Cold Brew!

Picked this one up from the Fairmont Empress during our visit there. I hadn’t realized that the hotel had sort of “rebranded” their tea selection to this new ‘Lot 35’ marketing but I kind of like it better – it’s still sort of classy but much more modern.

When I saw the ingredients for this I knew exactly what tea it was – I’ve purchased this tea from several other companies in the past, since it’s a catalog blend from a more infamous wholesaler. I love the punchy, sweet mix of fruit notes: cherry, strawberry, orange and tomato with just a bit of cooling cucumber finish. In general I tried to only but teas that were new to me this trip, but I caved on got a tin of this too since I knew how low my tin of this was getting from the last company I purchased it from.

This was my first cold brew after getting back from vacation, and it was just a delight!

beerandbeancurd

I did not know this buying and rebranding was a thing. But of course it is!

Roswell Strange

There’s some pretty infamous catalog teas but generally speaking it’s one of those weird “industry secrets” that is guarded by some but also openly shared by others. Nothing wrong with catalog/rebranding IMO – not everyone has the knowledge or capital for tea blending – it requires you, generally, to manage a lot of raw materials which can be a nightmare. And catalog blends are generally designed in a way that’s the most “mass appealing” – basically, stylistically safe and with really commercial flavour profiles/ingredients. It’s a double edged sword – you’re probably gonna appeal to the most palates by sticking with simple and familiar, but there’s rarely anything innovative or specialized offered so some people find catalog boring/plain.

Also, once you start to be able to pick up the catalog blends it kind of shatters some of the magic of believing the companies you’re buying from are blending everything in house (local, indie, and even larger and more corporate). Does let you shop a little more competitively, though! And can make it easier to restock favourite catalog teas – like me and this blend ;)

Roswell Strange

Also for places like Fairmont, which is a hotel, it’s just not really practical for them to be doing their own R&D or blending and given a lot of establishments like this don’t actually sell the tea (Fairmont is a bit of an exception) outside of their tea or dining service it wouldn’t make sense in a lot of cases for them to pay a wholesaler to create a custom tea for them at the quantity they’d probably be buying yearly. Just too expensive. So, marketing magic it is ahaha.

beerandbeancurd

Yeah, that is quite interesting — thanks for some education on the topic. Makes me wonder how many times I’ve had identical teas sitting in two different containers, hehe.

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beerandbeancurd

I did not know this buying and rebranding was a thing. But of course it is!

Roswell Strange

There’s some pretty infamous catalog teas but generally speaking it’s one of those weird “industry secrets” that is guarded by some but also openly shared by others. Nothing wrong with catalog/rebranding IMO – not everyone has the knowledge or capital for tea blending – it requires you, generally, to manage a lot of raw materials which can be a nightmare. And catalog blends are generally designed in a way that’s the most “mass appealing” – basically, stylistically safe and with really commercial flavour profiles/ingredients. It’s a double edged sword – you’re probably gonna appeal to the most palates by sticking with simple and familiar, but there’s rarely anything innovative or specialized offered so some people find catalog boring/plain.

Also, once you start to be able to pick up the catalog blends it kind of shatters some of the magic of believing the companies you’re buying from are blending everything in house (local, indie, and even larger and more corporate). Does let you shop a little more competitively, though! And can make it easier to restock favourite catalog teas – like me and this blend ;)

Roswell Strange

Also for places like Fairmont, which is a hotel, it’s just not really practical for them to be doing their own R&D or blending and given a lot of establishments like this don’t actually sell the tea (Fairmont is a bit of an exception) outside of their tea or dining service it wouldn’t make sense in a lot of cases for them to pay a wholesaler to create a custom tea for them at the quantity they’d probably be buying yearly. Just too expensive. So, marketing magic it is ahaha.

beerandbeancurd

Yeah, that is quite interesting — thanks for some education on the topic. Makes me wonder how many times I’ve had identical teas sitting in two different containers, hehe.

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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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