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DavidsTea’s Blood Orange Earl Grey

Blood Orange Earl Grey by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Coming in a sealed, resealable silver pouch, Blood Orange Earl Grey comes in familiar packaging. The label is a navy blue with teal print, and the finer print is (like I’ve said a few times before) small. The tea caught my interest because I’m a fan of Earl Grey and I like trying blends inspired by Earl Grey, so when I spy a blend called Blood Orange Earl Grey, I’m going to try it.

The aroma of Blood Orange Earl Grey is a very bright citrus aroma – it’s inviting with the fruity fragrance. Blood Orange Earl Grey contains: black tea, orange peel, rosehip, hibiscus, calendula petals, and natural flavouring. The ingredients are organic, hence the labelling on the packaging and the USDA symbol.  I don’t really smell a heavy floral fragrance, but I think it’s because the orange peel and natural flavouring is just a stronger aroma in comparison. I also didn’t spy a lot of hibiscus in my bag, even after giving it a shake to redistribute the ingredients.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Blood Orange Earl Grey in 95°C (200°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Blood Orange Earl Grey for in 95°C water for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Blood Orange Earl Grey steeps to a bright yellow, with a citrus aroma to match. The tea is lightly floral, with a bright citrus flavour. There’s a bit of astringency at tail end of each sip, which I contribute to the black tea base. I found there wasn’t much of a sweetness to the tea. I did try adding some sweetener (organic agave syrup) and I found that helped to temper the astringency, and adding a touch of evaporated milk made it more palatable. With most teas, having acidic ingredients (e.g. lemon, orange, hibiscus) does tend to curdle dairy products, but I found that evaporated milk held up (please note, there wasn’t a lot of visible hibiscus in my pouch of Blood Orange Earl Grey).

A Second Cup?

I attempted a second steep of Blood Orange Earl Grey and found that it was bland in comparison to the initial steep. I didn’t get a lot of citrus notes, and found it was primarily malty with an astringent notes from the black tea base.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Blood Orange Earl Grey. I liked the citrus notes in this Earl Grey inspired blend, and found that it did well with being doctored up with some sweetener and milk. The astringency was the part that made me not enjoy it as much; but those that don’t mind astringency in their black tea blends would probably enjoy it.

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Naoki Matcha’s Uji Harmony

Uji Harmony by Naoki Matcha
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$50.00USD for 60g

Uji Harmony is part of Naoki Matcha’s Masters Collection Matcha Set, a collection of three different ceremonial grade matcha. Uji Harmony makes up 20g of the 60g set. Naoki Matcha has provided me with Uji Harmony for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Arriving in a sealed, resealable pouch, Uji Harmony is the third matcha in the Masters Collection Matcha Set from Naoki Matcha. Uji is a city located near Kyoto, Japan, and Naoki Matcha describes it as being a well-known matcha producing region. Green tea has been produced in the area for centuries, and is also home to one of the oldest tea shops in Japan (established in 1160!).

Uji Harmony is described as a matcha blend by Naoki Matcha – but it’s still 100% Japanese Matcha. The colour is a bright spring green, with a light grassy aroma to it. Just check out that beautiful powder! It’s such a nice colour. Fun fact about matcha – it takes hours and hours to produce matcha that’s traditionally produced using a stone mill. If the tencha is ground too quickly, it can cause degradation of the tea. But look at that beautiful colour:

Preparation

Now, there is no preparation instructions on the packaging, but there is a referral to go to the Naoki Matcha website. I opted to prepare Uji Harmony in a traditional method with a bamboo whisk and bowl (my method described here).

First Taste

After a whisk of Uji Harmony, it becomes a lovely grassy green with a thin layer of bubbles and froth across the top. The flavour is grassy, vegetal, with a good amount of umami. I found while drinking that there was a bit of a nutty undertone that reminded me of cashews. It has a a nice flavour profile in that there are subtle changes through each stage of a sip.

A Second Cup?

As with all matcha, there are no second steeps with Uji Harmony.

My Overall Impression

I loved Naoki Matcha’s Uji Harmony. The flavour profile of this matcha was a treat to prepare and drink. Uji Harmony sifts and whisks up easily, and it is easy to drink – which is always a nice feature in a matcha. It has an interesting flavour profile, with the nutty undertones, which makes it a delight to drink and experience. While I enjoyed Uji Harmony straight up, I would imagine it would do well also as a latte or iced. This is not one that I would waste on blending into smoothies or other culinary pursuits.

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

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Dessert by Deb’s Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes

Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes by Dessert by Deb
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

First Impressions

Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes came in one of the bimonthly subscription boxes from Dessert by Deb, this particular tea blend is part of the Deb’s Vintage Dessert Diner collection. The tea comes in a sealed, resealable matte pink pouch with a polka dot label. The idea of blueberry pancakes in tea form is really intriguing, especially for someone who’s fond of breakfast foods.

The blend is gorgeous, with bright pops of yellow throughout. Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes consists of organic: black tea, natural cream flavour, cinnamon, freeze-dried blueberries, elderberries, currants, hibiscus, palm sugar and calendula petals. The aroma is full of berries, with hints of cream and cinnamon in the background.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 5 minutes.

First Taste

Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes steeps to a deep orange. There’s an aroma of berries and hints of cream throughout. I don’t really smell the cinnamon. Tasting Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes is an experience. There’s the taste of berries, the flavour and warming qualities of cinnamon, and just a touch of cream or milk in the background. There’s some sweetness (likely from the berries, and palm sugar), and a touch of tartness (from the hibiscus, perhaps?). Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes has an interesting mouthfeel to it with a thickened texture.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes, but found it didn’t hold up to resteeping. I would reserve Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes for just the one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Blueberry Buttermilk Short Stack Pancakes. This black tea blend has a great flavour profile – the berries and cream – and it has some notes to it that do make me think of a chai (it’s that cinnamon! Although the addition of cardamom would be lovely). It has a nice level of sweetness, and just that hint of tart from the hibiscus. I do wish that it had perhaps some vanilla in the blend to make it remind me more of pancakes, but the berries are a bright spot in the flavour of the black tea blend and I enjoy the mouthfeel of it.

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