drank Ho Ho Hojicha by DAVIDsTEA
16802 tasting notes

Another store exclusive holiday blend that released earlier in the month!

I’ve had the idea for this blend rolling around in my head since even before I worked at DAVIDsTEA, so when I got promoted to a more active role in R&D doing blend conception this was one of the very first concepts I started to work on. Basically, the idea was that this would be a cookies & cream flavoured tea inspired by the idea of leaving milk and cookies for Santa! Eventually I slightly expanded that to be a marriage of sorts between a “cookies and cream” tea and a “praline cookie” tea. So, sweet and nutty with lots of chocolate and cream.

As y’all know I personally adore hojicha so it’s always nice to get to marry my love of this base with a new development project – and the pun in the name was too good to resist. However, my bias aside, I do think this was a really complimentary base for this profile. The hojicha provides a body that I think was needed for this very rich and decadent dessert-y blend, and its natural nuttiness and toasty profile works with the praline sort of vibe of the blend.

Ultimately, though, I still think of this as a cookies and cream forward blend. White chocolate and milk chocolate come through the profile along with a sort of vanilla-ish frosting note. I love the mix of red and white sprinkles because they feel like the perfect marriage of the cookie profile with the iconic imagery of a plate of cookies next to a Christmas tea – decked out in festive sprinkles and probably a little shoddily decorated because a small child was the one to frost them.

Definitely a rich tea, but I think that works for the inspiration. It’s solid on its own, but obviously the whole milk and cookies vibe is practically begging for either just an additional splash of milk (or alternative) or to be made into an indulgent latte. I can just picture grabbing a cup of this in store to drink while doing my Christmas shopping. It’s a whole mood.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Kaylee

oof I hate that this is in-store only. It sounds wonderful! Congrats on seeing it out in the world!

Elletea

It’s in the “Sugar n’ Spice” holiday sampler if you want to try it!

Kaylee

I’ve been eyeing the sampler for exactly that reason! I was having trouble justifying the cost + shipping just to try this blend and sparkling cranberry, although when I went to look just now I saw that it’s on sale so I might get it after all…

Elletea

Do it! It’s a pretty steep discount right now… hehe… pun intended.
I just ordered mine. I hope it arrives before Christmas. :)

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Comments

Kaylee

oof I hate that this is in-store only. It sounds wonderful! Congrats on seeing it out in the world!

Elletea

It’s in the “Sugar n’ Spice” holiday sampler if you want to try it!

Kaylee

I’ve been eyeing the sampler for exactly that reason! I was having trouble justifying the cost + shipping just to try this blend and sparkling cranberry, although when I went to look just now I saw that it’s on sale so I might get it after all…

Elletea

Do it! It’s a pretty steep discount right now… hehe… pun intended.
I just ordered mine. I hope it arrives before Christmas. :)

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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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