Category: Review

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DavidsTea’s Thermal Tea Carafe

Thermal Tea Carafe by DavidsTea
1.9L (64oz) capacity
BPA-Free Plastic & Stainless Steel
$45.00

I purchased the Thermal Tea Carafe during one of the site-wide sales and got it for 30% off.

First Impressions

I bought the Thermal Tea Carafe partly because I wanted a hot water jug for my countertop so I could just heat up a lot of water at once in my kettle (review here of the IQ Kettle by Breville) and have it keeping warm without having to keep my kettle on, and also because I thought the holographic colour was gorgeous and necessary in my life (which it is).

The Thermal Tea Carafe comes in one size – 1.9L capacity (64oz for my American friends). The tag states that it holds 8 servings at 240ml or 8oz per serving. The Thermal Tea Carafe has a double-walled, stainless steel body, with some BPA-free plastic (most noticeable in the handle, spout, and around the metal parts in the included infuser inside).

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends washing the Thermal Tea Carafe before the first, and each, use. This item is not microwave or dishwasher safe – I imagine that gorgeous holographic coating might not stand up well with dishwasher aggressiveness, and the double-walled stainless steel part might not fare so well either. If you do forget, it is mentioned on the bottom of the carafe on the rubber bottom that keeps it from slipping on smooth surfaces.

The lid comes out quite easily, and it comes apart in quite a few pieces. I wasn’t able to fully take apart the entire thing, so I imagine it may be difficult to clean properly if you’re steeping a tea that has any oily components (e.g. Earl Grey with bergamot oil, any blend with chocolates or sprinkles). I was personally planning on keeping this for plain hot water since I often use a small tea pot for my tea steeping (it gives me greater control over steeping time as I can see it), so it’ll be alright for me.

First Use

The first clean of the Thermal Tea Carafe went smoothly, and so did putting it all together again. I ended up filling the carafe with hot water (100°C/212°F) water from my kettle and using it throughout an afternoon of just refilling my teapot, which worked quite well! The water was hot and steaming each time I poured water from it.

While the Thermal Tea Carafe isn’t marketed as being leak proof, I did turn it upside down over my sink and found that no water came out – which is a good sign, as if water can’t escape, the heat will take longer to dissipate as well!

My Overall Impression

I love DavidsTea’s Thermal Tea Carafe. I really love the colour, the functionality, and the large capacity – although I think that 1.9L is really more like “enough water for one serious tea drinker” than anything else. I am glad that I was able to get it on sale though, I don’t think I would have necessarily paid $45.00 for it otherwise, but with the sale pricing and the colour, how could I say no? Luckily it works as it should, and it definitely makes for more comfortable nights when the power is out and I filled it up in advance of a storm.

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The First Sip of Tea’s Crème de la Earl

Crème de la Earl by The First Sip of Tea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.99USD for 1.3oz (37g, 16 tea sachets)

The First Sip of Tea has provided me with Crème de la Earl for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Crème de la Earl came to me from The First Sip of Tea in a gorgeous matte cardstock box – it feels lovely and some of the prettiest artwork I’ve seen on tea packaging in a long, long time. The box itself is recyclable, according to the print on the bottom, and contains a silver foil pouch inside. The pouch itself is sealed, not resealable – so keep that in mind if you’re not the type to binge drink a tea repeatedly over a short period of time. I don’t know many people who don’t have resealable zip bags on hand or  mason jars (just keep in a dark location!), so it’s not too much of a bother.

The Crème de la Earl tea comes in individual pyramid tea sachets with a string. The packaging states that the sachets are made with biodegradable material. Fun fact, the packaging also states that The First Sip of Tea is a women owned company as well. The Crème de la Earl has a lovely Earl Grey aroma to it – I can smell the bright citrus notes of the bergamot and the vanilla. It’s quite pleasant and inviting. Crème de la Earl consists of organic: black tea, bergamot, vanilla, cornflower petals, and natural flavours.

Preparation

The First Sip of Tea recommends steeping Crème de la Earl in boiled water (100°C/212°F) water for 3 to 4 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 4 minutes.

First Taste

Crème de la Earl steeps to a lovely dark orange colour. The aroma is primarily bergamot with those vibrant citrus notes, and the vanilla is in the background but still noticeable. I find that it’s quite inviting, especially with the strong bergamot notes. There’s a nice level of creaminess with the vanilla notes that balances really well against the strong malty and full-bodied flavour from the black tea base that really make it a comforting cup of tea. I did find that it wasn’t as sweet as I would have liked. For Earl Grey blends, I tend to add a bit of sweetener and evaporated milk (which I did do with Crème de la Earl and found that it worked very well!).

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Crème de la Earl and found that the bergamot and vanilla flavours just weren’t as strong as I would have liked. If you’re a fan of a nice strong bergamot in your Earl Grey-inspired blends, I would stick to the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved The First Sip of Tea’s Crème de la Earl. I love Earl Grey as much as the next girl, so having a blend that really brings forward a good amount of bergamot and vanilla flavour is important. I found it tasted lovely on its own, but even better with the addition of a sweetener and evaporated milk (so I think it’ll take quite nicely to being made into a London Fog). Having the tea portioned into tea sachets already makes it a great candidate for a tea to take when you’re out and about, which is always a nice feature for work and travel.

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Tastea Treats’s Chocolate Mint Black Tea

Chocolate Mint Black Tea by Tastea Treats
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 100g

I took part in a Secret Santa tea exchange on Instagram in December 2019. I received this tea as part of the gift from my Secret Santa, a review was not requested.

First Impressions

Chocolate Mint Black Tea comes in a sealed, resealable shiny black pouch. There’s a lovely colourful label on the front that tells me information about the tea (name, description, ingredients, and preparation tips). The tea itself has a really lovely smell – mint and chocolate and it reminds me a lot of candy (which is always a plus!). It’s a surprise to me that there isn’t any actual chocolate pieces in this blend since it smells so much like chocolate

The ingredients in Chocolate Mint Black Tea include: black tea, blackberry leaves, peppermint leave, and natural flavours. I don’t really smell blackberry, but I think that’s because the peppermint is such a strong ingredient in terms of aroma. Either way, the idea of a chocolate mint aroma without actual chocolate is interesting and entices me to try it out.

Preparation

Tastea Treats recommends steeping Chocolate Mint Black Tea in “freshly boiled water” (100°C/212°F) for 3 to 7 minutes. I opted for an initial steep of 5 minutes.

First Taste

Chocolate Mint Black Tea steeps to a golden orange colour. There’s a very lovely mint aroma to the steeped tea. The flavour of the tea is nice – there’s sweetness, minty flavour, and also chocolate notes without being overwhelmingly chocolate. I think it’s pleasant that chocolate isn’t an actual ingredient because chocolate pieces often leads to oils floating on top and more clean up is involved. That said, the mint is definitely stronger in flavour than the chocolate, which I think is fine. I would say that you probably wouldn’t need any sweetener since there’s a good amount of natural sweetness in the tea (but I would recommend an unflavoured sweetener if you opt to add some, so you don’t distract from the chocolate minty goodness).

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Chocolate Mint Black Tea. Unsurprisingly, the flavours weren’t quite there with the second steep –  I found that the mint was considerably less compared to the initial steep and the chocolate flavour was quite weak. The black tea base does come out in the second steep though, it reminds me a bit like a breakfast blend with some malty notes. So if you’re drinking this for the chocolate mint flavours, stick to the initial steep but if you’re also a fan of black teas then a second steep would do you some good.

My Overall Impression

I loved Tastea Treats’s Chocolate Mint Black Tea. I really enjoyed the aromas and the flavours from the initial steep. What really impressed me was the fact that chocolate isn’t an actual ingredient in the blend, which meant not having to wait for chocolate to melt and finding the oil slick floating on top of my tea. It makes for a very pleasant and smooth dessert tea. If you wanted to really push it over the top, I’d pair with some creamer or evaporated milk to add an extra layer of decadence and make it more dessert like.

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