DavidsTea’s Pumpkin Pie Matcha

Pumpkin Pie Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$16.00 for 80g

First Impressions

I purchased the Matcha Discovery Kit at my local DavidsTea location just because. I love the idea of getting a ‘sampler’ of matcha to try and there were 5 different types for $30 (a total of 125g – 25g of each variety). The kit included: Match Matsu, Maple Matcha, Vanilla Matcha, Peach Matcha, and Pumpkin Pie Matcha. Conveniently for me, most of which I have not tried or reviewed (in other words, I hope you like matcha reviews because there’s a few #matchamonday posts coming your way!).

Pumpkin Pie Matcha came in a dark blue-green pouch that was sealed (and is resealable). I found the dark text a bit difficult to read when it wasn’t with a bright light. Pumpkin Pie Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, and natural pumpkin pie flavouring. The powder was surprisingly bright green for a matcha ‘drink mix’, and I found the aroma to be a mix of grassy and spiced notes that remind me of ginger and cardamom.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends whisking Pumpkin Pie Match in 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to follow the instructions – although I did sift the powder first before whisking it, just out of habit.

First Taste

Pumpkin Pie Matcha whisks to an olive-ish green colour. There’s a sweet and spicy aroma to the matcha. On first taste, I mostly taste the sugar. When I pause to think about it a bit more, I do find that there are some grassy notes, as well as spiced flavours to go along with the sweetness from the sugar. I primarily taste ginger and cinnamon. If there is supposed to be the flavour of pumpkin, and not just the pumpkin spice, I don’t taste it.

A Second Cup?

Matcha is a suspension, so there wasn’t a second steep of the drink mix.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Pumpkin Pie Matcha. I really liked the spices that were present, but I thought that the mix was almost too sweet for me (and I have a sweet tooth!). I think this would be a great option for either a hot or iced latte, because the addition of a milk or dairy-free alternative would do wonders for tempering the sweetness from the cane sugar that’s in this matcha drink mix.

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DavidsTea’s Nepal Green

Nepal Green by DavidsTea
Green Tea / Straight
$12.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Nepal Green was a purchase made on a whim one day when I wanted to get up the $50 minimum for free shipping (because when it would have equaled out the cost of the tea vs. paying for shipping, tea always wins). So I picked Nepal Green because, surprise!, it’s a straight green tea that I somehow haven’t tried before from DavidsTea. The tea came in a sealed, resealable, matte silver pouch with a familiar label on the front. The leaves themselves are wiry, I found them to be a mix of dark green with white downy leaves. It’s quite a pretty tea. The aroma is grassy, vegetal, and mildly fruity.

Nepal Green is an organic green tea from Hile-Dhankuta, Nepal. This straight green tea is from the Jun Chiyabari tea garden which has sustainable farming practices, and 80% of its are women – facts from the DavidsTea product page.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Nepal Green in 185°F (85°C) water for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted for an initial steep of 2 minutes.

First Taste

Nepal Green steeps to a very pale yellow. The aroma is lightly sweet and a bit grassy. The flavour of Nepal Green is a pleasant blend – there’s some sweetness, a freshness that reminds me of corn on the cob, as well as some grassy notes and bit of nuttiness at the tail end of each sip. It’s far more complex in the flavour profile than I was expecting, but it’s definitely tasty.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Nepal Green five times (six steeps total with the same leaves), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The tea got darker and became more of a golden yellow by the second resteep. The flavours deepened and were just more amplified from the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved DavidsTea’s Nepal Green. I found the tea to be pleasant and tasty, plus the leaves resteeped quite well! I liked the fact that DavidsTea is able to share that this tea came from a single origin source that has organic and sustainable farming practices, while being a leader on the local level. The flavour of this tea is nice, and I drank it hot and thought it was just very pleasant. I think the flavours would translate well if cold steeped or iced, but as the weather cools in my area, I’ll be continuing to drink it hot.

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DavidsTea’s Strawberry Colada

Strawberry Colada by DavidsTea
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$7.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Strawberry Colada was a purchase I made during DavidsTea online sale. This fruity blend is a tisane, the aroma is bright and fruity – I can smell coconut, strawberry and pineapple. The pieces of fruit are huge and honestly seems like a lot of large chunks. The description suggests having it over crushed ice with rum.

Strawberry Colada consists of: hibiscus, rosehip shells, apple, pineapple, coconut, strawberry, natural and artificial flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Strawberry Colada in ‘near-boiling’ water for 4 to 7 minutes. I opted to steep in 100°C (212°F) water for 7 minutes.

First Taste

Strawberry Colada steeps to a very bright pink – a colour that I know and love from hibiscus. The aroma is very fruity. The flavour of Strawberry Colada is very strong – much like a punch to the taste buds with a mix of sweet, tart, and fruity. I enjoyed it hot, but I enjoyed it even more iced! The flavour is very strong when steeped for a solid 7 minutes.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Strawberry Colada, but found that it didn’t resteep well (which I’m not terribly surprised at given the fact that it’s a tisane).

My Overall Impression

I loved DavidsTea’s Strawberry Colada. I found the flavour was great – I enjoyed it the most when iced. I think it’d be a great tisane to have cold steeped (or hot steeped), and definitely would recommend it iced and perhaps with a splash of lemonade or soda water to bring more of a summer feel to it. The flavour is definitely quite intense and full of fruity flavour, and I think allowing it to steep for the full 7 minutes is the best course of action to get all of that flavour of it it since tisanes don’t often resteep well.

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