75

This was the one place my Dad and I made it to on his first day here; it’s a tea room in downtown Montreal that does a tea for two service. I’d never actually been before, and I’d heard some mixed things about the quality of the food/tea but it’s sort of tradition that whenever I’m with my parents on any type of vacation that, if someone offers a tea for two service, we have to go – and so we did!

They give you the option of one large pot of tea or two small pots, so we went with the two small pots so that we could try more of their offerings and also each pick a tea of our own. This was actually my Dad’s choice (I went with Houjicha) – but frustratingly when our server came and brought us our tea he set this one up in front of me and the Houjicha in front of my Dad, without asking who had order what, and made a comment like “and the floral tea for the lady”…

That kind of thing just ticks me off; obviously there was no malicious intent and I definitely do enjoy a nice floral tea – but why you gotta assume!? I just hate that the assumption was that the roasted, straight traditional tea was for “the man” and the flavoured, floral tea was for me. Ugghh!

I did try a half teacup of it though just to get a feel of the tea, but after that we switched back to what we’d actually each ordered. This was definitely a nice tea; sweet and smooth with a honeyed berry and lavender vibe overall, with just a hint of rose. It’s delicious and I could see it working really well with something like scones or a sweeter, fruity dessert – but I certainly wouldn’t want a pot of it for a full service of tea because I don’t see it complimenting some of the more savory elements – of which we were served a handful.

As for the food!? It was ok; my favourite thing was the goat cheese and jalapenos muffins; creamy with just a hint of warmth, and definitely on the savory side. Scones were solid quality; and the cucumber sandwiches were tasty but nothing fancy. I personally wasn’t into the Deviled Egg (but, I don’t like deviled eggs much in general) but that was my Dad’s favourite thing. As for the sweeter element, the lemon bar and brownie bar, I felt like they weren’t top notch quality – nothing fancy. It’s hard to top the amazing, unique desserts were were served at the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas, though…

Here are some pictures: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzdSUZdhFEp/

Martin Bednář

Looks great and tea was okay apparently. But you spent time with your father and it counts.

mrmopar

Traditions are always good to have.

VariaTEA

Looks good though I would be annoyed with the waiter assuming also. I’ve had waiters act very condescending about tea to me and my sister and when that happens my sister likes to drop the fact that I write for a tea blog in front of them and watch their demeanor change.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

Martin Bednář

Looks great and tea was okay apparently. But you spent time with your father and it counts.

mrmopar

Traditions are always good to have.

VariaTEA

Looks good though I would be annoyed with the waiter assuming also. I’ve had waiters act very condescending about tea to me and my sister and when that happens my sister likes to drop the fact that I write for a tea blog in front of them and watch their demeanor change.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

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...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer