy apple taste that dominated this cup.
Not a horrible cup of tea but not the best either. I will finish the teapot but be glad this is another sipdown!
ETA: Inspired by so many of you wonderful steepsterers (steepsterites?), I have started a blog. My first post is about this tea. If you are bored, feel free to check it out at http://droppingthelbswithtea.wordpress.com/. I am not the best writer, nor do I know how often I will be able to update the blog (especially coming up to exams) but it seemed like fun so I figured I would give it a try.
Preparation
I finally decided to try pineapple bacon tea and in my mind I built it up to be a lot scarier than it actually was. However, being as wary as I was, I decided that if I were going to try something crazy and out there, I wanted to have something comforting and delicious to wash it down with – enter my sample of Strawberry Pie Honeybush. YUM!
When I describe this tea to people, the best way I can explain it is it tastes like the delicious sweet strawberry topping they put on funnel cakes combined with the yummy cinnamon flavoring of a good apple pie. The two combines makes for the most delectable pie tea I could imagine. However, this cup in particular I steeped a little bit longer than the last and though it is still amazing, I think the flavors balance more with a shorter steep time. This cup is not as sweet and falls a bit flat on the cinnamon so I guess I found my sweet spot with the last cup and will stick to those steeping parameters in the future.
I was actually hoarding the little bit of the sample I had left but since I placed an order for more of this I decided I could finish what I had knowing there would be more of it in my cupboard soon enough. That makes this a temporary sipdown. Temporary being the key word because I am not ready to part with this awesome tea.
Preparation
I am finally trying this sample sent to me from Dexter3657. This is definitely a strange combination to consider drinking but I suppose it is worth a try. It has only taken me a few weeks to finally build up the courage so here goes nothing.
The smell I get is a woodsy rooibos combined with the smell of smokey bacon. There is even a bit of fruity pineapple in there as well.Definitely not the sweet smell of the dessert-y teas I am used to but very interesting nonetheless.
Tastewise, the first flavor that hits my tongue is pineapple – sweet and ripe. Some sips more pineapple-y than others. They all end the same way and that is with a bit of bacon smokiness. It makes for a flavor experience different from all others. I don’t think I will be buying this again but it was certainly an amazing tea to try. It is also not nearly as scary a flavor as I worried it might be. The bacon for me is more of a back-up in this tea than the main performer and I think that makes it much easier to drink. Honestly, I thought I would try this and pour it down the drain but I am actually enjoying this cup. Thank you Dexter3657 for sharing such a unique tea!
Preparation
You asked me if it was any good…. it’s too strange to call good – but I didn’t think it was too offensive either. I wouldn’t drink it everyday, but it was fun to try.
A little sweetener/sugar will bring out the pineapple or a little salt will bring out the bacon (yes that’s right add just a touch of salt to your tea…)
haha I was definitely tasting the pineapple and just getting a hint of smokiness from the bacon, which I was happy with. Although I can see how salt would latch onto that flavor and bring it out more.
What I thought was really interesting was the smell was bacon with a hint of pineapple and the taste was the opposite. Thanks again for sharing.
I hope you get a chance to try the maple bacon one. Its really interesting. (Pretty awesome with just a splash of bourbon – if you’re into that kind of thing)
I got some in the Bestsellers sampler pack so I will be trying that soon enough.
I picked this up a couple weeks ago at Kusmi and have yet to try it. I grabbed the bag when I got home but my roommate told me it was not Christmas yet and so I should have a different tea. However, after the sample I sent JustJames got such a nice review I gave in and decided to try some.
This is the first tea with a prominent orange presence that I don’t mind at all. I think that is because unlike many other orange teas, this has other flavors going on that help to provide depth to the tea rather than it being one strong orange note. The spices tone down the orange while the vanilla adds some sweetness. I am even getting a bit of cake-yness in the mouth feel that is quiet enjoyable.
All in all, this is definitely a nice cup of tea and I can certainly see how this might be reminiscent of Christmas. The smells are what I would imagine (being Jewish I don’t have much experience in the matter) the combination of a Christmas tree and Christmas cooking would smell like – very warm and cozy.
Preparation
i can’t believe you sent me some of that lovely stuff before you tried it! i’ve done it on occasion…. but that’s different. =0)
Something about the teas you rated highly. the teas in your cupboard, and the flavors in the Christmas tea made me think you would be a fan. I am glad it worked out. And sending a sample was certainly easy given I had to buy 75 g of it so I had enough to share.
=0) i am hugely grateful….. i find myself chasing after kusmi here, lol.
Kusmi is literally a two minute walk from my house. If you are ever desperate, I can always go pick up teas for you. However, I do believe you can order online.
i think i can get it at a place not too far from here called ottavio’s bakery….. unbridled temptation. but i can’t justify it yet, lol.
haha well the offer stands if you ever change your mind.
thank you kindly! ;-)
Backlog as I had this earlier in the day but did not realize there was a page made up for this tea.
JustJames was kind enough to share this with me and honestly it is delicious! I had no idea what was in this tea other than mate but I decided to trust JustJames and try it blindly. My palette is not advanced enough to detect each note and every ingredient. What my unsophisticated palette could detect was some mate, but there is also a floral note which is enough to give the tea a nice flavor without being overwhelmingly perfume-y as many florals tend to be. Drinking this cup, I had a lot of fun trying to pick up on all the different subtleties and flavors and though I am not great at pin pointing the various components, I am certainly enjoying this cup nonetheless. Thank you very much for sharing it with me, JustJames!
Preparation
This is another tea I picked up in Janelle’s stash sale and once again I am disappointed. I wonder if these teas are actually not great or if they are just a little old and thus not in their prime. Nothing in this tea says carrot cake. I am getting a nutty scent and a rose petal type taste. No frosting, no cake, no carrot. This tea is getting no love from me. Into the swap box it goes.
Preparation
This tea is not for you, it’s for naughty people!
you know, more and more i become disillusioned with david’s. i really liked spice cake when i first tried it…. but i loaded it with sugar and condensed milk. now that i’m sugar free i can really tell which teas a quality and which teas are…. well, NOT (i’ll be politic and not as opposed to a more colourful word).
I got into tea because I am on Jenny Craig so my food got monotonous and tea was a way to get new flavors into my diet without cheating. That means absolutely NO sugar gets put into my tea ever. DAVIDs and Teavana were all I knew and DAVIDs flavors really hit the spot and allowed me to have the sweet, delicious, cakey flavors that I was not allowed to have otherwise (although I do get dessert every night on Jenny). However, the more I try, the more I realize how DAVIDs and Teavana just don’t stand up to many of the more expertly blended teas. Like Della Terra’s Carrot Cake actually tastes like Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and 52 teas made it so I could have pancakes which is insane. I think there will always be teas I love from DAVIDs (not so much Teavana) but I am quickly outgrowing them and realizing there are much better teas out there.
i am grateful for them as starting points…. and the odd bit of novelty. but honestly, if i only like a blend when it’s drowned in cr** that’s no good for me? hmmm, i think i’ll move on thanks. =0) you know, mandala teas have with nothing in them at all? very happily. others i only ever use xylitol. i am legitimately off sugar for a month now. my pants keep falling down, lol. congrats on your steadfastness with jenny!
Congratulations! Pants falling is definitely a good sign – although one of the more embarrassing depending where it happens. For months, I was wearing jeans that looked like I pooped myself for a while due to the excess fabric and when I finally went to buy new ones I realized I actually dropped 4 jean sizes. That was a fun discovery.
And I definitely understand that a tea that requires something added is not really a good tea. For me, I never added anything to DAVIDs teas so if I loved it when I first tried it, I loved the tea itself. Now I am realizing that some of the teas I “loved” were only loved because I didn’t have any other alternatives. Now that I do, I still enjoy some teas but more and more I realize how disappointing their blends are. Although occasionally I do happen to stumble upon a gem so I keep trying.
Over time I’ve lost 65 lbs. I started in the beginning with the flavored tea but soon changed to real flavors from companies who don’t use artificial flavors. Puerh is great for losing weight when you find the ones you like. Some milk and sweetener makes a caramel latte. SteapShoppe has a good cinnamon cake puerh. Love cocoa black tea’s that taste like chocolate and chai in Winter is great.
i know the steap shoppe puerh you’re talking about. i have a canister of it on my counter. very nice!
Someone is sending me a sample of the sTEAp shoppe tea that I am very excited to try. I always read such amazing reviews about it.
by the way Bonnie, 65 pounds is amazing. I am just under 55 lbs and still going strong. I am finally past my 1/2 way point which is definitely exciting.
Fantastic! I’ve gone from a 2X to size 12 (I’m 5’8"). My reason is all about feeling good. The only diet I’ve done has been a month of Bob’s (Biggest Loser) jumpstart to skinny diet. I collect recipes for vegetable dishes that I’m not allergic to through pinterest boards. Today, I made spaghetti squash pizza. (The squash was the crust).
Look for Bonnie Johnstone on pinterest for a few veg.recipes.
Awesome! I will definitely do that :) I make vegetable sides to every meal and I am always looking for new and exciting recipes to try.
I need to find that pizza recipe, Bonnie. Is it on your Pinterest? (I’m gluten free, so alternate pizza recipes are ALWAYS tried!)
The recipes all look great. I actually made pizza bits out of cauliflower which was fun and surprisingly tasty.
Oh I found it! It just makes me sad that cheese is used so often as a binding ingredient. I can’t have a lot of dairy, but I think I’ll try it anyways.
Just squeeze out the squash liquid after baking and before mixing with the eggs. I often adapt recipes for my allergies. The binder is eggs, so use a cauliflower puree alfredo sauce or tofu instead of cheese or see what happens when you leave it out.
I love using cauliflower for crusts too.
Thanks, Bonnie. :)
I had about 1.5 tsps left of this from the sample Roswell Strange sent me so I decided I would polish it off (sipdown!) and hopefully have a tasty treat as well. I made this in my 16 oz timolino so in order to avoid underleafing, I threw in about 1/2 a tsp of DAVIDs Toasted Marshmallow (the only other s’mores type tea I had) that came to me by way of Janelle’s stash sale. I steeped the tea for a mere two minutes just below boiling in hopes of bringing out the marshmallow-y flavors. Unfortunately, all I got in my first sip was a pretty mediocre black tea.
I ended up letting this cup sit for a bit while I decided to try baking with Truvia. My roommate and I made a Coconut flour apple banana loaf this week – no tea though since we were already experimenting with the truvia and only had about 2 tbsps of oil to work with.
I got caught up in the baking and so it was not until the loaf got thrown into the oven that I took another sip and by that time this tea had cooled to about room temperature. Apparently that is the key to this mixture though. At room temperature, this tea became a liquefied s’more as opposed to the liquid bore it was when hot (sorry, I could not resist that horrid joke). Not only was this marshmallow-y sweet but there was even a bit of the delicious caramelized marshmallow flavor you get from roasting s’mores. The cinnamon from the Toasted Marshmallow, overpowering when you drink Toasted Marshmallow alone, shined through just enough to taste like the perfect graham cracker accompaniment to the amazing roasted marshmallow. And there was a nice hint of milk chocolate to round out the flavors. It certainly made for a delicious treat and showed me a good way to use the Toasted Marshmallow – now I just need to pick up a little bit more s’mores. Good thing there is a Della Terra sale coming up :). Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing this with me!! And thank you Janelle for sending some Toasted Marshmallow my way!
Preparation
That’s funny that you had S’more like teas from both Janelle and I and ended up using them together since we both live in the same town :P
Really? They were meant to be had together :P
Yup. Actually, I’m buying tea from Janelle too and right now we’re trying to work out a time between both of our crazy schedules to actually meet up in person to do it. You know, save on shipping a little and such :P Plus it’s just kinda neat meeting someone on Steepster in person. Lala lives a town away (the town I moved from, actually) so who knows – maybe someday I’ll meet her in person too.
Aww that is so nice. Cavocorax lives maybe 10 minutes away from my childhood home back in Thornhill. When I got her package, the first half of her postal code is the same as my homes so it was definitely weird getting a package with that area code that was not from my mom.
It’s funny how we’re all connected! When I was in Vancouver I was about a 10 minute bus ride from where OMGSrsly works.
Also, I’m jealous that you got your package from Janelle! I don’t even know if mine shipped yet! :O I was hoping to get it before Black Friday so I could sample more Della Terra, but, it’s not a big deal.
I’m hoping Janelle messages me back sometime tomorrow: our plan was to meet up Wednesday and a whole bunch of what I was getting from her was sample sizes of Della Terra teas I might want to order as part of their sale. But I haven’t heard back from her in a few days :( Feels like I just moved here though (almost 3 months ago now, though) and I remember how crazy busy I was with moving, so I get that she’s pretty preoccupied atm.
Today has been a Mate sort of day. I decided to try a sample sent to me from JustJames but since that had no steeping instructions on it and no steepster page (at least not one I could quickly find on my phone) for me to consult, I decided to find another mate with instructions that I could steep at the same time. Enter JavaVana Mate courtesy of MissB.
The dry leaf to me smelled very strongly of coffee. I am by no means a coffee drinker and also not a huge Teavana fan so I really did not expect much from this tea. However, when steeped the strong coffee smell went away, leaving behind an amazingly chocolate-y mocha scent to my surprise. Even more surprising, was the deliciously cocoa flavor of my first sip. More than just cocoa though, there is an awesome dash of vanilla intermingled in the taste. I do pick up on coffee but only at the end of the sip and though that is not a favorite taste, I don’t mind it in this cup. Shockingly, I am actually REALLY enjoying this tea. Thank you MissB for sharing this with me – it is something I would not have bought otherwise and I would have missed out.
On a sort of irrelevant note, I picked up some Truvia today after reading about it time and time again in your (MissB’s) tasting notes. I was planning to use some in this tea but it really does not need any sweetner. However, when I do get around to using it, I will let you know how it goes. I am hoping for the best but usually do not like artificial sweetners. Hopefully this will be different as I have heard many good things about it.
Preparation
Oh, yay! I’m so glad you liked this. I too would have missed purchasing this if a staffer hadn’t said, “You really need to try this.” I actually like it when staff say that (if I trust them) because they’re the ones working with the product every day. As for Truvia, I can only use 1/2 a packet per cup of tea or else it’s too sweet for me. I hope you like it!
The woman who helped me in Teavana was very nice but rather pushy. I did take some of her suggestions but something that bothered me was she kept trying to push my mom to buy tea despite my mother saying she is not a tea drinker multiple times. In fact, she tried to get my mom to pick up some of this tea because she told her it was a good transition from coffee to tea (a transition my mom had been clear she did not want to make). So given that I don’t drink coffee, I never had an interest in this tea until you put it up for swap and I thought I would give it a taste. Clearly I am glad I did so thanks again for sharing.
Also, I usually don’t ever sweeten my tea because aside from enjoying lattes, I mostly like to drink tea plain. Unless I am sick, in which case I add honey. But I picked up Truvia for the few teas that I think would be enhanced with a bit of sweetner. I will definitely take your recommendation and stick to 1/2 a packet for those teas. Mostly I am wary of the aftertaste. I won’t touch diet pop because I just cannot stand the taste of aspartame and the aftertaste it leaves. Blech.
I tried the new monk fruit sweetener which is very sweet but does not have the aspertame aftertaste. You might want to try it. Splenda doesn’t bother me but the truvia tastes bitter in hot beverages and aspertame is bitter and has an aftertaste. I’ve noticed that using Spring water cuts down on bitterness in everything. It’s worth having a filter bottle for tea.
I will have to check that out. Most of the time I avoid sweetners all together just because I usually enjoy teas plain (or as a latte, of course). Unfortunately, I have found certain some teas fall flat and many people recommend sugar to bring out flavors so I figured I would give Truvia a try. So far I know I really don’t like aspartame or Splenda so hopefully this goes batter.
I personally couldn’t stand Truvia, but I don’t mind the taste of aspartame so maybe it will be better for you!
My roommate and I used this to make tea popsicles and it was a great choice. The flavors of this tea lend themselves perfectly to being enjoyed cold. Strawberries bring sweetness while lemon adds a bit of tart to round out the flavor. I can tell this is going to be an amazing tea around for when the weather gets hot. Perhaps this will be one of the teas I take with me to Florida for winter break!
Preparation
MissB very generously shared some of this with me and it was definitely a flavor experience. It is so bold and flavorful. So many different spices are playing around on my tongue. Unfortunately, I think I wish the game was done because something about these flavors are just not sitting right with me. I am searching for the chocolate that I know I smelled but I am just not finding it. What I am finding is pepper and licorice, A LOT of licorice which is not a flavor I enjoy.
This was definitely a tea experience vastly different from any other I have had before. Thank you MissB for sharing but I think the sample you sent me is the last time I will be drinking this tea and since one cup used the whole sample, this is a sipdown!
Preparation
Woot! Glad it’s a sipdown. I also struggled with this one, whereas Dexter enjoyed it more than we both did. I hope the others I sent are more to your liking!
I had Fruta Bomba today and that was quite good. I am still trying to get around to the others.
Ummmm no I didn’t like this one either – it was the Organic Chocolate Chai by Naked Teas Galore that I didn’t mind. :))
Dexter everytime I try chai, I think of you. In my mind you are the expert on all things chai :P
LOL I don’t know about expert, but I have a LOT of them in my house. I have a discontinued sample that I LOVE and am hording, I keep buying them to try and find one I like as much. Lots of misses, a few good ones, but none that are as good as THAT one. If you ever want chai samples – let me know…
Pumpkin teas are the other one I have LOTS of….
I have not had much luck with chais (except, of course, when infused into banana bread). I do like DAVIDs Pumpkin Chai though, although that may have more to do with my love of all things pumpkin than my love for chai. Also, I have two chais from Caesarstea that I picked up that I am excited to try – one is coconut and the other came recommended by the saleswoman and smells fruity with some spice.
Too many teas. :$ Well, I guess we’re all in the same boat on this one then. Lots of other Tea Desire teas I really enjoy. Just not this one.
I like Fruta Bomba, I found it really refreshing in the summer.
I’ve been toying over picking this up in store, so I’m glad to be seeing all the reviews on it. These three misses are definitely making me feel better about not getting any and instead trying other Tea Desire blends :)
