Next up for the Macaron Collection; iced for my first tasting.

Of the three teas, this is definitely the one I was most excited about…

Right up until I read the ingredients list, that is. Personally, a tea named Raspberry Meringue on a white base sounds phenomenal to me; something light, airy and fluffy with a delicate raspberry sweetness and maybe a sliver of creaminess? My biggest fear would be that there would be added sugar/sweetner, and this would become too sweet. Well, low and behold this IS sugar in this. Not even cane sugar either – just sugar sugar. Additionally, they’ve added green tea, chamomile, and a whole bunch of tropical fruits? The ingredients for this just sort of look like a mess to me, and I couldn’t see how they would come together in a positive way.

When we cracked the bag open to fill the tin for this blend it wasn’t promising either; despite being a fresh shipment of tea for a brand new launch and a sealed kilogram bag it just sort of smelled stale, flat and almost musty to me? I was really hoping to be proved otherwise though.

My first taste was not positive. I’ve tried to come up with a delicate way of putting it, but it really boils down to the tea just tasting bad. It’s not that it was over steeped/the leaf was scorched by too hot of water: I’m very careful about that, and there was no bitterness or astringency. That weird mustyness/stale quality carried through into the taste for me though, and it really negatively affected the profile. Honestly, what it made me think of was my Grandma’s storage attic where she has all these boxes that I’m pretty sure have just been sitting for like 30 odd years. They have a thick layer of dust on them and when I drank this I felt like I was licking the layer of dust. Bleck.

It wasn’t all bad though; the finish does have a nice raspberry note to it and if I could find a way to make the whole sip taste like that finish I think I’d enjoy it. The raspberry is somewhat tangy, with just a hint of acidity and it comes off pretty realistically/naturally. Like eating REALLY ripe raspberries out of my grandma’s raspberry bush. This is the aspect of the tea I’m choosing to focus on when talking about it to people coming into the store. Also, interesting that regardless of which element of the blend I talk about it all comes back to good ol’ Granny Strange.

It’s also interesting to me because I’ve had A LOT of customers come in and sample this as the TOTD and lots of them LOVE IT. I can’t help but wonder what they’re tasting that’s so different from what I getting. Taste is subjective though, so perhaps my tastebuds are just in the minority with this one? But yeah, of the three this is definitely my least favourite.

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.

Sébastien Tremblay

Maybe we dont have the same kind of raspberrys, because for me, this was the most on-point raspberrys flavours Davids Tea ever got. I’m loving it, and totaly get the meringue vibe from it.

Super Starling!

“Granny Strange” sounds like she’d be a wonderful character in a TV show about a young witch (adopted at birth!) discovering her magical roots.

Roswell Strange

@Sebastien

I’m really wondering if there’s just an ingredient in this that I’m rather adverse to because I’ve retried this since and I definitely still have the same opinion, but the store I’m at has had so many people come in raving about this one that I’m certainly in the minority.

Where in Canada are you located, out of curiosity?

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Sébastien Tremblay

Maybe we dont have the same kind of raspberrys, because for me, this was the most on-point raspberrys flavours Davids Tea ever got. I’m loving it, and totaly get the meringue vibe from it.

Super Starling!

“Granny Strange” sounds like she’d be a wonderful character in a TV show about a young witch (adopted at birth!) discovering her magical roots.

Roswell Strange

@Sebastien

I’m really wondering if there’s just an ingredient in this that I’m rather adverse to because I’ve retried this since and I definitely still have the same opinion, but the store I’m at has had so many people come in raving about this one that I’m certainly in the minority.

Where in Canada are you located, out of curiosity?

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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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