Category: Review

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DavidsTea’s Vanilla Chai Matcha

Vanilla Chai Matcha by DavidsTea
Matcha (Green Tea) / Flavoured
$10.98 for 50g

First Impressions

As someone who was a fan of DavidsTea’s Chai Matcha, I was curious about the Vanilla Chai Matcha when I saw it online – so naturally a bag fell into my online shopping cart. Vanilla Chai Matcha comes in the familiar silver pouch with the coloured label across the front. As a ‘matcha drink mix’, Vanilla Chai Matcha is a flavour profile that makes me want to try it… let’s ignore what the first ingredient in the list is.

Vanilla Chai Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, natural flavourings (creamy vanilla and chai spice). The powder itself is a spring green, with a slight glint of sparkle from the cane sugar. While I don’t smell the matcha, I smell the vanilla and spice flavouring – it is really quite fragrant.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends preparing Vanilla Chai Matcha with 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to prepare it with a battery powdered milk frother. Because it is a drink mix, I find this type of blend tends to suspend itself easily with a quick stir with a spoon.

First Taste

Vanilla Chai Matcha becomes a medium green. The aroma from the drink is more vanilla and chai spices than the matcha itself. The flavour itself is sweet, and I found that I could taste the vanilla and the chai spices, but the matcha itself is very mildly vegetal. The spices themselves have that warming quality that I like in a chai blend, with a nice creamy undertone from the vanilla flavouring. I do find myself hunting for more of the vegetal notes from the matcha base, but I don’t find it.

A Second Cup?

As a suspension, Vanilla Chai Matcha is a one-time drink only – like all other matchas out there. So just the one cup (and that’s okay!).

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Vanilla Chai Matcha. While I greatly enjoyed the vanilla and chai flavouring, I found that it was quite sweet – if I had been aware of how sweet it was, I might have prepared it as a matcha latte instead to help cut down the sweetness. With water, it does end up quite sweet without anything to mute the sweetness. It does have some great flavours though, I do love the warming spices (much like their Chai Matcha).

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Dessert by Deb’s Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Straight
$6.00 for 25g

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam came as part of the bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb.

First Impressions

Coming to me in a matte gold sealed, resealable pouch, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam is part of Dessert by Deb’s Garden Tea Party Collection. It came in my bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb and comes in a familiar matte metallic pouch with the colourful polka dot label on the front. The name makes me think of strawberry rhubarb… pie. Jam makes me think of sticky sweetness. All good things to have in a dessert tea!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam has an aroma to it that is berries and fruity sweetness. It definitely smells like it would be delicious as an iced tea (which is a recommendation made by Dessert by Deb). Strawberry Rhubarb Jam consists of organic: green tea, strawberry and papaya pieces, natural strawberry flavour, apple, rosehips, freeze-dried raspberries, and beetroot powder. I can definitely see where the beetroot powder has dusted some of the other ingredients with that berry red colour.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Strawberry Rhubarb Jam in 200°F (93°C) water for 5 to 7 minutes. I opted to follow the steeping instructions and did an initial steep of Strawberry Rhubarb Jam for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam steeps to a lovely pink colour, likely thanks to the beetroot powder that’s in the blend. It has a lovely strawberry aroma, and some other type of fruity aroma that I can’t quite place (but I’m thinking it’s likely the papaya). Flavour wise, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam has a sweet fruity flavour that reminds me of mixed berries, with just a hint of tartness that reminds me of the rhubarb. The green tea base is really in the background, with just a light grassy flavour. It’s quite good hot, and I suspect it’ll do well cold or iced with that fruity flavour profile. I do think it could use a bit more sweetener to make me think of jam, so I’d add some sweetener to it if I were to make a pitcher of iced tea.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Strawberry Rhubarb Jam once, but found that the flavour just wasn’t there compared to the initial steep with the berry flavours or tartness that reminds me of the rhubarb.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. This green tea blend has a lovely flavour profile of berries and tartness, with some sweetness that creeps on through. I think it does need a touch of sweetener if you want it to really remind you of jam, but the flavour itself is quite enjoyable. I think it’d be great to have paired with desserts, and to also have iced during warmer months.

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DavidsTea’s Christmas Morning Blend

Christmas Morning Blend by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Just one more day until the big day – but the house has been ready for a while now! Last year’s Christmas was certainly different – with video calls and opening presents on camera, having dropped off presents in advance to make sure everyone had things to open the morning-of. It’s a bit different this year, and perhaps more normal… ish. And what is the better way to to enjoy time with family and opening presents and enjoying a nice breakfast than a nice cup of tea.

Obviously if a tea company comes out with a tea blend called Christmas Morning Blend, I’ll need to give it a try… and consider having it for Christmas Day morning. It has a bright vanilla aroma and smells really inviting in that regard. Christmas Morning Blend consists of: black tea, natural vanilla flavouring, white cornflower blossoms, and vanilla. It has a beautiful appearance and a lovely aroma – the white cornflower petals are beautiful.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Christmas Morning Blend in 200°F (95°C) water for 3 to 5 minutes.

First Taste

Christmas Morning Blend steeps to a deep orange, with a strong vanilla aroma to it.  The flavour of the tea itself is earthy, vanilla, with just a touch of astringency at the tail end of each sip. It lacks sweetness, that I would have appreciated. There’s just something about Christmas Morning Blend that reminds me a bit of a breakfast tea, just with vanilla mingled throughout.

I opted to add some sweetener to it (a plain simple syrup), and added some frothed milk. Christmas Morning Blend holds up well to being a tea latte, and the addition of milk really makes it creamy and mellows out the astringency from the black tea base in a good way.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Christmas Morning Blend, but found that the vanilla flavours were lacking. I would recommend Christmas Morning blend for just the one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved DavidsTea’s Christmas Morning Blend. While I liked it as a straight tea, I loved it as a tea latte. It’s definitely a gentle black tea that is begging to be make into a tea latte; the vanilla notes are delicious and just adding the frothed milk allows for a creamy, tasty tea. I am looking forward to offering Christmas Morning Blend tomorrow with the family brunch.

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