Sweet Apple Cider

I was very excited to receive a sample of this during their promotion a couple of weeks ago and it was only today that I actually got around to trying this. Compared to previous apple flavoured teas, I did find this one to be the most “apple-y”… but almost to a point that it came across as artificial. I can’t say I would be disappointed if this one did not return next year but I would recommend trying it while it’s around. I will probably enjoy another cup of this before it’s gone though.

Hey steepster..it’s been a while, with the site down, no service this weekend and a full house the past week, I have been drinking tea but not logging any haha. Well last night on a trip to my local DavidsTea to restock my favorites I decided to try a few of the fall teas, this one and Cinnaberry lol. I had some Yes We Cran iced in the store as a sample, but was not a fan, it feels like more of a warm tea lol.

Anyways, this one I was excited for, as I love apple cider, that sugary powdered stuff, it has many fond memories attached to it of rainy days at the lake with my grandparents, a steaming mug of cider in front of me while we discussed fishing and waited for the rain to pass. The smell of this tea when steeped is very reminiscent of that cider – tangy and juicy, with an artificial sugar sweetness. I don’t mind the smell :D

As for the flavor, yes, it closely matches that apple cider I have had in the past, but actually with more of that tart apple taste, the mild astringency from biting into the skin (that must be the pomace). There is a thick mouthfeel as well, a bit chalky, that may be from the pomace as well as the flavorings. It starts out with a lovely sweet apple taste and fades to the mildy chalky tartness.

Hmmmm. I’m undecided on my overall impression of this tea. On one hand I am pleased it is quite similar to that powdered cider I used to enjoy, but at the same time I don’t know if I’m a fan of the differences lol. I feel like there’s a slight oily sheen left on my lips after drinking it too..must be from the flavoring. It tastes pretty good, but the mouthfeel is making me not such a big fan. Hmm indeed lol. I will need time to form an opinion on this one. It’s certainly drinkable, but not sure if I adore it yet.

Rating around a 75 for now, but subject to change.

I received a sample of this tea in my latest order from David’s Tea. It smelled wonderful while it was steeping. However, when I took a sip, I nearly spit it back out. It is SWEET. Really sweet. I don’t like sweet tea, and so this was really not for me. I dumped the cup down the drain.

Hello all,

Been lurking about this site for the last several months; new member as of today. I’ve found many reviews here extremely helpful in helping me decide which teas to try. Thank you! :)

Got a sample of this tea just before the August 27th launch and decided to give it a try this afternoon.

The name of this tea is rather misleading as I think of apple cider being spiced with cinnamon/cloves, however, as an APPLE TEA it’s mild but pleasant. I can make out the subtle tartness of the apple and it’s a rather clean tasting tea.

Nothing was added to the tea (I never put anything when trying a tea for the first time).

I’ve been looking for apple tea for the longest time – I had tried Big Apple earlier this year and was not at all impressed (add to that, and I had mentioned this to a few employees that, for a white tea, the recommended temperature is WAY TOO HOT thus rendering a bitter taste). This one is a bit more of what I’m looking for.

DavidsTea emailed me to let me know the fall collection had officially dropped, so I went in to see the shiny new teas. I ordered a cup of this to go, since I’d been particularly looking forward to it – I absolutely love apple cider.

This tea definitely lives up to the “sweet” part of its name – the apples give it a nice homey sugary taste. I also picked up on some floral notes in my cup. Unfortunately, evaluating it as a cider tea, I was left kind of disappointed. Everything about fall, to me, begs for spice, spice and more spice, and cider especially benefits from it; but there’s a complete absence of any of the spice or kick that I love in my ciders in this tea. It’s delicious, but it’s not what I was picturing when I heard there would be a cider tea, and I think the blend suffers as a result of that expectation in comparison to what it actually is.

Tl;dr – it’s good, it’s just not cider-y enough. I liked it, but that disappointment means I probably won’t be picking up more than a cup’s worth.

I was purchasing some discounted summer teas from the newly-opened Davids Tea store in my town and they threw this sample in with the purchase. It’s not really a tea that catches my interest enough for me to buy on my own, so the chance to try a little bit out for free is nice. I’ve found some unexpected treasures that way.

This tea, however, isn’t one. The apple-vanilla scent is nice, though I find it to be a bit artificial. This isn’t a spiced cider sort of a tea, instead it tries to be like freshly pressed apple juice/cider. Unfortunately it mostly just tastes like sweet-ish, watery apple juice to my taste buds. That may just mean I need to steep it longer, and I’m glad I have enough for another cup. We’ll see.

Got the e-mail about the free sample offered when you buy something in-store, and decided that one can never have too much Rootbeer Float tea when it’s already 40% off. Plus…I love apple cider, and really wanted to love this tea.

I wanted to love it. Really, I did. I read the ingredients and thought…“artificial this, artificial that; is anything real in this tea except the apple pieces?!” so already not a good start.

The SMELL. Oh, boy. The smell. It smells absolutely wonderful. A bit artificial, but smells like apple cream. I would hardly call it apple CIDER. Not a hint of cinnamon or cloves in sight. But almost more like…apple butter? Like if I mixed some apple butter in with hot water and drank it. That’s the smell.

The taste: artificial. Not good. Yes, a bit apple-y and creamy, but on the whole not a pleasant experience. I found the aftertaste of the artificial flavour really unpleasant, and it almost made my cheeks hurt.

Verdict: won’t be buying this. Not true to the name of the tea (I wanted spicy apple tea), and too artificial for my liking.

With 45 minutes left before the mall closed, we decided to slip by David’s tea and pick up a summer sale item to get this sample. I hadn’t been overly excited when I heard about this tea, especially given that I wasn’t crazy about Mom’s Apple Pie last year. However, I brewed up a cup of this evening and I am really pleasantly surprised. I tossed in a pinch of sugar, which in retrospect I don’t know that it needed. I get a lot of cream and vanilla flavour, backed by some sweet apple notes. This is a nice change from the tart apple teas I am used to or the common pairing of apple and cinnamon. Overall, I am really impressed with this tea. It wasn’t on my try or buy list for the fall release, but I am thinking I may need to change my mind!! Also, the sample has the release date set as August 27th, which means I can try some of them with my steeper rewards! That is fantastic!

I got a free sample of this herbal tea today (yay!) and decided to try it when I got back home. Upon opening the bag, the smell immediately reminded me of those green apple candies that fizz on your tongue, which is to say it smelled artificial. I also smelled the cream and vanilla a bit, but maybe it’s only because I read the package before opening it.
I used one full tsp, but I regret not using a little more because I ended up with barely colored apple water even if I waited the recommended time. From what I tasted, I’d say it tastes ok, better than the smell. You definitely taste the apple and it’s neither too sweet nor too acidic. I’ll wait for a cold day and try again with a bigger quantity.

So, got the email today about frequent steepers getting a preview of this tea with any purchase today. Since i wanted more root beer float, i asked my other half to pick some up on his way home so that i could try this for when the fall teas come out next week.

Let me remind those of you who haven’t been following me for very long, that I am, in general, not a fan of David’s Tea. There are some exceptions to this but i generally find them to be sort of mid level teas that are generally over priced or too sweet. I’d rather spend my money on other flavoured teas. I also pretty much have no enjoyed any of their straight teas haha. I have an open mind about David’s tea though, since there have been a few that i have really enjoyed in the past. so i haven’t put them on my “dismiss altogether” list :)

First off, this is a fruit tea. No caffeine. I was a little worried about the “sweet” in the name since i’m not generally a fan of teas that are overly sweet. Examining the ingredients, it looks like this is basically an apple tea with vanilla and cream flavouring…there’s a little more too it than that, but those are the key flavours from the ingredient list.

Opening the package – this is SUPER sweet smelling to me, and woah, hello vanilla lol. Brewed the entire sample package and left it steeping for about 6 mins, give or take a bit. Now the aroma is more on the apple side, than the sweet vanilla side. First initial sips? mmmm apple goodness. Cider? mmmm maybe..if you made cider with sweet apple juice. it’s not nearly as sweet as i thought it would be- rather it takes on the sweetness of apple juice or a golden delicious apple. This is not a tart granny smith sort of tea. I can taste the vanilla and cream – personally i think it would do without the cream flavour, but i am still enjoying this tea. If i think about fall, with the leaves changing and cooler temperatures, i can see enjoying this one quite a bit. While nothing else has appealed to me from the fall list – this is one i’ll probably pick up a bit in order to have for a little. not a lot, as i think i’d get tired of this one before too long.