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Roswell Strange drank Red Quinoa Tea With Grains by Magnet

16584 tasting notes

So, this come in sachets.

I was SUPER curious about it because I’ve had a lot of roasted barley/buckwheat type teas and I usually actually like them quite a bit. However, quinoa in tea feels like a whole other ballgame and I’m not sure if it’s something that would work well? Of course, I’m DYING to find out though!

The smell of all the tea bags in the little plastic jar that they come in it actually really unpleasant; it almost smells sour (in the sense of something spoiled) in addition to having the smell of dried out quinoa/grains. Like, it’s not really roasty in any way – just dried out grains. It’s weird, and makes me feel really hesitant to proceed with this tasting…

Steeped up, it’s actually not even close to tasting as bad as it smelled. The bulk of that weird sourness has gone away and what I feel like I’m left with it a tea that reminds me a little of drinking a “quinoa bar” (like a granola bar, but, well, quinoa). It’s not that it’s unpleasant or gross, but it’s just not very good either. Like, apart from the taste of the quinoa it’s rather flavorless and it lacks any sort of depth at all: there’s not really any sweetness or any sort of roasty quality at all. Roastiness is definitely what I personally look for in these sort of teas, so the lack of a roast is pretty disappointing to me.

However, even letting that aspect go I just can’t figure out what I’m supposed to be enjoying about this in terms of flavour? Like, am I just supposed to be all “Hooray – a tea that tastes eerily close to quinoa! The taste of grains without literally any of the benefits! My favourite!” ’Cause… Well, no.

I don’t know. It was weird. At least I can say that I’ve tried it though, I suppose?

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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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