16545 Tasting Notes

77
drank Sweet Helen by RiverTea
16545 tasting notes

I cold brewed this for a total of 12 hours. Something told me it’d be an interesting cold brew. Sadly, it used up a good portion of the leaf. This is disappearing quickly, and I’m not sure yet whether I’ve really wrapped my head around it.

But anyway, it is yummy as a cold brew even if there’s no presence of chocolate at all whatsoever (that disappoints me). It’s hard to describe though – because it’s pear – completely, and totally pear – but not really creamy pear, not chemical or artificial pear, not exactly candy pear, or soft gentle floral pear…

I keep going back to overripe pear, which I think might be as close as I’ll get, but it’s not exactly ‘right’ either. It’s like…

It’s like that grainy, I want to say ‘stony’ pear texture from when you eat the actual fruit. That texture comes across magnificently in the taste. Except I don’t understand why or how. I guess I just need more time to wrap my head around this one.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 4 tsp 20 OZ / 591 ML

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95
drank Nina's Japon by Nina's Paris
16545 tasting notes

Scary close to a sipdown on this one. There’s enough left for one cup – so I’m really going to have to postpone/draw that out, despite the easy sipdown being tempting.

It was about 2 AM when I decided that I just had to drink this and I don’t got a second regret it because it was a warm, smooth comforting cup of caramel, vanilla, and yummy puffed wheat. I’m not sure if this has ruined Genmaicha for me nearly as much as it has for VariaTEA but it certainly has done a number on me.

Now, what I do regret a little is deciding to make peanut butter cookies at the same time as I made this tea. 2 AM baking is not necessarily the best or brightest idea.

…And so concludes yesterday’s backlog.

VariaTEA

Oh Japon, you tasty, tasty tea. I will restock and share again :)

Courtney

I just got some in! I can send some to you in our swap Roswell. :)

Courtney

Would you like some too VariaTEA?

VariaTEA

Haha. No thank you, I have enough to tide me over until March. Thank you for the offer though.

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70
drank Birthday Cake by DAVIDsTEA
16545 tasting notes

Nothing fancy; just a nice hot mug full of it with milk. I wanted something reliable to pair alongside the Rum Cream, just in case it wasn’t drinkable.

The oiliness of this blend is becoming increasingly bothersome, though.

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65

Sipdown (197/201)!

Again, only sort of a sipdown technically – because there’s still a little left, but I’m going to be sending it to VariaTEA because she appreciates it a lot more than I do. I wanted to get one last cup worth in though, just in case my opinion has changed.

I did severely under leaf this cup because I’ve found it to be way too strong/sour in the past – so I used less than 1 tsp. for my 8 oz. mug of it. This did affect the flavour, and I found it was more creamy with a lighter touch of strawberry/hibiscus, but I still didn’t enjoy it a whole lot so I’m happy with my decision to send what little is left to someone who will fully appreciate it.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 45 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
VariaTEA

I do like this tea quite a bit :)

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77
drank Hojicha by Zen Tea
16545 tasting notes

Sipdown (198/202)!

Well, sort of a sipdown. There’s enough for a cup left but that’s being set aside until it can be sent to someone else in a swap VariaTEA, so I’m just gonna take it out of my cupboard in the meantime.

This is my first Hojicha but I’ve read a fair bit about them so I had a relative idea of what to expect. Dry, it smelled like straw and steeped up, it smelled very much like a Genmaicha.

Taste wise, it was like a Genmaicha in the toasty, roasted quality of it but it didn’t have the “puffed wheat” taste. It gave me the same kind of “hug it close to your body for warmth and comfort” kind of feeling, though. It was really yummy, although it got relatively bitter by the time I was at the end of my mug.

I hope VariaTEA likes it! I’m not sure why, but I just have this feeling that she should really try it.

VariaTEA

Haha I look forward to it :)

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74

Sipdown (199/203)!

Ha! Finally under 200 teas – let’s see how long that lasts. My guess? Not even three days. Of course, I do hope I’m wrong.

I must say, I had mixed feelings on this one because while I do like apricot – peach is a flavour I’m very fussy about, and neither are flavours I immediately turn to or reach for the same way I do with pears or bananas or pineapple. That’s why I was really surprised when I brewed this one up.

The black base here is really nice. Very smooth and I’ve found kinda malty, and it doesn’t get bitter or astringent very easily. All of those are things I can get behind, and I don’t think it’s premature of me to be saying that I’m really a fan of the black base used by Just Organic Tea.

The flavouring in this one was an interesting experience in and of itself. Where I was expecting peach/apricot I was immediately sucker punched with the lemon myrtle/calendula which was very tasty and creamy and just delicious. However, I found that they were the dominant flavour in this tea and the apricot very heavily sat in the background. I couldn’t even taste the peach in this at all.

So, I have to rate this accordingly because it was incredibly delicious as a black lemon tea, but it fell really short on its name because it was not a Peach/Apricot tea at all.

Flavors: Apricot, Honey, Lemon Zest

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML
VariaTEA

Yay for under 200!!

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92
drank Redberry Tonic by DAVIDsTEA
16545 tasting notes

Sipdown (200/204)!

I cold brewed that last of my sample of this one! I probably should have let it cold brew longer because this was rather weak in taste, but I was being impatient to drink it and get my next cold brew started, so I took it out after about six hours of cold brewing. Weak may not have been too bad though, because it lacked the somewhat off putting sourness it sometimes has.

This is more than likely going to make a reappearance in my cupboard come summertime. Right now, it’s missed but not in an immediate capacity.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 3 tsp 20 OZ / 591 ML

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87
drank Coconut Grove by DAVIDsTEA
16545 tasting notes

Also part of my round of whites teas, probably because I was still in a coconut mindset following the amazing Coconut Oolong that I enjoyed.

This one is really very tasty and very light (less buttery, though) – but a slight downside of it is the oiliness, which was really pronounced (more than usual) in this mug. Maybe that’s because I’m getting even closer to the bottom of the bag and the pieces are becoming increasingly more broken. It’ll be a really sad day when I run out of this.

It needs a triumphant return.

Flavors: Coconut

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100

Had a round of white tea while there was company over. Nothing new or all that fancy – just some teas that I find to be really consistent in flavour that I knew would be enjoyable while Kristina was over.

Of course this was one of them! It’s my first flavoured white love and my favourite currant tea and just so delicious!

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83
drank Coconut Oolong by Zen Tea
16545 tasting notes

So I remember that this came from the “Take it Away” thread, and that it was added in as an extra by the same person who added in the Taiwanese Mountain Assam, but I can’t for the life of me remember whom that was from! Damn! So sorry to whoever that package came from – I definitely appreciated it even if my lack of recollection may make it appear otherwise.

Dry the smell from this one is intense. I have it double bagged right now and can still slightly smell it. It’s amazing, delicious coconut – and so fresh, too.

Steeped up, this is really, really damn good. It’s a very buttery, and true kind of natural coconut. No frills or anything fancy to it – just coconut. I like that; it’s not trying to be anything else and it doesn’t over complicate itself because it doesn’t need to in order to be flat out amazing.

Why did I let this sample sit so long before trying it? I’m really happy to have more cups left of it, anyway! Mmm!

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Profile

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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