Need to find something to replace the greatest tea that ever was

December 23, 2024 8:54 AM

I am obsessed with a tea from David's Tea that they dont carry anymore. Is there a similar tea out there, or a way I can create something like it? I'm so sad!

I love ending my night with a nice warm cup of tea, especially now that we're in the colder months. Unfortunately I like rich intense black and green teas which are chock full of caffeine and not the best thing to drink right before bed! Every non-caffeinated tea I've ever tried has been awful. I hate chamomile. I hate anything fruity.

But then I found the greatest tea - Tinsel Toddy by David's Tea. Ohhhh my god, absolutely delicious. I drink it almost every night. I waited all year for it come back in season (they only stock it at Christmas time) and as soon as it went back up, I placed a big order. But alas, now they just got in touch to tell me that surprise its out of stock, my order is cancelled, and they dont expect to restock. I'm so bummed. I really need to find a similar non-caffeinated tea to drink at night.

Here is how they describe it - Candied ginger and rooibos tea come together in a cup of perfection. A little sweet, lightly spicy and with a hint of vanilla, this blend hits every note. And rooibos is super hydrating and bursting with vitamins and minerals.

Here are the ingredients - Candied ginger (sugar, ginger, citric acid), Candied pineapple (pineapple, sugar), Rooibos, Ginger, Apple, Natural (vanilla, caramel, honey, ginger) flavouring, Pink peppercorn, Marigold blossom, Pollen.

I'd love to find a similar tea from any retailer, or maybe a recipe to create something on my own? Ive tried so many non-caffeinated teas and none of them even come close.

posted by silverstatue to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

I'm still seeing it for sale on their website (although at a "cleaning out the stock" price). Maybe you can still get at least a smaller amount to tide you over?

But since that would be a temporary fix at best, the candied ginger and candied pineapple strike me as the oddest ingredients to find in other teas (leaving aside the "who even knows?" nature of that flavoring blend). My thought is - pick a couple of these rooibos blends that look like they'd get most of the way there and add the candied ginger and pineapple, and go from there.

Sympathies on your tea going out of stock. I'm perpetually on the search for something to replace a cardamom rose blend from a local tea maker who's no longer in business.

Actually, that's a thought - do you know if there's someone localish who blends tea? A small producer might be willing to work on a reproduction if you would place a large order and/or be a regular customer for it.
posted by EvaDestruction at 9:36 AM on December 23

I’d blend my own. Take notes! In a charming alchemist’s journal, if that would be fun at all!

I’d get some of the instant ginger drink mix from a SE Asian grocery for the top note, and a rooibos blend that mentions caramel and vanilla, and experiment with the rest.

I don’t know that I’ve ever exactly recreated the vanished tea blends I was going after, but I have drunk excellent variations .
posted by clew at 10:04 AM on December 23 [1 favorite]

Camellia Sinensis (Montréal) has Rooibos Zeste Eclair which might be close, if you drop a few pieces of candied ginger in yourself.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:24 AM on December 23

I have enjoyed all the rooibos blends from Harney & Sons and wonder if one of those might suit? I like the African Autumn. Please let us know!
posted by kyraU2 at 11:00 AM on December 23

My local tea shop, Tin Roof Teas, sells a blend they call Ginger Citrus Decaf. Ingredients are: Ceylon decaffeinated black tea, lemon peels, ginger root, pineapple cubes & flakes, marigold blossoms, natural flavor. They also sell a lot of delicious rooibos blends, though none with pineapple as an ingredient. Plenty have ginger, citrus and other aromatics, though! Good luck on your search, I would totally buy Tinsel Toddy if it were still available!
posted by little mouth at 12:16 PM on December 23 [3 favorites]

I've been a fan of ginger bounce rooibos ever since I first tried it in a coffee shop, and it was my first thought on reading your description. They list the "luxury" ingredients as rooibos, ginger, and calendula petals but I'm not sure if that's the complete list.
posted by DrGail at 1:23 PM on December 23

A tea blender near me has a blend called "Mistletoe Grove" which is very much in the ballpark at least: "Green Rooibos, Apples, Orange Rind, Lemon Rind, Cinnamon, Ginger, Hibiscus, Lemongrass, Rosehips, Peppermint, Lemon Oil, Blood Orange Oil."
posted by ndfine at 1:29 PM on December 23 [1 favorite]

By chance, my daily tea is a home made rooibos and ginger tea.

In case you don't know this, rooibos tea is (unlike Ceylon tea) best made by actually boiling the tea for a while, "stewing" it on purpose. This is how it's traditionally made here in South Africa where the tea comes from.

Because I'm too lazy to do it properly, I make my tea by adding tea bags, several pieces of fresh ginger, and boiling water to a thermos flask and letting it stew for a bit. I often add cayenne pepper or chamomile tea too. You could add experiment with some of the other ingredients you listed.
posted by Zumbador at 1:48 PM on December 23 [6 favorites]

You should go to ImmuneSchein Tea Haus, which I think might be in your area based on your profile, and see if they have something matching or could mix something up for you. It's a very friendly winery-like tasting experience, but for tea and herbal elixirs. They are ginger fanatics.
posted by hovey at 5:01 PM on December 23