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Mom’s back from her mini vacation to Vancouver! Since she was there over the course of my birthday, she brought back tea goodies! Actually, she brought back a pretty solid haul from the tea shops she stopped in; The Chinese Tea Shop and Granville Island Tea Company…

From Granville Island:
- 50g Monk’s Blend
- 50g Lady Londonderry
- 50g Henry’s Blend
- 50g Surprise Rooibos

With the exception of Henry’s Blend (the owner?) all of the teas from Granville Island are sourced from MTC, hence why I’m reviewing the Lady Londonderry under the MTC entry.

From The Chinese Tea Shop:

- 50g of 2013 Yiwu Mountain Raw
- A sample of 1980s Premium Traditional Iron Buddha (shopkeeper’s recommendation)

And… Drumroll please!

The most darling little yixing pot! Which brings my yixing total to five, now! Including this newest one (I definitely need to take pictures) I now have two pots unseasoned. I’m thinking it may finally be time to dedicate a Sheng and a Shou pot?

As for the tea…

When I went over to her place tonight for birthday supper/presents I brewed up some tea soda for us all to go with supper! I’ve missed the convenience of her soda stream and getting to drink tea pop on a whim. The soda was pretty good; you could definitely taste the lemon notes and the strawberry was also fairly present. Still; that brisk and just slightly pithy lemon note came off as the feature flavour. As well, it was fairly floral from the Ceylon base: I’m not big on more floral black teas but it kind of worked with this almost strawberry-lemonade flavour combo.

Fairly solid offering, overall.

MadHatterTeaDrunk

I’ve noticed that this tea is a better iced tea than it is hot. Brewing it hot (at a variety of temperatures) has a tendency to become unbearably astringent. However, I could say it’s from the tea company I bought it from, but it’s most likely not…(?)

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MadHatterTeaDrunk

I’ve noticed that this tea is a better iced tea than it is hot. Brewing it hot (at a variety of temperatures) has a tendency to become unbearably astringent. However, I could say it’s from the tea company I bought it from, but it’s most likely not…(?)

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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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