82
drank Gingerbread by DAVIDsTEA
16374 tasting notes

Urgh. I just got home from day #1 of my store opening. All things considered, it went really well. We had a few hiccups, like the fact we don’t have a deposit key yet (so our cash profit is being kept in a fairly shifty and not all that secure place) and the fact our register seems to be broken and the cash drawer does not automatically open after each sale (so we can give back change), but all in all it could have gone MUCH worse.

That said, it was a very long day for me (12h 30m shift) – and most of my body aches. I’m severely slacking off on household chores/duties right now, too. It’s my turn to buy eggs and do the dishes but I’m putting off both of these things as long as humanely possible. I just have NO time or energy. I really should do the dishes though… The pile of dishes is now overflowing from the sink which is not good and doesn’t do much to make the house seem more relaxing. Maybe if I can hold off on doing them another 5 days until payday I can pay Tre to do them. God, I’m an awful roommate right now (but at least I have rent money).

A plus, my swap from VariaTEA came today! My landlord was the one to receive it, and he gave it to me when I got in after work. He commented that it smelled really good, like chocolate. And he was correct! The Read My Lips in the package smells VERY strong. I’m so excited to try them all (especially since VariaTEA snuck in an extra tea I wasn’t expecting) but I just have no energy to make tea right now. I’m thinking that at least one of them is going to come with me to work tomorrow though.

So with this tea, I actually prepared it last night for merchandising, but didn’t end up drinking it (I had a full timolino of Salted Caramel and had that instead). So it wasn’t exactly “fresh” when I had it at work today. However, it was still really good. It’s very sweet and rich in molasses flavour and reminds me of yummy ginger snaps (I guess I should note I drank this cold). I had neutral feelings at the start of my first time drinking this, and by the end of my timolino it had grown on me quite a bit. Well, same goes for drinking this today. As a cold tea I started off thinking “Hmm, this is ok…” and went to thinking “Wow! This is really good!”. I honestly think I’m going to be picking up a tin of this before the collection leaves. This one and Choconut Oolong are keepers for me – and White Chocolate Frost is something I want a little bit more of (but not a whole tin).

I’m trying to remember how I prepared this, and I think it was a heaping 1/2 tbsp. steeping in boiling water for 7 minutes, resteeped the exact same way with both cups poured off into my water bottle. Very yummy – hot or cold.

VariaTEA

YAY! You got it!! And my efforts to conceal the smell just did not work it seems :( I hope you like the teas though and I look forward to reading your tasting notes on them soon.

Also congrats on a (mostly) good store opening!!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Comments

VariaTEA

YAY! You got it!! And my efforts to conceal the smell just did not work it seems :( I hope you like the teas though and I look forward to reading your tasting notes on them soon.

Also congrats on a (mostly) good store opening!!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer