Korean Sejak

Name:  Korean Sejak


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Green


Dry Scent:  Grassy scent with hints of the seaside, also rich and buttery.  This is, in its way, what I would describe as the epitome of the perfect green tea scent.  Salty oceanfront scent without being fishy, buttery and green without being obnoxiously grassy or hay-like.  A divinely blended scent.


Steeping Time: 2 min


Steeped Flavour:  Fresh at first sip, with lingering smokeyness; almost a little salty but in a good way.  There is some earthiness in this, but mostly it just tastes green and fresh, like rain-washed leaves, the rain having come from the nearby ocean and carrying hints of its salt that only enhance the green flavours of the leaves.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is probably best on its own, as you do not want to miss any of the myriad flavour nuances, but if you really want something to eat with it, then I recommend something Japanese like odango, or lightly sweet cookies with white chocolate.  Something delicate that won't overpower the tea.


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6


Buy/Don't Buy

This truly is a beautiful green tea...and I'm very picky about my green teas, as I find so many of them end up tasting fishy.

Lapsang Souchong Star

Name:  Lapsang Souchong Star


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent:  Campfire.  Straight-up, pure campfire smoke smell.  This makes me think of summer nights and roasting marshmallows, or being curled up in bed in the cabin in the middle of winter with a fire roaring in the woodstove.


Steeping Time: 4 min


Steeped Flavour:  Strong, smokey and tannic, with the earthy flavours of black tea and an almost peaty aftertaste.  Not for the everyday but definitely a good example of its type.


Food/Drink Pairings:  Nothing even remotely sweet.  This would go well with barbecue ribs, or as a rub for cooking salmon.  It would also be very good with a little scotch on the side.  Not mixed in, of course, but they go well together.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Oh Canada

Name:  Oh Canada


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Rooibos


Dry Scent:  Yummy sweet maple sugar scent overlies the warm, sunny, earthy sweetness of the rooibos.


Steeping Time:  6-7 min


Steeped Flavour:  Strongly maple flavour, almost smokey and definitely rich.  This tea is very sweet, and also warm.  It reminds one of fall leaves and winter pancakes.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is good with cookies, or other desserts.  It would also be nice with some mulling spices and/or spiced rum.


Rating out of Six Tails:

4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Main Squeeze

Name:  Main Squeeze


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Maté


Dry Scent:  This smells like fresh-squeezed orange juice, sweet, citrussy and very juicy, but there's also an underlying, slightly bitter scent from the maté.  Overall this is earthy, green and a little musty with delightful topnotes of citrussy sweet fruit.


Steeping Time: 4-5 min


Steeped Flavour:  Very much like it smells, citrussy with the slightly musty, earthy flavour of the maté.  The juicy flavours do show the pineapple and papaya that are in this, but mostly it tastes like fresh oranges.  Do be careful though, that this doesn't get oversteeped.  It can easily get bitter from the maté.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is a great breakfast tea, especially since it's a maté, meaning that it helps wake you and keep you up.  It is great with cereal, toast, anything you'd normally have for breakfast.  It's also very yummy iced, and goes well on a picnic.  And of course, there's always vodka screwdrivers!


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Piña Colada

Name:  Piña Colada


Brand:  Naturally for You


Primary Type:  Rooibos


Dry Scent:  Warm, sunny rooibos is a base for the creamy scent of coconut and the sweet, juicy aromas of pineapple.  This one pretty much smells exactly like what it is meant to echo, and reminds one of warm summer days and cold creamy drinks.


Steeping Time: 8-10 min


Steeped Flavour:  Again, the warm flavour of rooibos is a supporting platform for juicy pinapple flavour, and all of it blends together with the creaminess imparted by the coconut.  Lovely, sweet and juicy and very refreshing both hot and iced.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is very nice with cookies, especially if they have coconut in them.  It also ices well, and mixed with coconut rum and a little pineapple juice, makes a great summer drink which is a little less sweet than the usual and very refreshing.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Mad Hatter (black)

Name:  Mad Hatter


Brand:  White Heather


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent:  Rich, earthy black tea with the juicy fruit scents of papaya, peachy passionfruit and something that smells a little like tangerine.  Very sweet and juicy and appetizing!


Steeping Time: 5-6 min


Steeped Flavour:  Slightly tannic, but the passionfruit is the strongest flavour in here, followed by the papaya and a little of the vanilla for overall sweetness.  This is a tea that makes me think of summer and fine chocolates.


Food/Drink Pairings:  A perfect "teatime" tea, especially if you go to the White Heather Tearoom and have it with one of their afternoon tea offerings.  Also wonderful for dipping cookies into, of course!


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6

Buy/Don't Buy

Unfortunately for all you folks abroad, you can only get this one in Victoria.  If you're in the area though, I do recommend White Heather as a great place to have afternoon tea, or another lovely snack or lunch.

Hot Lips

Name:  Hot Lips


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Green


Dry Scent:  This smells like cinnamon hearts, with hints of pepper and chillies hiding in the background.  Based by the grassy scent of green tea, but by far the first thing you smell - and the strongest - is spice.  This one's hot! It smells of sweet cinnamon, sharp and strong, like its namesake


Steeping Time: 3 min


Steeped Flavour: It's one spicy mama! There is a real wash of heat over the tongue; warm without too much bite initially, but the cinnamon is definitely evident, as are the peppers, and the heat lingers in the mouth long after.  This is wonderful on a cold evening, and all of it is underlaid by a lovely slightly grassy green tea flavour with hints of salt and seaweed.


Food/Drink Pairings:  Hot, this goes really well with szechwan cuisine, or Mexican.  Anything with a good kick of spice.  Iced, it's also strong and needs strong flavours to stand up to.  It's a good picnic tea, but as with Mango Diablo, this is not the tea for you if you aren't REALLY into spice!


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Mad Hatter Herbal

Name: Mad Hatter Herbal


Brand:  Naturally for You


Primary Type:  Herbal


Dry Scent:  Strongly clove scent along with the musty herbal scents of dock and sarsaparilla and hints of cinnamon and dandelion root.  Definitely different from everything else I have in the cupboard, that's for sure.


Steeping Time: 7-10 min


Steeped Flavour:  This tea has a very similar flavour to "real" root beer, probably because it has sarsaparilla roots.  I'm not big on this when it's hot, but iced, omg it's amazing.  The initial flavour over the tongue is strongly clovey, but there is an incredible lingering sweetness on the tongue, almost sweeter than sugar, with honey-like notes to it.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is a tea that does best with strongly flavoured foods, steak, roast, or similar foods.  Definitely best iced, but that's just my own experience.  Quite a "different" tea from the norm!


Rating out of Six Tails:

4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Putting a "buy" on this for you local folks but keep in mind that it's not your regular "tea", it's much more of a herbal infusion.  It is, however, very good if you are like me and prone to anaemia, since yellow dock, one of the ingredients, helps the body absorb iron better.

Read My Lips

Name:  Read My Lips


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent:  Strongly minty scent dry, but you can also smell the rich chocolate and sweetness, all underlaid by the earthy, slightly musty scent of the black tea.


Steeping Time:  4-5 min (I always steep mints with a shorter steep, I've found this mitigates their tendency to get bitter and also makes them less likely to make me sick)


Steeped Flavour:  There is definitely mint here, and chocolate, but luckily for me there's enough sweetness that the mint doesn't take on that particular musky flavour that gives me instant headaches.  The chocolate is also front and center when drinking this, and overall it is very tasty, and actually drinkable for me (in small doses)


Food/Drink Pairings:  This goes really nicely with a chocolate or two on the side, or even dipped into the tea to up the "chocolate factor" of it.  A nice dessert tea, especially if you like mint.  I don't reccommend trying to ice it though, since the chocolate in the tea can get a bit scummy as it cools.


Rating out of Six Tails:
4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

If I didn't have an issue with mint I would definitely rate this tea higher.  If mint is your thing, then definitely go for this, it's absolutely beautiful!  Even for a mint hater like me XD

Pecan Pie

Name:  Pecan Pie


Brand:  Naturally for You


Primary Type:  Rooibos


Dry Scent:  Warm and sweet with nutty overtones.  The rooibos tea itself smells faintly nutty, then when you add in the pecan it really brings it out.  This smells like fall and my favourite Thanksgiving treat!


Steeping Time:  8-10 min

Steeped Flavour:  The primary flavour in this is, of course, the sunny, warm, slightly wintergreen flavour of the rooibos, but it amply supports the sweet and nutty flavours of the pecans and caramel.  Warm, comforting and nostalgic.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is best with desserts, or in replacement for dessert.  Especially good with poundcake or spice cakes.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Nettle Leaf

Name:  Nettle Leaf


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Herbal


Dry Scent:  This has a somewhat dusty, almost weedy green scent with bright hints of citrus from the grapefruit peel.  It smells a little medicinal, but given that it's a medicinal tea that makes perfect sense.


Steeping Time:  6-7 min


Steeped Flavour:  This is very thick, almost viscous on the tongue due to the mallow root.  Sweet in a very green way, with mustiness and hints of warm citrus.  There is a lingering thickness on the tongue with just a faint gingery, lemony aftertaste.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This isn't really meant to be consumed with food, it's more of a pre-meal or post-meal palate cleanser.  Actually, this is a medicinal tea.  The Celts brewed nettle into teas in the spring to cleanse the blood of winter toxins, and this tea is just a bumped-up version of this.


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6


Buy/Don't Buy

This one is only available online, but a little goes a loooooong way.  Especially since I've found that more than one mug at a time is just too much.  The dry tea is so light that 50g fills one of the DT tins almost beyond capacity.

Lavender Dreams

Name:  Lavender Dreams


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  White


Dry Scent:  Strong odours of lavender with hints of rose and grassy white tea.  Very calming to breathe in, relaxing.


Steeping Time:  2 min


Steeped Flavour: The first scent of this is also the first taste, strong lavender, with the grassy, fresh notes of the white tea underlying its slightly bitter pungency.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This blends best with a nice cookie before bed.  The lavender helps induce sleep, and the cookie cuts the bitterness of the lavender.


Rating out of Six Tails:
3.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Putting a buy on this, however, it is very strongly lavender, which has a tendency to be bitter, and it is also expensive.  Buy this if you like lavender teas, but I would not say buy it on a whim.  Of course, in the rating also keep in mind that I'm not terribly fond of lavender teas.  If you like them you may rate this higher.

Lychee Black Tea

Name:  Lychee Black Tea


Brand:  Amoda Tea


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent:  The sharp/musky/sweet scent of lychee fairly blooms out of this tea, mouthwatering and fresh like a cool drink in the middle of summer.  The black tea scent is there as well, of course, but it definitely plays second fiddle to the lychee and in this case that is exactly how things ought to be.


Steeping Time: 3-3.5 min (err on the shorter side with this one, the Chinese black tea can overpower the lychee if steeped for too long)


Steeped Flavour:  Sweet, delicate flavour of lychee fruit floating overtop of the tannic, musky black tea.  Steeped for just over three minutes this is beautifully balanced, however, the first time I made it I made the mistake of letting it steep for closer to five minutes and it was horribly out of balance with the black tea far, far too tannic.  This one is a bit finicky.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This would be nice as a palate cleanser between courses of Chinese food, or to follow a heavy dinner to help settle the stomach.  It might also be nice first thing in the morning, since it has a high level of caffeine.


Rating out of Six Tails:
4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy  

I'm putting a buy on this one, especially if you like lychee, but do consider its temperamental nature.  ALWAYS steep it with a timer, or it might make itself undrinkable.

Silk Dragon Jasmine

Name:  Silk Dragon Jasmine


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Green


Dry Scent:  Heavenly scent of jasmine flowers overlying the slightly grassy aroma of fine green tea.  Not perfumey, just the right blend of scents for a jasmine tea.


Steeping Time:  3 min  (be careful, oversteeped jasmine tea is almost the worst thing on the planet.  Incredibly bitter and so strongly perfumed that it is almost headache-inducing)


Steeped Flavour:  Perfect, delicate balance between the green, slightly grassy taste of the green tea, with its buttery undertones, and the topnotes of sweet, fragrant jasmine.  The jasmine is most noticeable in the scent as you bring the cup up to sip the tea, but it's also the last thing to linger in the mouth after the tea is done.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This pairs nicely with asian dishes, especially sushi or wonton soup - lighter flavours that won't overpower the delicate nature of the tea.  It would also be beautiful iced as the base for a cocktail or turned into a syrup and used instead of the simple syrup in a mojito.


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Goji Pop

Name:  Goji Pop


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Herbal


Dry Scent:  There is a strong scent of dried apples in this, followed by the slightly musty sweetness of the goji berries.  To me, goji berries always smell a little like they're past their prime and have gone a bit dusty, even when they're very freshly dried.


Steeping Time: 7-8 min


Steeped Flavour:  Mildly sweet and just a little tangy from a small amount of hibiscus, this is lovely and fruity, although if not steeped long enough it can be fairly watery.  I would say it can stand a steep even ten minutes or more, if you so desire.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is probably best used iced as a base for delicate fruit martinis, say with lichi liqueur or watermelon or Midori.  It also goes well with lunch or breakfast, of course, but nothing too strongly flavoured.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Cream of Earl Grey cookies

A little baking experiment.  Some time back in January I managed to come by a box full of recipes incorporating tea (I think it was on boxing-day sale) from David's Tea.  I haven't had much chance to really experiment with it yet, not having had many opportunity to entertain, but I was looking through it and came across instructions on how to make a syrup from any tea.  This made me think of how amazing a Cream of Earl Grey syrup would be, and what I might do with said syrup, which made me think of glazed sugar cookies.

First I made the syrup itself.  It's appallingly easy to make tea syrups.  All you need is four "perfect spoons" of loose-leaf tea (about six teaspoons), one cup of water and one cup of white sugar.  You boil the water, of course, (and boil more than one cup in the kettle or you won't end up with enough, then measure it just before pouring it onto the dry tea) and steep this incredibly over-leafed concoction for 5-7 minutes, then strain it into a small saucepan, add the sugar, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  Et voila, tea syrup!

It's very, very dark, as you can see...darker than maple syrup or even most table syrups, probably because I was using a black tea.  Once I had the syrup made, I decanted most of it into a small syrup jug and left the rest in a pyrex bowl to be used in my cookie glaze.  Then I made up the sugar cookie dough.  I also used the syrup in place of vanilla in the cookie dough, although I don't know that it's very noticeable there (and yes I did try a bit of unglazed cookie, of course!)

A few hours in the fridge later, after rolling and baking and cooling and glazing, this was the result:

The glaze could have used a little less syrup, as it was a bit sloppy, but oh my goodness it's delicious!  It's like tea-flavoured candy!  Definitely something I will do again, for sure!

Raspberry Pineapple Luau

Name:  Raspberry Pineapple Luau


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  White


Dry Scent:  Sharp, warm raspberry scent with lingering sweetness behind from the pineapple.  Hints of grassiness from the white tea.


Steeping Time: 2-3 min


Steeped Flavour:  Sweet and citrussy from the hibiscus, melding into ripe raspberry.  Very juicy and sweet with a lingering aftertaste of raspberries.  Definitely a good blend, not too much hibiscus, just enough to enhance the raspberry and keep it to the front of the mouth.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This would be amazing iced with some sourpuss raspberry, or some pineapple malibu or any other pineapple-flavoured liqueur.  This tea goes well with most summery lunches or dinners, and would even be nice with breakfast.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Red Bush Chai

Name:  Red Bush Chai


Brand:  Silk Road


Primary Type:  Rooibos


Dry Scent:  Warm notes of dry grass and dusty summer heat from the rooibos base blend nicely with the traditional chai spices, particularly the sweet and musky aromas of cardamom and allspice.  Not much in the way of cloves here, but there are hints of cinnamon.


Steeping Time:  7-8 min


Steeped Flavour:  Say what you will about some of Silk Road's teas (and I have) they certainly know how to blend a nearly perfect chai.  Warm, with the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves all bursting onto the tongue at once, but so perfectly in balance that no one flavour overpowers the others.  Chais always make me think of autumn and winter, but this one is like sitting curled up under a warm blanket in the middle of winter with a snowstorm outside, remembering the warmth and brightness of summer with fondness and just a hint of longing.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This would pair nicely with spice cake and, like any chai, is wonderful with a little frothed milk or cream (or creamy liqueur) added to it.  This one is particularly nice with nutty liqueurs, like Frangelico.


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Sweet Fruit Garden

Name:  Sweet Fruit Garden


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  Herbal


Dry Scent:  There is a strong, sharp-sweet punch of berries at first sniff, rounded out by the juicy sweetness of pineapple and the citrus tang of hibiscus.  This smells like the best sort of tropical juice blend, and entirely mouthwatering.


Steeping Time: 6-7 min


Steeped Flavour:  Instantly sweet and tart at once, flooding the tongue with the flavour of just-underripe raspberries.  There's quite a lot of hibiscus flavour in this, but in this case it plays nicely with the other fruity flavours, and the lingering aftertaste here is one of sweet cherries and something that reminds me of eating ripe plums straight from the tree.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is definitely one that does well being iced and taken on a picnic.  It's more of a "summer" tea and would go well with most summery foods.  As far as mixing with booze, any fruity vodkas, rums or schnapps would probably be very tasty indeed with this.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Snow Geisha

Name:  Snow Geisha


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  White


Dry Scent:  Strong, floral cherry with a bite of kirche.  There is definitely a cherry-blossom scent to this, and sweet, juicy cherry all with the grassy undertones of the white tea.


Steeping Time: 1.5-2 min (BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVERSTEEP AND TO USE WATER AT 85C OR COOLER! THIS TEA BURNS AND OVERSTEEPS SUPER-EASILY.)


Steeped Flavour:  When done correctly, this has a gorgeous, delicate flavour reminiscent of stepping out into a spring evening here in Victoria, with the intoxicating scent of cherry blossoms on the air, with just a hint of the almond-pastey flavour of kirche.  Today I managed to brew it correctly.  I have previously brewed it incorrectly, and it was unbearably bitter, but today the white tea base is behaving, playing the supporting role of innocent fresh spring grass.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This could very easily be overshadowed.  The best thing to do with this, really, is to pair it with light, sugary bonbons, or maybe something Japanese, like mochi or dango.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6 today, 4/6 in general


Buy/Don't Buy

Okay folks, I'm putting a buy on this, but note THIS IS NOT A TEA FOR BEGINNERS.  This is a very tricky, picky tea to brew, and should not be attempted without an almost intuitive understanding of brewing white teas.

Pure Chai

Name:  Pure Chai


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent: Mostly smells like winter baking; cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  The scent of the black tea hides in the background here, as though whomever was doing the baking has put a pot of tea on to keep themselves going while they cook


Steeping Time: 4-5 min


Steeped Flavour: Tastes like mulling spices, with a lingering heat from the cinnamon.  Not much of the black tea's tannins come through here, but that's a good thing.  The balance of spices is quite good, and it has a really "basic" or "nostalgic" flavour, very western, unlike most chais whose more eastern origin is reflected by the inclusion of cardamom


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is one that does really nicely as a tea latté.  It also blends nicely (for the same reasons) with cream liqueurs.  Also, this would work very well for making hot mulled apple cider or mulled wine.  A little spiced rum added to it wouldn't go amiss either.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Sakura Allure

Name:  Sakura Allure


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  Green


Dry Scent:  Sweet and very juicy cherry scent, with the additional sweetness punch of mango and pineapple, and a light floral from the rosepetals.  All of this is underlaid by the slightly grassy, green scent of the green tea.


Steeping Time:  2-3 min


Steeped Flavour:  There is quite a bit of hibiscus in this once it's been steeped, then the cherry flavours flood over the tongue behind it, followed up finally by the green tea's grassy flavours.  Not quite as much in balance as I might have liked, but still very, tasty


Food/Drink Pairings:  This would probably be really nice iced, and with a little white rum or maybe some fruity schnapps...


Rating out of Six Tails:
4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Exotica

Name:  Exotica


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Herbal


Dry Scent:  There is a strong lemongrass component to the scent of this tea, as well as light sweetness from the pineapple and a hint of spice.  It definitely makes me think of tropical destinations and exotic dishes.


Steeping Time: 6-7 min


Steeped Flavour:  As often happens, the strongest flavour in this is the lemongrass, with its light, faintly grassy citrus aroma, but it is balanced out and sweetened by the the pineapple and the other spices do a wonderful job of supporting the whole thing and keeping it from being "lemongrass tea".


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is a great summertime, picnic tea.  Also nice first thing in the morning, and would go nicely iced with a touch of rum.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Precious White Peach

Name:  Precious White Peach


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  White


Dry Scent:  This smells more of peach candy than fresh peaches, but there is definitely a "peach" kind of scent to it.  There is also a faint grassiness from the white tea, and a little bit of citrus from the rosehips and lemon verbena


Steeping Time:  2-3 min


Steeped Flavour:  The peach is much less sweet here, more closely resembling actual peaches or nectarines.  There is also quite a bit of the floral, grassy taste of the chamomile and marigold petals coming through, no doubt aided by the grassy white tea, and I might cut down the steeping time next time to reduce this.  Nice, calming and relaxing sort of tea, but the balance of flavours could be a bit better.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is a pretty delicate tea, you wouldn't really want to put it with food as it would be easily overwhelmed.  It would probably pair quite nicely with a bit of peach schnapps though!


Rating out of Six Tails:

4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

I put a buy on this, but do keep in mind it's a bit on the steep side, so you might want to try before you buy if you can!

Ruby Pagoda

Name: Ruby Pagoda


Brand: Silk Road Tea


Primary Type: Rooibos


Dry Scent: Rich and sweet/tart from the hibiscus, citrus and rosehips, with warm, earthy rooibos providing the platform on which they might shine. The rose petals lend a faint floral edge and there's a little bite of spice from the pink peppercorns. Gotta love this one, all red, all the time!


Steeping Time: 6-8 min


Steeped Flavour: Very lovely. Honestly, "ruby" is the best way to describe both the look and the flavour of this tea. Strongly to hibiscus but with quite a bit of its usual bite mellowed by the rose petals and rooibos, and just enough of a hint of spice to round out the flavour experience.


Food/Drink Pairings: This one is good over ice in the summer and also just as lovely on a cold winter's night. It goes best with light meals, or as a breakfast tea, and would probably not be all that successful for biccy-dipping or with rich desserts.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

This is one of my absolute favourites ever from Silk Road.  They might not always be my most recommended tea shop, but for this tea, absolutely!

Currant Affair

Name:  Currant Affair


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Rooibos


Dry Scent:  I was looking forward to trying this new tea-of-the-month because I've always loved black currants, and what do I find?  Mmm...Ribena!  This smells just like Ribena or black currant jelly.  Absolutely delicious.  There's a sun-warmed, faintly sharp scent from the rooibos and a little bit of leafy green-ness from the blackberry leaf.


Steeping Time: 6-7 min


Steeped Flavour:  Before I even took the first sip, breathing in the aroma of this was like soaking in a warm tub full of a black-currant bubblebath I once had.  Which might sound bad except that I always wanted to eat/drink that bubblebath!  The flavour is delicate, with the sunwarmed rooibos providing a stable base for the rich, sweet-tartness of the black currants.  So, so, so tasty!  I might like a tiny bit more fruity and a little bit less rooibos, but that's just my personal taste.


Food/Drink Pairings:  Breakfast, lunch, teatime...maybe not dinner but definitely dessert.  I also have every intention of adding some Chambord to this to make it even more beautiful.  If I had creme de cassis I would do that too!  I think this would do well over ice with any nice dark fruity liquor.  Purely yum!


Rating out of Six Tails:

6/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Checkmate

Name:  Checkmate


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  White


Dry Scent:  This has the smell of rich, milk chocolate and tea shop.  It reminds me of walking into the Tudor Sweet Shop as a child.  A blend of Rogers Chocolates, fine black tea blends, and the sweet hints of imported candies and sweets, along with something faintly floral and a little dusty.  Pure nostalgia is what I would call this.


Steeping Time:  4-5 min


Steeped Flavour:  Tastes very similar to how it smells, high-quality and chocolatey. Thick on the tongue even though it isn't any thicker than any other tea, and beautifully balanced.  The tannins and dark earthiness of the black tea manage somehow not to overpower the light, floral notes of the white tea, and the creaminess of the coconut adds to the sense of drinking something infused with milky chocolate of the highest grade.


Food/Drink Pairings:  For all its chocolatiness, this tea actually pairs quite well with any meal, although most likely it would not stand up to a heavy, meaty dinner.  It holds its own well, though, and is another of what I like to call the "tea-time" teas, good for dipping of cookies and pairing with finger sandwiches.  As far as the boozy side of things, adding a little creme de cacao would probably make drinking this tea an even more divine experience than it already is.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Buttered Rum

Name:  Buttered Rum


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent:  Smells exactly as advertised, like hot buttered rum  Honestly, there is no better way to describe this.  Warm, buttery and with the sharp, sweet bite of spiced rum in the scent, with the black tea's earthiness holding it all together.


Steeping Time: 5-6 min (take note, this can easily oversteep and become bitter)


Steeped Flavour:  Tastes very much like hot buttered rum as well, although obviously without any of the alcohol burn of the rum.  Warm, comforting on a cold night, and makes me think of winter nights and coming in from the cold to sit in front of a roaring fire.


Food/Drink Pairings:  The obvious one is, of course, adding a tot of spiced rum to this, but I also think it would go well with cream liqueurs.  It would pair nicely with cakes, trifle and other rich desserts, but it also works nicely as a dessert on its own.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Detox

Name:  Detox


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Green


Dry Scent:  Smells clear and faintly fruity.  Notes of grass, citrus, juniper berry and ginger.  I would best describe the scent of this as the scent of a meadow in the middle of a conifer forest.  Calm and very relaxing.


Steeping Time:  4-5 min


Steeped Flavour:  Fresh and fruity, with a distinctive "tea with lemon" flavour underlaid by berries and something that tastes a little like a warm summer meadow.  The juniper berries add a slightly piney note as well, and the ginger and ginko play well together to make a clean, lingering aftertaste a little like a chinese medicine shop.  The mouthfeel of the tea itself is very smooth, almost slick over the tongue, but not greasy.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This could be nice with a light lunch or dinner, or even first thing in the morning after a night of overindulgence, but it does best after eating as a perfect palate cleanser.  Good, good stuff.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Citron Oolong

Name:  Citron Oolong


Brand:  David's Tea


Primary Type:  Oolong


Dry Scent:  Bright, zingy and very lemony with the particular dry citrus scent of lemongrass.  This is lightened by the delicate floral notes from the jasmine blossoms, and the green, earthy and slightly sea-side scent of the oolong.


Steeping Time:  5-6 min


Steeped Flavour:  Of course the first and strongest flavour across the tongue is the citrus; lemongrass followed by the mellower orangepeel notes.  The jasmine is evident only in the scent of the vapors but the oolong leaf flavour underpins all these bright and light flavours with an earthy reen, sea-side base.  This is not in any way fishy, but does remind me of salt air and fresh seaweed.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is a good wake-up tea first thing in the morning and goes well with pretty much any breakfast.  It also pairs beautifully with fish dishes and light, lemony desserts.


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy