Tag: Herbal/Fruit Infusion

Peanut Butter Cup by DavidsTea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$7.50 for 50g

First Impressions

I should really preface this review with the fact that I love peanut butter cups – in regular form, in mini form, in ice cream form. This tea had a lot to live up to with a name like peanut butter cup. Luckily, when I first smelled the tea I was instantly reminded of the smell of peanut butter cup. It also smells a bit like vanilla, the chocolate smell is very obvious and the peanut butter, mmm! Gotta love peanut butter. Oddly enough, the list of ingredients does not actually include peanuts or peanut butter.

The tea consists of: apple, cocoa, almond, chocolate, safflower, artificial flavouring. Contains almonds and soy & may contain milk.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Peanut Butter Cup in 96°C (204°F) water for 4 to 7 minutes. I wound up steeping for close to 7 minutes.

First Taste

Peanut Butter Cup smells just as delicious as it is steeping as when it’s in the pouch. The surface of the tea does have some oil, as expected from the chocolate that would have melted when steeping. The tea itself does have an oily mouthfeel to it, thank you chocolate, and the taste isn’t quite as close to a peanut butter cup as I would have wanted it to be with the amazing smell pre- and post-steeping. The peanut butter flavour is light, and while I couldn’t smell the apple previously there is the tart taste of apple in the tea when having a sip. It is a little bit sweet, what with the sugars from the chocolate and the apples themselves, but the flavour of the tea doesn’t quite match up with the aroma of the tea itself.

A Second Cup?

Peanut Butter Cup does not do well with a second steeping, I would not recommend that you try steeping it again at all.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Peanut Butter Cup was just okay. It didn’t really live up to my expectations, what with the smell and the name and the hype that I read online about this tea. I think I may try it again in the future either steeped in milk to make a latte, or mixing it with some hot chocolate mix to amp up the flavour just a touch. As a tea by itself, steeped according to the recommendations by DavidsTea, it just didn’t meet the expectations. Flavour wise, it is okay, but it just needs a little something more. I would have it again, but not hoard it in my tea stash.

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

Organic Mother’s Little Helper by DavidsTea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$7.75 for 50g

First Impressions

I received my Mother’s Little Helper as part of a DavidsTea gift set (it came with three teas and a travel mug) – the gift set that started my interest in tea. The container is nice and small. It’s a metal tin with a screw-on lid that has a clear window so I can see the tea without opening it. Of course, this exposes tea to light if you don’t put these tins in a box or cabinet. It is a very nice looking tea – there’s clearly flowers and lemongrass in there.

Opening the tin, I can smell peppermint, it is very strong. Underneath the refreshing mint scent is lemongrass. This tea has an interesting blend of ingredients: peppermint, lemongrass hibiscus, rosehips, chamomile, valerian root, and cornflowers. It also has added peppermint flavouring. It’s a very nice calming mix, I quite like mint for that. Mother’s Little Helper is marketed as a calming tea to help people with unwinding. It definitely has the fragrance to sell that. As a calming, herbal infusion, it is naturally caffeine free.

Preparation

Steeping recommendations by DavidsTea is to steep in 96°C (205°F) water for 4-7 minutes.

First Taste

Steeped for 7 minutes, the tea is a beautiful deep pinkish red colour. The scent of peppermint and lemongrass is very obvious. With a sip, Mother’s Little Helper is minty – that peppermint flavouring is more than enough of a punch the senses. It’s a very relaxing tea, definitely caffeine free because I don’t get that energy I get from drinking other teas. It does have a certain flavour that I find makes my mouth pucker a bit – it’s likely the combination of the valerian root, the lemongrass, and the peppermint. I do find that it makes me feel relaxed (likely due to the valerian root). Valerian root is used in alternative medicine to treat insomnia, it’s no wonder it makes me feel relaxed!

A Second Cup?

I hardly ever resteep herbal infusions. I did try with this one, the colour was not as deep and the flavouring just was not there. Mother’s Little Helper is really just good for one steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Organic Mother’s Little Helper was just okay. Perhaps it’s because I don’t spend my days running after small children or have kids of my own, but it isn’t a tea that I will keep going back to in my tea stash. I think it does have great flavour and does live up to expectations of being a relaxing tea, but it isn’t something that I would necessarily want to have on a regular basis. I still have the rest of my little tin, but I won’t be dipping into it too often. For anyone looking for a really good night time tea, or just searching for a caffeine free herbal infusion, this is a nice one! It’s just not for me.

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