72

God Dammit Steepster! Eating my tasting notes while I’m at work… On this stupid work till I can’t copy/paste so there’s no way to save my notes. Plus side? I have plenty of time to rewrite it…

Anyway this morning I went to make my work tea and I saw that the package of this was out on the counter despite my not having it in several days and definitely not bringing it out last night. Maybe Tre pulled it out and made himself a mug? That’d be out of character for him (especially since he hates Cherries) but I guess not totally unbelievable. I did just mail away the last of my Red Velvet Cake (I hated it, he loved it) so I suppose he has to find a replacement tea to drink now.

I decided, though, that why not make this as one of my two work teas? I haven’t had it in a while, and it’d be a good contrast to the other tea I had in mind. So for preparation, I used a level 1 1/2 tsp. in 10 oz. of boiling water for 4 minutes. I also steeped my other work tea (Buddha Bamboo, from Tea Desire) at the same time and the two teas steeping together, both with very strong aromas, created this really, really weird smell.

This was was poured into my water bottle because I figured I MIGHT like this better cold – I seem to have a problem with hot cola flavored things (coke just isn’t supposed to be hot – it’s not comforting and off putting). So, after the nice chilly trip to work this one is pretty cold. I can start sipping at it now!

Taste wise – the cakeyness is REALLY coming through strongly today. Everything else, though, is just a garbled mess where even though I know I’m tasting each listed ingredient the blend is just too busy and overwhelming for my to pin point anything in particular. However, occasionally in every few sips I am getting this very sharp note of cherry (like those cherry coke gummy candies) that bites through the mess of other things going on. However, that tastes fades back into the clusterfuck of other things going on just as quickly as it emerges.

Halfway relevant to this tea drinking experience, when I was making my tea this morning I forgot that I had cut open my gums under my lower lip – and each sip I take is irritating the cut and my poor, swollen, and tender mouth. I doubt the Buddha Bamboo is going to be much nicer on the mouth (but maybe on the taste buds) later today either. Ow :(

And, totally not related but on a more positive note, I’m happy to note that my mall seems to have invested in a few more holiday CDs (I’m convinced they were looping one, maybe two, with lyrics and then another one of all instrumental music). Maybe that’s because ‘Santa’ is coming to the mall today (his first day all the way until Dec. 23rd) and they wanted some variety and ‘newer’ music (what they’ve been playing is all old timey type of carols) for all the children and younger parents who’ll be in the mall.

Something else neat? When he shows up today he’ll be bringing his reindeer. That’s right – you heard me. There will be live reindeer in the mall today for a couple hours (though not 12, just four).

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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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