David's Tea

Helloes!
Last Saturday (July 4) I went to David's Tea with Paw following the Carifiesta Parade. We went to the Mont-Royal location (it's about a 10 minute walk east of Mont-Royal metro).

It's a nice, smallish place with contemporary decor (the whole white walls/art deco thing going on). They have a wide selection of tea and tea accessories (pots, spoons, books, strainers, etc). You have the option of buying tea, taking tea to go, or sitting around and sipping your tea held in nifty little nylon leaf strainers (on the cup). Be warned though, there is not much seating space - there are only about 4 tables, each with 2-3 chairs. Luckily, we got a table and we able to sip our respective teas.

Pamela got the "White Tiger" tea (if I remember correctly). The description follows:

Look out for white fur, black stripes and ice-blue eyes. White tigers tend to be bigger and stronger than their orange cousins. This blend is just as powerful. It’s got the smooth, immune-building strength of organic white peony tea. Plus the additional antioxidants of pomegranate essence and whole blueberries. A real fighter! It’ll scare off every free radical in the area.

It smelled great, but unfortunately didn't taste like like blueberries or pomergrante, eventhough white tea is pretty mild. So a bit of a disappointment there.
I tried the Spicy Chocolate Rooibos, though I don't recall it being spicy. Anyways, here's their description:

What could be better than chocolate and pink peppercorn? How about chocolate, pink peppercorn and banana! With sweet bits of apple. This organic tea is absolutely incredible. It’s complex, comforting and rich. Satisfying, smooth and mysterious. With a light pique of peppers to keep your guests guessing. Try it hot or iced. And don’t worry, we can’t stop drinking it either.

Before getting it, I had no idea there were bananas in it. So when I was drinking it, I hardly tasted any chocolate and had a big dose of banana flavor. It was a banana tisane parading at chocolate! dun dun dun. It still tasted good, but I think the chocolate flavor should've been more pronounced or perhaps the name should be reconsidered ;)

After that, we perused around the store looking at all their products and trinkets. We stumbled upon a teastick, which is pretty cool. I've never seen anything like it before. However, 25$ is pretty steep.

We then decided to purchase some loose tea of our own.
Much to my surprise, I purchased two types of Rooibos (this coming from a previous Rooibos hater - but I guess my first experience with it just really sucked).
I got Creme Caramel Rooibos - which is one of their top sellers. It smells amazing and actually does taste caramelly. So definite props there.

There are few dessert teas more satisfying than Crème Caramel Rooibos. Smooth, sweet and creamy, it’s a taste sensation. And the best part is that it’s actually good for you. South African rooibos is caffeine-free and soothing, and it’s filled with antioxidants and essential minerals. So indulge in a caramel dream. It might be the healthiest thing you do all day.

Their blurbs are so descriptive. I imagine the writers must have a fun time with them. Especially with the one I got next (mostly for the name, but also it has guava in it and guava = win).
Swamp Water!!!!

For kids only

We called this tea Swampwater to keep adults away, but it doesn’t seem to work. Every time they taste it, they drink the whole thing down. Because the natural, tangy sweetness of green rooibos, guava, passionfruit and little candy sprinkles is just too irresistible. Even the murky green colour doesn’t scare them off. Maybe we should explain that it’s full of antioxidants. And caffeine-free. Reverse psychology…

When I first infused it, the color wasn't *that* disturbing. It smells a bit citrusy and generally pleasant. When I finished the first infusion though and prepared to pour more water in, there was a bit of concentrated liquid at the bottom that really did look like swampwater. Imagine the ooze in ninja turtles, but darker. Like jungle leaf green. I actually said "aaahhhh...." (not a scream, just a general exclamation of surprise and awe). So the name actually fits the tea. I also love the idea of asking people if they want Swampwater.

Paw got Sencha Pear and Coffee Pu-erh. I have not tried them myself, but from what she tells me the Sencha Pear is very good, it actually tastes like pear. The Coffee Puerh is supposedly a mix of Puerh, coffee and chocolate and smells great, but again, just tastes like Puerh. So sadness there.

All in all, a pretty good tea experience at David's Tea. To recap, here are the ratings for what I tried:

White Tiger (a sip):

Because it smells nice, but only tastes like white tea. Where's the blueberry goodness?!

Spicy Chocolate Rooibos:

Tastes good, but is banana tisane parading as chocolate with not much chocolate flavor. False advertising *shakes fist*

Creme Caramel Rooibos:

Tastes amazing, goes down smooth and great for falling asleep as it has no caffeine.
Swamp Water:

Tastes good. Props for Guava and the fact that I can go around asking people if they want Swampwater :)

I passed by their other location via automobile the other day, but haven't had the chance to pop in. They also offer tea samples of the day :)

Short tidbits:
I went back to Dervish that same day and tried the East African Chai and Paw had the Irish Creme Chai. Both very good. Mine had lotsa cinnamony flavor and hers very coffeeish. I would like to note that Dervish makes awesome chai, but a mug costs you about 5.50$. So I wouldn't go there all the time, as I consider that pretty expensive for a cup of tea.

The Salon has moved and their teas will be sold in a store across the street from their previous location.

Byblos Le Petit Cafe serves great Iranian tea, but also great Iranian food. If you go, pass by on Sunday night for their traditional meal, "Le Dizzy". Included in the price is a tea :) It's lots of fun to eat the dish and one of the waiters gives you a crash course in how to eat it.

Next I hope to try Cha Noir in Verdun :)

What's your Dosha? + Boosting your "Immunitea"

Greetings Tea drinkers :)

I went on a trip to Toronto last weekend with a friend. Naturally, I had to head to the Tea Emporium (a friend here requested the "Garden of Eden" tea, which is a green tea with lots of berries in it. Really tasty and fragrant).

Anyways, my friend, her cousin and I perused the tea catalog for other interesting looking teas/tisanes after picking up "The Garden of Eden". We were all curious about the Ayurvedic Teas - first because we weren't sure what ayurvedic medicine consisted of and second, well, how does the tea help? :)

Trusty Wiki says:

Ayurveda (Devanāgarī: आयुर्वेद, the 'science of life') is a system of traditional medicine native to India,[1] and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of alternative medicine.[2] In Sanskrit, the word Ayurveda[3] comprises the words āyus, meaning 'life' and veda, meaning 'science'

Ayurveda stresses a balance of three substances: wind/spirit/air, phlegm, and bile, each representing divine forces.[7] According to Ayurveda, these three regulatory principles--Doshas (Devanāgarī: त्रिदॊश्)—vata (wind/spirit/air), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm)—are important. It is believed that building a healthy metabolic system, attaining good digestion, and proper excretion leads to vitality.[9] Ayurveda also focuses on exercise, yoga, meditation, and massage.[10]Thus, body, mind, and spirit/consciousness need to be addressed both individually and in unison for health to ensue.

So, we were all given a quiz to determine what our Dosha was and the Dosha with the least "points" was the tea that we had to drink to balance everything out.
If you want, you can take a quiz here:

I ended up being Pitta deficient, so bought that herbal infusion which is a mixture of: fennel, licorice, cardamom, cloves, orange zest, ginger, cinnamon, cocoa, linden, raspberry leaf, hibiscus, chomomile, pepper, alfalfa and rosehip.
It has a mild taste and is not disagreeable in the least :) As a bonus, it has no caffeine if you want to fall asleep.
I also tried the Kapha infusion (which was what my friend's cousin was deficient in). It had a bit of a stronger cinnamon taste, if I remember correctly. The only one I haven't tried is Vata.

In addition, these Ayurvedic infusions aren't very expensive. It's about 7$/50 g, which will last you a while. Each teaspoon is good for 2 infusions. We'll see how balanced I am after a while, I guess. Regardless, it tastes good, so I'm not complaining.

Ayurvedic tisanes Kapha and Pitta get 4 teacups out of 5 :D

Another interesting tisane I tried was something called Lapacho. It was in the same section as the Mate - and happens to also be grown in South America.

Here's what wiki has to say (i'm wiking tonight it seems):

Lapacho or Taheebo is a herbal tea made from the inner bark of Pink Ipê, Tabebuia impetiginosa.

Lapacho is used in the herbal medicine of several South and Central American indigenous peoples. It appears to have antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, and is used topically to treat minor skin injuries, such as insect bites, as well as for other conditions such as psoriasis. Lapacho is used by herbalists as a putative treatment for cancer, HIV, candida and numerous other maladies. Studies by the U.S. National Cancer Institute showed that lapacho may prevent, delay, or treat cancer; but the oral doses needed to reach useful levels in the blood may also cause side effects such as anemia, diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.[1] The active ingredients such as lapachol have been found to possess significant toxicity.[2][3][4]

Taheebo is the common name for the inner bark of the Red or Purple Lapacho tree. This tree grows high in the Andes of the South American rainforest. The Red Lapacho's purple-colored inner bark was one of the main medicines used by the Incas and has been used for over 1,000 years by the Callawaya tribe, descendants of the Incas

What the lady at the store told us was that it increases your immunity, is high in minerals such as calcium and is generally good for your health. Now, I'm not certain considering what is quoted above. It seems that the verdict is somewhat ambiguous. Though, I guess in small doses it can't be all that bad. She also said it's an acquired taste. I agree there. It tasted like what I imagined brewed twigs to taste like. Not old twigs though...young, fresh twigs? It wasn't gross, just interesting. My friend was quite taken with it and so I think she'll be buying some. I'm not sure I'm sold on the tisane, but I'd probably have some if it's there.

Lapacho gets 2.5 teacups out of 5 because it tastes like twigs and has sketchy benefits :P

Finally, my friend's cousin bought Wintermelon Rooibos tisane from the Tea Emporium. Rooibos generally has a light flavor and is easily mixed with other things to give it an interesting taste. I'll probably do a more extensive Rooibos text some time later. Her cousin is big on non caffeine stuff, so this works.
This dude gets 4/5.

I'm slightly lazy and so did not include the tea cup pics. They'll come later :) (or not).

Anyways, if you happen to be in the Toronto area, The Tea Emporium is a great place to check out. The location near Bernard is in a mall and is really just a boutique with teas and tea accessories. You can also have tea to go.
If you want to sit down, drink tea and maybe have some treats, the location on Eglinton avenue is bigger and lets you do that.

There is also Davids Tea in Toronto, but I didn't check it out over there.

Happy Tea Drinking,
Until next time :)