16950 Tasting Notes

82

Oh, I’m so sad that I wasted so many of my cups worth of this as a hot brew! I cold brewed it, and man does it hold its own as a cold brew!

I was very smooth and refreshing, with a nice vanilla frosting flavour and plenty of carrot, but not an overwhelming amount of spice. Mmm! How delicious! I’ll likely finish this off as a cold brew! But, not too quickly…

Can’t replace this one ;)

EDIT: Oh hey, tasting note 900!

VariaTEA

Yay for 900!! I am slowly coming up on 1000 (probs in the next day or two). Also, I know Sil likes this better cold brewed as well. I will be sure to try the sample you sent me that way when I am back in Thornhill.

OMGsrsly

Woo, 900! :)

__Morgana__

Congrats!

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70

Eih, this cup was pretty forgettable overall. Also very near a sipdown. I don’t think it’ll be too missed – if anything, just as a caffeine free choice. It’s the strawberry/cinnamon – I don’t love it all that much. Oh well…

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91
drank White Rhino by Butiki Teas
16950 tasting notes

Sipdown (196/198)!

I’m so sad this is gone! It’s so rare I get to enjoy the flavour of Easter Buns because of all those icky raisins, let alone Easter Buns and Cream! Mmm!

I’ll be sure to get more of this down the road!

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76

Tea soda! 1 tsp. of matcha in one can of club soda, with a pinch of sugar.

This was weird, in a kind of good way though. Cheesecake isn’t a flavour where you go “Oh yes, I want a can of Cheescake Soda!”, but I was curious (and out of milk). I will say one thing about it though, the cheesecake flavour stands out a lot more when it isn’t paired up along with something else creamy like milk.

If you have this one lying around, maybe give it a go? Just ‘cause it’s really weird.

carol who

Interesting. I just got my sample from Red Leaf today. I’ll be sure to try it that way too. :)

Courtney

Fascinating. Do you just use club soda?

Roswell Strange

Yup! Usually I don’t sweeten it when I just use matcha – but I thought this one could maybe use that little bit of sugar.

Stephanie

I have to try this. I don’t have this flavor but I will try it with something else!

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90

This makes amazing tea soda!

I had three cups of this over the last three days, and I’d have three more in an instant because it’s SO good. Each cup was done the same way too; 1 tsp. of matcha mixed in a can of club soda with a pinch of sugar.

It’s sweet and yummy, and just different enough. It was also a nice switch up from the matcha whisked in milk I’ve been having lately – I hadn’t had a matcha soda in a while because the matcha flavours I’ve got stocked don’t really lend themselves too favorably to carbonation.

sundaysipping

I need to try this. The matcha alone sounds delicious but tea soda? Oh yes, yes, yes…

Stephanie

Does it dissolve properly? Do you mix it around at all? I will try it with my Brazilian Acai, I think…

Roswell Strange

I whisk it into about an ounce of hot water before I add in the club soda, and then I’ll re stir it about halfway into the can/cup but I’ve had no problems with it not dissolving well, so far.

Stephanie

Got it, thanks for the tip!! I will try this very soon :)

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84

Sipdown (197/199)!

This one grew on me! So, I’m actually pretty sad to see it go. Thanks for the sample VariaTEA.

I had two cups over the last four days – both were really good, but also fairly different so if there’s one thing that’d keep me from stocking this it’d maybe be the consistency. That’s becoming a very important thing for me on my tea journey, and I’m noticing that some of my “must stocks” are only ‘80s’ taste wise as opposed to some the higher up teas I have, but I think I like them better overall because they produce a more reliable cup in a variety of steep methods.

The first of the two cups was very sweet and caramel with a kind of green candy apple flavour, and no noticeable spice. This was the better cup – because I think I like candy sweet much better, and I know I’m not the biggest spice person.

The second cup was also good, but it did have more spice to it – though it provided a warmth to the tea that did remind me of Autumn. The black base was also stronger, though I personally love the Della Terra black base. The caramel was also milder.

So yes – I would really consider getting this again. I was definitely sad when I’d finished it off.

VariaTEA

Consistency is also a must for me because some teas are just not worth the risk of getting the shittier cup time and time again in hopes that one might be amazing.

Memily

Can I ask how you brewed? Straight, or with milk and/or sweetener? I have a small sample of this and want to make the most of it.

Roswell Strange

Straight; unless otherwise stated I always brew straight :)

Memily

I got through your profile after my comment and guessed as much! Tried it last night, much better. Thanks!

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64
drank Mon Secret by Nina's Paris
16950 tasting notes

Sipdown (198/200)!

I had an odd time drinking this. I didn’t have an ingredients list, so the two cups I had were blind and I struggled a lot to place the flavour.

Overall, I thought both cups had a taste reminiscent of the 52Teas black base, which I’m not the biggest fan of. So, that bugged me a little and was distracting. The first cup had a slightly fruity aftertaste – but in a really mellow way. Knowing now that there’s papaya in this, I guess that makes sense. I could probably place it as papaya if I knew that’s what I was looking for. It’s not even something I’d remotely considered though – it’s just not that common a flavour in tea.

The second cup wasn’t fruity at all – and it was a touch bitter. Which I found funny, personally, because I steeped it for a shorter amount of time and both times were with boiling water. Welp. Neither cups tasted like “melon” or “peach”, though.

Overall, it was neat to try and I’d be up for having another cup with the knowledge of what’s in it but I doubt that’d change my mind about not wanting to stock up. Thanks anyway Lala. Maybe I should have waited until I knew what I was getting in to?

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82

Just an average cup of this. It was good, though. Witting down my supply ;)

I’m still trying to figure out who I promised to save a cup or two worth of this for – so I’m been slowly whittling it down, even though I could have a cup a day until it’s gone without getting sick of it. Speak up now – before I drink it up!

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86

Cold Brew: Thirteen hour total.

This one does not brew up well cold (despite tasting better once it’s cooled down from a hot brew) at all. Seriously, don’t do it. The 52Teas black base was so dominant that I struggled all morning to finish off the 25 oz. of it (I didn’t want to toss it because I was sick, and getting up seemed like a worse idea). It was also very weirdly starchy tasting.

So yeah, I’m sticking to hot brews for this one.

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90
drank Honey Bee by DAVIDsTEA
16950 tasting notes

Cold Brew: Total of seven hours.

I broke up the 25 oz. of this over two days and had it as a fresh treat in the mornings. It was decent as a cold brew and I’ll likely finish it off that way because it uses more leaf, but I think it was better hot overall.

I’m watching the Big Brother After Dark episodes right now, and I just want to smack the stupid jocks so much! They’re talking about the “amazing health benefits/weight loss benefits” of green tea and the girls are just eating it up. I warn you all that during BB Seasons I live Big Brother.

If I was in the house I’d die without my tea. But, I’d have everyone as “tea snobby” as I am by the end of the season.

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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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