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Day 28 of my 101 days of tea challenge.

I picked some of this up back in spring because the ingredients sounded VERY inticing, and the scent was quite nice. However, I’ve never found myself overly liking the way it tastes made.

I have to say, this is probably the best brew I’ve made of it so far, and I still found the sweetness and orange flavour a little strong, and the creaminess of the aftertaste off-putting. As a hot tea, it really… just doesn’t work too well, I think. It’s bearable, but it’s not something I would choose over most of the other teas available too me.

I’m hearing that this tea tastes better cold if not iced. I might try making some ice cubes out of this later, and see if it is better that way.

The scent of this tea actually reminded me of Buckleys. You know. The cough syrup.

Thankfully, it tastes a lot better. It has the… good part of the aftertaste — I think it’s a mix of the coconut, cinnamon, ginger, and almond. The sweetness of the apples adds a nice touch as well.

Made this with two generous [table] teaspoons in my two-cupper teapot. Put the loose leaves in and used a strainer — even though my second cup was quite a bit later, I didn’t find this negatively affecting the taste at all. Always a nice sign.

I definitely am glad I have more of this — I’ll be looking forward to making this again.

Got some more of this for Christmas, so I made it for my grandparents. My Nana liked it, so I’m leaving the packet I’ve just got with them and will continue through my stash at home. <3

Unsurprisingly, I prefer this with milk — it is a chai, after all. I should really try steeping it with milk rather than water, one day. I wish the chocolate came out a bit more, though my Nana stated that it was much more prominent than in some teas that she’s had. The chillis add a nice kick to it, though. It is an enjoyable cup, to be certain!

Resteeping the tea leaves now for a second round.

Day 25 of my 101 days of DAVIDsTEA challenge. Had to do this one today because it met the requirements of being a) not in the calendar, and b) being a Christmas-themed tea.

IT SMELLS SO MUCH LIKE A CHOCOLATE ORANGE, IT’S REDICULOUS. And delicious. And wonderful.

Around 2 [tablware] teaspoons in my 2-cupper teapot. I honestly wish it tasted more like it smells — I remember brewing it before and enjoying the taste better. Still pleasant, but not quite as good as the last time. Thinking it might be better if brewed for an individual cup, but we’ll have to see about that another day.

It does get bitter if steeped too long, but not overly unpleasantly so — it brings out the taste of the orange. Still better fresh, unless you add milk to cut the bitterness (the good ol’fashioned British way).

Putting this down as 81 for now, may raise the rating later if I’m correct and it tastes a lot better brewed in-cup.

On the 24th day of tea-mas, DAVIDsTEA gave to me….

Actually not drinking from my sampler, but a tin I got last year that was supposed to be a Christmas gift but never got delivered due to not seeing that person for a long time… (eep!). Two heaping [tableware] teaspoons in my two-cupper pot for this sample. Drank straight the first time, with milk the second after it had sat for a while longer.

This is a VERY enjoyable tea. The mint is refreshing but not at all overpowering, and the candy bits make it just sweet enough. Lovely!

Usually I drink blacks with milk, but this seems to mute the mintiness a bit too much for me.

It’s as low as it is merely because the minty flavour is not my favourite — I prefer fruity and spiced teas. But for what it is? Excellent.

My first cup of this was nice. Around 4 minutes (trip from DAVIDsTEA to my car, I know it was around 4-5 minutes), a mild but clear flavour. I definitely could drink a lot of this, if given the chance, though as far as straight oolongs go, I think I prefered the milk oolong.

Unfortunately, I messed up my resteep, so it was somewhat bitter and nowhere near as good. (Note to self: try increasing steep time by smaller amounts with this one — it doesn’t need a longer amount of time like the milk oolong!)

On the 22nd day of tea-mas, DAVIDsTEA gave to me…..

On its own, I find the tea a little too smoky and overwhelming. (It may have been slightly bitter, but I brewed it for the time suggested — 4:15 is on the low end of the recommended 4-6 minutes). Milk tends to mellow it out nicely, and saying how I generally drink my blacks with milk, it’s not bad. However, it’s not my ideal good-with-or-without-milk black tea.

This tea has a rather intriguing flavour. It doesn’t seem quite like a traditional chai (which makes some sense — it has coconut and peppercorns, and is missing the traditional nutmeg). I didn’t find it quite as comforting as a traditional chai would be. Still, it was enjoyable — more enjoyable straight than a normal chai, though I prefer the other when mixed just right.

Steeped for 4:45 the first time, 8 minutes the second, gonna make a third brew with these leaves now.

To be honest, on its own I find the honey and lemon a little cough-syrop-y. However, paired with something more sour or savoury, like crackers and cheese, it makes a delightful compliment.

On the 19th day of tea-mas, DAVIDsTEA gave to me….

If Elf Help was too much like rockets, then Exotica reminded me of fruit loops. There was a citrus overtone with an interesting sweetness to it.

Not precisely my favourite tea, but not bad either.