Today's Tea: Himalayan Blend

Himalayan Blend from David's Tea

Description: Rich and complex, this blend is specially selected from the season’s best estate offerings, then carefully blended to ensure the perfect balance of flavours. Its aromatic woodsy leaves steep into a clear, golden and satisfyingly astringent liquor, while unique and refreshing mountain air notes mingle with a rich muscatel flavour. Enjoy the taste of the Himalayas at their peak… .

Ingredients: Estate black teas from the Highlands of Nepal and Darjeeling, India.

Caffeine Rating: 2

(From David's Tea: Himalayan Blend)

Steph's Thoughts:

This is the second cup of "straight tea" from David's Tea. It was one of the teas recommended to me by Chris, who is one of the Grant Park store's TeaPeople. (I don't think they're called baristas.... what do you call them? Tea-ple?) His first recommendation was the Jasmine Pearls one, but I'm not a giant fan of jasmine (too perfume-y), so he recommended two others - the  Second Flush Darjeeling, which I've already tried, and this one.

I chose this one over the Second Flush, partially because I'd already tried the Second Flush, but also because this one smelled sweeter. It's still definitely a straight black tea, which is more bitter than herbal blends, or even flavoured blacks. But on the smelling scale of EW to YUM, I'd definitely put this closer to YUM. For some reason, I smelled a hint of coconut, but maybe that's just because I had the smell in my nostrils from the Stormy Night I'd just smelled. And maybe because in my head, Himalayas = exotic, coconut = exotic, therefore Himalayas = coconut. I think my brain's gone wonky because there's definitely no coconut in here.

I had this tea served with a bit of milk and some agave. Unfortunately, it was still too hot to drink on my lunch break, so I had to wait until after work to drink it. It tastes alright cold, though warmer is better, in my opinion.
Surprisingly, this tea tastes just as good microwaved, so I could drink it warm for my review. HUZZAH! I did have to add a little more sweetener, as I'm not a fan of bitter tea, and straight black tea is bitter.

Also. With black tea, seriously, pay attention to the steep time. Maybe let it steep a little bit longer, but not all afternoon, or all evening.... Because then you're left with incredibly bitter tea. And the last sip is just BRUTAL. Which is why I took the teabag out of this tea after about 15 minutes. Maybe a little less - however long it took me to get my tea, get back to work, have a few quick sips and put it in my locker. It has made all the difference, though.

I don't know how to describe the flavour.... I mean, woodsy and earthy definitely come to mind. But maybe that's because those are the words in the description. It reminds me of going hiking in the forest.... and then coming home and drinking tea out of china cups to warm up. Or sitting outside by the lake at sunset on a fall evening, air crisp and cool, but not so chilly that you want to go inside. You watch the geese fly in and land on the lake, settling in for the night as the leaves, gold, red, and orange (and brown, if you're in Manitoba) fall from the trees. I think this is the kind of tea you'd drink on an evening like that.

Today's Tea: Second Flush Darjeeling

Second Flush Darjeeling from David's Tea

Description: Darjeeling is known as the “champagne” of teas: if it doesn’t come from India’s Darjeeling region, you aren’t allowed to use the name. That might be why the best Darjeelings taste just like the mountains they were grown on. While the first leaves in the spring tend to be delicate and almost green in flavour, second flush Darjeelings generally have a richer, darker taste. This one is bright, woodsy and earthy, with notes of honey, fresh mushrooms and meadow flowers – like a forest getaway in a cup.

Ingredients: Second flush Darjeeling tea (grade FTGFOP 1) from Darjeeling, India.

(From David's Tea: Second Flush Darjeeling)

Steph's Thoughts:

First reaction: AHHH TEA EVERYWHERE!!!!! My tea steeper got caught on something when I set it down on the table to steep, and I got tea ALL OVER. I hoped I wasn't too late to save the leaves, as I only actually had enough to brew one helping of this tea! So I ran to the kitchen, poured more hot water over the leaves, and cleaned everything up while it was steeping. Note to self: MAKE SURE THE AREA UNDER THE STEEPER IS COMPLETELY CLEAR BEFORE SETTING IT DOWN.

Second reactions: Unflavoured tea actually has some flavour to it. I don't taste the mushrooms - maybe it's because I let the GOOD stuff end up on the floor. Woodsy and earthy, definitely. A little flowery. I didn't use any sweetener of any kind, but it's got a bit of sweetness all on its own.

It's a 2 on the caffeine scale, so if you're looking for a low-dose of caffeine, this isn't your tea. But it's got an okay taste to it. I still like the flavoured stuff a little better, but for plain tea, this is definitely one of the best I've had. I think I'm going to continue to try the other plain teas from DT, just to see what artistry actually goes into creating the exquisite tastes. 

This tea tastes a lot better hot than it does cold. It might taste okay as sweetened iced tea. 

Other than that, not bad, plain DAVIDsTEA. Not bad at all.

On Tea and Friendship

So, I've been in and out of the hospital this week. Bad things happened, and I ended up needing surgery. The surgery went okay, and I went home to recover.

I haven't been up to making much tea lately, but now that I'm recovering, I'm able to move around a bit more. Which is great, because last night a couple of friends came over and brought me a care package with a handful of tea samples (Ginseng Oolong, Second Flush Darjeeling, Korean Sejak, and White Peony), as well as the "Sweet Indulgence" tea package, and the "Foodie Collection" package, all from David's Tea, as well as some nice lotion, cookies, and chocolate.

I've tried some of the ones in the Sweet Indulgence package. It comes with 12 different teas (Buttered Rum, Coco Chai Rooibos, Coffee Pu’erh, Cranberry Pear, Forever Nuts, Goji Pop, Green Seduction, Jessie’s Tea, Long Life Oolong, Mango Madness, Oh Canada and Read My Lips). I can say right now that I'm not a huge fan of one of them, so I'll probably foist that one off on one of my friends.

The Foodie Collection comes with recipes that all involve brewed tea. BREWED TEA IN COOKING!

I honestly think that tea should go in all care packages. Also, my friends are freaking awesome. They know what I love, and they bring me TEA!

I can't wait to start reviewing.

Also, I would like to say this. Even though I love my tea, I have no problem sharing. Everyone that comes to my house gets offered a cup of tea. Most decline. But I think it's important to share tea with friends. There's something to be said for sharing a good cup of tea with people that matter. Holding your tea as it cools, sipping while you listen, and letting your tea steep as you talk....
I find that tea acts like a wall-reducer. Like having a cup of tea in your hands makes the world a little safer. And so instead of talking about fluff, you actually end up talking about important things. Exclaiming about being pregnant. Mourning a pregnancy loss. Celebrating an engagement. Crying about relationship issues. Rejoicing in a new job. Stressing about work. Making decisions about the future.  It's all safe over a cup of tea with friends. And that's one of the greatest things about tea. It makes things ... not OKAY, but BETTER. Safer. A little bit brighter. Deal-able. Tea and friends - there's nothing better.

Today's Tea: Stormy Night

Hello readers! I've changed the format of my blog slightly, so now anyone can comment. Hopefully it will be all my dear and faithful readers, and not spambots.

AND NOW ON TO THE REVIEW!!!!

Organic Stormy Night from David's Tea

Description: It was three o’clock in the afternoon on a rainy Friday. David was hungry. He needed a nap, a shave, and a hot meal. What he had was a kettle, a pack of matches, and a bag of black tea. So he grabbed some ingredients and threw them in the water. Chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, vanilla – this drink was a real piece of work. He lifted his cup, took a drink and then another. It was hotter than an inferno and smoother than silk. It was good. Almost too good.


Ingredients: Organic: Black tea, chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, vanilla. With natural vanilla flavouring.

Allergens: Dairy and coconut

(From David's Tea: Organic Stormy Night)

Steph's Thoughts:

This was a really refreshing cup of tea after two weeks of lemon ginger and Cold 911.  I have been so ridiculously sick, and haven't been able to taste a whole lot of anything lately. Has made for a really grumpy Steph. BUT this tea made up for it.

I had it in the form of a latte, with 2% milk, and honey to sweeten. It tastes a little bit like gourmet hot chocolate. The only downside to this tea AT THIS MOMENT is that it's a black tea, and as such, has a "2" for caffeine rating. I'm not supposed to have a lot of caffeine right now, but I said, "Screw it." So, even though it's not the best for my body, it is SO YUMMY.

And the coconut isn't overwhelming either. I've had a lot of teas where the coconut is all you taste, and it's really very disheartening. But this is nice and subtle. Hubby even said, "huh, not bad for chocolate tea." (Hubby doesn't like chocolate tea, so from him this is an "OMG THIS IS AMAZING" in the way of chocolate teas. Mostly I get a "EWWWWW" face from him when he tries my tea.)

It really is a lovely tea. The vanilla and cinnamon add a little bit of "gourmet" to it. I would compare it to Cocoa Canela actually. It's a scaled-down, black tea version of Cocoa Canela. The flavour isn't quite as strong as CC is - the cinnamon is subtler than in CC, and there's a hint of vanilla with a little bit of Oomph.

All in all, I really do like this. I wonder how it would taste straight, rather than as a latte. Maybe I'll try it someday!

Apologies

Dear readers (if there are any):
I apologize for not posting on a more regular basis. I have started a new job (YAY!!!) which limits my posting time to the evenings, and I've been so tired that I eat supper and go to bed pretty soon after that.

I have been drinking an INSANE amount of Le Digestif lately. It really is brilliant. It solves all my digestive woes, and it's all natural so I don't have to rely on drugs. Ginger for the win.

.... That reminds me, I did order a DT Ginger Pu'erh the other day that I WAS going to review. I forgot I still had it in the fridge. I'm a little wary of warming it up now, because it's a week old.... I'll see how it goes.


Also, Phi, I have been thinking about the question you asked me (tea that's bitter like a black tea but with less caffeine that's not simply decaffeinated black tea). I haven't gone through my cupboard to look. Off the top of my head, have you tried Maté or Pu'erh? Also, check out the DT website (David's Tea Menu). On the page for each tea, beside the steeping time, they have a little lightbulb with the amount of caffeine. 0 is caffeine free, 1 is low caffeine, 2 is medium caffeine, and S is stimulant, which I'm assuming means "OMG YUM CAFFEINE!" I don't know about the bitterness, but I know that there is black tea with low caffeine. I find Maté to be pretty bitter. Alas, all of the Matés on the DT website are Stimulants.

Readers, do you have any advice for Phi?

Today's Tea: Le Digestif

Organic Le Digestif from David's Tea

Description: The Ancient Greeks swore by peppermint to relieve stomachaches and (OK, let’s be frank) gas. The Romans used catnip. In India, they’re into fennel seed. In China, ginger has worked for 2000 years. Other traditional remedies include sweet stevia, which reduces stomach acid, and orange peel for bloating. This smooth blend has them all. Try it. It just might do the trick. Caffeine-free.

Ingredients: Organic: catnip, fennel seed, ginger root, peppermint, orange peel, stevia leaf, organic flavouring

(From David's Tea: Le Digestif)

Steph's Thoughts:
This is another staple in my tea cupboard. I've been drinking a lot of this. The ginger helps with stomach upsets, especially when you've had too much to eat, or when you've got the flu. The fennel adds a little bit of zip to the ginger, the peppermint adds, well, peppermint *sticky-outy-tongue face*

I really do love this tea. It was one of the first teas I bought from DT, and I've had to replace my bag twice. The last time I went, I decided, I'm just going to buy a tin.

It really does help with upset stomachs, which says a lot. Any natural remedy works in my books! Stevia is also okay with my new "eating regimen," which is always good. I've had to limit so many foods the last little while that when I'm given a thumbs up, I kinda go a bit nuts. (not TOO much, mind you.)

I like that one can drink this tea with or without sweetener. The stevia adds a HINT of sweetness, but not enough to be overpowering, and not too little to be unnoticed. AND caffeine free, YAY!

Another win, DT. Another win.

Today's Tea: Persian Apple

Organic Persian Apple from David's Tea

Description: Apple pie, turning leaves, crackling fires – fall is all about familiar comforts. But it’s also a season for daydreaming. Cozied up in front of the fire with a hot mug of tea and a good book, our minds often wander to adventures in faraway lands. From the first cup of this exotic tea, you’ll find yourself dreaming about the intrigue and romance of ancient Persia. An alluring blend of green tea, apple, pistachios and rose petals, one sip is all it takes to whisk you away.

Ingredients: Organic: Green tea, apple, pistachio, almond, rose petals. With natural and organic flavouring.

Allergens: nuts

(From David's Tea: Organic Persian Apple)

Steph's Thoughts:
This is a nice morning tea. It's sweet enough that it doesn't need sugar. If you like apple but not the spices in apple pie, then this is a good tea. You can definitely taste the rose, but it's not like, "OMG WHAT IS THIS?! EW!" Subtle rose, rather than overwhelming rose. Definitely exotic. It really smells lovely.

It tastes much better warm than it does lukewarm or cold. Personally, I think it could be a little more apple-y. Maybe the other apple teas would satisfy this craving. Big Apple is a white tea/ green tea blend with apples. Mom's Apple Pie is an online exclusive with green tea, apples and cinnamon. I haven't tried either of them, but my friend Carly says that Big Apple is totally made of win. The downside to Big Apple is that because it's a white tea, it's a little more expensive than the others. Also, Big Apple and Mom's Apple Pie both have a medium amount of caffeine (2 on their scale, 35-80 mg/cup, which is still less than coffee), whereas Persian Apple has a low caffeine level (1, 1-35 mg/cup). Because they're green teas, they won't be caffeine free. However, if you're looking for a caffeine free tea, I know David's Tea has a few herbals with apple in them, though they won't be "apple flavoured."

I'd like to try the other apple teas to compare. I'm having tea with Carly on Sunday, so maybe I'll get her to brew me some Big Apple, if she'll share!

Verdict: Not bad. It smells wonderful.