Best of 2022 (David’s) Tea Collection
The 12 days of Christmas are long gone, so I decided to do 12 days of New Years (tea edition) instead… Over the last 12 days, I featured one tea a day from the 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 collection by David’s Tea on my Instagram and now I’m going to rate them on here from my most favourite to my least favourite. And just so we’re clear, there wasn’t a single tea from this collection I didn’t like, I just liked some more than others. Some are even the 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝. Below, I’m going mention each tea with a description, starting with my most favourite.
Tea no. 1
𝑮𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅
Type of tea: black
Caffeine level: high
Flavours: cinnamon, clove, and a “zesty lemon peel finish”
Features: actual specks of (edible) gold glitter
Mixes well with: vanilla chamomile maple syrup by Noble Handcrafted
Pairs well with: any cinnamon or lemon dessert
Best time to drink: mid-morning, early afternoon
Rate out of 10: 11/10
This actually happened to be the very first tea I tried from this collection and the flavours drew me in before I even tasted it. As it was steeping, it literally smelled like I was burning a cinnamon sugar candle. Each flavour complimented the next beautifully and left the most stunning taste in my mouth. It was SO good, I didn’t even need to add cream to it, which is something I almost always do, so I feel like that says a lot.
Tea no. 2
𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑺𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒏
Type of tea: black, pu’erh
Caffeine level: medium
Flavours: caramelized brown sugar and malty vanilla bourbon
Features: brown sugar, caramel pieces, brittle pieces, vanilla (stevia) extract, and roasted chicory root
Mixes well with: brown sugar and/or bourbon maple syrup or vanilla chamomile syrup by Noble Handcrafted
Can also be frothed with milk / cream of choice I used oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: berries, nectarines, and dense cake(s)
Best time to drink: afternoon, early evening
Rate out of 10: 11/10
I didn’t try this tea until later on in the collection, but once I took that first sip, I immediately wanted to savour every last bit of it. To be honest, this could have easily tied for first place, as it exceeds it’s rating number. The flavours were so bold, beautiful, and malty, and the addition of the frothed cream made it even more delicious. Each sip made me feel like I was warming up by the fireplace.
Tea no. 3
𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒊
Type of tea: chai
Caffeine level: medium
Flavours: cinnamon spice and cookies
Features: cinnamon, clove, cardamom, coconut, black pepper, and butter biscuit spice
Mixes well with: bourbon maple syrup by Noble Handcrafted and oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: fortune cookies, among other cookies
Best time to drink: afternoon, early evening
Rate out of 10: 10/10
Chai tea is one of my favourite types of tea, and this one just takes it to the next level. It literally tastes like, sweet, buttery cookies. I paired mine with a cinnamon oatmeal cookie that had fortune cookie pieces in it. Highly recommend!
Tea no. 4
𝑪𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒊𝒃𝒐𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒊
Type of tea: rooibos
Caffeine level: caffeine free
Flavours: cinnamon and sweet apple
Features: naturally sweet, organic ingredients
Mixes well with: oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: cinnamon desserts over candlelight
Best time to drink: morning, afternoon, evening, late at night (pretty much any time)
Rate out of 10: 10/10
This tea is classified as a rooibos, but was everything I look for in chai tea, only without the caffeine. I love this tea, because (as stated in the description) you can drink it pretty much anytime, day or night without feeling “wired”. I tried this late one night when I couldn’t sleep and it was so comforting and cinnamony (yes I know that’s not a word, but you get it). And to make the experience even cozier, I lit some tea light candles and listened to LDR’s ”Cinnamon Girl” (obviously).
Tea no. 5
𝑯𝒂𝒛𝒆𝒍𝒏𝒖𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆
Type of tea: pu’erh
Caffeine level: medium
Flavours: rich melted chocolate and toasted hazelnut
Features: cocoa powder, cocoa peel, apple, hazelnut, and brittle pieces
Mixes well with: bourbon maple syrup by Noble Handcrafted and oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: chocolate hazelnut stir sticks
Best time to drink: mid-morning, afternoon
Rate out of 10: 10/10
I’ll be honest, I’m not crazy about chocolate hazelnut flavoured things (too many Ferrero Rochers one Christmas). However, this changed my mind (and maybe even my life). I opted to steep this tea in hot, frothed oat creamer and I can’t even explain how creamy, flavourful, and all around delicious it was. You really just have to try it yourself.
Tea no. 6
𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒍 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒚
Type of tea: black
Caffeine level: medium
Flavours: fruity and creamy with layers of citrusy and malty bergamot
Features: vanilla cream, bergamot oil, orange oil, cornflower petals, and pink peppercorn
Mixes well with: a spoonful of sugar by Wholesome Sweet and/or frothed oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: various fruits and light, fluffy vanilla and/or citrus cake(s)
Best time to drink: morning, afternoon, early evening
Rate out of 10: 10/10
This was the very last tea I tried in this collection, but it certainly wasn’t my least favourite. I love a nice frothy Earl Grey and this one has easily become one of the best I’ve ever tried. It’s naturally already creamy and has the most delicious malty bergamot finish. Perfect for sipping on a cold Winter day.
Tea no. 7
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔
Type of tea: black
Caffeine level: medium
Flavours: chocolate, peppermint, and candy
Features: peppercorns, mini chocolate chips, and red candy lips
Mixes well with: oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: any chocolate or minty dessert
Best time to drink: morning, afternoon, early evening
Rate out of 10: 10/10
This tea wasn’t quite like anything I’ve ever tasted and I love that about it. The second the mug touched my lips, I didn’t want to put it down, it was so unique, refreshing, and multi-layered. The combination of peppermint, cinnamon, candy, and chocolate, not only went really well together, but the amount of each flavour felt carefully thought out. And if I’m being honest, I like mint tea, but it isn’t usually the first I reach for when making a cup, however this blend carried the peppermint so delicately and had just the right amount of the other flavours to balance it out. I’ll definitely be ordering more in the future.
Tea no. 8
𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒙
Type of tea: herbal
Caffeine level: caffeine free
Flavours: juicy fruit — lemon, apple, pineapple, berries
Features: lemon balm, candied pineapple, aronia berries, schizandra berries, and Reishi mushrooms
Mixes well with: vanilla chamomile syrup by Noble Handcrafted (or enjoy on it’s own).
Pairs well with: various fruits (or on it’s own)
Best time to drink: anytime, day or night
Rate out of 10: 10/10
If you have ever had juicy fruit gum, this tea tastes exactly like it, which is probably my favourite thing about it. At first, when I opened the mini tin, I couldn’t quite figure out what the scent resembled, but I was immediately brought back to my childhood. It then occurred to me while it was steeping, that it in fact smelled like juicy fruit gum (and tasted like it too). Not only was this very enjoyable to drink, but it was super calming as well, thanks to the reishi mushroom, which is an adaptogen known to cause relaxation.
Tea no. 9
𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚
Type of tea: green
Caffeine level: low
Flavours: cherry, apple, pomegranate, hibiscus, lemon, and tomato
Features: pomegranate petals, hibiscus flowers, lemongrass, and tomato sour cherry
Mixes well with: vanilla chamomile syrup by Noble Handcrafted (or enjoy on it’s own).
Pairs well with: fruits, nuts, and scones
Best time to drink: morning, afternoon
Rate out of 10: 10/10
This tea was more than delightful to drink! My favourite thing about it was discovering that tomato was one of the ingredients. This is something a lot of people might not expect to enjoy in a tea, but to be honest, I feel like it wouldn’t be complete without it. I even paired my tea with some cherry tomatoes I recently bought and added some juice from a one of them into the tea for an extra “zing (just for fun). To my surprise, it paired really well and I already can’t wait to experiment with it furthermore. I’m thinking of making a fancy iced mocktail with it, once Spring comes along!
Tea no. 10
𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒚 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏
Type of tea: herbal
Caffeine level: caffeine free
Flavours: watermelon candy
Features: rosehip, apple, melon sucrose, watermelon s̶u̶g̶a̶r̶ stevia*, purple sweet potato, and orange witch hats
Mixes well with: vanilla chamomile syrup by Noble Handcrafted (or enjoy on it’s own).
Pairs well with: watermelon (obviously) and strawberries on a Summer (or Winter) evening (or morning).
Best time to drink: ↑ (or pretty much anytime).
Rate out of 10: 9/10
It honestly pains me that this tea is so far down the list, because I feel like I enjoyed it just as much as a lot of the other teas in this collection. I think it’s just because it’s not something I would drink a lot this time of year, that brought it to 10th place. I don’t see myself drinking it a lot in the Fall either (where it appears to be advertised more). However, this blend was so well done, it might as well have the ability to sing every lyric to Harry Style’s Watermelon Sugar (sorry, had to). Needless to say, you will most definitely catch me sipping it over ice on a Summer evening at the end of June (and basically any other time in the warmer months).
Tea no. 11
𝑷𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒊
Type of tea: black, chai
Caffeine level: medium
Flavours: warm cinnamon and sweet caramel
Features: cinnamon, cloves, caramel, carrot, lemon peel, and pumpkin candies
Mixes well with: caramel drizzle and oat creamer by Earth’s Own
Pairs well with: pumpkin pie or pumpkin and/or cinnamon scones
Best time to drink: morning, afternoon
Rate out of 10: 8/10
If you know me, you know I love a good chai. However, I’m not crazy about pumpkin flavoured things, especially after an incident I had last Fall, where I literally fell, followed by hitting my head while trying to make a seasonal basic bitch latte (that’s a story for another time though). However, this tea was delicious, and the fact that it carried both cinnamon and caramel flavours, made it well worth trying.
Tea no. 12
𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝟗𝟏𝟏
Type of tea: herbal
Caffeine level: caffeine free
Flavours: peppermint, eucalyptus, and fruit
Features: peppermint, eucalyptus, juniper berries, apple, and orange oil (all organic ingredients)
Mixes well with: a warm bath (or on it’s own)
Pairs well with: lozenges, popsicles, and a humidifier (or on it’s own)
Best time to drink: anytime you’re feeling congested or feel a cold coming on
Rate out of 10: 8/10
The only reason this tea was last on my list, is simply because I would probably only drink it during cold / flu season. However, it’s something I would always want to have in my pantry just in case. And let’s be completely honest, during a cold or flu, this tea would easily get moved up to first on my list. I’m just not huge on herbal / mint teas in general, but it worked wonders for my recent congestion.
Well, that basically sums up my thoughts on every tea this collection. I had so much fun tasting all the different flavours over the last 12 days, I’ve decided to make this a regular tradition. I already can’t wait to order my faves from this round in a greater abundance, and I’m looking forward to sampling the next collection I have my eye on.
Which tea from this collection would YOU want to try most? Let me know in the comments below or on Instagram @haveyour.c.a.k.e
Wishing you all the best for 2023!!!