Day 5: Detox (read: Cresting Cranes of Legend)

Day 5 brought excitement in the Brooke/Stacey abode, as we were ready for something to perk us up this cold morning… yet… we didn’t like what we found.

Brooke: Detox?! Nooooooo!!!

Detox is a tea that we’ve reviewed before (click here to read our thoughts on the brew). We both agreed Detox is best served when sick because of the hints of lemongrass and chamomile. Since we were both not sick today, we saved it for a time in need and, instead, reviewed a tea we own but haven’t discussed yet: Nourish Tea’s tasty Cresting Cranes of Legend. Enjoy something new from your Tea Connoisseurs!

Tea: Cresting Cranes of Legend

Description: white bai mu dan is a classic Chinese white tea grown in the Chinese province of Fujian (where the best white tea in the world is grown) high up in the misty mountains. You can’t get closer to the whole fresh leaf than with white tea. Open the tin and you’ll witness for yourself how lovely and large a whole white tea leaf can be – “cresting cranes of legend” is honestly beautiful just to look at, especially as it steeps. With the highest in anti-oxidants and the lowest in caffeine of all teas, this velvety-smooth tea will win you over the minute it hits your lips.
Ingredients: White tea. (that’s IT! :))

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Stacey: Mmm, I love white tea. It’s always so tasty. This is delicious!
Brooke: Here, André, you try some, too.
André: Oh that’s nice! It’s very light.
Brooke: Yeah, it is very “smooth and velvet-y”, eh? So subtle and simple.
Stacey: No artificial flavours or anything, either.
Brooke: Get your morning dose of antioxidants, people!
André: Tell me, oh Brooke science-y girl, how do antioxidants work?
Brooke: WELL, exposure to oxygen can break down atoms in cells, causing un-paired electrons (“free radicals”) to form, which suck for cells because free radicals poke around at other molecules, who wanna be left alone (like DNA!). Any chemicals that can donate an electron to these radicals have “antioxidant” properties because they stop the free radical bullying going on in your cells! They’re your cell’s first line of defense.
André: Oh! So it’s super hero tea.
Brooke: Yes.

Tea Vibes:

With the voice-type feature turned on Stacey’s phone, our opinions became a bit muddled: 

Brooke: Detox tea makes me feel sick! But this newish white tea makes me feel right at home. I love it and I’m glad we have it. Elan 210!
Stacey: I have to be with Brooke reading detox tea. Am I really, like, the nearest? I had the other day with a friend of mine and I’m so excited for my walk to work. Alright, I am on Thames.

And there you have it! Nourish Tea is a great company that we LOVE and deserves some attention, too. If you’re ever interested in giving one of their teas a try, stop on over. We’ve got LOTS. : )

Until next tea,
Brooke and Stacey

Did you learn something new today?

Hot Lips

Hello friends!

Well, after a hard morning of spinning down serum and dissecting fish gonads, Brooke came home wanting tea. I already drank a cup this morning but as I’m not one to turn down tea, I’m living on the edge and having another (I know, I’m pretty wild).

We opened door number #8 to discover that it was a black tea. Opting to save that one for a day where caffeine was needed, we opened door #9 to find our first green tea: Organic Hot Lips!

Tea: Organic Hot Lips

Ingredients: Green tea, cinnamon, safflower, pink peppercorn, chilli pepper.

DAVIDsTEA description: Some like it hot….and some like it REALLY hot. If you’re the kind of person who keeps a bottle of hot sauce on them at all times, this little number will be right up your alley. It’s a fiery green tea blend with a big hit of cinnamon, spiked with hot chilli peppers and pink peppercorns. Think of your favourite cinnamon candy, only all grown up. Mama mia – that’s-a spicy tea ball!

—

After giving the tea a whiff, we knew we were in for a doozy. The smell of cinnamon hit us like a ton of bricks:

Stacey: This tea just looks like a scary mash-up of hot things…just look at the colours, so much red!
Brooke: You haven’t even poured in the tea yet silly.
Stacey: But the tea leaves, Brooke! Look at them!

The water for green tea is not meant to be too hot because it will burn the delicate tea leaves, so we boiled our water and let it settle for down to a ripe 82 °C. We steeped 1.25tsp of tea into each of our mugs for 4 minutes.

Brooke: It doesn’t look that scary…does it?
Stacey: It just looks so red and angry!
Brooke: I’m nervous…
Stacey: I don’t think I want to drink it…
Brooke: Stacey!

*sip*

Brooke: Hmm, cool. I think I was expecting a smack in the face of cinnamon hearts but what I get is a simple green tea base with a bit of a kick.
Stacey: The first sip I got was quite spicy, but I think it was because the description made me a bit scared.
Brooke: I haven’t had a green tea in a while, and wow I forgot how nice the taste is! DAVIDsTEA’s description is a bit over the top though. They might be scaring away a few customers who don’t want to have a crazy tea.
Stacey:  The tea is a nice green tea that has that hint of spice when it hits the back of your throat. Actually, it’s like it kisses the back of your throat. Get it?
Brooke: Yes.

With the introduction of a new kind of tea, now is a good time to pause and provide more information about the leaves from the famous Camellia sinensis plant (you know, because we want you to be educated, as well as entertained). Green tea is primarily from the Asian countries of China and Japan and can be prepared in a variety of different ways, even powdered (say what?!). Traditionally green tea is less oxidized than black tea, contains less caffeine (wahoo!), and is packed with antioxidants. Green tea has also been found to help prevent cancer, boosts brain cells, and help prevent glucose spikes (and there are even more benefits found here). No wonder we love green tea!

Tea Vibes

Stacey: It’s hard to write something that we haven’t already said. Honestly, it’s just nice to have a green tea; I was beginning to forget what they tasted like. Hot Lips is a pretty solid tea; I like the little bit of heat if gives you at the end. I probably wouldn’t have it every day because it does have a lot of cinnamon but if I’m in the mood for a kick won’t be afraid to give it another go. I give it 7/10.

Brooke:  The very day we bought the 24 Days of Tea box set, I had Mango Diablo, and THAT was a hot tea, phew. I don’t know if I steeped the mango tea for too long but wow, it smacked my mouth at each sip. With Hot Lips, you taste the green tea part first and then zing- a nice little kick.  I’d steep this tea for longer next time to get a bit more of the spicy because what I got, I liked. If you’re a green tea fan and you want to switch it up a bit, this tea is for you. 7.5/10.

Well, there you have it ladies and gents, another tea in the books. Phew, we’re a third of the way in now, and we’re  excited to see where our tea journey will whisk us off to next. Hope you continue to join us, because we love the company.

Until next tea,
Stacey and Brooke

Crème Brûlée

Hi readers,

Brooke here. It’s late and Stacey and I are winding down in our cozy apartment. It’s been a long day for both of us. Stacey was taking minutes at a six hour physical literacy meeting and then attended night class for another three. I had various lab meetings, UPLC-Q-TOF metabolite data analysis, project discussions, and proposals. What could make two exhausted Master students feel satisfied? A nice warm caffeine-free tea. To the box-set!

The 24 Days of Tea pack has all kinds of teas in it: black, rooibos, mate, green, oolong, etc. We hoped that we could open a door at random and find one that would suit our needs.

Tea door number five…Black tea. Erm… We can’t be up all night and we know how Stacey got with the last one. Let’s skip it.
Tea door number six …No! That’s black too… One more try?
Tea door number seven… Oooh, Organic Crème Brûlée, a rooibos! Kettle on, mugs ready. Let’s do this.

Tea: Organic Crème Brûlée

Ingredients: Green and red rooibos, safflowers, calendula marigold.

DAVIDsTEA Description:  Sweet seduction

No one can resist this organic green rooibos tea. Seriously. The aroma is just too outrageously tempting. Creamy, caramel, decadent, rich. And the taste! How can something so sweet be so light and fresh? Plus, some experts are saying that the special antioxidants and alpha hydroxy acids in green rooibos will fight aging and improve your health. Could life be more wonderful?

—

Rooibos tea, you know the drill. Poured our hot 98°C water over 1.5tsp of the loose leaf, let them steep for 5 minutes and then cool to a sip-able temperature. The colour was a warm orange after removing our infusers and, again, the odour was heavenly.

Stacey: It smells sweet, if that’s even a thing.
Brooke: I taste it.

*sip*

Stacey: It’s definitely sweet. I’m trying to taste the crème brûlée we had at the Fish Market the other night, but I’m struggling.

[Yeah, so? Two roomies can go on three course meal dates now and then!]

Brooke: That’s because ours was burnt. Now that cheesecake, Mmm…
Stacey:  What do you think of the tea so far?
Brooke: It’s good. Simplistic. Simple ingredient list and that works. Sometimes simple is better. DAVIDsTEA didn’t need to pump it up with lavish language. It’s a simple, nice, sweet, soft tea.
Stacey: You don’t need to pump up crème brûlée. Everybody loves crème brûlée. It’s crème brûlée.
Brooke: Nice French.
Stacey: I don’t get the creamy. It’s just. Sweet. But not too sweet. Just a nice “hm, there it is!” The picture on their site is perfect. THAT is what you think of when you take a sip.

Ta Da:

—

Tea Vibes:

Stacey: Well, after a really long day, it’s really nice to have this cup of tea. I agree, it would be a nice dessert tea. I know I’ve said that before, but this one is a dessert. You don’t really get a lot of the rooibos, it’s more of a herbal feel. It’s nice. I feel satisfied. I give a 7/10. [Brooke: Why only a 7, then?] It’s not blowing me a way, it’s just comforting and giving me a little something. The taste isn’t in my face. I guess I could bump it to 8/10. A little bit of a different experience than the salted caramel. I feel like I’m winding down instead of being wound up.

Brooke: You know you’re at a wine tasting [Stacey: uh, sure] and to smell the wine, you have to dip the entirety of your nose into the glass? You give it a swirl and immediately throw your face into the drink in order to soak up the smell? Well… I’ve been doing that this whole time to this tea. It smells… wonderful. I do smell the cream, I do smell the rooibos, I do smell the dessert. Wow, just. And the taste? Mm. I drank it to the very last, lukewarm drop and it was delicious. 8.5/10

Ahh, lovely. Lights out, teeth brushed, and ready for bed. These two grad students are satisfied. Highly suggested tea for anyone who wants a nice topper to a busy day. Parfait.

Until next tea,

Brooke and Stacey

Stacey’s dog Titan doesn’t need a tea to sleep easy…

Chocolate Rocket

(New to our blog? Check out our first post- 24 Days of Tea)

Hello fellow tea drinkers!

Stacey here. Thanks to everyone who read our Buttered Rum experience—we really appreciate the love. We were so appreciative in fact that we couldn’t wait to write another one. So here we are!

There’s less banter in this post, probably because we were up at 8am with the kettle on, but also because this tea left us gurgling speechless. I mean, whoa. Good on David’s Tea for making a tea that shut these two goomers up. The tea in question? Chocolate Rocket. Yes, you read that right—prepare yourself for one wild ride.

Tea: David’s Tea Chocolate Rocket

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

DAVIDsTEA’s Description: Need a boost? Try this tea. First you’ll experience a pure, sweet hit of chocolate. Then you’ll find yourself awash in the freshness of raspberries. Followed by the richness of almonds and chicory. And then, bang, you’ll realize you’ve been infused with roasted Brazilian maté. How will you know? It’s what’s giving you all that crazy energy. Just fly with it.

—

We used all 10g of the loose leaf tea to make a pot; since it was a maté, we let the water settle to a comfortable 94°C before steeping for 4 minutes. This time the tea was a soft butterscotch colour. I thought there was a slight hue of pink in there but Brooke said I was seeing things. Go figure.

*sip*

For the first fifteen seconds there was a silence. We just looked at each other…nodding every few sips. It’s safe to say that we were at a complete loss for words. It was that good. With its intense aroma and smooth raspberry taste , it was definitely something to savour. After we were finally able to formulate words and not just go “hum.. ohh!…ahh” we both agreed that the raspberry hit the spot. On the other hand, we struggled with the chocolate flavouring.

*Sip. Sip.*

Stacey: Nope, I don’t taste it!
Brooke: Oh, wait now, yes! There’s the chocolate.
Stacey: Really?
Brooke: Yeah, the flavour is coming in nice now, Mmmm. It’s just a hint, like a brown tootsie roll pop. Not rich like a piece of chocolate, you know? Just the candy flavour.
Stacey: I still can’t taste the chocolate…oh wait, there it is.  Yes, like a tootsie roll! Nice!

Aside from the fun flavours, we were also impressed with the taste of maté leaves. For those of you who don’t know, maté is a traditional South American tea from the Yerba tree. It’s got about half the stimulant effect as coffee but it’s also loaded with other healthy bits like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Also, unlike coffee, it won’t leave you feeling all jittery and addicted—which in my book is definitely a plus.

[Brooke here: check out this article in the LA Times from a few years ago, some studies suggest that too much of a good thing…causes cancer. Whoops!]

*Sip. Sip.*

Brooke: I’m trying to think how this is going to feel compared to coffee… I don’t want a headache!
Stacey: It’s weird, usually I think of teas as relaxing, but all I can think about it stimulant in here.
Brooke: No, just unwind and enjoy! The stimulant comes after.
Stacey: But what am I going to be like in an hour?
Brooke: Buzzed. Like a bee.

Tea Vibes:

Brooke: Overall, this tea rocks. Pun intended (get it? Chocolate Rocket? Hmph). From the name alone I was hooked. The raspberry wasn’t tart and bitter, it was silky smooth. I think the whole taste could be summed up as a quality street chocolate. You know, the ones with the fruity goo in them? Even though the description said we’d taste the chocolate first, we had the reverse effect… with delicious results. Mmmm. Pour me another cup. 8.5/10.

Stacey: It’s different, that’s for sure. It’s interesting that as you go in for a sip you’re hit with the smell of the raspberry and your taste buds get to enjoy nice chocolate flavour. I think we might have to add more matés to our tea cupboard; this tea is just utterly delicious and has me wanting more. The flavours are so soft and inviting. I’m kind of left speechless with this one…I hope that’s not the stimulant kicking in… 8/10.

Final Thoughts:

Chocolate Rocket could replace your coffee any day [Brooke: just don’t drink liters of the stuff!]; with its sweet hit of raspberry and chocolate, this one will have you traveling to the moon and back. And we definitely recommend the trip.

Until next tea,

Stacey and Brooke

“My tea sent me to the moon this morning.”