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“This one let me down in a big way. I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted a chestnut, so I didn’t exactly have expectations. I knew from the smell it wasn’t going to be good. The sip was shocking though,...” Read full tasting note
“DAVIDsTEA Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 8 Ooh, this smells wonderful! I really enjoy Lupicia’s chestnut teas, so I’m excited for this. Sigh. It’s just so sweet! And that makes me sad. It’s...” Read full tasting note
“I feel like this past week I’ve been indulging in a bit of escapism with my tea selections as they’ve been pretty Spring/Summer inspired. I guess I’m just not quite ready to say goodbye to Autumn...” Read full tasting note
“(DavidsTea 192) I approached this tea with memories of Lupicia. However, they’re really not comparable, as this tea is sweetened, with all sorts of random ingredients, whereas Lupicia is black tea...” Read full tasting note
How it tastes:
Bold & decadent with a prominent flavour of roasted and candied chestnut.
Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Let this black tea’s brown sugar sweetness and roasted chestnut flavour warm you through and through. We wanted to see roasting chestnuts (or drowning them in maple syrup) make a comeback, so we’re starting with this tea. Baby steps.
What makes it great:
• Although commonly associated with the traditional Italian treat, Indigenous Peoples used to feast on these nuts until a fungus destroyed most of their crops in the early 1900s.
• Not only are chestnuts low-key trending in culinary circles, it’s a flavour we’ve never carried before! Until now, of course.
• Add frothed milk for a latte that tastes like a holiday cake!
Ingredients
Black tea, Apple (apple, citric acid), Candied pineapple (pineapple, sugar), Brittle (sugar, hazelnuts), Brown sugar, Natural (hazelnut, cream) flavouring, Roasted chicory root, Honeybush, Chestnut, Stevia extract.
DavidsTea is a Canadian specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based in Montreal, Quebec. It is the largest Canadian-based specialty tea boutique in the country, with its first store having opened in 2008.
This one let me down in a big way.
I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted a chestnut, so I didn’t exactly have expectations. I knew from the smell it wasn’t going to be good. The sip was shocking though, because immediately you’re hit with a ton of sweetness, followed by a bitter burnt, astringent flavor. Is that what a chestnut tastes like? Is there something else going on? I couldn’t tell you, but I’m getting less patient about trying to drink teas I don’t enjoy, and since I couldn’t find a nice thing to say about it, it went down the drain.
DAVIDsTEA advent, day 8
DAVIDsTEA Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 8
Ooh, this smells wonderful! I really enjoy Lupicia’s chestnut teas, so I’m excited for this.
Sigh. It’s just so sweet! And that makes me sad. It’s difficult to evaluate the chestnut part of it because the sweetness is so distracting. I taste a lot of hazelnut, but I think some chestnut as well. It reminds me a bit of hazelnut coffee creamer. I think I can taste a little bit of the chicory as well, but it’s not strong.
Anyway, another overly sweet tea that’s not really drinkable for me.
Flavors: Artificial, Chestnut, Hazelnut, Nuts, Roasted, Stevia, Sugar, Sweet
I feel like this past week I’ve been indulging in a bit of escapism with my tea selections as they’ve been pretty Spring/Summer inspired. I guess I’m just not quite ready to say goodbye to Autumn and welcome in Winter…
However, this newly released blend is pretty winter feeling.
Chestnut is a flavour that is, I guess, ‘newer’ to me? I mean, I’ve obviously had chestnut teas before and tasted chestnut notes in many different straight teas – in particular green teas – as well as, y’know, eaten actual chestnuts. However, it wasn’t until moving to Montreal that I was exposed to what I would call an actual range of chestnut incorporating foods and cuisines. My favourite of which is chestnut cream buckwheat crepes. Man, chestnut cream is just incredibly delicious!
I knew this tea wouldn’t taste like chestnut cream because, well, it’s not meant to. However, a part of me still kind of hoped. True to name, though, it’s a nice nutty chestnut taste with a distinct roasty quality. I taste a lot of roasted chicory and I know it’s in here to boost that natural toasty/nutty roasted quality but I’m not really a fan of chicory root. It has a sourness and almost acidic quality to the to note that really pops to my palate, and so personally I wish it hadn’t been included. It just personally detracts from my experience.
That aside, lovely nutty notes and good sweetness! There’s an almost fruity brown sugar undertone that’s just lovely and I like the overall sweetness level, though I do taste stevia in the finish a bit. It’s not an instant favourite but I feel like it’s a nice interpretation on a Roasted Chestnut profile. Plus, as a latte, it does get preeetttyy close to the chestnut cream I wanted – and I taste like chicory overall.
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.
Hurray for chestnut cream! Yes, yes, yes!
Youngest brought me my first chestnuts ever last year and we roasted them for Christmas! She had had them in Czech Republic the year before and fell in love with them.
Your family sounds just delightful! (good job!)
Evol: Thanks! They make me laugh a lot, and I feel really blessed to have them.
Ashmanra – I’m not surprised they make you laugh! Youngest’s tasting notes are hilarious (though I don’t think I’ve seen any of Youngest’s tasting notes in a while – memorable, I guess!) :D
(DavidsTea 192)
I approached this tea with memories of Lupicia. However, they’re really not comparable, as this tea is sweetened, with all sorts of random ingredients, whereas Lupicia is black tea and flavouring. I found that I wanted more chestnut and less sweet; it’s ok but not a standout for me. Good latte candidate, though.
Love Lupicia’s Joyeux Noël for a chestnut tea!
I’m craving that flavour so much right now! I’m fairly sure that the last time I ordered from Lupicia (a LONG time ago), they were sold out of Chestnut Marron (is that what the non-Christmas version was called?) so although I still have a bunch of other delicious Lupicia treats, I do not have any chestnut. One day!
I just ordered Joyeux Noel, mainly because from Cameron’s recommendation I think Youngest will love it. She brought me my first chestnuts ever last year and we roasted them. We tried Adagio Chestnut (a samole I had) and it tasted decently like the chestnuts, and I expect Lupicia will be mich better. I am hoping it will also make a great latte.
Most of their chestnut teas are seasonal, I think the only one I see around regularly on the US website is Marron Chocolat.
TeaSource’s Roasted Chestnut is quite nice, and I think it is a normal tea in their collection, not seasonal.
This is all fantastic information, thanks everyone.
Ashmanra – I roasted chestnuts for the first time a few years ago, and loved it, except for how hard they were to peel. Maybe I’ll figure out a more foolproof way at some point!
This one was so sweet.