16780 Tasting Notes

Gongfu!

It’s officially Shulloween, which means peak ripe pu’erh weather, and it’s a good thing too because I just grabbed SO MUCH new ripe pu’erh in my last order. Pretty Girls is always a gem when you brew it up, though! Thick as mud with a semi-sweet earthiness and, dare I say, bit of a buttery taste and texture. The real star is the dark and fruity undertones of raisins and jammy, cooked down black cherries. As far as shou goes, it’s very indulgent and great for looonnggg steeps stacked one on top of the other!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBo1xCVyQyi/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCiODcHafY

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Grandpa Style!

It properly feels like Autumn in Montreal now – complete with fully colour changing leaves and cool, brisk weather. With that, it means the shou cravings are picking up significantly. Especially with it being Shulloween week! Had to break out this Halloween themed mini in particular. It’s slick and sweet with an almost chocolate and carob profile that is giving me plenty of warm fuzzies. The finish ends just a bit earthy with a cozy oat-like starchy quality that really compliments the more decadent leaning profile. In some ways, it’s sort of like liquefied chocolate chip cookies!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBrd8_iSQb-/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4na2opArGY

Martin Bednář

Same here, I started to drink more shou now :)

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I had this a few nights back because, as excited as I’m getting for the holidays, it’s also nearly Halloween and I’m loving revisiting some of those teas right now too. This was a nice, rich mug with a beautiful warm purple cup colour. Definitely that sweet Jolly Rancher style of watermelon flavour which was exactly what I was craving with a richer feeling mouthfeel from the starchy sweet potato. So yummy!

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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I feel like I’m in this super weird limbo right now of being really into Halloween season and wanting to revisit all my pumpkin and otherwise Halloween-y blends but also starting to feel REALLY hyped for the holidays.

At work we’re heavy in producing all of the winter teas right now, and this one just came back in stock. I remember in the tea lab the day we were QC tasting it the whole building smelled delightfully of mint chocolate, and when I got home I just made myself the BIGGEST mug of this. Super, super smooth notes of milk chocolate with coffee undertones and then that sweet minty finish. So happy with this blend. I think it nails that peppermint mocha vibe.

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.

MadHatterTeaReview

I’m the same boat, where I want to drink Halloween teas, but want to dig deep into the holiday (peppermint, cookies, etc.) groove.

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Like Candy Cane Matcha… Gingerbread Matcha is back for the winter, and now newly organic!

This is super similar to the non-organic gingerbread matcha with that darker and more molasses-y spice note. I’ve always found it to be almost more clove heavy, and that holds true now. I will say, if anything, it’s maybe a smidge less sweet? Without having the two side by side I think it’s a darn good match. As super delicious as a latte, of course.

I’m excited to have it back, but to be totally honest my current obsession is definitely Candy Cane. Still plenty of time for me to flip back and forth between the two, though!

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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Candy Cane Matcha is back for the year… but organic!

Generally speaking the organic reformulations of DT’s different matchas are pretty identical, but this one actually is just a smidge more different. To start, it’s vegan now! The previous version had milk powder in it which helped with creaminess, but that was a struggle for us to do in the same way as an organic blend so to still get that rich creamy flavour we dropped the milk powder and added in a white chocolate flavouring.

Honestly, I love the new organic version. More than the non-organic. In fact I have been on a serious Candy Cane Matcha kick the last week or so. Seriously. I think I’ve had a bowl of it in the morning or at work pretty much every day for the last week, usually as an iced latte. I almost never repeat the teas I’m drinking in the same week; sometimes not even in the same month or months. Plural! But I’m finding this year’s release, especially creamy and cooling, and it’s I guess tickling this deep, dark subconscious part of my brain that is ready for the holidays…

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBg4P59JRQt/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Uj6QahC-8

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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85

Gongfu!

Enjoyed this tea alongside some absolutely monsterously large blueberries! I’ve really enjoyed other productions under the “Plum Beauty” banner (looking at you shou pu’erh and black tea versions), but the sheng pu’erh version hasn’t meshed with me quite as organically. However, this session really caught me off guard with just how much I enjoyed it. It’s softened and sweetened up considerably with some really intense and deliciously creamy honeycomb notes that had me churning through the steeps quite quickly. Also delightfully floral with lush, heady notes of magnolia blossoms and a round, plum-y finish. The years have definitely been very kind to this tea!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBcLF2BSbJr/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hldc-KjNB1w

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drank Wild Bush by O5 Tea
16780 tasting notes

Gongfu!

This tea is super full-bodied, aromatic, and syrupy with an overall profile that is as sweet as it is robust. There are a lot of tasting notes at play in this tea, such as freshly spun sugar, baked sweet potatoes, casacara, and cocoa, but none are quire as striking as the highly aromatic and palate enveloping flavour of cherry blossom that anchored the entire session. It was such a distinct note that I could have sword I was standing directly under a cherry blossom tree in peak season and not sitting on my bedroom floor brewing tea. Wow. Wow. Wow.

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

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6XJ90Wl7-g

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drank Raspberry Rhapsody by 52teas
16780 tasting notes

A nice enough mug, though not an immediate favourite either. Definitely chalk some of that up to the green tea base, but also I think I found the raspberry note a little one dimensional. I know Anne doesn’t use hibiscus, but some more acidity probably would have helped here even if it was in the form of some apple for a gentle nudge of brightness. That, or more sweetness/creaminess. I think next time I have this I’m gonna try to remember a pinch of sweetener to see if that makes it pop a little more for me.

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drank Pumpkin Spice Blend by Blume
16780 tasting notes

Whisked this up as a hot cashew milk latte with a little added in vanilla paste for extra richness. It was really quite delicious, even if it’s not the type of flavour profile that I personally gravitate towards as frequently. Very cozy and autumnal pumpkin spice mix with some standout notes of clove, cinnamon, and ginger. Love that you do get a bit of that authentic pumpkin taste too and it’s not all spice.

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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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