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Roswell Strange drank Zest Wishes by DAVIDsTEA

16741 tasting notes

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One of the two new blends from this year’s first in store Winter/Holiday collection. I was intrigued by the name of this one when it was announced to staff; zest definitely implies a citrus blend and I couldn’t think of how that would be spun to be a winter appropriate flavour. Mostly because I was imagining it as a lemon blend ’cause DT seems to have an obsession with creating new lemon blends.

When I found out it was a spiced orange blend that made a lot more sense to me though; we carry another blend like that (Spice Is Right) and I’ve always said that I associate that flavour with Winter/Christmas for whatever reason. I got my first taste of this as a free sample with an online order, which actually arrived before the collection had officially come out. I was really excited to try it!

Steeped up… I think it’s a little boring!?

I mean, the tea smells totally fine as dry leaf and while steeping/steeped and the taste is certainly not bad at all – but it’s kind of unexciting and doesn’t really bring anything to the table (flavour wise) that I think isn’t already present in the teas that we carry year round. We already have an oolong with that sweet/bright orange flavour (The Skinny) and as I mentioned already there is ALSO another spiced orange blend. This one isn’t even as strongly spice flavoured as Spice Is Right; it’s like a milder/stripped down version of it. I guess that’s a win if you find Spice Is Right to be too intense!? However I like Spice Is Right exactly how it is so a milder version of it is just not interesting to me.

So yeah – that’s where I land with this one. It’s hear and it’s just sort of… “meh”.

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.

Flavors: Bitter, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Mineral, Orange, Orange Zest, Wood

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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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