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Sipdown (132)!

Well, I’m having a pretty good Sipdown Saturday. How are you doing Sil?

Finished this one off today cold brewed; we spent all morning out shopping (groceries, pet store, and a Chinese herbal shop) and this was my faithful companion. It had such yummy banana and cinnamon notes, but still maintained a slight exotic nature. It’s actually grown on me a lot and I’ll miss having it around. But at least I know that if I’m back in Saskatoon I have the option of stopping at McQuarrie’s and getting more.

It’s only three hours away. That’s not so bad…

PS. I bought some teaware at the Chinese herb store while I was out! A gaiwan, actually! I might post pictures lately so someone can hopefully translate the Chinese on it for me. It’s the smallest Gaiwan I’ve ever seen in person and I absolutely adore it. I have REALLY tiny hands and it fits in them just perfectly!

I hated the shop itself though; it’s right next door to the specialty tea store in town and the owner kept suggesting we go to that store instead of his while we browsed the teaware. Can’t you just accept the business? As I picked up the Gaiwan I bought, he walked me through how to use a Gaiwan properly in the most dumbed down language I’ve ever been spoken to as a tea drinker…

:/

Sil

haha i’ll be ending today at 132 – just found out i actually get to go to bed tonight instead of having to stay up all night, so i’m super happy even if it means less tea drinking!

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Sil

haha i’ll be ending today at 132 – just found out i actually get to go to bed tonight instead of having to stay up all night, so i’m super happy even if it means less tea drinking!

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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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