88
drank Brasiliano by Tea Desire
16545 tasting notes

WOOT!!! Guess who just got hired by Tea Desire! That’s right, me! I’m absolutely freaking out from the excitement! And of course, what was my first (ok, maybe not my first – but top five for sure) thought? How is this going to affect my Steepster reviews? Because, well, I drink Tea Desire’s blends quite often and I already have a ton of reviews up for their blends.

So – what is the most fair/reasonable thing to do? I want to be absolutely transparent in that I have no intention of high scoring anything just to raise the ratings of the blends and if that means not actually giving a rating to the teas I try, then I’m ok with that. However, I would like to keep reviewing and logging the teas – so is that ok if I’m not actually scoring them?

And then – what about the blends I’ve already tried and scored? Would it be better if I removed the ratings on them or is it ok to leave them up since I reviewed/rated them prior to being hired by Tea Desire?

Thoughts and Opinions of others very much welcomed.

I made a Tea Desire blend in “celebration”, and also because I needed the little extra energy. The taste of the cup is no different than what I’ve stated in previous reviews.

Anyway, I start on Thursday the day after I get back from my vacation…

Excited and nervous sigh/squeal combo??

keychange

omg! I’d been hoping to read this news! Congratu-friggin-lations, woman!! ya ya ya ya ya ya yaya!!!!!! I have no advice re what you should do, but imagine that you could probably ge some guidance from the people who hired you.

yyz

Congrats! Agree with Key change, some companies have policies regarding these things.

Roswell Strange

Funnily enough, Steepster was one of the things discussed during my interviews (I had three) – so they are aware I’m using it to review teas. I want to take them into consideration as well as other Steepster members; I definitely don’t want people to feel like I’m exploiting the review system or anything like that. Does anyone know what other people who have been hired by, say, DAVIDsTEA or Teavana have done?

keychange

I hope for everyone’s sake that tea desire’s policy on reviews is more…flexible than that of Teavana’s. Several steepsterites have been fired for various steepster-related reasons, although I seriously doubt tea desire is equally…rigid.

caile

Yay – that’s great news! Congratulations!

VariaTEA

Congratulations!!! That is amazing :) YAY!!!

Roswell Strange

@Keychange: Oh wow – that’s pretty awful. I don’t think they’ll be that rigid. After all, like I said, it was mentioned in my interviews that I do frequently use Steepster (and this was with the head of the company), so it shouldn’t be a shock. I think it should be fine to leave all my reviews from prior to being hired intact like they currently are (ratings and all). Maybe the best solution is just to leave all future reviews unrated? And maybe just describe what I taste without stating a personal like/dislike towards it? Just facts, if you will.

Kelci

Congrats to You!!! If you talked about reviewing during interviews, I would assume they are OK with it, but then again assuming can get you in… If you are a little leery about bringing it up maybe ask a coworker if they try different teas, talk with people about them, and such. I bet a coworker will help steer you in the direction that you will be comfortable with, if not in where to find out more info or give your info themselves that steers you into a comfort zone on how to proceed.

keychange

I honestly think it would be best to get advice right from the HR people; they’ll be honest about what the company will find acceptable, and it’s always better to sort this out in advance rather than risk them reacting to something they’re not happy about. So so excited for you!

Lala

I would do as suggested about getting advice from HR. In my opinion I think it is ok to review the tea, but I would suggest not giving it a numerical rating. That way you can show “bias” by rating all the teas super high, etc.

K S

Woo Hoo! … and I agree with Lala.

TeaLady441

Congrats!
And I hope you figure something out.
My first question would have been re:discounts, (haha) except I’d be afraid of looking greedy.

I like that they are aware of Steepster! I’ve talked to so many people at DAVIDsTEA who have never heard of it.

Sil

Congratulations! That’s fantastic news

Roswell Strange

Thanks for the congratulations all of you :) I’m super excited, and will definitely inquire in person how they feel about my posting reviews, and in the mean time I just wont post anything Tea Desire review related.

Fjellrev

That is awesome. Congratulations! They are lucky to have you. :D

tigress_al

congrats! Now you can drink tea all day!!

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Comments

keychange

omg! I’d been hoping to read this news! Congratu-friggin-lations, woman!! ya ya ya ya ya ya yaya!!!!!! I have no advice re what you should do, but imagine that you could probably ge some guidance from the people who hired you.

yyz

Congrats! Agree with Key change, some companies have policies regarding these things.

Roswell Strange

Funnily enough, Steepster was one of the things discussed during my interviews (I had three) – so they are aware I’m using it to review teas. I want to take them into consideration as well as other Steepster members; I definitely don’t want people to feel like I’m exploiting the review system or anything like that. Does anyone know what other people who have been hired by, say, DAVIDsTEA or Teavana have done?

keychange

I hope for everyone’s sake that tea desire’s policy on reviews is more…flexible than that of Teavana’s. Several steepsterites have been fired for various steepster-related reasons, although I seriously doubt tea desire is equally…rigid.

caile

Yay – that’s great news! Congratulations!

VariaTEA

Congratulations!!! That is amazing :) YAY!!!

Roswell Strange

@Keychange: Oh wow – that’s pretty awful. I don’t think they’ll be that rigid. After all, like I said, it was mentioned in my interviews that I do frequently use Steepster (and this was with the head of the company), so it shouldn’t be a shock. I think it should be fine to leave all my reviews from prior to being hired intact like they currently are (ratings and all). Maybe the best solution is just to leave all future reviews unrated? And maybe just describe what I taste without stating a personal like/dislike towards it? Just facts, if you will.

Kelci

Congrats to You!!! If you talked about reviewing during interviews, I would assume they are OK with it, but then again assuming can get you in… If you are a little leery about bringing it up maybe ask a coworker if they try different teas, talk with people about them, and such. I bet a coworker will help steer you in the direction that you will be comfortable with, if not in where to find out more info or give your info themselves that steers you into a comfort zone on how to proceed.

keychange

I honestly think it would be best to get advice right from the HR people; they’ll be honest about what the company will find acceptable, and it’s always better to sort this out in advance rather than risk them reacting to something they’re not happy about. So so excited for you!

Lala

I would do as suggested about getting advice from HR. In my opinion I think it is ok to review the tea, but I would suggest not giving it a numerical rating. That way you can show “bias” by rating all the teas super high, etc.

K S

Woo Hoo! … and I agree with Lala.

TeaLady441

Congrats!
And I hope you figure something out.
My first question would have been re:discounts, (haha) except I’d be afraid of looking greedy.

I like that they are aware of Steepster! I’ve talked to so many people at DAVIDsTEA who have never heard of it.

Sil

Congratulations! That’s fantastic news

Roswell Strange

Thanks for the congratulations all of you :) I’m super excited, and will definitely inquire in person how they feel about my posting reviews, and in the mean time I just wont post anything Tea Desire review related.

Fjellrev

That is awesome. Congratulations! They are lucky to have you. :D

tigress_al

congrats! Now you can drink tea all day!!

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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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