Apple Custard

I got my big box of teas yesterday and this is only my second new winter tea out of five that I have to try… I’ve been slacking lol. I chalk it up to tons of homework. I loved this tea as soon as I smelled the dry leaf. It smells like vanilla pudding. I’m not picking up the overwhelming apple like in most apple teas, I’m also very thankful that the golden raisins don’t take over either. Actually, none of the flavors are dominating the tea… I love, love, love it. 110% recommend this tea

I had a to go cup of this when I was at the mall with my mom a week or two ago, and I was pretty impressed. You know how they always leave the bag in? Well it didn’t seem to get disgustingly strong so I didn’t bother taking it out. Only towards the end I was getting a bit too much apple for my taste – but I dislike strongly flavoured apple things.

So all in all I enjoyed it so when i was back yesterday I decided to get 25gr.

It smells amazingly creamy, and tastes the same! It is very light, but will do well as an herbal option in my cupboard. I was surprised to see coriander as an ingredient, I can’t smell it or taste it whatsoever (good!).

Time will tell if I buy anymore, but I am surely going to enjoy the small amount I bought!

Yesterday I went to Victoria to visit with Bear With Me and get some teas for myself and some friends. It was so much fun, even though I missed my ferry home and had to wait almost 2 hours for the next one. :) I managed to get the only plug in the waiting area, and sat there and read and facebooked and it was actually great. And then a friend came and picked me up from the ferry and took me home. Yay!

Anyways, my spoils:
Mountain Rain: Silk Road (OMG.)
Museum Tea: Silk Road
Berry Victoria: Silk Road
Tulsi Apple and Pear: Georgie’s
Orange Grove Vanilla: Georgie’s
Matcha with Yuzu: Azuma Cha-en
Eggnog: DavidsTea
Apple Custard: DavidsTea
Pumpkin Pie Organic Rooibos: Janet’s Special Teas
Cardamom Organic Black: Janet’s Special Teas
Vanilla Organic Black: Janet’s Special Teas
Japanese Lime Organic Green: Janet’s Special Teas
Sidney Sunrise Organic Rooibos: Janet’s Special Teas
Bukhial Organic Black: Janet’s Special Teas
Gingia Organic Black: Janet’s Special Teas
Black Currant Organic Black: Janet’s Special Teas
…and a tea pot.

Yeah. I, uhh… in my defence, a couple of them I got to share. So I’ll be taking my bit and sending the rest off.

Anyways, Apple Custard. I made a big mug of this last night when I got home, and sipped on it some. It was really quite tasty. Creamy apple with a lot of other supporting flavours. This morning I drank more of it cold, and it was also good. Quite a lot of vanilla, apple, raisins…

I think I really like this one. It’s another herbal with no hibiscus which is always nice. Not sure I’ll get a lot more, but I will get a bit more to drink a few more times over the winter.

The to-go cup I had of this basically changed my life. The smell was SO GOOD. So weirdly creamy for a tea with no cream. I just kept telling my boyfriend over and over how great it smelled. So I bought a tin of it. The cups from the tin have been not so good. They don’t get as strong as the to-go cup. I thought it was because I had been using a tea ball, so I bought infuser bags like they use at the store, but I still wasn’t that impressed. I know I need to get an infuser, but that’s clearly not the only problem. Perhaps my water isn’t the right temperature?

I had a to-go cup of this the other day and have to say I’m rather disappointed. The smell of the dry blend is very sweet and almost has caramel notes to it (probably from the golden raisins). The first few sips of the tea were quite pleasant and really similar to the smell. But after a few minutes, it became quite bitter and sour. I think if I were to try this again, I would definitely steep it for a lot less time- maybe as little as 2 minutes. I really didn’t taste much apple in the tea either. I would say that this tea promises a lot but delivers very little.

Screw you, DAVIDsTEA, for sucking me in with your buy two get one free tea offers today. I came in only to try out an Apple Custard eggnog latte, and grab a bit of the Eggnog to try, but ended up taking home tins of the Glow, Apple Custard, and Redberry Tonic. In the end, it was a great deal since I love the Glow and go through Redberry Tonic faster since I cold brew it anyway.

This was delicious as an eggnog latte. However, I didn’t taste much of the tea, as I find this one to be on the delicate side. The apple and vanilla in this rather complemented the more domineering spices in the eggnog base.

This was great. Appley, creamy and sweet. I think I had a wee bit of soap residue despite repeatedly rinsing my tea wear, as there was a faint soapy note that crept in and felt out of place. But even with that I like it enough to buy more than just my sample.

I think I am becoming disillusioned with DavidsTea. Are they even tea anymore, or just flavouring n’ stuff? What if they made a few great teas and not so much….yuck…..(says the gal who still enthusiastically watches for their seasonal releases)… …hmm…..

So had 24 grams of this and dumped the whole package into the Breville tea maker with 1L of water. Set it for “strong” and “herbal”. That was about 8 tsps, so more than should have been needed but was really hoping for….flavour…..

Very pale yellow colour…..getting worried….it’s very pale….nice enough smell…..kind of cakey…..the taste?…. Honestly, if I didn’t know what it was, I would have no idea…..it tastes like…..hot water?….yes…. Is that bitterness / astringency supposed to be apple? Where’s the custard? I love custard….I don’t get that here…..

Will try to drink another cup but don’t think I will get thru the entire 1l pot…..going to add a bit of starbucks caramel syrup to it and see how that goes…..

Having this again tonight lol. I am once again trying to limit my caffeine consumption, moreso in helping adjust to daylight savings time (the extra sleep is nice, but still messes with the circadian rhythm lol) and dealing with stress at work lol.

I tried a longer steeping time tonight and it is a bit better, although it mostly served to make the chamomile more noticeable in my opinion, yet also increase the creaminess a bit more. Now the vanilla is reminding me of Mango Lassi also by DavidsTea. Hmm, might have a cup of that after this actually haha. Happy I am enjoying this one, and definitely considering stocking up, if I remember to before it sells out for the season! See previous notes :)

Well, color me impressed! I sighed and rolled my eyes at the sight of another bulky herbal and I wasn’t expecting much. I have never had custard, though I have had pudding, but the wife informs me that they are different and I am a weird American. Regardless, she says it smelled like custard in the bin, so that was an exciting note. But after the disappointment that was Sweet Apple Cider, I’m wary of their apple blends.

We steeped this one up while getting ready to do dishes, and the kitchen smells amazing. We used the whole 20 g for a bubble teapot and let it steep for 5-8 minutes. Not quite sure, we were putzing around the kitchen. But now I have my Hook mug full of yummy and it is delicious. I will back up their claim and agree that it is the creamiest tea I’ve had. I love the chamomile in it and it’s the prefect tea to cosy up to before bed. It really does taste like an apple custard, which I’m told is like pudding but less sweet.

This is definitely a rebuy for me. I wish it weren’t so heavy, but it is truly delicious. I am glad it’s in the Advent Calendar because I think my mom would really enjoy it and I look forward to sharing it with her.