16956 Tasting Notes

82
drank Gingerbread by DAVIDsTEA
16956 tasting notes

Semi eventful early evening?

I went grocery shopping because this is the only chance I’ll have (I work every other day except for my date night) until next Saturday when I’m off again, only I forgot my debit card at home so I had to be really picky about I got because I only had $30 cash on me. So, I might have some food shortage going on in the next week…

And then, I got home and decided to make pizza; so I had a cheese/pineapple pizza already in the over when Tre called out from his room “Don’t make supper; I just ordered us pizza!” and of course he got my standard cheese/pineapple – so now I have lots of cheese and pineapple pizza for tonight and tomorrow’s leftovers.

Anyway, I steeped this up because I thought this (and the chai I made too) would offset the sweet/savory of the pizza in just the right way. Man is this so good! It’s very heavily molasses today – and I’m in love with the flavour.

I definitely guzzled it down quickly! I’m really glad I decided to go for the 100g worth and didn’t just settle on the 30g sample bag I bought; because this has steadily grown on me and is my favourite DT rooibos blend next to Creme Brulee; it just produces such consistent cups and is one of the few ways I can really enjoy “ginger” type things.

I bumped my rating up, because I just noticed it’s lower than I’d like it to be.

CK

Someone who likes cheese and pineapple pizza! I’m always outvoted on pizza choice so I haven’t had any for a long time, so jealous :)

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68

Sipdown (195/197)!

Drink all the nutty teas!

My cup of this was pretty cold by the time I got to it. I think I may have, inadvertently, fallen asleep while listening to music. Just for a few minutes; but long long enough for my tea to have gone close to stone cold. So, the caffeine content of this one is probably much needed.

Anyway, I tried the holding a mint in my mouth thing with this one too; it made the roasty mocha pop a lot – but kind of drowned out the almond/hazelnut so I stopped doing it. I really want to enjoy the flavourful nuttiness of this blend!

It’s just so good – even really cold. In fact, I think this would make for a phenominal iced latte. The flavour palette just lends itself so well to that sort of thing…

Anyway, I’m crushed that that blend is all gone now. I want more! I want to have the option to have this daily, if I so choose! So, if the opportunity to get in on a group Adagio order comes along (and I have money), getting this one is going to be a priority for me.

Never thought I’d say it; but I need the Apache Tracker in my life (even if he is a jerk).

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81

This is gonna be the next Butiki tea I work my way through. I decided a switch up from oolong was ok, since I’m also working on slowly sipping away the last of Prairie Berry from DT – and that one is an oolong. I don’t need to be whittling my way through two oolong blends.

I guess I’ve really been in a pistachio/nutty mood the last day and today, because I just took a look through the tins/samples I pulled from the closet for this week’s rotation and 80% of them are heavily “nut” based/inspired. I wonder if that’s my body telling me I need to step up the protein intake…

Anyway, I drank this in a sort of unusual way this morning; before sipping I put a wintermint in my mouth and sucked on that in between sips. It really made the creaminess of the pistachio pop – and it was like a ridiculous flavour explosion. SO FREAKING AMAZING! Like, I have no clue why I did it – but I just know that after trying the first sip of the cup like that I couldn’t help but drink the whole cup that way.

Suziqzer

I wouldn’t have thought to eat a wintermint candy while drinking a nutty tea… Here’s to great surprises. :) Glad it worked for you.

I’d be fearful I’d get an affect like when you brush your teeth and then go straight to the fridge for some orange juice forgetting that you just brushed your teeth. Yikes!

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75
drank Bamboozled by DAVIDsTEA
16956 tasting notes

I just took a moment to really think about how much my water intake has changed since moving half a year ago…

I went from having a glass of milk and a glass (MAYBE two) of tea a day (and likely being consistently at least somewhat dehydrated) to having, at a minimum, a full 25 oz. of cold brewed tea every morning, at least two full mugs of tea but usually more like four or five, and typically a glass of matcha whisked into cold milk. Wow.

Can you say “huge lifestyle change?”.

Anyway, the leaf for this one was provided by Scribbles, who sent me a whole bunch of it as well as some other teas too! This is my daily cold brew; about 24 hours of steeping. It’s great, as per usual! Very refreshing peach juice type drink with that nice sort of vegetal bamboo edge.

Tomorrow I’ll do my other bamboo tea; Buddha Bamboo – which is much more strawberry/red fruit flavoured.

TeaLady441

That’s awesome! I’ve always been slightly dehydrated and drinking tea all the time has definitely helped, except for those days where it’s all caffeine and no herbal. 25 oz cold brewed tea sounds awesome! I want to get to that stage (o hai mason jar?)

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65

This was my final tea from last night; bagged because I didn’t want to wash out an infuser, and caffeine free because it was like 3 AM…

Overall, not too bad. Again, the strawberry was flavourful, but the pomegranate not so much. And overall, I thought this cup was kind of weak tasting so I was a bit let down.

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86
drank White Angel by Tea Desire
16956 tasting notes

Man, I really need to up the rating on this one! It’s just grown on me so much, and I find it incredibly delicious now. The trick, I guess, was the not cold brew it but instead ice it; that brings out much different flavour notes. Plus, it still holds its own plain too.

Anyway, creamy tropical coconut (I love white coconut blends, I’ve discovered) and a very bright and juicy apricot flavour with an underlying presence of pineapple. It’s like a twist on your typical “Pina Colada” type drink. Plus, the white tea is lovely, and the green tea hardly makes itself well known.

Yes, when I run out of this I’ll likely get more; though probably not until I have space to put it in a tin instead of leaving it in a bag. High value/restock teas get the upgrade to a tin! I’m sure I must have some white teas that are currently in tins which I don’t want more of…

Oh, my custom “Earl of Goji Wine” blend! Yes; this can have the tin space from that one.

Flavors: Apricot, Coconut, Cream

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78
drank Phoenix Pearl by Zen Tea
16956 tasting notes

Couldn’t make this pop up in the search bar (even after hitting enter) so I searched my cupboard for it, and while doing so found a Butiki blend that I no longer have but which wasn’t removed from my cupboard apparently, so now I’m at 196/198! Yay!

Anyway, I did get around to resteeping the leaves, and I must say I think I like the resteep a bit better; it still has a little malt to it, but the chocolate/caramel notes are much more present and intense, and there’s a very faint baked bread taste. However, at the end of my cup this started to get bitter and gross.

Despite liking the resteep more I wont push for a third resteep ; I’m not really feeling this one too much now. Two cups today was enough to hold me over for at least a little while. Definitely need to be moving on to something fruitier for my next cup, though!

Flavors: Bread, Caramel, Chocolate, Malt

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70
drank Cookie Dough by DAVIDsTEA
16956 tasting notes

Thanks VariaTEA for the sample!

I was really craving Pistachio Cream but the sample of that is buried in a bag in my closet, so I picked this out instead because it sounded good too. I actually didn’t realize that it’s a white until I was portioning it out and really got a chance to look at the leaves. Huh.

Steeped up now, and it smells and tastes delicious! Like, I definitely get chocolate chip cookie dough from this! And, it’s so creamy too – with a nice, thick mouthfeel and almost marzipan/almond brittle sweetness to it. Definitely delicious, and really hitting the spot! I’m excited there’s at least one more cup of this! Colour me impressed.

There’s also something painfully familiar about this blend too – and it’s killing me that I can’t place what that is. I’m sure that sometime tonight I’ll have one of those “AHA!” moments out of the blue and just scream it out!

I think, overall, it’s been a really good tea day today (so far at least)!

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68

That awkward moment when you’re trying to smell the dry leaf of a blend, and instead you just wind up with a bunch of tea leaves up your nose…

Anywho, I’ve only listened to the first three or four episodes of WTNV, but that does include the first appearance of the Apache Tracker, so I do know a bit about the character. With Adagio blends I think it’s kind of important you understand the character, because their rating (since they are so unique) should incorporate not only how they taste but whether they accurately represent their namesakes.

I was excited to get this one from aisling of tea because Adagio blends are so tricky to get your hands on here in Canada unless you have a tea mule or are willing to shell out lots of money for the shipping. Plus, if you don’t want the full sampler of something, then 3 oz. is a lot to get for a blind try. And, on top of the fandom/character itself I thought the teas that compose this blend all sounded really interesting too!

My friend Robyn may have been a little more excited than I was though; she’s really into WTNV.

Anyway, now that this is steeped up I think it’s really incredibly good! The first thing I notice is actually the really rich and full almond/hazlenut with a dark chocolate weightiness to it; and then the roasted mate’s earthiness and the black base. All in all, I’m actually incredibly impressed with the flavour of this one! It sort of reminds me of Tea Desire’s Bralisiano but with more more nuttiness where that one has sweetness.

I would totally buy a full 3 oz. pouch of this one! Out of all the teas I’ve ever had, I think this one – hands down – does the best job of really capturing and conveying a flavourful and distinctly “nutty” flavour.

As well, the nuttiness totally matches with namesake of the tea, though Cara mentions it being “offensive” in the description, and the flavour of this one is anything but. However, all in all I think this is a good character portrayal and I’m super pleasantly surprised.

Onto the shopping list!

Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Nuts

TeaLady441

I should try mine! I’m not hugely into the character so I’ve been delaying trying this, but apparently I’m missing out.

Lynxiebrat

What is WTNV? I have a feeling that I should know, but not coming up with anything.

Roswell Strange

Welcome to Nightvale :)

Isaila

What a jerk.

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78
drank Phoenix Pearl by Zen Tea
16956 tasting notes

Thank you Cavocorax for throwing this in as an extra is the sample package you sent me! I never would have thought to ask about it, but it does smell really interesting and I’ve been curious about trying it since getting it; there was just a few other samples/teas I wanted to get out of the way first.

Now that it’s steeped up I’m finding it really interesting; much more so than before. The most prominent thing that I’m picking up is the maltiness of the blend; I really love that quality in tea (yay for trying enough straight teas to figure out my preferences; malt and baked bread notes!). If this tea were an onion, the malt would be the first and largest layer. Underneath that I think would be a layer composed of sweeter chocolate and caramel notes, and then the layer under that has this borderline smokey quality to it. I can tell immediately this is a tea I’m going to want to resteep because I’m sure that subsequent steeps are going to shift the layers and reveal more things.

So, I’ll probably do a second tasting note for my resteep; I don’t plan on resteeping right away; I’d like to finish my other cup of tea, watch some TV, and maybe have a short nap first. But I will resteep it at least once more today!

Thanks Cavocorax! I haven’t decided yet how much like this one and I likely wont until the resteep, but it is enjoyable at the moment and was a fun, layered experience. I wish I wasn’t so tired so that I could maybe be a little more thorough with my description; I feel like this one deserves a more more detailed one.

Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Malt, Tobacco

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 15 sec
TeaLady441

Oh good! I’m happy you enjoyed it. :) I try to pop in extras when I can on the off chance you might find something new you wouldn’t otherwise buy.

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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...

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