David's Tea Pure Vanilla Rooibos

Rooibos is a favourite in our house. I like it because there's no caffeine and my wife just enjoys it all together.  The Pure Vanilla Rooibos is a simple blend of rooibos, vanilla beans, and marigold and it certainly lives up to its name. The vanilla scent is soft and subtle and the flavour compliments the rooibos nicely.  I'm enjoying a nice hot cup while watching some of my favourite Christmas episodes of various TV shows, and it's the perfect accessory to cuddle up on the couch with Mrs. ISMOTU and laugh at Robot Santa's antics on Futurama.

Simple, classic, delicious. Pure Vanilla Rooibos from David's Tea is a winner.
Recommended.

For more info follow the link:https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/pure-vanilla

David's Tea Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait Fruit Infusion

Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait from David's Tea is a sweet/tart combination of apple, hibiscus, raisins, carrot, yogurt bits, beetroot, strawberry, and rhubarb.  Strawberry Rhubarb is about the only combination that will get me to eat strawberry things. Typically I'm not a fan of strawberry anything (I know, I know, I'm weird, everyone tells me this) but for some reason the sour astringency of rhubarb makes it okay. This tea leans more toward the sweet side as suggested by "parfait" in the name but still has a nice bite, with the rhubarb backed up by the hibiscus which also provides part of the striking red colour.  The beetroot is mainly there to make it even redder. This was the most wine or blood coloured tea I've ever had. Though it may just have been the mug I was used made it look so much redder than other hibiscus or beetroot teas I've tried. Regardless I enjoyed this tea it was perhaps mispaired with the delicious banana bread Mrs. ISMOTU baked for us today but I still liked it. Is it a must try? Probably not but it won't sit at the back of the cupboard forever either.
Recommended. Kinda?
I dunno. It's also late which makes me more ambivalent and less decisive but I'm just going to roll with it.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/strawberry-rhubarb-parfait-4

Classic Comic Strips Part 1: Intro & the Phantom

I'm a big comics nerd. My gateway to comics was probably reruns of the 1960's Spider-Man cartoon and Batman TV series along with VHS tapes of a handful of Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons. So my earliest comics were the typical mix of superheroes, Archie, and other cartoon faves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures and Sonic the Hedgehog. In my hometown newspaper I discovered the comics page and still remember when the Sunday edition had multiple comics pages in full colour. On those pages my favourites would have been Calvin and Hobbes, and Garfield. So this is the concise-yet-still-rambling secret origin of Inverse Square's love of comics.

In this post I specifically want to address the earliest version of the form: newspaper comic strips.  I have a rough idea to take a semi-chronological tour through my hobby/fandom so this seems like a good place to start.  I could go on at length about the origins of editorial comics which eventually gave rise to the comic strip as we know it but other people have done a much better job of it than I ever could so I'll leave it at that. I intend to focus on my favourites rather than a history and perhaps try to figure out why I like the ones I do.

David's Tea The Glow Herbal Infusion

The Glow may have a ridiculous name but does it have enough flavour to overcome that?  The Glow is a blend of cinnamon, rosehips, nettle leaves, rooibos, and marigold.  Despite the inclusion of rooibos it's not grouped in that category so it must not be a major ingredient in this tea.

The cinnamon scent is the first thing you notice about The Glow but flavour-wise it's not overpowering.  This is a delicate floral driven infusion that hit the spot during our first major snowfall of the year.  This time I think the white stuff is here to stay.

What attracted me to this herbal tea was the nettle and rose bits as ingredients. I've previously blathered on about how much I enjoyed the pure nettle leaf tea and in The Glow I must say I feel the nettle flavour is lost among the other flower flavours. The rosehips and rose petals are more noticeable and overall I do enjoy this bouquet of a beverage.

Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/the-glow

David's Tea Lemon Myrtle Herbal Tea

Lemon Myrtle is an herbal tea that contains only one ingredient, lemon myrtle.  According to the label the lemon flavour and scent is due to a high concentration of a compound called "citral" which is present in lemons to a lesser degree than in the lemon myrtle plant. The flavour is simple, not too tart nor too sweet.  A refreshing beverage which at least feels like it will help me stave off this cold I'm coming down with.

I'm really enjoying this tea. It's full flavoured and the olfactory sensation adds greatly to the experience.  I think this herbal tea has jumped onto my favourites list and while the David's Tea version is apparently no longer available I hope that like the nettle leaf tea I can find an alternate source for it once my supply runs out.

Definitely recommended.

David's Tea Cranberry Orange Muffin Herbal Infusion

Cranberry Orange Muffin is a mixture of cranberries, dandelion root, pineapple, cinnamon, orange, hibiscus, and mango.

I'm not sure why it needs the word "muffin" in its name. The cranberry and orange tartness is balanced by the mellow flavour of the dandelion.  The cinnamon is not overpowering, nor is the hibiscus so I should be able to make a pot of this one and not have Mrs. ISMOTU complain.

I'm enjoying the Cranberry Orange Muffin but I'm not raving about it. It's a good one but not a favourite.

Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/cranberry-orange-muffin-4

David's Tea Sugar Plum Forest Rooibos

After a disappointing cup of apple cider with no trace of cinnamon I decided to balance that out with something I knew would hit the spot.  Sugar Plum Forest is a warm spicy blend perfect for chasing the chill from your bones.  This rooibos tea contains apple, hibiscus, ginger, cinnamon, plum, cardamon, star anise, and a few others.  The spices blend well and the flavour is not overpowering.

It's the hibiscus that has likely allowed this tea to survive in the cupboard so long as it is a flavour my wife doesn't care for. Oh well, more for me!  I won't get all whimsical and say that this tea gives me visions straight out of the Nutcracker but it is pretty tasty and I like it.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/250g-web-promo-110

Hallowe'en Horror

I love Hallowe'en, and ever since I was a kid the biggest part of Hallowe'en for me wasn't the candy but dressing up in a costume. I would change my mind about a million times before October 31st rolled around.  I wanted to dress up in all the costumes and occasionally I'd wear different costumes to different Hallowe'en events prior to All Hallows' Eve.

from wikipedia.org

David's Tea Sweet Apple Cider Fruit Infusion

Another Sunday afternoon, another cup of David's Tea to enjoy.  Today I'm trying out the Sweet Apple Cider fruit infusion. Apple Cider is a classic beverage that I associate most with coming in from playing outside on cold winter days to find a mug of cider waiting to help warm me up.

The sweet apple cider tastes just as you'd expect. It's sweet, it's apple-y. According to the label "the only thing missing is the cinnamon stick" and that's very true. There is no cinnamon in this apple cider and it's absence is noticeable. I don't have a supply of cinnamon sticks in the house and I've been drinking all the teas I've been reviewing neat, that is without adding anything else to them. So the fact that this one needs augmentation lowers my opinion of it a bit. Especially since they are clearly aware that apple cider should have cinnamon in it. It's not quite as bad as say just microwaving a cup of apple juice but it's not as rewarding as I'd like.

Apparently I wasn't the only one because this particular variety seems to be discontinued and replaced with the "Spiced Apple" which does contain cinnamon.

So while this is an okay beverage I feel like it's going to take a while for the remnants of this bag to be consumed.

David's Tea Chocolate Orange Pu'erh

Chocolate and orange go together blissfully and this tea continues to prove that.  The sweet, rich flavour of this tea is delicious. This is lovely tea for sipping and would go great with breakfast or dessert.

Pu'erh tea is a form of black tea that has been fermented after the leaves are dried and rolled. This gives the tea a distinctive flavour that sets it apart from other black teas. Again I find myself at a loss for words to describe a tea I really like.

Due to my aforementioned aversion to caffeine I don't drink a lot of pu'erh or black teas in general but I do like them and the Chocolate Orange Pu'erh is a nice one.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/chocolate-orange-2

David's Tea Ginger Beer Fruit Infusion

From the last post everyone knows I'm a fan of ginger so when we saw this new offering from David's Tea I just had to try it.

Ginger Beer is an herbal tea with ginger (obvi), apples, and raisins. This has less spice and more sweet than the Super Ginger so it might be more palatable to more people.  They really manage to make it taste like a nice old fashioned ginger beer, you can almost feel the bubbles.

This is a tasty tea that I hope sticks around beyond the fall collection. It is a gentler alternative to the Super Ginger for the occasions when you might not want super spicy.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/ginger-beer

David's Tea Super Ginger Rooibos

I'm feeling a little under the weather today so it's time to bust out the Super Ginger while watching the season premiere of "The Flash." This is a rooibos tea but what you really taste are the ginger and peppercorn.  This is my go-to beverage when I'm sick now, but it's delicious anytime. As long as you like ginger. I do find that ginger tea helps to settle my stomach.

I've been enjoying the Flash series since I am a huge fan of the character. This season has me pretty excited because as much as I love the Flash I love the Justice Society even more so the promise of Jay Garrick has me giddy.  The change in the Atom Smasher character from hero to villain didn't bother me that much, and Iris seems to be written better than she was last season.

Super ginger is a spicy, flavourful tea that I really like but might not be for everyone.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/super-ginger-2

David's Tea Forever Nuts Fruit Infusion

This one's an old favourite. I don't remember exactly when I first tried Forever Nuts but I enjoyed it immensely. The nutty flavour is warm and inviting with cinnamon notes. Almonds and apples are the main ingredients though I can pick out the taste of cashews as well, though that must come from the added flavouring.

One crazy thing about Forever Nuts is its signature bright pink colour which comes from beetroot. Presumably the beetroot also imparts some sweetness. To me this is a perfect autumn tea, it's warm and hearty with unexpected colour.

Forever Nuts is one I always like to keep on hand and it's never let me down. I think the first time we brought a tin of it home (or more likely received it in the mail) I drank it religiously and thus didn't crave it for a while but now I'm back on that horse and hey it's better than heroin. (??)
Highly recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/forever-nuts-5

Kate Loves a Mystery

Detective fiction has a big place in my heart. I love all kinds of mystery stories, tv shows, and comic books. I probably started my "Journey into Mystery" not with the Mighty Thor (terrible comics joke) but with the Hardy Boys. Those inquisitive teen brothers sparked an interest in solving mysteries. From there I discovered Eric Wilson's Tom and Liz Austen mysteries which appealed to more because they were so firmly Canadian despite my not having visited most of the settings at that time in my life though I've been fortunate to travel across much of the Great White North since then. I seem to remember a few "Encyclopedia Brown" books and probably other less memorable mysteries for kids but soon I'd graduated to the grand-daddy of all detectives Sherlock Holmes. I still have the three volume set I purchased (or more accurately my mother purchased for me) where I first worked my way through every single adventure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous creation.

David's Tea Elderflower Spritz White Tea

Elderflower Spritz white tea is a blend of white tea, sencha green tea, elderberries, elderflowers, and peony petals. I haven't tried all that many white teas but this one is nice. The distinctive flavour of elderberries is the thrust of this tea.

Elderflower Spritz has a lovely floral aroma with a delicate fruity flavour. I'd say this is a good tea but not on my favourites list. Certainly a nice way to relax and fight the chills.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/elderflower-spritz

David's Tea Lime Gelato Green Tea

Sitting back on a Sunday sipping tea and watching the season premiere of Castle which may inspire a post on Detective Fiction at a later date.

Today's selection begins with Lime Gelato green tea. Citrus and sweet this tea is aptly named though it gets its signature taste from artificial flavouring. Unlike with Berry Poppins I don't detect any unpleasant smell or aftertaste and in fact I really enjoyed this tea.

The main ingredient here is "sencha" green tea which is apparently the most popular tea in Japan. Sencha is made from whole leaves that have been steamed, rolled, and dried as opposed to matcha which is powdered green tea. The green tea flavour is still evident though the lime is stronger. The apple, pineapple, and lemongrass are not so obvious to my taste buds.

I like this tea and it is an interesting cultural collision of Japanese tea culture with Italian ice cream. A sweet and refreshing treat on a chilly autumn day, though the concept recalls summer a bit more than autumn.  Recommended.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/lime-gelato

David's Tea Berry Poppins Fruit Infusion

This one was sitting at the back of the cupboard for a while so we'll see if there was a reason.

Berry Poppins is a mixture of apple, hibiscus, rosehips and blackberry. The hibiscus is one reason it may have been at the back of the cupboard as Mrs. ISMOTU is not a fan of that particular ingredient.

The combination of flavours works pretty well together. To bump up the blackberry flavour they use some artificial flavouring which normally I don't care about one way or the other but there's a few specific types that I can just taste. Blackberry and raspberry artificial flavours top that list and that lowers my affinity for this tea. Honestly, part of it is the smell which I can't describe very well.

Berry Poppins is good if you're a big berry fan but it's not one of my favourites. Apparently it wasn't a big hit as it is no longer available. Who knows if it was a flavour thing or just a dismal response to the terrible pun name.

David's Tea Guangzhou Milk Oolong Tea

The Guangzhou/Quangzhou Milk Oolong is a delicious tea from China. The differences in spelling come from the various ways to transliterate Chinese into English. Guangzhou is a major city in southern China, about 120 km from Hong Kong. I never made it to Guangzhou during my time in China but friends of ours worked there for a year.

Oolong tea is a variety of tea produced by drying the tea leaves in the sun and oxidizing them before curling the leaves into twisted little bundles. As the tea steeps the leaves unfurl and expand. It's pretty neat.

The Guangzhou Milk Oolong has a sweet milky flavour that is nice because I like to drink my tea neat but do enjoy the milky flavour occasionally. There's some floral hints and subtle earthy notes. I've already blogged about the Vanilla Orchid Oolong which I really enjoy but the Guangzhou Milk Oolong is probably my favourite oolong that I've tasted so far.

Highly Recommended!

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/our-teas/quangzhou-milk-oolong

David's Tea Mulberry Magic Herbal Infusion

Tonight I'm enjoying David's Tea Mulberry Magic while checking out the new Guardians of the Galaxy animated series. Both are entertaining. Will Friedle is the man from Batman Beyond to Bumblebee in the latest Transformers cartoon to Star-Lord now, he's got a great set of characters under his belt.

Mulberry Magic is a simple blend of mulberry leaves and macadamia nuts.  The nutty flavour is robust and sweet, and the mulberry leaves are earthy and herbaceous. I like this tisane and as I keep working on these types of blog posts I find I have less to say about the ones I really like beyond saying "I really like this, it's tasty."

Apparently there are fancy health benefits to mulberry leaves but I'm not concerned about any of that. I drink tea because it's tasty and has less calories than pop or other beverages.  Mulberry Magic fulfils the tastiness criteria and is a nice source of variety in our tea cupboard.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/mulberry-magic

David's Tea Rooibos de Provence Rooibos

Rooibos de Provence may just be my new favourite discovery from David's Tea. Though the name appears to reference "herbs de provence" specifically the lavender. And it's this ingredient that makes this tea stand out to my tastebuds. The Rooibos de Provence contains blueberries, rose hips, rose petals, and black and red currants as well as lavender and the flavours blend together sublimely. The aroma is intoxicating and the taste is unique.

Definitely try Rooibos de Provence from David's Tea, you'll thank me later.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/rooibos-de-provence

David's Tea Midsummer Night's Dream Herbal Infusion

The Midsummer Night's Dream herbal tea is a fun mix of citrus, spearmint, rose, and other fruit. This is a light, refreshing beverage which lives up to its name. The blend of floral, fruity, and minty conjures up sleepy summer nights and glimpses of faeries.

I enjoy this tea, it's got a nice flavour and some more interesting ingredients like gooseberries and marigold blossoms. Luckily this one's still available so I'll continue to get my fix of summer even deep into the winter.

"Merry and tragical! tedious and brief! That is, hot ice and wondrous strange snow." - A Midsummer Night's Dream Act V Scene 1

For more information follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/midsummer-night-s-dream-1

David's Tea Nettle Leaf Herbal Tea

This is another tea that's been in my cupboard for a while and thus appears to be unavailable currently. Which is really too bad because it's a favourite of mine. The nettle leaf flavour is herbaceous and pleasing. This tea blends that with grapefruit zest, ginger, and lemongrass.  The result is a soothing tea that tickles the tongue on its way by. As a tisane the Nettle Leaf can be enjoyed at any time without fear of caffeine-induced insomnia. I find the distinctive flavour a nice change of pace to some of the more traditional herbal tea ingredients like hibiscus, rose hips, cinnamon, or apples. Not that I don't enjoy all of those flavours, it's just nice to have something different from time to time.

I do wish this tea were still available, and who knows, maybe it will return one day. I'm sure there are other nettle teas out there available to purchase. Honestly with a bit of exploring and research I'd probably be able to collect wild nettle leaves and brew my own concoction. Still David's Tea Nettle Leaf Herbal Tea was a great purchase and thoroughly enjoyed.

David's Tea Vanilla Orchid Oolong

It's a chilly Sunday morning, time for tea and the next episode of Doctor Who series 9.  The Vanilla Orchid Oolong has a gorgeous aroma, floral and sweet, it draws you in at once.  The flavour is nice, well balanced, not overly sweet but distinctively vanilla.  I enjoy oolong teas, at first it was because oolong is fun to say but I actually do enjoy the taste. This tea is definitely on my favourites list and I highly recommend it.

For more info follow the link: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/vanilla-orchid

PS: this new season of Doctor Who has started with a bang and I'm enjoying it even more than the last. Not quite ready to commit to reviewing it though.

David's Tea Cocomint Cream Fruit Infusion

Last night I busted out the Cocomint Cream and enjoyed the first episode of the new Muppet show.  Cocomint Cream is very aptly named. The main flavours are coconut and peppermint which I was unsure of how they'd blend together.  Turns out this potentially quirky combo is easy on the tastebuds. The sweetness of the coconut is followed by a "hint o' mint" coolness as a finish.  I wouldn't put this one in my top ten but it was still very nice. Apparently it is another flavour that has gone by the wayside according to davidstea.com but I'll continue to enjoy my remaining supply.

Jian Bing, breakfast of expats

... and y'know millions of Chinese citizens too.  A few years ago I was teaching in China and on my daily walk to work there was a woman with a little food cart set up on the corner just before I got to the school. Being adventurous and not really doing a great job of feeding myself in those bachelor days, I tried her wares and they were pretty darn good. But I never really learned the name of what I was eating and after moving back to Canada the memory of those delicious (and cheap!) breakfasts faded.  Until a friend of mine recently moved to Beijing and talked about the food cart she saw on her way to work. This brought back the memories and a little bit of unexpected nostalgia. So thanks to the googles I was able to easily learn that I had been eating Jian Bing, a crêpe-like base with an egg cooked on top and various toppings of the customer's choice wrapped up inside so it looked kind of like a burrito.

David's Tea Cool Cactus Green Tea

So this afternoon I decided to make some Cool Cactus green tea.  Green teas tend not to be my favourites, but we bought this one back in July or August to try as an iced tea. With temperatures dropping I opted to go for hot tea this time.  The main flavour in this tea is supposed to be prickly pear but I don't really know what that tastes like so it's perhaps a bit lost on me. The first ingredient listed is pineapple which I can taste, I feel like the pineapple is also present in the aroma of the tea along with some pear notes.  Part of the reason you'll see more tisanes and rooibos teas reviewed on this blog is because I can't drink anything caffeinated after noon basically or I'll be up all night. Today being Saturday I decided to take a risk and try this green tea for something different and since the caffeine level is low I'm sure I'll be fine.

Cool Cactus was a perfectly pleasant tea with a soft flavour and gentle bouquet. I can say though that it didn't make a huge impression on me one way or the other so the fact that this flavour appears to have been part of the summer collection this year and has disappeared from the David's Tea website isn't an horrific event.  It was something neat and different to try but they can't all be big winners.

Cheers!

David's Tea Banana Split Rooibos

Tonight I sipped a cup of Banana Split Rooibos from David's Tea. My wife and I both enjoy tea a lot and we first got hooked on David's Tea because of their free shipping on orders over $50. At the time we were living in an isolated community and ordering online was the only way to really get anything beyond the basics.

Anyway, back to the tea: the Banana Split Rooibos tastes much as you'd expect from the name. It's got dried banana slices which mix well with the flavour of rooibos. There are hints of chocolate and coconut and the whole package works quite well together. I find it sweet enough for its namesake but not too sweet either.

All in all an enjoyable beverage to pair with a relaxing evening watching some classic Doctor Who (which may be fodder for another post). I really enjoy this tea and now I'm going to fill my cup once more. Cheers!

Follow the link for more info: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/banana-split

A Man, A Blog, A Beverage, et cetera

Hi welcome to my blog. This started as a companion to my "Journey into Cheese" blog with the intention that I also wanted to talk about different teas I enjoy but I couldn't think of a clever tea related blog name so I think I might just go stream of consciousness all up in here and post whatever I feel like.  WOOT!