drank 2018 Nightlife by white2tea
16802 tasting notes

So, this is a tea I drank – but this tasting note isn’t really about that. It just happened to be what I was sipping on when I had to put down my fancy rat, Wasabi, earlier in the week. I can’t say I was paying attention to the tea at all; it was just liquid warmth at a difficult time.

A few weeks ago I came home from work only to find him shaking in his cage, completely soiled in what looked like bloody stool. It was really scary; especially because he’d been perfectly fine just this morning when I left for work. I cleaned him up, and then brought him upstairs to watch TV with me so I could keep an eye on him. That evening he only appeared to be getting worse/more sluggish/weak and he kept having liquid, bloody looking stool. So, we brought him to the 24/7 emergency vet clinic.

They basically told us that he had a colon infection, which is what was the issues with his stool, but we also learned that he very well might have colon cancer as well. They basically told us that they couldn’t be sure if he had cancer until they cleared the infection, so if we wanted to pay for the antibiotics that it would treat the infection but we should also know that it wasn’t a guarantee that he would get better if he was experiencing more than the infection. We took the chance, and I got the antibiotics to treat the infection.

So, for ten days I syringe fed him a liquid pain killer and antibiotic twice a day. For a while, he did look like he was getting better. Slowly his stool went back to its normal shape and he seemed happier and more active. However, a few days after the antibiotics ran out things took a turn for the negative. He began eating less frequently, though he was still drinking plenty of water. He was still active, though – seemed happy and moved around normally. However, the amount of food he was consuming daily just increasingly became less and less, and he started losing a scary amount of weight. We tried different types of foods/diets, and for a couple days it looked like maybe we’d found a good combination. I think it was a fluke though, because he quickly went back to not eating much, and then not eating at all. The weight loss was scary; and around Thanksgiving he was running up one of the ramps in his cage but clearly struggling with doing so because of the fatigue from loss of food. He slipped, and fell off the ramp onto the bottom of the cage. It wasn’t long after that that he stopped drinking water, as well.

I had definitely been slowly coming to terms with the fact that he simply wasn’t going to get better, and I think subconsciously I was definitely preparing myself for the reality I might come home from work one day and he’d have passed or that I would have to put him down. On Monday I decided to book a vet appointment to see if there was anything else we could do, and we scheduled it for Wednesday evening. However, Wednesday morning when I woke up and then went to check on him/feed him he was almost completely still/unmoving in his cage – and when he did move, to come to the cage door and greet me, his back legs weren’t working, and he had to drag himself forward with his front legs and his back half was completely lifeless. He appeared to be paralyzed.

We brought him in to the vet immediately and it was decided that the best thing to do for him, given how much pain he was clearly in and the progression of his cancer, was to put him down. It was hard; but it was the best thing that we could do for him. I at least had plenty of time to say goodbye to him, and had basically accepted this as an inevitability a long time ago – so while it wasn’t easy, it was expected.

So this note is for you, Wasabi. You were such a good, gentle and well behaved rat. Over the approximate three years that we had you, you never bit anyone once, and you were always so generous with your kisses. A truly good companion.

Love ya’.

Cameron B.

I’m so sorry for your loss. :(

Sending healing tea-filled thoughts.

derk

Massive hugs! My ex used to have a bunch of rat companions years before we got together and he just glowed every time he talked about them. Damn, Wasabi, 3 years? Heckin’ long rat life <3

Lexie Aleah

Losing an animal is just the hardest. It’s not fair that they have such a short lifespan compared to humans. I’m very sorry for your loss.

LuckyMe

Oh no, sounds like such a loving pet. Sorry for your loss.

annie

I am so so sorry for your loss, losing pets/furry family is so hard.

Mastress Alita

I’m so sorry for the loss of your furry family. I’ve always been of the opinion that we are fortunate that we are able to repay our fur-babies for all the love and warmth they’ve brought into our lives by being able to show them that love and kindness by being able to end their suffering when its their time. You did a good thing and I’m sure he felt your love every minute of those three years. <3

mrmopar

Sorry Ros. He was blessed though to have a caring someone like you in his life.

tea-sipper

I’m so sorry you lost your fancy rat.

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Cameron B.

I’m so sorry for your loss. :(

Sending healing tea-filled thoughts.

derk

Massive hugs! My ex used to have a bunch of rat companions years before we got together and he just glowed every time he talked about them. Damn, Wasabi, 3 years? Heckin’ long rat life <3

Lexie Aleah

Losing an animal is just the hardest. It’s not fair that they have such a short lifespan compared to humans. I’m very sorry for your loss.

LuckyMe

Oh no, sounds like such a loving pet. Sorry for your loss.

annie

I am so so sorry for your loss, losing pets/furry family is so hard.

Mastress Alita

I’m so sorry for the loss of your furry family. I’ve always been of the opinion that we are fortunate that we are able to repay our fur-babies for all the love and warmth they’ve brought into our lives by being able to show them that love and kindness by being able to end their suffering when its their time. You did a good thing and I’m sure he felt your love every minute of those three years. <3

mrmopar

Sorry Ros. He was blessed though to have a caring someone like you in his life.

tea-sipper

I’m so sorry you lost your fancy rat.

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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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