drank Santa's Secret by DAVIDsTEA
16790 tasting notes

Adventageddon Day 21

Is it even the 24 Days of Tea if it doesn’t include Santa’s Secret!? I think this is probably DT’s most iconic Christmas/Winter tea, so I knew it was going to pop up eventually. Honestly, I’m surprised it wasn’t the tea for the 24th though!

In the great “battle” between this tea and Candy Cane Crush I’m really much more of a Candy Cane Crush person, but I have to admit in the last year or so I’m starting to kind of level out between the two and I think my preference today would honestly be something somewhere in the middle.

Anyway, I saved this one for last today – not because of any negative reason but more because I knew I was going to be spending my afternoon at a Christmas/holiday art market called Puces Pop and I wanted to bring tea in a travel mug/thermos and this was my most festive adventageddon tea by a long shot. The market was really cool (and crowded!) and, of course, I didn’t leave home empty handed. I’m proud of myself for not picking up a ton of jewelry I won’t wear despite how freaking cool it was, buuuuut I did get a bunch of ceramics/pottery. Mostly teacups, but one mug too.

My biggest gripe with this tea has always been that the vanilla note tastes more like fondant than creamy vanilla, but actually sipping on this in the cold from my travel mug kind of took the edge off the vanilla and let me just warm up and melt into the smooth, silky black tea base and that hint of cooling peppermint. It really more like a gentle candy cane profile than thick frosting/sugar dough and I appreciated that a lot! Kind of crazy how drinking a tea in a travel thermos versus a mug versus a teapot can impact the flavour of a tea so noticeably – but not in a bad way. Those little inconsistencies add to the magic of tea for me.

Today’s Advent Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DD2z0qQS4Nm/?img_index=1

Not pictured – me opening this door absentmindedly and almost immediately falling down ten feet of stairs because the STEEP staircase to the market floor was less than a foot in front of this doorway. Thankfully I noticed at the very last second.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gDUUp5iKns&ab_channel=CigarettesAfterSex

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.

Leafhopper

Yikes! That sounds like a major safety hazard. Hope you’re okay!

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Leafhopper

Yikes! That sounds like a major safety hazard. Hope you’re okay!

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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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