#davids tea
Midsummer Night’s Dream from David’s Tea
Prep: 212° water, 5 minutes steep, honey
Verdict: ★★★★★ 5/5 Favorite!
Midsummer Night’s Dream is my all-time favorite, most beloved, 5-star rated, totally obsessed with, BEST ICED TEA EVER! But did you know: I’ve never tried it hot until now. It’s so light and summery that I worried the harmonious nuance of the floral and fruity tastes would be lost on a cup of hot tea, but my fears were unfounded. Both the hot tea version and the iced are a perfect 5/5. While it is even better iced (maybe a 6 out of 5 really), as a cup of hot tea it is still an amazing, soothing cup with such a perfect balance of tastes.
This tea is a symphony of sensation, with sweet fruit flavor, airy floral notes, and a lingering mint that cools and soothes. Combining apple and gooseberry with spearmint and rose petals, the balance between these tastes is impeccable. No flavor overshadows, with the fruit, floral, and mint blending seamlessly as the sip moves from bright fruit first to the most soothing floral mint finish.
This already magnificent tea still has higher heights to reach as Iced Tea Perfection, but I’m so pleased it’s just as delectable hot. I’m sipping so slowly to really savor each and every drop. The nuance of this tea’s flavor continues to absolutely blow me away.
It’s sweet, it’s light, it’s refreshing. It tastes like a cool evening breeze on a summer night, carrying the scent of fresh-bloomed flowers and all the day’s warmth in its gentle gust.
Post link
Green Passionfruit from David’s Tea
Prep: 185° water, 3 ½ minutes steep, honey
Verdict: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Very Good!
If you’re feeling the itch of spring fever already, this bright tea is sunshine in a cup. The base green tea is filled with generous chunks of candied pineapple and currants, plus pineapple and mango flavoring. Cornflower and marigold petals sprinkled in make this tea visually beautiful. With an intoxicatingly tropical fruity aroma that evokes a summer breeze, green passionfruit is a sweet, sunny blend you’ll want to drink down in one gulp.
The taste is juicy and sweet, especially enhanced with a dollop of honey. As the tea cools to just-warmer-than-room-temp, the fruit flavors really start to pop and dance. I tried sipping a little too soon and planned to give this 3 stars for lack of juicy goodness, but “accidentally procrastinating on drinking your tea” did me a favor this time. The juicy goodness arrived!
The pineapple and mango are very present without being overbearing (I also taste the ghost of non-present coconut, which I guess shows the strength of the association between the pineapple, mango, coconut trifecta). Typically, I’m neither the biggest green tea lover nor overly fond of tropical fruit flavors, but this tea truly is a stand-out. Sweet, juicy, and fruity, it’s chasing my winter blues away. What can I say? I like this tea and gettin’ caught in the rain.
Post link
Ceremonial Matcha from David’s Tea
Prep: 165°, 3 scoops of matcha powder, whisk, fill half with frothed milk
Verdict: ★★★☆☆ 3/5 Good!
In my first review of plain ceremonial matcha, the luscious creaminess was the stand-out factor. As a latte, this tea is still a smooth, luxurious treat. The matcha flavor is light yet still earthy, full of that smooth matcha taste. There’s no graininess in texture, none of that filmy feeling from lesser quality matcha, as the powder blends perfectly into this beverage.
Iwould prefer it sweeter, personally, but I thought it might be a little sacrilegious to alter the natural taste too much on my first tasting. In future lattes though, a dash of vanilla extract could be just the ticket. What can I say, I like my matcha sweet! Still, I’m comforted by this delicious creamy drink on a rainy, overcast afternoon. This tastes a bit like being wrapped in a familiar, musky-in-a-good-way quilt.
In taste, this is the pinnacle of classic matcha flavor. It’s smooth and creamy, delicate yet rounded, light and earthy, gentle but not too sweet. For matcha lovers and matcha purists, this is a high-quality classic.
Post link
Lemon Cayenne Cleanse from David’s Tea
Prep: 165°, 4 minutes steeping, honey
Verdict: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Very Good!
I would describe this one as more lemon than cayenne, but it sure is tasty. The aroma is bright and citrusy, without being overpowering. The aroma is absolutely lovely. A dash of honey makes all of the flavors pop and adds a sweet-tart undertone.
With a light base of white tea, the lemon peel, rosehip peel, and lime pieces give this a bright, citrus flavor. This tea contains chili peppers but in a way that adds warmth to the flavor more than heat. Though the website touts this as a blend of sour and spicy, to me it tastes more like a fabulous blend of sour citrus and sweet warmth.
This is one of the more unique teas in my collection and I love it for that. The harmony between the citrus flavors and the chili notes creates a bright, warm blend that’s sunny and full of life. If you’re shy about spicy, you’ve nothing to fear from this one. But if you’re looking for something with citrusy sweetness and invigorating warmth, this one hits on that special something.
Post link
Vanilla Matcha from David’s Tea
Prep: 165°, 4 spoonfuls of matcha, whisk, plain, fill half with frothed milk over ice
Verdict: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Very Good!
As an iced latte, the vanilla matcha makes for a smooth, creamy treat. The tastes are subtle, but still decidedly sweet, even with nothing added but milk. The vanilla taste itself is not pronounced, but the effect that it has on smoothing and sweetening the base matcha is noticeable.
As I noted in my original review, this vanilla is sweet in a mild, gentle way. While the flavor itself is less pronounced with the added milk, I’m still pleased by the rich creaminess this offers, the gentle sweetness of subtle vanilla.
If you don’t love plain matcha, but you don’t want something too distinctly flavored, this is a perfect bridge. It tempers the matcha with a rounded, gentle taste, for an overall smooth and subtle drinking experience.
Post link
Cinnamon Heart from David’s Tea
Prep: 212°, 5 minutes steeping, honey
Verdict: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Very Good!
Oh, this is cinnamon-y. Yet, the distinctive sweetness sets this tea apart from your usual chai, for a rich, playful cinnamon taste that’s bright and warm and full of zing.
Cinnamon is the star attraction—and star ingredient—of this tea. However, while not distinct in and of themselves, the rosehip, apple, and pumpkin are working hard in the background. These other elements add a layer of sweetness that plain cinnamon would not have on its own, tempering that spicy sharpness with brighter, sweeter notes.
The result is a warm, juicy cinnamon flavor with a zingy sweetness. It’s reminiscent of cinnamon candies (though it’s neither as eye-wateringly sharp nor as artificially sweet, achieving cinnamon sweetness in a more natural way).
This tea is cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon, but the full sweetness keeps the taste from being too sharp or too much. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and spicy, for a contrast that is truly delicious.
Post link
Lavender Buttercream from David’s Tea
Prep: 212°, 4 ½ minutes steeping, honey
Verdict: ★★★★☆ 4/5 Very Good!
This is delectably sweet! Like licking the frosting off a cupcake, the taste is bright without crossing into cloying or overkill. The buttercream flavor is absolutely spot-on, a smooth replication of its namesake. Normally, I like a little sweet treat with my tea, but this is a dessert all on its own!
The caffeine-free rooibos is enhanced by vanilla flavoring and lavender. I prefer to add a little honey to make those bright, sweet flavors really shine. If you’ve got a sweet-tooth and love a desserty treat, this is one a winner! A lot of teas that purport to mimic different desserts are often more abstract, but I really can’t get over how much this one reminds me of the taste of frosting.
I would describe this as more buttercream than lavender, though both tastes are present. But the lavender is much more subtle than the bright cupcake frosting taste. That said, the lavender is most present in the aftertaste, with those earthy-smooth lavender notes lingering behind that more vivid sweetness.
Overall, if you love sweet, this tea is downright delectable!
Post link
