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Roswell Strange drank Rooibos de Provence by DAVIDsTEA

16924 tasting notes

#ProjectTeaWall

So yesterday I tried this tea iced – my first time trying it!

No, at least as far as I’m aware, this tea isn’t coming back any time soon. So how did I get to try it when it’s been retired for quite some time now? Well, my coworker Sarah has a pretty massive stockpile of it since it’s her all time favourite tea to ever be made by DAVIDsTEA and when she mentioned this the other day I told her I never actually had a chance to try this one before it was retired, so she brought me a sample of it on our last shift together.

Just going on dry smell alone, I could really get a strong sense of the lavender and rose but the fruity notes seemed a bit more abstract to me. Steeped up though, the blueberry REALLY strongly comes though and I have to say that I adore the sweet, juiciness of it contrasted against the smooth, delicate rose notes and stronger lavender. I do tend to enjoy, in general, pretty well every blend DT has made with blueberry though. Blueberry Jam is obviously my favourite, but Dark Chocolate Delight, Buchu Superfruit, Bear Trap, Serenity Now, Blueberry Matcha, and even to some extent Blue Lagoon have all been teas I enjoyed. Only one that jumps out as a blueberry tea that I overall disliked is Blueberry Muffin.

I do wish I could taste the currants in this a little more – they’re rather lost in between the blueberry and floral notes. This is super hydrating and refreshing though, and in my opinion pretty damn well balanced. I 100% see why it’s Sarah’s be all and end all. That said, I also feel like I get why it was retired too. There’s a lot of overlap between this one and Serenity Now as far as flavour goes: both prominently feature lavender and berry notes while also both being caffeine free. It makes sense to only carry one when they’re filling the same position in the wall, so to speak. How they picked which one? Well, that part I don’t know. I enjoyed this but I also enjoy Serenity Now and I think I’d be happy seeing either on the wall, personally.

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

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Arby
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I had no idea it had been retired. D:

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Arby
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I had no idea it had been retired. D:

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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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