Author: Michelle

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Oteas’s Rooibos Vanilla

Rooibos Vanilla by Oteas
Rooibos / Flavoured
$6.95 for 30g (12 sachets)

Oteas has provided me with Rooibos Vanilla for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Rooibos Vanilla came in a shrink wrapped cardboard box that holds the 12 tea sachets – made of biodegradable material. There’s a bit of information on the box regarding the origin of rooibos – from the South African coast near the Cedar Mountains and how it’s been cultivated since 1930. There is a strong rooibos aroma, with light notes of vanilla in the background.

Rooibos Vanilla consists of the ingredients in the name: rooibos and vanilla. The strong rooibos aroma is medicinal to me, which is great for people who enjoy rooibos.

Preparation

Oteas recommends steeping Rooibos Vanilla in 100°C (212°F) water for 5 to 8 minutes. My initial steep of Rooibos Vanilla was for 6 minutes.

First Taste

Rooibos Vanilla steeps to a golden red colour. There’s a strong rooibos aroma from the steeped tisane. I found that the taste was primarily of the rooibos – it has a strong medicinal flavour to it. There was a light sweetness of vanilla throughout. I enjoyed the vanilla flavour, but not so much the rooibos base – but rooibos isn’t my favourite.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Rooibos Vanilla once, and found that the vanilla flavour was mostly gone in the second steep of the same leaves. I would have enjoyed more vanilla notes.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Oteas’s Rooibos Vanilla was just okay. I think the vanilla flavour was great, but unfortunately I’m not a huge fan of rooibos in general. I found that the rooibos flavour was strong throughout and it did resteep well with strong rooibos flavour in the second steep. For fans of rooibos, you may enjoy this one because the vanilla notes are very pleasant and the flavour of rooibos is smooth.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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DavidsTea’s Lavender Swirl

Lavender Swirl by DavidsTea
White Tea & Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$10.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Lavender Swirl is one of those teas that I smelled in store, was super intrigued, and decided to buy. Oh, and if you’ll notice the label was printed in March because I somehow misplaced it and recently rediscovered it – and here we are now! I purchased this tea at one of DavidsTea’s retail stores, which is why it came in a silver pouch with a printed label. The tea itself smells really inviting – I mostly get the fragrance of lavender and vanilla. It reminds me a lot of walking into a bakery that specializes in cakes and pastries.

Lavender Swirl is a very pretty tea to look at, which is always nice. This tea is actually categorized as a white tea on the DavidsTea website, but it also contains oolong. Lavender Swirl consists of: apple, candied pineapple, white tea, oolong tea, blackberry leaves, lavender, and artificial flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Lavender Swirl in 90°C (195°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. My initial steep was for 3 minutes.

First Taste

Lavender Swirl steeps to a lovely honeyed orange colour. When I pulled the infuser out of my cup, I did notice that some of the debris from the tea came through the infuser – if something like that bugs you, I’d recommend putting the leaves into a filter bag. The tea itself has a very fragrant aroma – I smell lavender, vanilla, and fruity undertones in the background. On first taste, I note the lavender and vanilla notes, followed by the fruity sweetness. I found that the tea has a bit of a thickened mouthfeel, which is pleasant. The lavender notes made for a very relaxing cup of tea.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Lavender Swirl and found that the lavender notes just weren’t strong enough to make me want to continue drinking it. I would say that Lavender Swirl is good for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Lavender Swirl. I really enjoyed the lavender and vanilla notes that I found in this tea, and it had a nice level of sweetness that I appreciated as I could drink it as-is and not need to add anything to it. The strength of the lavender was very pleasant in the initial steep, and I found it to be nice to smell and to drink – it didn’t end up being overly floral in that way. The thickened mouthfeel of the tea was a pleasant quality that I wasn’t expecting, but liked.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Tea Experience: Le Cassis Pâtisserie

Le Cassis Pâtisserie
Yaletown, Vancouver, BC
High Tea – $35.00 on weekdays, $39.00 on weekends*

* Promotional pricing current at the time of writing.

Le Cassis Pâtisserie opened its doors in the Yaletown neighbourhood of Vancouver earlier this year (March!). The inside of the shop is just adorable with the pink and gold shelving and the chandeliers. I went with my friend Suzanne, and we were seated at a lovely marble-topped table, alongside of a bench seat that featured a long mirror over top – which just made the whole place look even larger than it was. The windows of the Pâtisserie feature macaron towers – both plainly coloured and painted with beautiful floral designs – just so darling.

We each had a tea pot that got to sit on top of its own tea light candle. I picked the Black Jasmine Tea while my friend opted for the Rose & Saffron Tea. The tea was a nice golden orange colour, with a strong jasmine aroma and flavour that I really enjoyed. Continue reading “Tea Experience: Le Cassis Pâtisserie”