Tag: DavidsTea

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DavidsTea’s North Star

North Star by DavidsTea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$8.98 for 50g

I purchased North Star at the same time as purchasing the 2021 Advent Calendar from DavidsTea, without knowing that it was part of the advent calendar. North Star was day 6 of the 24 Days of Tea, and I tried it before opening this pouch of tea.

First Impressions

North Star came in the familiar silver pouch from DavidsTea, with a bright yellow sticker to indicate that it’s an herbal infusion (tisane). What had attracted me to trying this one out is because I saw the star sprinkles and just thought it was pretty and worth giving a try. Orange being present doesn’t hurt either!

North Start consists of: sugar, orange peel, nana mint, brittle, white star sprinkles, natural flavouring (orange and vanilla), lemongrass, orange, moringa leaf, orange blossom, and spinach. Spinach (in my opinion) has no place in my tea or tisanes, but here we are. It really is quite pretty to look at. The sugar crystals are massive, in comparison to everything. The orange peel is large, the white star sprinkles are beautiful. North Star primarily smells like oranges, vanilla, and lemongrass.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping North Star in 200°F (95°C) water for over 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of seven minutes.

First Taste

North Star steeps to a lovely yellow colour, it’s got a bright citrus aroma to it. The taste of this tisane is strongly orange and vanilla, with hints of mint. I don’t get a lot of that minty flavour, although I wish it was stronger since this is meant to be a winter tisane. The level of sweetness is very strong, probably due to the sugar crystals and sprinkles. The orange is quite strong though, and what I do get of the vanilla reminds me of an orange creamsicle, but somehow even more sweet.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep North Star, but found that the flavour was lacking in comparison to the original steep. I would recommend North Star for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s North Star was just okay. The mix of orange and vanilla is an interesting combination, but I found myself wishing that the mint was a stronger flavour in the tisane. The level of sweetness in North Star is strong, I found myself wishing that it was less sweet – but what can you do? I had this tisane hot, but found it quite sweet and fruity, so I imagine it would do well being iced instead during the spring and summer – no sweetener needed.

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DavidsTea’s Vanilla Chai Matcha

Vanilla Chai Matcha by DavidsTea
Matcha (Green Tea) / Flavoured
$10.98 for 50g

First Impressions

As someone who was a fan of DavidsTea’s Chai Matcha, I was curious about the Vanilla Chai Matcha when I saw it online – so naturally a bag fell into my online shopping cart. Vanilla Chai Matcha comes in the familiar silver pouch with the coloured label across the front. As a ‘matcha drink mix’, Vanilla Chai Matcha is a flavour profile that makes me want to try it… let’s ignore what the first ingredient in the list is.

Vanilla Chai Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, natural flavourings (creamy vanilla and chai spice). The powder itself is a spring green, with a slight glint of sparkle from the cane sugar. While I don’t smell the matcha, I smell the vanilla and spice flavouring – it is really quite fragrant.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends preparing Vanilla Chai Matcha with 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to prepare it with a battery powdered milk frother. Because it is a drink mix, I find this type of blend tends to suspend itself easily with a quick stir with a spoon.

First Taste

Vanilla Chai Matcha becomes a medium green. The aroma from the drink is more vanilla and chai spices than the matcha itself. The flavour itself is sweet, and I found that I could taste the vanilla and the chai spices, but the matcha itself is very mildly vegetal. The spices themselves have that warming quality that I like in a chai blend, with a nice creamy undertone from the vanilla flavouring. I do find myself hunting for more of the vegetal notes from the matcha base, but I don’t find it.

A Second Cup?

As a suspension, Vanilla Chai Matcha is a one-time drink only – like all other matchas out there. So just the one cup (and that’s okay!).

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Vanilla Chai Matcha. While I greatly enjoyed the vanilla and chai flavouring, I found that it was quite sweet – if I had been aware of how sweet it was, I might have prepared it as a matcha latte instead to help cut down the sweetness. With water, it does end up quite sweet without anything to mute the sweetness. It does have some great flavours though, I do love the warming spices (much like their Chai Matcha).

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DavidsTea’s Christmas Morning Blend

Christmas Morning Blend by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Just one more day until the big day – but the house has been ready for a while now! Last year’s Christmas was certainly different – with video calls and opening presents on camera, having dropped off presents in advance to make sure everyone had things to open the morning-of. It’s a bit different this year, and perhaps more normal… ish. And what is the better way to to enjoy time with family and opening presents and enjoying a nice breakfast than a nice cup of tea.

Obviously if a tea company comes out with a tea blend called Christmas Morning Blend, I’ll need to give it a try… and consider having it for Christmas Day morning. It has a bright vanilla aroma and smells really inviting in that regard. Christmas Morning Blend consists of: black tea, natural vanilla flavouring, white cornflower blossoms, and vanilla. It has a beautiful appearance and a lovely aroma – the white cornflower petals are beautiful.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Christmas Morning Blend in 200°F (95°C) water for 3 to 5 minutes.

First Taste

Christmas Morning Blend steeps to a deep orange, with a strong vanilla aroma to it.  The flavour of the tea itself is earthy, vanilla, with just a touch of astringency at the tail end of each sip. It lacks sweetness, that I would have appreciated. There’s just something about Christmas Morning Blend that reminds me a bit of a breakfast tea, just with vanilla mingled throughout.

I opted to add some sweetener to it (a plain simple syrup), and added some frothed milk. Christmas Morning Blend holds up well to being a tea latte, and the addition of milk really makes it creamy and mellows out the astringency from the black tea base in a good way.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Christmas Morning Blend, but found that the vanilla flavours were lacking. I would recommend Christmas Morning blend for just the one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved DavidsTea’s Christmas Morning Blend. While I liked it as a straight tea, I loved it as a tea latte. It’s definitely a gentle black tea that is begging to be make into a tea latte; the vanilla notes are delicious and just adding the frothed milk allows for a creamy, tasty tea. I am looking forward to offering Christmas Morning Blend tomorrow with the family brunch.

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