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