Today's Tea: Blueberry Jam

Organic Blueberry Jam from David's Tea

Description:  Blueberries might just be the greatest fruit around – after all, they’re the star ingredient of North America’s favourite muffin. And hundreds of years before moms were making them into jams, jellies and cakes, blueberries were called “star berries” and revered for their healing powers. Another little known fact about blueberries is that they make for one great cup of tea – when you blend them with black tea, elderberries, cornflowers and stevia, it’s the perfect companion to your morning toast.

Ingredients: Organic: black tea, blueberries, elderberries, pink cornflower petals, stevia. With organic and natural flavouring.

(from David's Tea: Blueberry Jam)


Steph's Thoughts:

I'm glad I went in to David's tea for the TOTD (tea of the day). When you bring your David's Tea iced tea mug into the store, you get their TOTD for a buck (all summer long), which is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. I figured it'd be a really good way of trying new teas for fairly cheap.

And I'm glad I did. This is a nice, fruity tea. If you like blueberries, or blueberry muffins, or even just a nice, sweet berry tea, this is your tea. I had it cold and sweetened, which is the way I like my tea in the summer. It smelled like a homemade pot of blueberry jam, and it made me crave homemade biscuits and jam.

You know when you're munching on a pail of berries and there are some that are sweet and some that are kind of tart and sour? This tea falls on the "sweet berry" spectrum. The Hubby said that with sweetener, it's too sweet for him, but he can just brew a cup without agave.  And mixed with the black tea, it's got just the right OOMPH.

You know it's a good cup of tea when you finish it and you want some more. Alas, I felt like just TRYING it today, but I have a feeling it might be a "buy" tea. I wish I had a disposable income just for tea.

And honestly, I wasn't QUITE sure about it at first. My initial sip was like, "uh, what," but as the aroma settled into my nose, and the flavours really blended on the palette, it grew on me just like blueberries have in the last little while. Even if you're skeptical at first, give it a whole cup before you make your FINAL assessment.

Verdict: Blueberry Jam is Made Of Win.

On Brewing Tea

There are times when I've just let my tea bag sit in my teacup until I've finished the whole cupful. And sometimes this works, and it tastes fabulous, and that's super. But sometimes, this method of drinking tea ruins the whole cup.

So, it actually DOES pay to check the steeping time on the tea you're drinking. Here's a quick guide to steeping times:

Green Tea           =  1 - 3 minutes
White Tea           =  4 - 8 minutes
Oolong Tea         =  1 - 8 minutes
Black Tea           =   3 - 5 minutes
Herbal (tisanes)   =  5 - 8 minutes
Red Tea (Pu'erh) =  3-7 minutes
Rooibos Tea       =  3-5 minutes
Honeybush Tea   =  5-8 minutes

I find herbal teas and white teas I can steep a little longer (like, through the whole cup), but some black teas or even some herbal teas need to be removed from the water sooner. I have to realize that this is not a bad thing, and it's not WEAK tea, but tea as it is meant to be.

And Tea As It Is Meant To Be is amazing.

This Week's Tea: Razzmatazz

Organic Razzmatazz from David's Tea

Description: This tangy fruit-filled tea is the jazziest drink around. A tart blend of rosehips, lemongrass, hibiscus and raspberries, it tastes just like a ripe, juicy berry. It’s incredible hot or iced, but our favourite way to drink it is the Razzmatazz Fizz: brew a double-strong cup, then top your glass up with soda water. Stir in a little agave and a squirt of lime, and it’ll take you to the moon. Trust us – this drink is aces. The Real McCoy. You’ll flip your lid.

Ingredients: Organic: rosehips, lemongrass, lemon verbena, hibiscus, rooibos, raspberries, stevia. With organic and natural flavouring

(From David's Tea: Organic Razzmatazz)


Steph's Thoughts:
There's a reason this tea has been designated Tea of the Week rather than tea of the day..... This is probably one of my favourite teas. I emailed the company last week to see if they could make it a part of their permanent collection, and they assured me that they would be. Apparently I'm not the only one who's jazzed for Razzmatazz. (yeah, sorry. That was bad...)

This is a tea that tastes as amazing hot as it does cold. This week, I've been drinking it cold, so that's where my review is going to be centred, but rest assured, it DOES taste as good hot as it does cold.

The first sip is loaded with raspberry tea goodness, but there's a hint of something else there. I think it's the lemongrass or lemon verbena. It's a hint of something not raspberry, anyway. But it's so good and amazing that you have to take another sip.... and then another... And before you know it, the whole jug of tea is gone and you have to make some more.

AND if you brew the tea according to instructions the first time, you can reuse the tea leaves for the second batch. Which is good, because eight spoonfuls of tea is not something you want to take lightly. That's EIGHT CUPS of hot tea. More, if you're like me and reuse the tea bags (sometimes!).

Somehow, I'm reminded of Gollum and his ring going, "My preeeccciiooouuuusssssss." I love this tea so much that I'm torn between making it for EVERYBODY and keeping it all to myself. BUT now that David's Tea has assured me it'll be available after summer, I'm a little less selfish about it.

The thing that I love about this is that it's like juice, but it's TEA! You don't have to add sugar to your brewed tea, though I tend to, because I'm a sweet-a-holic.This is one tea that doesn't REALLY need sugar. So then it's fruity like juice without all the "GAK SUGAR" feeling of juice. It's like juice for grown-ups! Or something. Iunno.

Either way. Hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened, Razzmatazz is definitely a winner. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. I served it to a friend of mine yesterday and she really loved it. So yay, homemade raspberry iced tea! It tastes so much better than the the stuff you get at restaurants, which is like lemon iced tea with a shot of sugary flavouring thrown in. That is not iced tea, people. At least, not the iced tea that I'm used to drinking. Fresh brewed tea, poured over ice.... that's iced tea. Nom Nom.

Today's Tea: Jessie's Tea

Jessie's Tea from David's Tea

Description: We’ll never forget the day Jessie Farrell came into our store looking for lavender tea. The red-headed country star was on a quest. She wanted something comforting, energizing and soothing that she could drink all day long. Together, we came up with this pretty blend of lavender, rooibos, coconut and cornflowers. Try it. You’ll understand why she wrote a song about it.

Ingredients: Rooibos, honeybush, coconut bits, lavender, blue cornflowers, natural and artificial flavoring.

(From David's Tea: Jessie's Tea)

Steph's Thoughts:

This is the first time trying this tea. I'd originally bought it for a craft project (slightly sacrilegious, I know) because of the pretty purple flowers. It is a very beautiful-looking tea. I had some left over so I thought I'd brew a cup.

Upon taking it out of the bag, it was very fragrant. Almost too perfume-y for my tastes. But hey, to each their own. I brewed slightly less than the recommended 1.5 teaspoons (mostly because my mesh spoon wouldn't hold any more...). This is not a tea for people that dislike coconut. Or very flowery tea.

My first few sips were, well, mediocre. I'm not going to mince words here (Sorry, David's Tea....) - I'm VERY hesitant when it comes to coconut. When drinking it, the taste triggered a memory. Or at least that, "I've smelled this/ tasted this before, where was it?!" memory that people seem to have on occasion. When I figured out that it reminded me of summer camp, specifically being the craft instructor at summer camp, I was slightly more okay with drinking this tea. It tastes like the feeling of visiting the coffee corner in the camp kitchen before you took your tea up to the staff room (pre-renovations) for your hour off - if one can put a taste to that feeling.

Jessie's Tea is still not my favourite, but I'm not going to pour it down the sink after one sip (yes, I have done that with teas before). It's got a little bit of a bite to it - not spicy, but it's not smooth either. Pep? I don't know how to describe it. The aftertaste is definitely coconut with flowers. If there are any tea leaves in the bottom of the cup during your last sip, I would recommend not taking the last sip. The dregs are very overpowering.

Rooibos is the kind of tea that I let steep longer (unlike the Earl Grey of yesterday). It seems to taste just fine if you let it steep while you drink. I didn't sweeten the tea at all, and sweet-wise it tasted good. This is good, especially when I want to cut down on my sugar intake. I'm still not quite sure about the coconut and lavender.

Keep in mind, this is just my opinion. Some people LOVE this tea (seeing as it's apparently one of the biggest sellers and most favourite teas), but I have to say, I'm not terribly impressed. Would I drink it again? Probably not. Would I recommend it for people that love coconut? Definitely.

Today's Tea: Cream of Earl Grey

Organic Cream of Earl Grey from David's Tea

Description: Lovers of Earl Grey adore this creamy alternative to the original blend. You’ll recognize the same high-quality black tea, the same citrus burst of bergamot oil, the same beautiful grey-blue petals. However this version adds a touch of vanilla, and the result is an unexpectedly rich, creamy taste experience.

Ingredients: Organic: Black tea, cornflowers. With natural vanilla and bergamot flavouring.

(from David's Tea: Cream of Earl Grey)


Steph's Thoughts:
This is typically the Earl Grey I turn to when I have a craving for Earl Grey. It's .... creamier than regular Earl Grey and tastes a little like a London Fog, without all the sweet vanilla syrup. To be fair, I DID sweeten it with a little bit of sugar, but that's only because I couldn't find my agave nectar. For my liking, I tend to drink this one with a little bit MORE sweetener in.

If I'm steeping this tea in a teabag as opposed to a brewer, it is one of the few teas with which I will remove the teabag from the cup after about 5 minutes. I find that Earl Grey tends to get bitter if it's left to steep too long. This black tea is one that tastes good when brewing instructions are followed (as opposed to, say, fruit teas which taste just fine if you leave the teabag in while you sip).


I had two different brands of Cream of Earl Grey today. The David's Tea brand is bolder, while the Teaopia (which is apparently now called Teavana) brand is smoother. And I think the Teaopia one has more vanilla too, if my tastebuds have anything to say about it. So, it's really your preference. And of course, you can always add a wee dram of vanilla to your tea if it's not quite the right taste.

This is definitely a rainy-day tea, or an "I need CALM!" tea.

Today's Tea: Coffee Pu'erh

Coffee Pu'erh from David's Tea

Description: Pu’erh has come a long way since its heyday as a tribute tea to Chinese emperors a thousand years back. It’s still got that legendary taste, but the new “cooked” varieties are really something special. Our blend helps mark this milestone by combining pu’erh with two coffee bean extracts, chocolate, caramel and almond flavour. Even your coffee-addict friends will go crazy for it.

Ingredients: Chinese cooked pu’erh tea, coffee beans, artificial and natural flavouring

(From David's Tea: Coffee Pu'erh)


Steph's Thoughts:
Now, I don't drink coffee because it makes my tummy do funky things, but coffee-tea? It is so far made of win that I can't even express it. The tea part doesn't make my tummy funky, but the coffee part gives me the caffeine I need, AND it tastes like amazing coffee without all the bitterness.

I sent some to a coffee-crazy friend of mine, and she said that it was the most amazing thing she'd had to drink in a long time.

I like the smooth flavour, and I like that I can drink this tea with or without sweetener. A second brewing may require a little bit of sugar or agave, but this is a tea that can withstand multiple brewings. This is a good thing. It tastes amazing hot, but here's the great part - it tastes amazing iced as well!

There are some teas that taste great hot, but are crap iced. Or vice versa. And I suppose it's "to each their own," since I love some teas that Teh Hubby hates, and he loves some teas that I hate. But I really do think we have a win-win tea here.

I'm so glad that I have a great tea company nearby that supports my addiction in such a great way.

On the necessity of tea

I don't know where to begin, so I'll just type and see where we get to.

I love tea. I think I could even say that I have a little bit of an addiction to tea. I typically drink between one and four cups a day, not always of the same kind, but sometimes I get hung up on a favourite and drink that all day.
And so, this is my attempt at ... not CRITIQUING tea, but sharing my experiences with flavours, new brewing techniques, new tea recipes... basically sharing my love of tea with the world.

My husband has called me a tea snob. Yes, it's true that I bring my own teabags on vacations, and I sometimes have a little stash in my purse in case I go to a restaurant. And I DO have an entire cupboard in the kitchen devoted to JUST TEA (and tea-making supplies). But I promise you I am not a snob. I am a down-to-earth woman that loves her tea.

My love of tea started as a child, when I would share in my parents' evening ritual of a cup of (something) after dinner. Mom drank coffee, dad drank tea. And seeing as coffee was Not Appropriate For Little Children, tea it was. As a kid, it was "mother goose tea" which was mostly milk with a little tea thrown in.

As I got older, it was less milk, more tea, AND different flavours too. I came to love peppermint, and Earl Grey. And then my dad discovered how to make an awesome pail of ICED tea. That changed our summers, that did. So it became tea all year round.

I was the weirdo high school kid who drank tea and read books in the lounge, glasses perched either on the top of my head or the end of my nose. I drank tea all through university. It was my saving grace through long nights of paper-writing, studying, CRAMMING.... It was the thing I turned to when I needed to cry, or when I needed to help soothe a crying friend.

When I was working, I would drink a cup in the morning on my way to work, a cup of tea during my mid-day break (to get me through the cra-- afternoon...), and then usually a cup after work.

And now that I am unemployed, the tea is what keeps me sane through the long day of letting my body recuperate from the Ordeals of The Previous Job, and preparations to Search For Work.

So here goes: A blog about Tea.