Tag: 24 Days of Tea

Apple Cider by DavidsTea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$7.98 for 50g

First Impressions

For Day 6 of the 24 Days of Tea advent calendar, it was Apple Cider. I really quite like apple teas, one of my favourites is Honeycrisp Apple. Apple Cider, on the other hand, smells like apples and vanilla icing – the kind you can buy in can that comes premixed so all you have to do is slather it over a cake. The tea mix in this little calendar tin is chock full of apple pieces, and despite the vanilla icing smell to it, I’m eager to give it a try.

Apple Cider is made up of: apple, apple pomace, sweet blackberry leaves, apple flavouring, artificial vanilla and cream flavouring.

Preparation

The calendar packaging suggests steeping Apple Cider in near-boiling water for 4 to 7 minutes, which does match what it says on the product page. Near-boiling water is 90-95°C (194-203°F). I steeped Apple Cider for 6 minutes.

First Taste

Apple Cider steeps to a nice golden yellow colour, and there is this sweet apple aroma that wafts up from my cup that is quite enjoyable to just inhale. For the apple infusion itself, I find that it has a great sweet apple taste. The one thing that I find very lacking in it is the spices. When I think of apple cider, I often think of mulled apple cider so I was really hoping for some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in the flavour profile. This Apple Cider is sadly lacking in all of that and I do wish that I had steeped it with some cinnamon to give it more of a mulled apple cider flavour.

A Second Cup?

I do not resteep herbal infusions.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Apple Cider. It has a great sweetness to it that doesn’t taste artificial, and the apple flavour itself is quite tasty. If it had more of the spices that I associate with apple cider, I would have given it a higher rating. It’s not a bad version of apple cider, but it isn’t quite what I was expecting (or hoping for).

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

Organic Serenity Now by DavidsTea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Day 4 of the 24 Days of Tea advent calendar is Organic Serenity Now. It’s a very, very, very floral and fruity smelling tea. This is not something that I would have necessarily picked out for myself, mostly because of the overly sweet combination flowers (in particular lavender) and fruit. I can see the lavender buds, the dried fruit, and other dried flowers.

The ingredients in Organic Serenity Now are: currants, rosehips, lavender, spearmint, blueberries, quince, apple, hibiscus, rose petals, strawberries, natural rose water, and strawberry flavouring.

Preparation

The packaging from the 24 Days of Tea recommends steeping Organic Serenity Now in “near-boiling water” for 4 to 7 minutes (this is the same as what is stated on the product page on their website). Near-boiling water is 90-95°C (194-203°F), I used the “French Press” option on my Breville IQ Kettle, and I steeped the Organic Serenity Now for about 6 minutes.

First Taste

Organic Serenity Now steeps to a deep pink. There was quite a bit of debris from the tea at the bottom of my mug even with using a stainless steel tea infuser, so I would recommend using a tea filter instead if you’re not one for having ‘stuff’ in your tea.

Organic Serenity Now has a very strong floral smell to it that leans heavily towards lavender. I found that it has a very strong lavender taste to it that overpowers the other ingredients in this mix. I ended up pouring out half of the tea that I had steeped.

A Second Cup?

I generally do not resteep herbal infusions, I did not resteep Organic Serenity Now.

My Overall Impression

I didn’t like DavidsTea’s Organic Serenity Now. There is just something off-putting about a mug full of tea that smells like and tastes like lavender. I generally associate lavender with fancy soaps, not with my teas.

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