57
drank Canoe Lake Blend by Pluck
16384 tasting notes

So, recently placed an online order with Chapters for a couple new tea focused books; I’m trying to expand my tea book collection a little more! Right now, I’m at something like seven tea themed books, give or take a few, with a new one on the way. But of course if you’re gonna order from Chapters you’re adding in something tea related!

I’ve tried a few Pluck teas now, most of which I have got from Chapters and they’ve been a little hit or miss honestly. However after browsing the tea options online right now, this one sort of jumped out at me because it’s just kind of unique/different. So, I tossed it in. What could it hurt?

Well, it showed up yesterday so I brought it along to work and made an iced cup!

This tea is weird – though not in a bad way.

So, it’s definitely a smoky flavour overall but it also has a lot of sweetness to it. Basically, it’s kind of like a smoky maple flavour, which is weirdly delicious! There are a lot of ingredients here as well that just seem a little out of place; like the jasmine for example. I don’t know that I particularly tasted jasmine in the cup so it wasn’t an issue, but why even include it? What is it doing? Also, it’s got licorice root which I worried would give it that really unpleasant sweet aftertaste but no… that didn’t happen either.

So, as much as this is kind of just a weird burnt sugar/smoky maple toffee flavour I have to admit that the woodyness of the rooibos in combination with the smoky notes actually do really make me thing of summer campfires, which kind of actually hits the nail on the head in regard to the name of the blend. It’s strangely outdoorsy feeling, which is weird because it’s kind of just smoked maple but yeah. I totally get that camping kind of vibe from it.

This also probably would have made a lot more sense as a hot tea as well, but I’ve gotta say the iced sweet smoke flavour wasn’t bad. Again, and I know I’m getting repetitive, it was super weird/strange – but pleasantly so. Yeah, I’m going to tentatively say that I really enjoyed this tea and will probably enjoy it a lot in the future too…

VariaTEA

I was going to send you this to try lol

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VariaTEA

I was going to send you this to try lol

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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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