86

I haven’t the faintest idea why, but I’m in a serious “everything is better with milk” mood these last few days in regard to tea. First the Cranberry Pear, and Love Tea #7 too – and now this one. I wasn’t even intending to add milk to this, but next thing I knew I was walking back to my cozy couch and tucking myself into a burrito of blankets all the while holding a mug of this with milk in it. Hmm… Maybe it’s because I’d essentially gone dairy free for two weeks – and now my body is bulking up on it? Or something to that effect?

Anyway – for preparation I steeped 2 tsp. in 8 oz of boiling water. I’m not exactly sure how long the steep time was since I was really zoned out. Basically, I let it steep until it felt right? I also had to seriously shake up my tin, because all of the spearmint had sunk to the bottom.

Taste wise, I’m getting light spearmint which is refreshing and a whole lot of gooseberry (I’m happy about this, too often the gooseberry is hard to find under all the orange). The milk is contributing a thick, creamy mouthfeel and a slightly creamier taste but since this is usually pretty creamsicle like there’s not a whole lot added that wasn’t at least somewhat present before. The sip finishes off with a lingering orange taste that works its way into all the crevices of the mouth. Very relaxing.

In picking a herbal tonight, I realized I actually have a fairly limited selection of herbals – both in fruit blends and otherwise. And, next to nothing on its way to me is herbal either. Something to consider next time I go into DAVIDsTEA or Tea Desire, I suppose. I do have Guava Cadabra on my Christmas list (and if I don’t get any I’ll buy some for myself) and will be getting a sample of Forever Nuts sometime from Robyn. I could also take a trip to McQuarries and look for a herbal blend or two. Anything else I should try from either place?

Oh! And I’m not officially caught up on Supernatural! One hundred percent it feels weird not have more episodes to get through… Time to watch something else, I guess. Do I finally cave and watch all of Doctor Who (and actually in order this time)? I don’t think I’d want to get into Classic Who.

VariaTEA

I am a fan of Mulberry Magic and Pistachio Cream – worth a taste if you haven’t tried it already.

Roswell Strange

I’ve tried Pistachio Cream – it was alright. I’ve thought about trying Mulberry Magic – I love both mulberries and macadamia nuts. Have you tried DT’s Mango Lassi? That’s one that looks kinda interesting too.

VariaTEA

I had a weird experience because when I first tried it, I thought it was really good but then I was sitting next to a teapot of it and something about the smell was just off putting to me. Honestly though I think that is more a reflection on me than the tea because it does taste like mango and it is quite creamy, I think I am just not a huge fan of chamomile.

VariaTEA

It is definitely worth a try though. Especially if you don’t mind chamomile. I sent what I had to Cavo and she is definitely a fan.

Roswell Strange

I only have one chamomile tea right now (David’s Bravissimo), and I keep it stocked because it’s a good licorice tea. I’m not a huge fan of the taste of chamomile but I acknowledge it as a great before bed tea – which is sorta what I’m looking for. I want more fruity herbals to cold brew, and more spice/nutty/actual herb ones for late at night.

Roswell Strange

And Mango Lassi could maybe be both?

VariaTEA

If you want actual herbal, digestif was not bad tbh – it has catnip in it which was strange I thought but it is not a bad tea. I can send you some samples of the fee herbals I have around my apartment if you like.

Roswell Strange

The catnip sounds interesting, and I’m a fan of most of the other listed ingredients (like peppermint and fennel). It’s the ginger root that’s scared me off in the past (not a fan, at all). But it might be worth a try anyway. Anyway, don’t feel obligated to send me anything :P

VariaTEA

I don’t have many David herbals left because I gave away a lot of them but I would be happy to send you a cup or two of the ones I have. Have you tried the herbals that are part of the winter collection? They are Sleigh Ride, Alpine Punch, and White Chocolate Frost.

Roswell Strange

I have White Chocolate Frost all stocked up (couldn’t resist more mint), but haven’t tried the other two. Although, I’m deliberately avoiding Sleigh Ride because of the raisins.

VariaTEA

Oops, Alpine Punch is a rooibos blend.

Roswell Strange

(That makes sense as to why I didn’t see it in the listed herbals last time I took a peak – I figured I’d just skimmed over it)

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Comments

VariaTEA

I am a fan of Mulberry Magic and Pistachio Cream – worth a taste if you haven’t tried it already.

Roswell Strange

I’ve tried Pistachio Cream – it was alright. I’ve thought about trying Mulberry Magic – I love both mulberries and macadamia nuts. Have you tried DT’s Mango Lassi? That’s one that looks kinda interesting too.

VariaTEA

I had a weird experience because when I first tried it, I thought it was really good but then I was sitting next to a teapot of it and something about the smell was just off putting to me. Honestly though I think that is more a reflection on me than the tea because it does taste like mango and it is quite creamy, I think I am just not a huge fan of chamomile.

VariaTEA

It is definitely worth a try though. Especially if you don’t mind chamomile. I sent what I had to Cavo and she is definitely a fan.

Roswell Strange

I only have one chamomile tea right now (David’s Bravissimo), and I keep it stocked because it’s a good licorice tea. I’m not a huge fan of the taste of chamomile but I acknowledge it as a great before bed tea – which is sorta what I’m looking for. I want more fruity herbals to cold brew, and more spice/nutty/actual herb ones for late at night.

Roswell Strange

And Mango Lassi could maybe be both?

VariaTEA

If you want actual herbal, digestif was not bad tbh – it has catnip in it which was strange I thought but it is not a bad tea. I can send you some samples of the fee herbals I have around my apartment if you like.

Roswell Strange

The catnip sounds interesting, and I’m a fan of most of the other listed ingredients (like peppermint and fennel). It’s the ginger root that’s scared me off in the past (not a fan, at all). But it might be worth a try anyway. Anyway, don’t feel obligated to send me anything :P

VariaTEA

I don’t have many David herbals left because I gave away a lot of them but I would be happy to send you a cup or two of the ones I have. Have you tried the herbals that are part of the winter collection? They are Sleigh Ride, Alpine Punch, and White Chocolate Frost.

Roswell Strange

I have White Chocolate Frost all stocked up (couldn’t resist more mint), but haven’t tried the other two. Although, I’m deliberately avoiding Sleigh Ride because of the raisins.

VariaTEA

Oops, Alpine Punch is a rooibos blend.

Roswell Strange

(That makes sense as to why I didn’t see it in the listed herbals last time I took a peak – I figured I’d just skimmed over it)

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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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