As I mentioned last week, DavidsTea brought three teas back from the dead this year for Halloween. The Back from the Dead teas are usually seasonal teas that were well loved. Since two of the included teas are only available online, I imagine that the coffin displays will sell out quickly. So you want to pick one up soon. The DavidsTea Back from the Dead coffin includes Maple Sugar, Stormy Night and Swampwater. Full ingredients and steeping instructions for these teas can be found in my other post.
Back From The Dead: DavidsTea Maple Sugar Tea (2016) Review
Starting with the tea I liked least from the collection. DavidsTea Maple Sugar is super sweet but not in a good way for my personal preference. All three of the teas have some sweetness that is a tribute to Halloween candy. It should be no surprise that Maple Sugar is sweet, but a touch too sweet for a non-chocolate tea for me. Despite maple pieces and natural maple syrup flavouring, this tasted less maple-y and more sweet toffee to me. Probably a good thing as I am not the biggest maple syrup fan anyway.
It does taste more natural than Oh Canada as far as the maple flavouring goes. If you like maple syrup, I would choose this over unless you don’t want the caffeine. Personally, I prefer the favours in Oh Canada over it. Honestly, if I wanted a maple tea, I would just add maple syrup to my fave black tea
DavidsTea Maple Sugar also contains monkfruit and apple that deepen the sweetness of this tea. The included cinnamon mingles well with the flavours but isn’t overpowering depending on the steep. I have heard it described as more of a cinnamon bun rather than cinnamon which seems about right, not perfect but close. It brews to a nice golden colour and is decent for lattes. Maple Syrup is a product of Vietnam and a Kosher tea. It is only available online if you love it and want to buy more after trying it from the Back from the Dead Coffin.
Back From The Dead: DavidsTea Stormy Night (2016) Review
Stormy Night is one I have tried before. Not my favourite tea but I enjoy an occasional cup of it enough to have grabbed some last time it came back from the dead. Given the number of teas I try and don’t even finish my sample bags, that is saying something. It is a complex mix of black tea, coconut, and chocolate, with the added spice of cinnamon, ancho chilli, nutmeg plus other spices that warm you up on a cold day (or stormy night, although black tea at night…). The spices are mixed with the dark chocolate pieces, and I am always tempted to munch on them when I open the tin.
None of the flavours really overpower each other and the chocolate melts to leave a slightly murky cup of spicy but sweet black tea. I personally prefer Stormy Night as a latte where the milk cuts down on the spice a little and leaves a creamier aftertaste. Given the ingredients, I always expect this to have stronger flavours, but it is surprisingly subtle compared to the ingredients. The coconut may sweeten it a bit but is not overly noticeable. Thankfully, the spices are nowhere near as strong as the loose leaf smells either. Milk brings out the chocolate flavour a bit more and tones down the cinnamon and spice.
My only downside to Stormy Night is that it leaves a weird film on the tea and a messy mug to clean! Stormy Night is organic and product of China. It does have a lot of ingredients, so if you have food allergies, check the listings and allergens.
Back From The Dead: DavidsTea Swampwater (2016) Review
On to the final of the three teas in the Back from the Dead Coffin Collection, DavidsTea Swampwater. Let me start by saying, once brewed, this is GREEN. Not the golden green you get from a nice cup of green tea, but a murky alligator filled swamp green so accurately named. Given how it looked, it needed a few sniffs before I would try – just it to make sure it didn’t taste how it looked. Thankfully, it doesn’t smell like swampwater, but really fruity, like a tropical juice blend.
It is slightly more citrusy than sweet fruits in the final taste. Swampwater is a great mix and one I will buy more of before it sells out. The flavours are surprisingly mild compared to both the insane colour and scent of the tea. Swampwater is a lovely sightly sweet yet sour mix of fruit that is just delicious, especially iced. It has cat shaped sprinkles (so yeah, so I have to buy it, although he thinks the cats could pass for Tetris pieces or bats so…) and orange candies so you do need to brew it hot to melt them even for an iced tea.
I will have a review of Witch’s Brew for you next week! You can find ingredients or steeping instructions for these teas here.
