Slowly making my way through catching up on tasting notes…

This was a new matcha from last Friday’s collection – definitely one of the more unique ones that have come out in a while, though I think all the matcha this year has been pretty solid. Well, except for Bubble Gum Matcha – I wasn’t a huge fan of that one. I feel like this is almost as far away from a Bubble Gum Matcha that you can get, though!

It’s not as out there as Kale Matcha (I did like that one though), but this matcha has some cool ingredients – including both ginger powder and apple cider vinegar powder. As such, there’s some kick to it! Both in terms of ginger heat/tickle in the back of your throat as well as some tang from the ACV powder. So, it’s really appropriately named in my opinion. I know that Ginger is associated with digestion, and I know that ACV has a TON of associated wellness benefits too – but I don’t really care about any of them on a personal level at all. I just get excited whenever we’re carrying a new ingredient in a tea blend, and as someone who loves vinegar in just about every form I love the flavour in this tea too! The apple just tastes fresh, zingy and crisp. It reminds me a little bit of hard ciders in pubs after long shifts at work – but just a bit healthier/without the hangovers.

Things of note, at least in my opinion – this is a sweetened matcha but it is considerably less sweetened than the typical flavoured matcha from DT so don’t expect that same level of sweetness from the blend. I’m not actually sure what steeping recommendations we’re putting on the web labels for this one, in terms of matcha spoon amount, but my personal preference is to use just a TINY bit more than what I would typically use for a straight matcha. If you dose this one heavily, like a flavoured matcha, you’re in for a world of hurt because the flavour of this one can get INTENSE!

Also – you can’t really make this one into a latte and honestly, even if you could, I can’t really picture the flavour translating well with milk. I like it hot and plain or hot with honey, but it’s okay iced too. A coworker tried it as a tea pop the other day and enjoyed it made that was as well, for what it’s worth.

It takes a lot to get me on board with intense ginger flavours, but I think in this case my love of apple cider vinegar outweighs my complicated relationship with ginger.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGPzBvfA-pK/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUxT5FrpOL8&ab_channel=Bobbing-Topic

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 and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Tiffany :)

I’m so excited about this one and I am a ginger fan! :D

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Tiffany :)

I’m so excited about this one and I am a ginger fan! :D

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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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