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Story time and then tasting note time…

So, as I mentioned maybe a week ago I’ve gotten really obsessed with Trivia Crack; and I guess I’m pretty good at it ‘cause I currently have a 13:1 win ratio – the one time I’ve lost being to Tre. But, I’ve beat him maybe six times? And it’s getting to the point where he doesn’t want to play with me anymore. He’s a sore loser.

But two nights ago I convinced him to start a round with me; I beat him in two turns. And in some sort of ‘manly rage’ he whipped his shirt off and stormed into his room. Jokingly I shouted “Well, at least you didn’t angrily rip off your pants”. He came back out, and I guess to spite me, he whipped off his sweats. Now, here’s the thing guys – he was wearing boxers (and I’ve seen him in his underwear enough to not be even close to shocked about it) so we both figured it’d be like sarcastically funny and that’d be that.

But no; that’s too easy. Instead, the boxers came off with the fucking sweatpants. Guys; I saw Tre’s dingle dangle! It was an INTENSE moment of awkwardness, followed by me just snickering and laughing – a lot. And then Tre, half joking and half serious, tried to justify the events that had just gone down with “Hey, it’s cold down here tonight!”. Didn’t help. So didn’t help. I haven’t laughed that hard in… Well, probably in months.

So enough about Tre’s penis though…

This tisane was a gift from my Mom; she thought it’d be nice to have something with Saskatoons in it to pass along to people I swap with – and I think she was right. I love being able to share the delicious berry that my town is named after. Plus, it’s locally made too which makes it a lot more interesting in my opinion too.

I decided to do a cold brew for my first try; sadly there’s a lot of hibiscus in the blend so a cold brew seemed like the best way to hold back some of the expected tartness. Thankfully, there’s also a lot of berries in the blend too as well. But even still, not thirty seconds after I’d poured the water over the leaves the water was already the colour of Grimace.

By the time the brew was done, it was a deep, dark almost maroon colour – but just slightly more purple. It reminded me of the colour of red wine. The smell is mostly hibiscus. That’s not very promising, but I’m still holding out that this’ll deliver the Saskatoon berry flavour I know and love anyway.

And the moment of truth; taste test!

The initial flavour here is a tart hibiscus flavour as anticipated; however, thankfully this isn’t all hibiscus. Similar to other berry/hibiscus teas I’ve had before like Rum Cream, from another local company, this starts tart and softens into a more mellow berry drink. I can definitely taste Saskatoon berries myself, but I also really taste the blueberries and black currants in the blend. Thankfully, I don’t get much flavour from the raisins – I’m not a raisin person, so it’s no loss for me.

For people unfamiliar with Saskatoon Berries (someday when I’m a rich, wealthy person I’m going to find a way to send you all piping hot Saskatoon Berry pies with ice cream; they’re heavenly) picture something sort of like a blueberry and cranberry cross. They’re great straight, in pies, in jam or jelly, and as syrup. Really, they’re just great. It’s that simple.

I am enjoying this cold brew a lot though I’m craving a richer, more full Saskatoon berry flavour. If they used more Saskatoons and cut down a little on the amount of other berries in the tea, I think this could be amazing without having a flat flavour. As is, I’m concerned people not familiar with Saskatoons are mainly going to focus in on the other berries in the blend and the hibiscus and miss out on the great flavour. That makes me a little disappointed.

Eventually I’ll try this one hot; I’m hoping that the hibiscus wont bury the Saskatoon flavour even further…

Flavors: Berries, Black Currant, Blueberry, Cranberry, Tart

OMGsrsly

Oh my stars I am laughing SO HARD. I started reading, looked up the game, glanced at the page again before rescuing my tea, and almost ended up laugh-crying on the kitchen floor. Thank you. :)

Roswell Strange

Practically a year and a half I’d gone without seeing him naked; and then for it to happen like that. It was an eventful evening. Traumatizing, and hilarious.

VariaTEA

LMAO. Sometimes you just gotta love roommates. They keep things interesting

caile

Oh lol! Love reading your stories! :)

Anlina

Stories like this kind of make me miss having roommates. Though ultimately I like living alone or with a partner better.

dragondrool

I’m really glad I wasn’t in the process of sipping my tea as I read this. Thank you for making me laugh today. I appreciate that so very much!

Lindsay

I’m still giggling over “dingle dangle”. :)

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Comments

OMGsrsly

Oh my stars I am laughing SO HARD. I started reading, looked up the game, glanced at the page again before rescuing my tea, and almost ended up laugh-crying on the kitchen floor. Thank you. :)

Roswell Strange

Practically a year and a half I’d gone without seeing him naked; and then for it to happen like that. It was an eventful evening. Traumatizing, and hilarious.

VariaTEA

LMAO. Sometimes you just gotta love roommates. They keep things interesting

caile

Oh lol! Love reading your stories! :)

Anlina

Stories like this kind of make me miss having roommates. Though ultimately I like living alone or with a partner better.

dragondrool

I’m really glad I wasn’t in the process of sipping my tea as I read this. Thank you for making me laugh today. I appreciate that so very much!

Lindsay

I’m still giggling over “dingle dangle”. :)

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Bio

Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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