Category: Review

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DavidsTea’s Organic Hojicha

Organic Hojicha by DavidsTea
Green Tea / Straight
$9.98 for 50g

DavidsTea sent me Organic Hojicha as part of a complementary Garden to Cup subscription package, a review was not requested.

First Impressions

Hojicha is one of those teas that I tend to enjoy, so finding Organic Hojicha in some mail that DavidsTea had sent me. Organic Hojicha is described as a “cozy, roasted & classic” green tea. The packaging for this green tea is not in the standard silver packaging, but it’s a light green instead with a navy blue (almost black) print across the front while the back of packaging is a white with a pearl sheen and a black print.

Organic Hojicha consists of organic green tea from Japan. The leaves themselves have a beautiful roasted aroma to it that’s subtly nutty. The dry leaf is pretty to look at, and a milk chocolate brown colour with hints of a browny-green. Hojicha typically has little bits of stems throughout, which this Organic Hojicha has as well.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Organic Hojicha in 80°C (175°F) water for 1 to 2 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Organic Hojicha steeps as to a light orange, with little bits of tea leaves that escaped my stainless steel infuser. The aroma is grassy, nutty, with roasted notes. The tea itself has a smooth mouthfeel, with zero astringency or bitterness. The flavour of the tea isn’t as full bodied as I expected, based on the aroma, but it does linger with a sweet aftertaste after each sip.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Organic Hojicha four times (five steeps total with the same leaves), and added an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the flavour of Organic Hojicha was strongest with the first resteep, and then started to get weaker in flavour after that. I would resteep those leaves to get more tea out of it.

My Overall Impression

I loved DavidsTea’s Organic Hojicha. The aroma of the dry leaf, to steeping and drinking the tea. The flavour of the roasted green tea was what I have come to expect from a hojicha, and this one did not disappoint. I would recommend resteeping it, and perhaps even preparing it as a hojicha latte to add an extra layer of creaminess to it.

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Dessert by Deb’s Caramel Chai Buttercream

Caramel Chai Buttercream by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.75 for 25g

Caramel Chai Buttercream came to me as part of the bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb.

First Impressions

Caramel Chai Buttercream came to me as part of the (now discontinued) bimonthly subscription box – you can still purchase teas off of the Dessert by Deb website and assemble your own box. The tea itself comes in a sealed gold pouch that’s resealable, with a fun polka dot label across the front.

Caramel Chai Buttercream consists of organic: black tea, natural caramel flavour, ginger, cinnamon, toasted coconut, brown sugar, and star anise. The aroma is strongly of ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. There’s a hint of coconut and caramel in the background, and it’s quite pretty to look at.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Caramel Chai Buttercream in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Caramel Chai Buttercream steeps to a golden orange. The black tea blend has a strong spice aroma to it – it smells like ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. The tea has a light sweetness to it, and there’s a nice warming sensation from the ginger. The star anise really shines through, and not in an off-putting way that I often find with star anise-heavy teas. I tend not to like star anise-heavy teas, because star anise has a flavour to it that reminds me a lot of black licorice (which I don’t enjoy), but this one isn’t particularly heavy handed with the star anise.

Dessert by Deb recommends preparing Caramel Chai Buttercream as a tea latte or to add milk. I did, and found that it add a nice creaminess to the tea, and helped temper down the licorice-like flavour from the star anise.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Caramel Chai Buttercream, by adding an additional 30 seconds for the first resteep, and found that the flavours (ginger, cinnamon, star anise) were quite muted compared to the initial steep. I would recommend Caramel Chai Buttercream for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Caramel Chai Buttercream. I found this black tea blend to be pleasant, with some nice warming qualities from the spices. Caramel Chai Buttercream has a great aroma, flavour, and it turns into a latte well. It’s a pretty tea to look at, and a pleasant cup of tea to drink. I definitely enjoyed it better as a tea latte than as a plain cup, so would recommend it as a latte.

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Dessert by Deb’s Blueberry Almond Streusel

Blueberry Almond Streusel by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

Blueberry Almond Streusel came to me as part of the bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb.

First Impressions

When I think of a streusel, the first thing I think of is a mixed berry streusel topping on top of these huge muffins that I recall from a little bakery that I grew up walking to near the house that I grew up. Back then, the muffins were as big as my head. I’m sure if I went there now, the muffins would not seem nearly as big now – perhaps it’s my fanciful memories of the past. But when I think of the words “blueberry almond streusel” – I imagine toasted almond slices and juicy blueberries.

Blueberry Almond Streusel came to me as part of the bimonthly subscription I had with Dessert by Deb, and is part of the Little Country Kitchen Collection. The gold pouch came sealed and resealable, with a polka dot label across the front. The aroma of the tea is very fruity, sweet, and lightly floral.

Blueberry Almond Streusel consists of: black tea, natural almond flavour, almonds, elderberries, currants, hibiscus, Canadian maple, brown sugar, freeze-dried blueberries, and calendula petals. It’s quite a beautiful blend, especially with the sparkles from the sugar, and colours of the hibiscus and petals.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommended steeping Blueberry Almond Streusel in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Blueberry Almond Streusel steeps to a clear brown. The aroma is noticeably fruity and sweet. I found the flavour of Blueberry Almond Streusel to be fruity, with a good amount of sweetness, and just a touch of almonds. I found it to remind me of pastries really well! Blueberry Almond Streusel had a thicken mouthfeel to it, and the flavour really coats the tongue.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Blueberry Almond Streusel, but found that the first steep to be immensely better than the resteeps. I wasn’t surprised though, because non-tea ingredients don’t tend to resteep well.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Blueberry Almond Streusel. Blueberry Almond Streusel has a beautiful flavour – with the almonds, blueberries, and sweetness from the brown sugar. The one thing that I think would really make me think of a streusel (and more pastries!) would be the addition of vanilla, cream or evaporated milk. I would want to sip this with an actual blueberry almond streusel, I think it would just be fitting.

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