Day 3 and 4 - Davids Tea 24 Days of Tea

If you missed the first two days here is the link:

Day 1 and 2

Here we go Day 3 and 4

Day 3: Coco Chai Rooibos

davidstea.com

Scent: very spicy 

According to the Davids Tea Website:

The ingredients are: Rooibos, coconut, cinnamon, ginger root, cardamom, cloves, pink peppercorns. With artificial and natural flavouring*

It looks like a fun tea but I am not a big Chai Tea person
Steep #1:  
Very spicy, steeps to a dark orange colour, it tried to drink it with nothing in it as I do with most teas.  It is very spicy smelling in the cup, tastes very spicy,  too spicy for my liking.  I put cream and sugar in this one but still could not make my way through the cup.  This confirms that I do not like Chai Teas.  I am not sure what spice it is in it that turns me off.  I think it might be the cardamom.  I ended up dumping the cup and I gave the rest of my sample to a co-worker who loves chai tea.  

Steep #2: 
didn't happen 

Overall Impression:  Not for me, I would not buy this tea again. 

Day 4: Salted Caramel

Scent: very dry and salty smelling

According to Davids Tea Website the ingredients are:
Black tea, coconut, caramel bits, English toffee bits, sea salt, natural and artificial flavouring*

davidstea.com

Steep #1:
steeps to a dark caramel colour that smells like melted caramels
Taste: a little sweet, not overpowering, very light hints of caramel flavouring
drank it black

Steep #2:
Very weak version of Steep #1

Overall Impression:
not a bad tea, very weak flavour, I have some left over so may steep a little more next time.  I may buy this one again but I am not overjoyed with it. 

Winner for the Two Days:

Salted Caramel

Day 1 and 2 of Davids Tea 24 Days of Tea

Finally the day has come when I can open my crafty little Tea Advent Calendar 24 Days of Tea by Davids Tea.

I will be updating this blog regularly throughout December as I indulge and sip the teas in this sampler.  Luckily I have not tried any of the teas so it will be a surprise journey for me.

davidstea.com

Day 1:  Organic Buttered Rum

Scent:  difficult to really smell in the small tins, I poured it into a larger bowl but still had a hard time picking up a distinct scent.  

According to the Davids Tea Website:

The ingredients are: Organic: Black tea, coconut flakes, vanilla beans, cornflower petals. With organic and natural flavouring.

Upon looking at the tea I could see the white coconut flakes along with the blue cornflower petals that pop but the black tea base.

Steep #1:  
upon steeping I could smell a very faint buttery scent
Taste: very fain with a little buttery creamy after taste, I added a little milk and sugar

Steep #2
did not smell very appetizing in my tea maker, second steep was much weaker than the first but overall still pretty good

Overall Impression:  Not too bad, I may buy it again

Day 2: Chocolate Rocket

davidstea.com

Scent:  upon opening the tin you could smell the chocolate in this one 

Ingredients: Roasted Yerba maté (Brasil), cocoa, almonds, roasted chicory root, raspberries, natural and
artificial flavouring*.

Steep #1:  
steeps to a very deep caramel colour, upon tasting could not taste very much chocolate in it at all, could taste a little almond, it was a little bitter and had a strange smell to it.  I added a little milk and sugar to make it palatable.

Steep #2:
worse than the first, the scent in my tea maker before adding water was overbearing and not pleasant   once steeped it was a fainter version of the first steep, again not very palatable   I even tried to make another cup using what I had left over in the tin but I just couldn't drink it.

Overall Impression:  due to the flavouring this is not a tea for me.  I would not buy it again.

The winner for the first two days is:

Organic Buttered Rum

24 Days of Tea Challenge

Okay so I guess in essence this is not really a challenge but will be a heck of a lot of fun!  I ordered the DavidsTea 24 Days of Tea a couple of weeks ago and cannot wait to dive in. It smells so yummy!

www.davidstea.com

Essentially it is an advent calendar but instead of getting a chocolate everyday I will get to steep and try and different Tea everyday.  The box contains 24 tins of tea (enough for about 2 cups each) stored behind a perforated cardboard "door" for each day.   It reminds me of when I was a kid and the anticipation of opening the cardboard on my chocolate calendars.  They were selling for $29.50.  I have been advised they are currently sold out online but some of the retail stores may still have some stock.

I can't wait to get going on this and will be blogging my journey along the way.  My 24 Days of Tea journey will not start until December 1 (although I know some bloggers are already going through them)  This is my official countdown to Christmas.

I don't normally buy sampler sets but thought this would be a fund one to try as I am new to DavidsTea.  It will help introduce me to more of their teas.  (Still wish I had a store closure to me) .

The flavours included in the calendar (according to the back of the box) are:

• buttered rum
• checkmate
• chocolate rocket
• coco chai rooibos
• cream of early grey
• creme brulee
• david's organic breakfast
• detox
• forever nuts
• glitter & gold
• goji pop
• green and fruity
• hot lips
• Japanese sencha
• kiwi's big adventure
• north african mint
• read my lips
• salted caramel
• santa's secret
• sleigh ride
• sweet dreams
• toasted walnut
• the skinny 
• vanilla oolong

Here's to December 1 and starting my official countdown to Christmas.

Kim

Tea Review: Teavana Cranberry Singapore Sling

teavana.ca

I will be doing regular tea reviews on this blog.  

The first Tea I will be reviewing is Cranberry Singapore Sling from Teavana.  This was actually my first tea purchase from Teavana.  I have a store local to me.  

I have to say that this tea is on the top of my list right now.  Even my husband drinks it.  (and believe me he is no tea drinker)  

This tea smells delish in the tin and when it steeps you still smell the combination of fruit and spice.  It actually scents the main floor of my house when I am steeping it.  

The tea itself is a combination of cranberry, cherry, pineapple and orange with Madascar Vanilla.

If you love the taste of fruity teas this one is for you.  It has a strong flavour.  You really taste the cranberry's in it.  No need to sweeten it.  It is sweet enough on its own.  (at least for me it is).  I cannot wait to try this steeped cold.  It is caffeine free.  

This is a tea I will definitely be keeping stock of and will become my go to tea for a little pick me up!

~Kim~

My New Tea Maker

I have been doing a lot of research lately to replace my old (and I do mean old) Proctor-Silex Kettle.  

With my new found love affair with loose leaf tea I wanted to find one that was:

• variable temperature
• programmed settings for different types of tea
• stainless steel - no more plastic
• at a good price 

I weighed the odds of the ones out there that do double duty (steeping/boiling) but since I am the only one that drinks tea in the house I doubted I would be brewing a whole pot of tea.  

I looked at kettles in all different price ranges and from different companies.  

I decided on purchasing the Cuisinart Perfectemp Programmed Jug Kettle.   

www.cuisinart.com

My local Kitchen Stuff Plus store have them on sale this week for $79.99.  I couldn't go wrong price-wise.  I liked the features of the pre-programmed settings.  It even has a keep warm option that will keep your set temperature for up to 30 minutes.  

I have to say that I am really liking this kettle.  It is super easy to use and boils water very fast.  I am using this kettle three to four times a day during the week and more on the weekends.  

This is a winner for me. No more guessing at the temperature of the water for my tea or allowing it to boil and then cool down.  This kettle does the trick. 

What are your thoughts?  What type of kettle do you use?

Kim

Saying Good-Bye to an Old Friend

Today I am saying my final farewell to an old friend:  bagged tea.  I have been drinking bagged tea for as long as I remember.  Until, recently when I discovered loose leaf tea.  Where have I been?! I must have been hiding under a rock.  I cannot get over the flavour of loose leaf tea.  It to me is far superior in taste and quality compared to the bagged tea I had been consuming.  (Maybe it was the type of tea?)

However, since I discovered loose leaf there is no turning back and I MEAN no turning back!!  I have become obsessed (good title for another post).  

I don't know why I didn't discover this sooner.  It makes TEA time into a full enjoyment moment.  I can just sip my day away

Good-bye old friend.  Maybe someday we will meet again

Kim

Ode to the Tea Addict

So here I am sipping on a great cup of tea "Cranberry Singapore Sling" from Teavana.  I never realized how many varieties of loos leaf tea there was out there.  I must have been hiding under a rock or something!  I am in love and my new addiction is TEA of all things.  

I have started this blog as a way to document my TEA findings and sips as well as I learn about all of the health benefits TEA has to offer.  

"poof" JOY OF STEEPING is born.  

I don't know if anyone out there will actually read this blog but it is a great opportunity for me to document my new found hobby of TEA and all that goes along with it.  

If you are reading this Thanks and welcome to the journey.

Kim