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Roswell Strange drank Sweet Helen by RiverTea

16944 tasting notes

I think I’m the first tasting note on this one too. I’ll try to do it proud.

Out of the fruit teas I purchased, this is the one that I was the most excited for. I love pears and pear tea – and I just could not pass up the opportunity to try out yet another pear blend, especially since this is chocolate pear which is a flavour combo I don’t have in my cupboard right now.

Dry, this smell strongly of fresh, maybe even a little overripe, pears with just a hint of chocolate. It’s a very, very powerful and flavourful smelling blend.

Like the other RiverTea fruit blend I tried, this too has a long steep time – though not nearly as long as Chocolate Kisses Chili. I ended up doing a 6 minute steep for this cup, which was the lowest end of the suggested spectrum. The smell is just a little bit perfume, and still pretty much like an overripe “bruise it by holding it” pear.

Taste wise, it’s pretty good. The pear flavour is pretty strong, and maybe even a touch sour. Again, what comes to mind is an overripe pear. The chocolate here is surprisingly light/mild – but then again I’m not sure if I recall actually seeing any pieces of chocolate in the leaf I used. I thought it’d be more like a chocolate dipped pear, but that’s not the feeling I get.

So ultimately, I’m a little conflicted/on the fence about this one because I did enjoy it but it wasn’t anything like I was expecting or anticipating it to be. I’ll need to try a few more cups/methods before I make up my mind.

Preparation

Boiling 6 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

11 years ago

I Like This

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Sil 11 years ago

i need to decide what i’m getting with my winnings…SOOOON

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Sil 11 years ago

i need to decide what i’m getting with my winnings…SOOOON

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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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