Today's Tea: Orange Blossom

Orange Blossom from DAVIDsTEA

Description: This is one enchanting tea. It’s a subtly sweet rooibos blend of orange peel, orange blossoms and currants, all kissed with vanilla bean creaminess. Grown among the clouds in heaven and harvested by cherubs, it tastes like a golden ray of sunshine. One sip and you’ll find yourself running along a beach at sunset, surrounded by turtle doves. Don’t believe us? Steep a cup for yourself and see where your imagination takes you.

Ingredients: Rooibos, currants, orange peel, orange blossoms, vanilla pieces, marigold blossoms, safflower petals, artificial flavouring. 

Caffeine: 0 (Caffeine free)

Brewing Instructions: 1.25 tsp     96°C/205°F 4-7 min

(From DAVIDsTEA: Orange Blossom)

Steph's Thoughts:

I'm sure I've said this before, but normally, I strongly dislike oranges. Dried orange peel is UGH, and I don't particularly like the smell of certain citrus fruits.

So imagine my surprise when I smelled this tea and it was very, very intriguing, and not at all yucky. 

It doesn't smell like fake citrus, nor does it smell like gross dried fruit. It also doesn't smell like a creamsicle, which is what I expected of "orange vanilla."

I can't decide what it DOES smell like, though.

It's got a nice sweet taste, so it doesn't really need any sweetener. I like that it's a non-caffeinated tea, doesn't taste like straight rooibos (I've had too much rooibos lately, and I'm a little done with it), and doesn't require any extra sweetener. 

There is a hint of orange, and an afternote of vanilla, but it's not ... fake or overdone. I think the currants add the right amount of flavour to temper it. 

I have very limited experience with actual orange blossoms, due to living in a climate where the ground is covered in snow for half the year, and the distinct lack of citrus trees nearby. My father, however, tells of being in South America and eating grapefruits and oranges straight off the tree. I'd love to visit a warmer climate, just for the experience of fresh (LITERALLY fresh, not "picked underripe and sent halfway across the world to sit on the grocery store shelf for a few weeks") fruit. ANYWAY, the point is, I don't know what orange blossoms smell like, but this tea makes me wish I did.

I like it.

Verdict: Nice. Go try some.

Today's Tea: Garcinia Goodness

Garcinia Goodness from DAVIDsTEA

Description: We all sometimes need a little after-dinner relief. Next time, reach for this earthy, citrusy tea. It combines pu’erh and garcinia – two traditional metabolism boosters. Haven’t heard of garcinia? It’s a small tropical fruit that looks a bit like a mini pumpkin. And in its native Asia, it’s been used as a natural appetite suppressant for centuries. Here we blend it with black tea, pu’erh, orange peel and hibiscus, for a rich, earthy tea you can feel good about drinking. The perfect end to any meal.


Ingredients: Organic: Black tea, puerh tea, orange peel, hibiscus, garcinia, stevia, red cornflower. With natural orange flavouring.

Caffeine: 2 (Medium caffeine)

Brewing Instructions: 1.25 tsp    96°C/205°F 4-7 min

(From DAVIDsTEA: Garcinia Goodness)

Steph's Thoughts:
Honestly, I thought they misspelled gardenia, and it was going to be flowery. I was wrong.

Dry leaf notes smell very heavily of orange. I was worried I wouldn't like it because of the dry leaf notes, but I've learned not to judge my tea solely on its dry smell.

The tea tastes very much like an Orange Pekoe, but with a little bit of .... something. I think it's the earthiness of the pu'erh tea combined with the tang of hibiscus. The Hubby said that it tastes like "Red Rose tea with a slice of lemon." So, it's highly British then??

Garcinia Goodness tastes very good with sweetener. It's a little tart on its own, but the sweetener adds a nice flavour to it. Andrea (my TeaGuide) said that as an iced tea, the light citrus notes come through, but as a hot tea, it's the bold earthy pu'erh flavour that you get.

It is still from the Camellia sinensis plant, so you're going to get a bit of a caffeine hit if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.

It's not bad. It's not my favourite, but I'm glad I've tried it.

Verdict: Pretty okay.

Today's Tea: Snickerdoodle

Snickerdoodle from DAVIDsTEA

Description: Ever heard of a snickerdoodle? We swear we didn’t make it up. It’s actually one of the yummiest cookies around – soft, chewy dough coated in warm cinnamon sugar. And this decadently toasty blend captures the taste right in your cup. The surprise ingredient? Monk fruit – a traditional ingredient from China that’s 300 times sweeter than sugar. Blended with cinnamon, rooibos and pieces of brittle, it makes for a bakery-worthy treat you can enjoy guilt-free. It’s snickerdoodle dandy.

Ingredients: Brittle pieces, cinnamon, monk fruit, rooibos, natural butterscotch and cinnamon flavouring.

Allergen Information: Contains hazelnut.

Caffeine: 0 (caffeine free)

Brewing Instructions: 1.25 tsp     96°C/205°F 4-7 min

(From DAVIDsTEA: Snickerdoodle)


Steph's Thoughts: 
This was the first tea from the 2014 fall collection that I tried. My TeaGuide told me that this would be best tried as a latte, so I took her suggestion. It was fantastic! It's like a cookies-and-milk flavour without the soggy cookie!

Cinnamon is very prominent in this tea, and again, it's the good cinnamon, not the cheap stuff. (Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again - GOOD CINNAMON IS WORTH THE MONEY. It changes your life.) I totally love snickerdoodles, so this is a great, great tea.

Today, I'm drinking it straight (no milk), and it's pretty fantastic. It is a little bolder without the milk, but still great. I have a feeling that this would NOT be a good iced tea. (Later note: It's okay iced. It's not good lukewarm, though....)

I should mention, however, that due to the monk fruit, this tea DOES NOT need any added sweetener. It's almost too sweet as it is.

Today's episode of What Did I Learn About My Tea features monk fruit: Monk fruit, also known as luohan guo, is a subtropial melon cultivated in Asia, primarily southern China and northern Thailand.  It's part of the Cucurbitaceae family, which means it's related to watermelon, pumpkin, squash and cucumbers. It's used as a low-calorie sweetener (and I would imagine that you wouldn't have to use as much of it as you do sugar, given that it's 300-400 times as sweet as sugar. Imagine being able to use a teaspoon of sweetener instead of a cup in cookies.... whoa); as well, it's part of traditional Chinese medicine (used to make "cooling drinks" - to reduce fever or as a remedy for hot weather ailments). It's grown on a twining vine (which for some reason I picture as Devil's Snare....), and claims are made that it's packed with antioxidants and vitamins. Mogrosides, the active chemical compound that gives the fruit its sweetness, are also under scientific investigation for anticancer benefits.
(I've learned this from Wikipedia, so my facts may be off.....) This is all pretty cool, since I have a very sweet tooth (ALL THE SUGARS!!!!), hence the ... ahem... curvy figure, so anything that lets me have my sweets without the whoomp that comes with it is a-okay in my books. I'll have to talk to my doc about the prolonged uses of alternative sweeteners, but y'know. If I can use a teaspoon instead of a cup, I'm good.

One of the things that struck me as I was baking (actual) snickerdoodles this afternoon is how much the tea smells like baking cookies. The upside to tea is that it has significantly less calories than cookies, and takes far less time to prepare. I'm glad they got the smell right, in any case.

So, Verdict: Satisfies the cookie cravings. Sort of. (I had to bake a whole ton just to compare. They got it right!)

Today's Tea: Feminini-Tea

Feminini-Tea from Steeped Tea

Description: Blended for emotional stability and stress relief.

(From Steeped Tea: Wellness)

Ingredients: Apple pieces, rooibos, ginger pieces, cinnamon pieces, cardamom, fennel, juniper berries, raspberry leaves, chamomile, lady’s mantel, cloves, orange peel, St. John’s wort, black pepper, silver weed, natural flavors.

Caffeine: 0 (Caffeine free)

Brewing Instructions: 1.5 tsp    100°C/212°F    4-5 minutes



Steph's Thoughts:
I was wandering around the Morden Corn and Apple festival yesterday, and I came across a little slice of heaven. Steeped Tea consultants (Christie, Charlene and Misty)  had a booth set up, and they had a stash of tea. Well, I knew where I was spending my money! (also, it was my "lost spot" - when I got separated from my group, they knew to find me at the tea booth. Everyone finds it hilarious. Perhaps I have a bit of a problem...)

They had a wide array of flavours and types of tea, and so choosing one... okay, SEVERAL, was quite the challenge. I was intrigued by one of the wellness teas called "Feminini-Tea." The catalogue touted it as "blended for emotional stability and stress relief," which made me laugh. If that's the case, I need a truck-load of this tea. In talking with the ladies, they said that it helps with "time of the month" cramps, and one of their customers calls it her "Anti-B**** Tea" (pronounced anti-BEE tea). I'm all about any non-drug product that alleviates cramps, though to be honest, they are few and far between.

Dry leaf notes are of dried apple and raspberry leaves. When steeped, the smell of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom come through. My thought on the first sip was that it tastes like chai with a bit of fruit in.  You can taste the apple, and upon more sips, it tastes a little bit like mulled cider with a hint of orange peel.

It DOES help with the cramps, though. I could've used this 2 days ago! I feel like it helped even out my mood as well, though it could've been because TEA in general, rather than Feminini-tea.

I would recommend steeping this tea for 4-5 minutes, as it does get quite strong when steeped longer. It took me quite a while to finish it because my Timolino keeps tea quite hot, and I steeped this in boiling water.

It doesn't require any sweetener, as it is fairly sweet on its own.


Verdict: It's really yummy, and effective. Total tea-cupboard staple.

Today's Tea: Super Ginger TeaPop!

Super Ginger TeaPop from DAVIDsTEA

Ingredients: Organic: Ginger, certified fair-trade green rooibos, pink peppercorns, black pepper, white pepper, flavouring.

Caffeine: 0 (caffeine free)

Brewing Instructions: 1.25 tsp    98°C/208°F 4-7 min

(From DAVIDsTEA: Super Ginger)

Brewing Instructions for TeaPop: 4 tsp     98°C/208°F 4-7 min  
Use about half (maybe a little more) of the water you would normally use to steep a cup. Pour steeped (and sweetened, if necessary) tea over a LITTLE BIT of ice (1/3 to 1/2 a cup) until cup is about a quarter to a third full and let it cool. Top up cup with carbonated water. Give it a stir. Enjoy.



Steph's Thoughts:
So I zipped into DAVIDsTEA today to top up my stash of Super Ginger, and there were NEW PEOPLE there! Kathie, the Chief Operating Officer, and Steve, the District Manager had graced the store. They're both totally awesome, and very friendly.

I had hoped to pick up something with a bit of ZING because I had a pretty awful afternoon at work. I was thinking a cold black tea, but Steve had another suggestion - a Super Ginger TeaPop.

Now, I've reviewed both Super Ginger and TeaPop in other reviews. Today I'm doing it together!

Having recently consumed Caribbean Ginger Beer, I would liken this to a very mild Ginger Beer or strong Ginger Ale. It's definitely got a lot more kick than, say, Canada Dry (which is actually very mild, and a little too sweet, to be honest). The nice part about tea pop is that you can put in as much or as little sweetener as you like. If you've got a Soda Stream, or a can of club soda (or a bottle of Perrier, or other such sparkling water, if you're so inclined), you're good to go.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the thing I love about TeaPop is that it's carbonated, but without all the empty calories that pop would offer, and it's probably better for you too, without a whole crapload of additives.

The downside to using water from a SodaStream is that the bubbles tend to go a little flat over time. I suppose canned pop does too, but not to such a degree that SodaStream water does. Unfortunately, I forgot about my TeaPop due to the revival of the Household Drama Llama (otherwise known as an extremely whiny-for-no-apparent-reason dog, and an infestation of fruit flies which are EVERYWHERE, even after we cleaned up ALL THE THINGS), and so it kind of got flat. It does have a little more kick than normal tea (the only way I can explain it is microbubbles that only your tongue can feel), but none of the big bubbles that tell you your drink is carbonated.

A question my husband asked me about this, to which I did not have an answer, was, "Instead of having to quadruple-strength steep your tea, then cool it, then add carbonated water, could you just make a cup of cold tea and stick it in a SodaStream and make the tea bubbly?" I have no idea. Could you? I understand the logistics of not doing it that way in stores, as they probably make a lot of TeaPops over the course of a day, and it's a lot easier to use ONE bottle of water and just keep adding water and making it bubbly, rather than having to use, and WASH, a different bottle for every TeaPop. That, and the logistics of pouring each and every TeaPop INTO the bottle, which in my experience results in 10% of tea in the bottle, and 90% of tea turning the floor into a lake. So. But I mean, other than that, COULD you just stick your iced tea into a SodaStream? Inquiring minds want to know, readers!

So. What do I think of today's Super Ginger TeaPop? While it was carbonated, it was super. Now that it's less carbonated, it's ... really strong. And not quite as sweet as I would like. So, moral of the story is, ignore the Drama Llama and finish your tea. The drama will still be there when you're done, but the tea might not be good after you're done dealing with the drama.

Verdict: Yummy when carbonated. Especially good if you like Ginger Ale.

Today's Tea: Mighty Aphrodite

Mighty Aphrodite from DAVIDsTEA

Description: Since the day we opened our doors, raspberry leaf has been our number one most-requested ingredient. Why? Because it’s a girl’s best friend, especially for soon-to-be moms. Seriously, there are tons of amazing benefits to explore… But we mostly love it for its sweet, herbal taste, especially in this calming blend of apple, rosehips, lemon balm and raspberries. It’s deliciously soothing, lightly fruity and super good-for-you. (MK Kosher)

Note: Please speak to a professional before taking any herb while pregnant – we are not the experts!


Ingredients: Organic: Raspberry leaves, apple, lemon balm, rosehip, raspberry. With organic and natural raspberry and red fruit flavouring.

Caffeine: 0 (Caffeine free)

Brewing Instructions: 1.25 tsp    96°C/205°F 4-7 min

Steph's Thoughts:
NO, I'm not expecting, but it's a new tea, and new teas are always excellent. Also, raspberry. Chances are if it has raspberry in it, I'll buy it.

I decided to have this tea cold. It's a very light tea - the loose leaves are very dust-like. It makes it very interesting to steep.

It does require a little bit of sweetener as it's not quite sweet enough for my tastes on its own. It doesn't have a bold flavour, so a longer steep time might be necessary.

It is very yummy, though. Soothing, refreshing, and I assume, based on the ingredients, that it's good for you too. The apple flavour and lemon balm comes through nicely. It makes for a nice cup of tea at the end of the day.

And hopefully soon I'll be needing this for reals. In the meantime, I'm just gonna call it my "I'm HOPING" tea.

Verdict: Thanks for listening, DT! Nicely done.

Today's Tea: Magic Dragon

Magic Dragon from DAVIDsTEA

Description: It’s bright. It’s flamboyant. It’s totally over the top. Oh, and it’s incredibly good for you. If you haven’t gotten to know the dragon fruit yet, it’s time you gave this crazy-looking cactus a try. Though it looks a little bizarre, the flavour is actually quite mild – somewhere between a kiwi, a melon and a pear. And it’s so packed with good stuff, it’s being hailed as the next big super fruit. Taste it for yourself in this super tangy tropical blend. With apple, rosehip, hibiscus and blackberry leaves, it’s a great introduction to a fruit you definitely want to know.


Ingredients: Apple, rosehips, hibiscus, sweet blackberry leaves, dragonfruit, cornflower petals, natural dragonfruit flavouring.

Caffeine: 0 (caffeine free)

Brewing Instructions: 1.25 tsp    96°C/205°F 4-7 min

(from DAVIDsTEA: Magic Dragon)

Steph's Thoughts:
Finally got into DT for the July TotM. Yay!

It was one of the Teas of the Day as well, so I got to try a small sample before I asked for a cup (and a bagful!).

It steeps a nice watermelon pink, which contrasts very nicely to the DT teal.

IT has a nice full fruit flavour. The hibiscus isn't quite as strong in this tea as in other teas, which is nice. It's not overpowering. It's got a distinct aftertaste. Having never tasted a real dragonfruit, I don't know if it's a dragonfruit aftertaste. The closest I can come is a pear. Blackberry pear, maybe?? Which is entirely possible, since there ARE blackberry leaves in the tea.

It doesn't really need any sweetener, as it is pretty sweet all on its own. I had a little bit of agave in it, which makes it very nice. I tend to like my stuff on the sweet side.

It is a very wonderful mug of tea. Give it a try.

Verdict: Win!