Stormy Night

Stormy Night from DavidsTea

Ingredients: Organic: Black tea, chocolate (cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, ground vanilla bean, ancho chile, nutmeg, Ceylong cinnamon, salt, allspice, clove, chipotle chile), cinnamon, coconut, vanilla. With natural vanilla flavouring. Contains dairy.

Yowza. That is a big space taken up for ingredients. Granted, most of it is for what is in the chocolate, which makes me curious to taste a piece. But it's an organic tea!

Posting early for Halloween... yay!! 

I chose this tea because I'm writing and tasting it for the first time on Halloween, and Davids was actually advertising it as a Halloween special kind of deal (which ended yesterday, even though TODAY is halloween... uhhhhh okay, whatever. ) 
I am sipping away at the first tea with chocolate I have ever tried while waiting for trick-or-treaters to take away all my precious candy...

Looks kinda yucky when it's steeping. Halloween like???

Stormy Night. When the little blurb says "hotter than an inferno", well.... not really.
Many ingredients, simple flavour. I honestly was not expecting it.

It DOES say that the tea is smooth, and it certainly is!! Very smooth cinnamon, with (too much) coconut, but the chocolate you really have to focus on to even get a hint of flavour of on your tongue. And my spoonful had a lot of freakin' chocolate in it!!
But. I really do have a thing for a super smooth cinnamon flavour. I just wish there was less coconut (it works, but there is just SOOO much). Almost a weird... cider-y quality to it. Very different from anything else I've ever tried.

~Off topic a bit... Is anyone else sick of all the COCONUT in nearly every one of DavidsTea's teas?! PLEASE. STOP. We don't want it!!~

Ahem.

To conclude... This tea has it's good qualities, but it is weak, so definitely be generous when you scoop. And if you don't like coconut, RUN. RUN AWAY!
It's not anything special to me, so I'll just stick with what I have and be done with it after... Maybe adding some cinnamon would help.

It's not a very Halloween-y tea... but there you have it.


Happy Steeping!
And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

~K

"A kitchen bright, 

And singing kettle,

Make home a place,

I'd like to 'settle'!"

Organic Le Digestif

Let me start out with saying, I feel really quite gross right now.
A headache, some nausea, major heartburn. Basically like a big bag of dicks.

Hence the Le Digestif tea. A warning, if you don't like TMI things, don't read this review. This tea is literally a blend to help you stop feeling sick, so that's what I'm talking about. I didn't want to review this tea when I felt GOOD, because I wanted to talk about the magic in REAL TIME.

Le Digestif has a bunch of fun things that can make you feel better. Best part? It actually works. And it's bedtime safe since, yay, no caffeine!
With catnip, fennel seed, ginger root, peppermint, orange peel, stevia leaf...you get the picture. It's a blend to make a tummy feel good and, I find, a head stop hurting.

Ginger root for nausea, gas, stomach cramps and heartburn.
Catnip for headaches, and tummy troubles.
Fennel for pain and fever reducing, as well as, you guessed it, tummy troubles.
Peppermint for gas and bloating (this is really helpful for painful gas buildups), and I find it helps with headaches as well.

It literally has all the natural powerhouses of tummy relief.

I personally find that, although Pepto works it can make me a little constipated. As someone who will get heartburn at the drop of a hat, and if I ever need to take antibiotics I MAJORLY risk disrupting my intestines natural flora, causing bloating and gas build up. Which hurts. It literally makes it so that breathing is hard.
So, chugging Pepto...that would not be fun.

It tastes like ginger and fennel. The peppermint leaves a nice fresh feeling in your mouth, which is really nice if you're feeling gross. It also helps take away that gross taste heartburn leaves behind. The stevia adds some sweetness. Per 4 cup pot, I put 1.5 tbsp and steep for 6ish minutes.
I honestly do like it's flavor. Some people won't, especially those that hate ginger, but it is very worth it if you feel like shit.
I mean, don't drink an entire fucking pot in one go. 4 cups will make you feel a little water-logged if you drink it in a short period of time. Have a cup, wait 10 minutes. Have a cup, wait, and so on and so forth until you're finish.

In the...hour or so it's taken me to write this up, I've started to feel better. (shhhh I kept getting distracted)

My heartburn is almost gone, my headache has been halved, my nausea is gone.

.

Skål and I hope everyone doesn't feel gross.

-L

IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

Three Wishes

Three Wishes from DavidsTea

 Ingredients: Chinese green tea, black tea from China, sunflower petals, jasmine blossoms, rose petals, artificial flavouring.

This picture makes it look a little too dark

This is a delightful little treat whenever you are in the mood for something a little sweet (in the unconventional sense of "sweet", I suppose), but can't make up your mind when it comes to choosing between black or green tea. 

The recommended brewing time is 4-6 minutes. For the first try, I went for 4... yikes. Way too bitter. I really had trouble getting it down, and probably only managed a couple of sips. That strong may be alright for some people, but not for me!

So, I tried two and a half minutes the next time. Perfect!
I can best liken it to Buddha's Blend, only darker... which is probably because they are incredibly similar when it comes to ingredients, keep it light and let all of them shine. The rose and jasmine mix so nicely, gives it almost a fruity taste. The flavour of the green tea is definitely the star tea, but the black tea gives it a bit of depth.

Oh yeah, and Yoshi loved it. I could barely drink it without getting feathers in my face because he refused to get off of my cup!

Happy Steeping,

-K

If you are...

Picture from here
We do not own the picture

Sweet Indulgence: Organic Cream of Earl Grey

Cream of Earl Grey

So today I decided to start doing my Sweet Indulgence collection.

Apple Tarte Tatin

The idea came to me when my mum and I were making our Apple Tarte Tatin in a cast iron skillet [found in this cookbook***]. I wanted a tea that would be really nice with a dessert, that I hadn't reviewed yet, and that wouldn't conflict with the Tarte Tatin.
So I picked the Organic Cream of Earl Grey.

Keep in mind I only have the sampler pack. LUCKILY it is enough for two pots of tea (at least for Cream of EG)! So I put 1 tbsp to a 4 cup pot, and steeped for about 5 minutes. It's medium caffeine, so not bedtime safe!




I tried it black, with milk, with sugar, and then with milk and sugar.  I like it either black or with milk and sugar.
Just milk, and just sugar brought out a little bitterness in the tea. It was still good, just not as.
With milk AND sugar, it did kinda kill the bergamot flavor (you could still taste it, just not as strong). Now, you must be wondering why I liked it this way as well as black! I liked it because it was sweet and creamy and reminded me of drinking tea as a child. It tasted like an Earl Grey you'd give to a kid who wanted to try it.

Black it tasted like you mixed DavidsTea's Pure Vanilla and Early Grey together. AKA, delicious. And, as I suspected, it doesn't fight with the Tarte!
You get all the notes of a regular Earl Grey, just a little more mellow, along with some creamy notes of vanilla. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every cup.

I'm not 100% sure I'd buy it though. I have Pure Vanilla and I have regular Earl Grey...I'm going to try mixing them, to see if I get a similar flavor. If I do, then I won't buy it.

If you have neither Pure Vanilla and/or regular Earl Grey, then it's worth it to get this. Same if you have no intent of using Pure Vanilla as a stand alone tea, or mixed with others. Weight your options, and weight your pocketbooks. Tea can be very expensive.

It's a nice tea and any Earl Grey lover will enjoy.


Skål and happy creating!

-Laura


IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

***I really don't recommend this cookbook. It can be very vague. The Tarte Tatin came out to taste DELICIOUS but, it doesn't look great once you flip it.

Sample Trifecta

I got these 3 samples from Kayla that've been DYING to try, but wanting to review.

So here we go!

Rooibos Chai:

Oh my gods I love this tea!
It smells sweet, and spicy and delicious! It smells like Christmas!
I steeped it 5 minutes, added a dash of sugar and a splash of 1% milk.

It smelled and tasted like Christmas; warm, spicy, and soothing.
I will absolutely buy this!






Raspberry Oolong:

As I'm sure I've said, green teas of any type are not my favorite, but I still like the Raspberry Oolong.
It smells exactly like raspberries! I started drooling.
I steeped it twice, and it was better on the second steep. More fruity. I would have absolutely adored it if it tasted more like how it smelled. Sadly, it doesn't have a super strong raspberry flavor.

I won't buy it, but I will recommend it to people!



Lime-Coco:

It basically smells like a pina colada, and that smells fantastic.

But it doesn't taste how it smells. Which is a let down. Actually, I shouldn't be so quick to say "doesn't". It SLIGHTLY tastes how it smells.

Not going to buy it, but I say try it.





Drink on, and try new things!
-L

Black Jasmine Pearls

Black Jasmine Pearls from DavidsTea

Ingredients: Organic black tea pearls from Hunnan Province, China, scented with jasmine blossoms


You would not believe the size of these balls!
But seriously. These are giant pearls, at least compared to the dragon pearls I reviewed some weeks ago. You could play marbles with these... if you knew how to play marbles, who knows how to play marbles?!

I used two pearls in my steeper (I don't want to call it "my 'the steeper'", that sounds stupid).
I left it for the suggested time, expecting to see a black tea kind of liquor (I hope I'm using that correctly)... but it was incredibly light. But once I popped that sucker on my cup and watched what was apparently hiding at the bottom mix with the rest and create a beautiful mahogany colour. There is the dark tea I was expecting!

Now on to flavour. And talk about flavour! DAMN. Move over, Dragon Pearls, you just lost your place on the favourites list.
Dark but smooth and silk. Like silk, flowers and honey. Yes, this surprisingly light black tea has a smooth, sweet linger of honey. The jasmine is super light, just the right amount. Mmm-mm!
And if that sounds good, get this... THE SECOND STEEP IS EVEN BETTER!!

This is amazing. AMAZING.
Now, this tea is on web special (and FORTY percent off) so you had better hurry if you want to get your hands on it. HURRY! YOU MUST HAVE THIS TEA!! Or not, more for me!!! HAHA



Happy Steeping,
-K

" Make tea..."

" Make tea, not war. "

Monty Python

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
But if you don't know that then I weep for you.

Sweet Indulgence: Glitter and Gold

v

Let me preface by saying Blogspot was being a dick when
it came to photo placement. I had to settle on where they are right now.
If anyone has any tips, please leave them in the comments.

Ah, Glitter and Gold. This was my first time having this tea, and it was a fairly good pot.

Because the instructions say 1.25 tsp per cup, and I was making a 4 cup pot, I used about .75 tbsp for my pot.
Next time, I'll just go with a full tablespoon, see how it tastes and if that .25 tbsp makes any difference.
Then I steeped it for approximately 5 minutes. Before steeping, it smells like vanilla candy, with a hint of clove.

Once steeped, you can absolutely smell the tea leaves.

Also, you can see a very slight glitter/iridescence from the gold sugar candy that's in it once it's brewed. Especially once I got to the very end of the pot.
Or at least I could. Maybe I'm crazy though.

Let me know in the comments if you can see it to? Verify my sani-tea.

Ha. Haha.
DO YOU SEE THE PUN? DID YOU LAUGH?


Aaaaaand back to the review! 
I tasted this tea four ways: Black, with milk**, with milk and sugar***, and with just sugar.

When it was black, it definitely tasted a little like it smelled, but the tea really did come to the forefront. It was nice, but it felt like it was missing something. Almost misleading.

With just milk, it just kind of made it bland. It was okay, but just...blah and boring. When it was milk and

The best, for me, was when I just added some sugar in (per 4 cup pot it was about 1 tsp). It added that extra sweetness it was missing, while not killing off any of the flavors.

You could almost compare it to a very mild version of Sugar and Spice.

In the end, I really did enjoy the tea. I really enjoyed an iridescent cup of tea, but I prefer Sugar and Spice. And for that reason, I'm not going to get any more Glitter and Gold once my sampler runs out. 

sugar it was basically boring but sweeter.


BONUS MULTI REVIEW:

As promised, here are the mini-reviews for the free tea I got from the Welcome Wagon Bridal Expo!

Earl Grey x2, Peppermint, Jasmine, and Tamayokucha

Two Leaves Tea Company Earl Grey:
You can tell there isn't as much bergamot in this tea as in DavidsTea just from the smell.
It has a more bland taste compared to DavidsTea Earl Grey as well. It just doesn't grab my by the heartstrings and make me want to switch from DT to this.

Premium Tea Earl Grey:

This less fancy looking one actually smells a lot more appetizing. Alas, still kinda bland compared to DT!

Two Leaves Tea Company Peppermint:
Holy cannoli does this smell of peppermint!
Flavor wise, it's a nice peppermint tea. If you want peppermint tea, that is also organic, this would be nice.

Two Leaves Tea Company Jasmine Petal:

Man does this smell of jasmine! It's got an okay flavor, but it's almost SO STRONG it's like inhaling/drinking perfume. I forgot to take a picture of it sooo...here's the empty bag.

Two Leaves Tea Company Tamayokucha:
I have literally never heard of this type of green tea before.
It smells like a very basic green, and tastes like a very basic green.
It is fairly yummy and not finicky when it came to steeping.







Skål and Shine on!
-L

**All milk is skim milk
***Raw Golden Sugar

IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

White Peony

White Peony from DavidsTea

White tea from Fujian Province, China.

 I got this as one of my three free samples that you get with every DavidsTea order.

You hear "Peony" and you think floral, right? Those huge, ant-covered pretty flowers in nearly every garden across the country? That's what I thought.... It's what I was expecting. But, nope.

Managed this right before the weather turned

This is a really hard one to describe... but I could NOT stop drinking it. So, it's yummy; that's what matters, right?
The first infusion I did for the whole five minutes of the 2-5 suggested. Mm-mm! It is light, but still full of natural, delicious flavour! I described it to Laura like the smell of freshly cut flower stems (I used to work in my aunt's flower shop, so I'm quite familiar with this gorgeous smell). A bright and naturally sweet adventure. DT really hit it on the nose with their description of this tea.

The second infusion I only did for two minutes, and it is certainly strong enough. Tasting a little more earthy this time. Still super good.

I even did a third! Probably less than a minute... This tea just does not stop giving! wow!!

Even Yoshi likes this tea. I got a few vicious nips every time I tried to drink without offering him some first. (Someone needs to be taught some manners!)

Of course, I had just placed a huge tea order on Monday, which arrives tomorrow... and this tea was not on the list. DAMN IT! And I have already used the sample all up. This next list will have to be a Christmas one or something.

Curse being poor!

Anyways...! This is a great natural tea that is easy on the wallet. I definitely recommend it.

HOLY SHIT! I just looked at my Just the Leaf collection, I HAVE MORE WHITE PEONY! 

Sweeeeet

Happy Steeping,

-K

IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

" If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited it will calm you. "

~ William Ewart Gladstone

How Kayla deals with indecision

Pumpkin Chai French Toast

I haven't made french toast in years, so I have no idea what possessed me to make it with Pumpkin Chai! But I did. LET ME KNOW IF I DID ANYTHING WROOONG

So, I started off by boiling some milk (I used skim) and Pumpkin Chai. I'll put the measurements of everything I used, and straightforward directions, at the bottom.

Boil boil boil!

Then I strained it and let that shit cool!

Mix with the 1 egg, that I beat with a fork (if the milk isn't cool, you risk cooking the egg! Which would be super gross.)

Soak that bread!

COOK.

I found that maple syrup brought out the taste of the pumpkin chai, which I needed. Next time I'd use 2 tbsp. So I'm putting 2 tbsp in the recipe at the bottom.

Overall, it was a success, and I'd do it again, but just a little differently.

FOR YOUR EASE OF READING:

- Aprox. 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tbsp Pumpkin Chai (Use to taste)
- 2 pieces of bread, slightly stale (it works better, trust me my mom)
- 1 large egg
- Pure vanilla extract to taste
- Icing sugar to taste (for topping. Optional)
- Cinnamon to taste (for topping. Optional)
- Pure maple syrup to taste (For topping. Optional)


1) Put the milk and the tea in a pot, boil it for 5 minutes, stirring so it doesn't boil over. WATCH CAREFULLY. MILK BOILS OVER EASILY. TRUST ME
2) Strain into a bowl, let cool.
3) Once cool, mix with egg, put on a plate. Add vanilla to the mixture, stir.
4) Saturate the bread (not until it is impossible to pick up!)
5) Heat your pan of choice, use oil or cooking spray to keep it from sticking! (I used my handy cast iron pan)
6) Put that shit in the pan. Cover with lid, cook until golden brown. (Or burnt, if that's your preference)
7) Flip that shit. Repeat #6.
8) Put that yummy French toast on to a plate, and top with icing sugar, a dash of icing sugar and cinnamon, a healthy pour of maple syrup.
9) CONSUME.

Pumpkin Chai Cream Pie

That's right! PUMPKIN CHAI TEA CREAM PIE!!

This was a crazy idea I had -more as a joke than anything else- that Laura insisted that I follow through with and actually make. So, I did.

And here it is...

What you will need:

• DavidsTea Pumpkin Chai (3 tblsp)
• 1 Large tea bag
• 3 cups of milk (I use 1%)
• One pack of vanilla pudding/pie mix
• One graham cracker crust (I got pre-made, because I'm lazy. Do what you like)
• Nutmeg and/or cinnamon
• Whipped cream (if that's how you roll)

Simmer the tea in the milk on medium heat for a good five to ten minutes. When this is done, strain. 

And for the love of the gods DO NOT strain with the infuser like I did... tightly woven metal infusers and milk just do not mix and eventually just get clogged. 

Use a large tea bag! If you don't have a large tea bag, use a couple on small ones.

DO NOT do this

After you have removed the tea bag, it's time to add the pudding mix!! 
Do not worry about the milk not looking dark enough to have enough flavour, it will enhance ten-fold once it is finished.


Follow the pudding directions: Just dump it in, then stir stir stir.... add a wee pinch of nutmeg... stir stir... Keep stirring until it starts to boil, then take it off the heat. Let it sit for five minutes, stirring twice in that time.


Then you pour it into your crust and slap that baby in the fridge to cool.... right after you sprinkle it with a conservative amount of cinnamon/nutmeg, that is. ;)
Now, you have to be patient...

....

It sucks, right?! COOL FASTER!
I watched Brave to help the time pass by.  (You might want to wait a bit longer than that though. Roughly 3 hours should make it nice and cool)

And then, you're waiting pays off...

Looks just like pumpkin pie... TASTES BETTER

 
Go make some. NOW!

PARTY IN MY MOUTH

Happy... steepy-pie-making!

-K


Update: Chris really likes the pie!! Score one for tea!

Pumpkin Chai

Pumpkin Chai

So, we're at the last of my Fall Tea collection. Kayla already reviewed this tea in the first week of the Fall reviews. But, twice the review!

I love how it smells. It is absolutely drool worthy scent wise!
Om nom nom nom.

It smells almost like pumpkin pie straight out of the oven. You can smell caramel, cardamom and cloves the most.
In fact, I can still smell it lingering around my room. Yum yum.

I again used 1 tbsp to 4 cup pot. So far it's been my best fall back measurement wise. The bag said to steep it from 4-6 minutes, so I steeped it 5 minutes, just because...isn't that what everyone does?

So I had this tea without milk, with milk, then with milk and brown sugar.

Without milk I could taste the caramel the most, then the cloves as a secondary flavor. 

With just some milk I could taste the black tea most. It ended up overpowering things so that it tastes pretty much like milk and basic black tea. Sad days.

With milk and sugar it really blocked out everything but the taste of the milk and sugar.

I honestly liked the tea better when it just had a bit of sugar in it. Added sweetness that rounded out the flavor and made it much more appealing. So this combination was a thumbs up for sure!

Overall, I liked the tea, but it wasn't what I expected. I'm honestly a little underwhelmed. It smelled SO GOOD, but tasted, underwhelming.  Good, but underwhelming. I know I'm really repeating myself on that part, but it's really true. It was nice. But it was ONLY nice. It's scent is it's main redeeming factor.

I really don't think I'll get any more before the fall runs out. I'll spare what I have for a special post down the road. (IS THE SUSPENSE KILLING YOU YET?) But, I personally don't feel it's worth buying a second time.

Skål!

Now I'm going to snuggle into bed with a good book tumblr. 

-Laura

IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

Pumpkin Chai milkshake!

This is the most amazing milkshake I've ever had.

Ever.

I started by brewing up 2 cups of double strength Pumpkin Chai and putting it in the fridge for about 6 hours.

Then I got some vanilla Häagen Dazs and let it sit out on the counter for about 5 minutes, to make it a little softer, just so that it would blend a little easier.

After that, I plunked the entire container (500ml) of ice cream into the blender, and gave it a bit of a blend first, just to soften it up a little more.




I then started to add some of the cold tea, until I had the right consistency.
This is where the strength of your tea matters and may take some fiddling. You don't want a watery milkshake, so you want the tea strong enough. But, that depends on how much you're making.

I only ended up using about 1 cup of my iced Pumpkin Chai. I do recommend making too much, as opposed to too little. You can always freeze it, then thaw it when you decide to make it again! Because believe me, you will.



I personally loved it with JUST the Pumpkin Chai, but you could tinker and possibly add some extra spices, vanilla, or whipped cream! (If you could make PUMPKIN SPICE FLAVORED whipped cream, I'd imagine that would be fucking amazing)

It would be the perfect treat on a hot summer day, especially if you were having an Autumn flavor craving!

5/5 stars, and I absolutely will do again!

Because of this milkshake, I'm buying more Pumpkin Chai, and I wasn't planning on getting any more. Caffeinated milkshake!





I also had a little left over milkshake, which I just popped back in the ice cream container, and put it back in the freezer. I want to see if I can get some Pumpkin Chai ice cream!


Caffeinated ice cream!

This shit is fucking amaze balls!
No. Seriously. The only way it could be better is in a fucking waffle cone...or deep fried.



Experiment with your tea! You may end up surprised.

-Laura