Speculations: David's Tea Fall Collection

Hey Tea Lovers!  I've decided to try something new and do a preview and speculation of collections from tea boutiques such as David's Tea and possibly Teavana.  I have not tried these teas yet so don't take what I say to heart, but feel free to voice your opinions about these teas and if you've tried them, share with us.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

The Teas:  

Pumpkin Chai

 

Ingredients:

Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel, squash, carrot, caramel bits, pumpkin candies, natural and artificial flavouring*. 

 

Mmm...pumpkin.  It's something a lot of people are polarized about and I'm on the love side of that polarization.  People also can be particular about their chai and honestly, very few companies deliver a good one.  This particular one looks a bit sparse on the spices but the squash, carrots and candies seem like they could add an interesting sweetness.  I imagine the strange ingredients also are there for color and the candies are there to weigh it down.  Still, this seems like something worth trying.

 

Mom's Apple Pie

 

Ingredients:

Green tea (China), apple pieces, cinnamon, artificial flavouring*. 

 

I'm actually pretty sure I'll like this.  The ingredient list (minus the artificial flavoring) seems simple compared to their other teas and I have been looking for a green tea flavored with apple.  This seems like something light and sweet and a good alternative to the heavily-spiced blacks and herbals you see for fall.  

 

Sugar and Spice

 

Ingredients:

 

 Black tea, apples, cinnamon cassia, cloves, carrots, marigold petals, natural vanilla flavoring*. 

 

I wish they added caradom in there so that it would be a chai because the world needs more unique chais.   I also appreciate the natural vanilla flavor.  Honestly, I wouldn't want to buy this and it seems like the least interesting in the collection.  There are tons of spice teas out there and this one just seems like a glorified apple spice.  These kinds of teas are also pretty subjective to taste.  

Pistachio  Creme

 

Ingredients:

 

 Mulberry leaf, pistachios, chamomile, natural cream, macadamia and pistachio flavouring*. 

 

This actually sounds really interesting.  I've only had a few nut-flavored teas and think they work quite well for the fall and winter when you want that roasty toasty flavor.  The chamomile is also an interesting but rational ingredient since I feel that it adds sweetness while also giving teas a slight increase in mouthfeel.  This is definitely one I'd love to try and I feel like this would be a wonderful herbal for a desert alternative.  

Cocoberry

 

Ingredients:

Black Tea, black currant, mango, barberry, coffee bean, juniper berry, hibiscus, roasted yerba mate, lucuma powder, acerola powder, baobab fruit powder, acai powder, coffee flavor, natural strawberry flavor, natural and artificial plum, sugar cane and cherry flavour*. 

 

Dat ingredient list!  This is actually a mate, so it's full of caffeine and David's Tea seems to be promoting this one as the healthy one.  Lucuma is supposed to be a natural sweetener that tastes a bit like maple.  Honestly, this seems a bit too crazy for me plus I haven't had good experience with coffee-flavored mates.  There just seems like there's so much going on with the fruit, coffee, hibiscus and random flavorings.  It might be good but I'm a bit meh about this one.

 

The Teaware:

 

 

 

 

I didn't include all of them, but this should give you the general idea of the patterns used.  

Adorable.

I love the colors but also the simplicity.  I love the leaves, birds and chevrons.  I just love them all.  In fact, I'd rather have these mugs and teapots than the sampler they have.

David's Tea's Fall Collection Website:  All pictures were taken from here. 

 

 

 

 

 

Teavana Cococaramel Sea Salt Herbal Tea

Outsides:  Honestly, I don't even feel like typing this long-ass list of ingredients, so I won't.  It's pretty much rooibos tea with coco nibs, nuts and flavorings.  I have to say, this dried tea tastes delicious and if Teavana was smart, they'd expand this mix to the cereal/trail mix food world.  I put 2 teaspoons of this stuff in 8 oz of boiling water and let it steep for 5 minutes or so.  I'm not gonna lie, the color of this tea is completely unappetizing.  It looks like dirty sewer water, which is only made worse by the pieces of rooibos floating in it.  It smells tasty though, like chocolate caramel.

Insides:  First off, I probably should have added more of the herbal tea.  Second off, this does not work unless you add some kind of sweetener to it (I added Stevia, which actually works quite well in this since you expect chocolate drinks to be thicker).  Anyway, this has a nice chocolate flavor to it with hints of nuts and caramel.  I don't taste any salt in it if that's what you're wondering, but this is a nice, multi-dimensional chocolate drink.  It's also a great low cal, low fat, low sugar alternative to hot chocolate, although the chocolate flavor should be a little stronger.

Overall:  I like this more as the dried tea, but it's still not bad for a chocolate craving.

Flavor:  Chocolate with other flavors
Price:  About 6 dollars for 2 oz, but 2 oz will not last you as many cups as with regular teas.
Uniqueness:  Pretty unique.  I've never seen a chocolate herbal tea like this before.
Usability:  Needs sweetener but good for a chocolate craving.
My Rating:  Try it!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer that can be found in malls across the United States and Canada.

Zen Tea Tender White Tea 3-tin Gift Set

Not many people know about Zen Tea, but they are a Canadian Tea retail company that seems to specilise in tea drunk in the international style.  The variety they have is small, but mostly consists of mid to high quality teas with high quality flavor.  They also are having a 50% off sale until December 24th on tea and tea gift sets (including this set) so I figured that now was a good time to try.  Plus I needed tea tins, which apparently have to cost $10 if you don't want them plain (I'm thinking about just making them myself).  So in conclusion, this white tea gift set ended up costing me $15 and included 3 tins of tea.  Does the tea suck?  We'll find out.

I received this in the mail about 4 days after I ordered it, which isn't too bad considering that it was from Canada (you have to get Canadian Priority or USPS Priority, which isn't cheap at $5 but isn't exorbitant either).  The tea set came in a sliver box with a cute little bow in it, so perfect for the lazy and extremely cute.  Each tin is metal with patterned paper on it and apparently holds about 3 oz of tea, although if you want to get rid of the label then you are going to have a bad time ripping the paper.  Now, I was a bit surprised when I saw just how much tea was in there because the website said something like 3.5 oz of tea, so I was expecting about 1 oz each.  This was an extremely pleasant surprise and an astonishing buy for $15.

the big Silver Needle leaves

The teas included in the Tender White Tea set are BaihaoYinzhen (White Hair Silver Needle), Tear of Peony and Toffee Dream.  I feel a little bit at a disadvantage because I've never had these kinds of tea before so I can't really comment that much on how it compares to others.  I will say that the tea leaves in these are huge and it's better to invest in a gaiwan because they don't really fit in a normal ball infuser.  All three teas are unique from each other and there seems to be something for everyone from the purists to the floral fans to the desert fans to the fruity fans.

Now onto the teas:

BaihaoYinzen:  Very pure and delicate.  It's not the most flavor heavy and is more of a sipping tea, but it's very nice for relaxing and reminds me of a forest on a spring day.

Teardrop of Peony:  I'm actually drinking this right now and think this is the most heavily flavored of the teas, but still has that light quality that white tea has.  I like that although this is pretty heavily floral scented, it actually tastes very sweet and fruity.  I also like how the white tea flavor here is less subtle.

Toffee Dream:  Probably my favorite nutty tea and one of the nicest desert teas to drink without sugar or milk.  It's definitely a lovely drink to have when you want a bit of caramel but not the calories.  It's also one of  the most colorful with these random blue flowers in it.

Overall;  This set is what I would want someone to get me because I love tea and all three of these are delicious.  For $15 or even $34, this is a great buy and a great way to treat the tea lover you love.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Zen Tea Toffee Dream White Tea

The second tea from my White Tea Gift Set, this is probably the most interesting in terms of flavor combination.  When looking at flavored white tea, you typically will see it paired with more delicate and sweet fruits such as peach or blueberry but never with toffee.

Outsides:  A bit of a different style of white tea (Pai Mu Tan) with blue cornflower (which is not listed in the ingredients) and little toffee squares.  The tea smells fabulously nutty, a little like fresh-baked almond cookies, and I like the contrast of the blue cornflowers to the brownish-yellow of pretty much everything else.  Again, I brewed about a teaspoon of this at 70 degrees Celsius but I prolonged the time to about 3 minutes (it didn’t taste nutty enough for me).  The liquid is more golden than the Silver Needle and has a delicate sweet and nutty smell to it.

Insides:  A lot of times when you get flavored tea, the flavor ends up tasting really fake and detracts from whatever qualities the base tea had.  This is the opposite.  The nutty flavor is very light and delicate while also tasting very real.  There’s also a complexity to it, with the nutty flavor adding a nice musk and earthiness while the white tea adds a bit of a floral undertone and the little squares adding a subtle sweetness.  One thing I advise which may seem like a total no-brainer to some people is to use filtered water.  I sometimes don’t care about that and this tea really brings out the flavor of the impurities in our water.  I also think that it tastes best on it’s own without sugar.

Overall:  Very nice and something that I’m definitely ordering again from Zen Tea.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Zen Tea is a relatively new online tea retailer that specializes in mid-to-high quality tea.  Right now, they have a 50% off tea sale until Dec 24th if you enter the promo code Holidays and I have to say, it's pretty worth it.

K-cup Review: Gloria Jean Butter Toffee

Gloria Jean is one of the more famous flavored K-cup makers (and apparently makes legitimate coffee items like French Presses) and have extra bold blends as well as neat flavors like Butter Toffee and Mudslide.  I have their Hazelnut coffee to review but was just curious about this one.  Toffee is pretty much the crunchy version of caramel and I love caramel!

Outsides:  Your average K-cup.  This smells really nice, like a candy or cake.

Insides:  Meh.  It's ok, but I feel like other companies do flavored coffee better.  For one thing, the coffee's really weak.  It's like I'm drinking caramel-scented water.  The flavoring is nice, sweet smelling and...there, but there really isn't much to say other than this is not a flavored coffee. 

Overall:  If you know someone who doesn't like coffee, they might like this (with creamer and sugar), but for people who want real flavored coffee (in this variety), check out Wolfgang Puck Caramel Cream Single Cup Coffee Pods,.  Just pass on this one.

My Rating:  Pass.  Here's a product site:  Keurig K-Cup 18-Pk. Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee Coffee

K-cup Reviews: Wolfgang Puck Creme Caramel

 

The 35 pack had a ton of Wolfgang Puck (in fact, the two it didn't include are the two I already have).  I was a little confused as to what the Creme Caramel is.  Is it supposed to be normal coffee or something like that Cafe Caramel?   Anyway, I (usually) like caramel and the few WP coffees I've tried have been good.

Outsides:  Your standard K-cup.  Whenever it brews, it's not as pungent as the Breakfast in Bed, but it does give off a nice sweet smell.

Insides:  One of the nice things about this is the balance between the caramel flavor and the coffee base.  It's not a very strong coffee base, but it's still rich and has a nice sweet, roasty flavor to it.  The caramel flavor isn't overpowering or fake tasting.  It's a flavored light roast, but tastes like real coffee as opposed to some of the gimmicky concoctions Keurig has.

Overall:  It's a pretty solid light caramel flavored coffee.  Try it out!

My rating:  Try it!  "Caramel Flavored Single Cup Coffee Pod (Pack of 18)"

K-cup Review: Cafe Escapes Cafe Caramel

Sorry about the bad quality.  

Ok, lets get this straight.  I love caramel.  It's probably my favorite chocolate filling (assuming the chocolate isn't too sweet) and it's even good with tea!  There's nothing quite like pure sweetness and creaminess to end your day.  It's kinda nice thinking that there's an option using a Keurig, although the Cafe Escapes are obscenely expensive for instant coffee and hot chocolate (that's right, Keurig is obscenely expensive.  Who would have thunk it?).

Outsides:  Standard K-cup.  You'll smell the caramel when it brews and it looks more like hot chocolate than....I really have no idea if this is supposed to have coffee in it or not.

Insides:  It starts out good:  Sweet, creamy and not overpowering in flavor.  And then this weird aftertaste kicks in, probably because they use a non-dairy creamer (mixed with non-fat milk so screw you Lactose-intolerant people).  There's maybe a hint of instant coffee in here but this is probably good for non-coffee drinkers assuming you have no taste.  But man, that aftertaste.  It's not much but it kinda tastes like soap in your mouth.  You know what, this is awful.  It's creamy, I'll give it that.  But it's a little too sweet and just tastes so fake.  You could probably buy caramel-flavored hot chocolate that doesn't taste like drain cleaner instead.

Overall:  Sorry Cafe Escapes.  I appreciate your free samples but try making better products first.

My Rating:  Pass.  Here's the site:  Green Mountain's Cafe Escape Subsite.  

K-cup Review: Timothy's Kahlua-flavored coffee

After I buy more K-cups, I always think "That's enough.  I should have enough coffee to last me a while."  These things are kinda pricey and I have a whole grocery bag full of them.  But when i went to Big Lots the other day, I saw this and the Green Mountain Sumatra Reserve and swore in my head.  I have enough coffee, I thought.  I'm not even sure if they're going to be good, I thought.  And yet, here I am with 36 more K-cups.  I justify this by "I'm just stocking up for the schoolyear" and with the Kahlua one, White Russians are some of my favorite drinks.  

Outsides:  As you guessed, this is your standard K-cup.  This coffee smells unlike any other coffee I've brewed in that it's a combination of sweet smells.  There isn't so much of the coffee smell, but it serves as this undertone for the vanilla, caramel and rum.  

Insides:  So, this is one of the more unique coffees I've tried on the Keurig because it tastes like a coffee mix and yet it also tastes like normal coffee.  I've added cream and sugar and have to say, this tastes like what you want those Cappuccino Coolers to taste like except those instant coffees are awful.  It's a bit of the opposite of most flavored coffees in that this Kahlua coffee has an undertone of coffee with the flavors taking the main stage.  Quite honestly, it tastes like a White Russian made with Kahlua; creamy, smooth and with a light coffee flavor.  Plus it's non-alcoholic, which can be taken as both a good and bad thing.  

Overall:  If you're a fan of light-roasts or have guests that like light-roasts, this is definitely a crowd-pleaser.  It's fun, sweet and a great pick-me-up.  Get it if you can!

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the Bed, Bath and Beyond website with it.    

BONUS!


Here are some pictures of my babies.  I've had them for a few weeks but just never took good pictures of them (these ones aren't good either).  Their names are Otto and Selena, Otto has a bigger white dot on his chest and belly and Selena is almost all black.  They're both incredibly sweet and get well with our dogs as well as Thomas and Anya.

This one's Otto BTW

TasTEA Time! Dilmah Caramel

I'm not gonna lie, caramel is my favorite chocolate accessory.  It's not just because it's milk and sugar mixed together, caramel just is one of the ultimate comfort candies.  No, it's not healthy like almonds or doesn't even pretend to be healthy like raspberry filling, it's just pure sweetness.  But I don't review candy and a lot of times, I find cheap teas that attempt to have a desert flavor like this handle it pretty badly.

I thought it was a bit of a risk buying this caramel tea.  For one thing, what's caramel tea supposed to taste like?  Is it already sweetened?  But having tried a few Dilmah products, I was confident that they know what they're doing.

Her Majes-TEA

The Outsides:  Like a lot of their other teas, the sachets were individually packaged with a lovely picture of whatever flavor it is on the front.  The teabags have strings, if that makes any difference to you.  The tea itself is the typical Dilmah Ceylon color, goldish and slightly murky.  It smells great, kinda like some caramelised sugar you made for a sauce.  It's not as perfumy as the fruit, but that's understandable.

The Insides:  A hint of caramel is probably the best way to describe the flavor of this.  The tea itself is not sweetened but you probably would do well adding some sugar and milk.  Personally, I think they got the flavor down but the flavor they used might go better with a different, more muddled tea.  Still, it's Dilmah so the ceylon is nice and crisp, not mega top quality but I've had worse.  And you know what?  I've combined this with the peach Dilmah and strawberry to make some pretty amazing iced tea.

Overall:  I don't think this would have the same appeal as some of the fruit flavored ones in the states, but I recommend people at least to try it out.  It makes a great, low calorie indulgent and if you don't want to drink it plain, add milk or throw in a bag with your next fruit flavored iced tea or add ice cream.  The possibilities are endless!

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site.


Hey guys.  First off, the l