17466 Tasting Notes

Iced Latte!

Made this with some milk using the “water bottle” method where you just shake the ever loving fuck out of it until the matcha is smooth and frothy. I still am really enjoying the balance of flavours of this one. It’s got a touch of chocolate and a more smooth and creamy mint note that really emulates the icecream vibe well. Not herbaceous at all. And it’s been refreshing as a fruity flavoured matcha alternative this summer.

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drank Pisces by Friday Afternoon
17466 tasting notes

A very, very glittery and sparkling cuppa that I made earlier this week. It’s light, refreshing and fruity-leaning with some brighter lemony top notes and then a little more of a strawberry note in the midsip. Sort of gives off Strawberry Lemonade energy, but in a more delicate and less sugary sorta way.

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I have so many Vahdam teas to drink through, but I never feel inspired to brew them up…

I made this one a few nights ago though because I was craving something more chocolate-y. It’s definitely smooth, and one of the more pleasant and unique Vahdam teas IMO if you’re not super big on all the spice heavy blends. Which is me. But of course it does have some spice because Vahdam really can’t help themselves. Cinnamon, mostly. Almost gives this tea a bit of a Mexican Hot Chocolate kind of vibe that I find pretty pleasant.

If more Vahdam teas were like this I probably wouldn’t struggle to drink through them so much…

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Made this as a hot cuppa with a splash of cream in it. The cream definitely added a thick, rich quality and amped up the more buttery caramel notes of the blend. However, I also felt like maybe I was getting more of a fruity undertone as well – particularly in the finish and aftertaste. I couldn’t quite pin down where it was coming from, but it did kind of distract from the caramel popcorn direction. In the end, I might have preferred to just drink this one plain.

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I think some of the lychee has unfortunately faded with time, but overall this was a pretty pleasant tropical leaning green tea with more noticeable notes of mango and coconut. Definitely oily mouthfeel from all that steeped out coconut fat, but I didn’t really mind it.

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drank Lavender Swirl by DAVIDsTEA
17466 tasting notes

An evening cuppa from a few nights ago. Sweet and comforting, with silky notes of creme anglais balanced by a bit more of an earthy-leaning lavender. I probably should have gone with something caffeine free, but I didn’t want the more intensely sweet flavour of something like Lavender Buttercream even though I was feeling that sorta vanilla-ish direction.

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Cold Brew!

I was really craving this tea, but then I left it cold brewing in my fridge for a couple days because that immediate need for a juicier citrusy blend gradually passed after I started my brew. It’s quite hard to make a cold brew taste bitter because the cool temperate doesn’t extract as much tannin, but I guess the grapefruit in the blend cancelled that out because whoaaaaaa this was pithy tasting!

Still had the sweet pink grapefruit notes at the top of the sip, but just then finished a lot more zesty and bitter on the backend. If I actually regularly kept different alcohol/spirits around, I feel like it would have actually been an amazing inclusion into an Aperol Spritz. Very similar vibes.

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

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drank Yuzu Sencha by Momo Tea
17466 tasting notes

Koridashi!

Though I do feel the notes of yuzu come through a little less boldly with this brewing method, the resulting “iced tea” is so incredibly crisp and sweet with the perfect harmony of fresh, vegetal and umami notes and a citrusy edge. I need to find a way to scale up my koridashi brewing this summer because I find the cup or so I’m able to make at a time is never enough to reaaalllyyyy satisfy me. Has anyone ever tried doing a pitcher-worth at a time? Definitely looking for some tips and tricks, here!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DL3B6uNSH1t/?img_index=1

Also, shout out to this gorgeous wood-fired and shino glazed mug from Eileen Sackman that’s my current obsession! The attention to detail is amazing, and I just love the sturdy weight to it. Hard to see in photo, but there’s a gorgeous olive green sheen to parts of the mug that I find especially appealing!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp6SqvnF5CQ&ab_channel=FrancMoody-Topic

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drank Sheng Pu'erh by DAVIDsTEA
17466 tasting notes

Gongfu!

It’s been a hot moment since I revisited this raw pu’erh. Perhaps because it’s maocha, but I feel like this tea has changed A LOT since I last brewed it up. A bit more on the full-bodied side with a pleasant astringency and strong woodiness to it. The Menghai characteristics of it seem to be really springing to life. I enjoyed it paired with these blackberries, too. They added a lush, juicy sweetness that balanced out a little bit of the tannic bite, and without drowning out the flavour of the tea. Nice little start to the day!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DL5n6RUy2pq/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnDdo7Pjbx0&ab_channel=CaydenWemple-Topic

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

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Gongfu!

Though I didn’t start this tea session with the intent of drinking it in the rain, it started heavily pouring quite soon after my first steep and I decided to just roll with it. The cool temperature and fresh, clean earthy smell of the droplets soaking the surrounding area only added to the atmosphere of the session – playing right into the rich, earthiness of the tea. I stacked a few infusions together at a time, and the overall result was a thick, brothy tea with strong notes of walnut, molasses, bouillon, coffee grounds, and figs. Hard to go wrong, and worth getting soaked over.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DL8QWEqhbMS/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THI4go9jmPg&ab_channel=ANTI-Records

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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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