All my tasting notes are jumbled and out of order…

This was from my holiday vacation in Saskatchewan; on Christmas Eve my mother and I went for afternoon tea at the Hotel Saskatchewan. The Hotel Saskatchewan is a very old and fancy hotel; and they do this Christmas Eve service yearly. However, you need to make reservations for it and this was the first year that my mom got them in before the service was filled. Christmas Eve is also her birthday, so it double as a fancy afternoon out for Christmas Eve and a nice birthday meal/dinner.

I was a little underwhelmed by the service, to be honest. The food quality wasn’t bad and the service was really nice – but I didn’t find it comparable to the cost. Plus, the teaware we were served with was kind of dull in appearance, over a BEIGE tabletop, and one of the cups even had a chip in it. So for a very fancy hotel it was just a little bit underwhelming – especially when I mentally compared to the other place in town you can get afternoon tea service (The Vintage Tea Room) which is STUNNING visually, equal in terms of tea quality, and has much better food…

Anyway; this was the tea that my mom picked out for herself – and she kindly shared a teacup of it with me so that I could try it too. I did the same for her, with my selection.

I thought it was ok; very simple and straightforward flavours though. Malty, sweet black tea with a touch of woodiness and a low energy, minimal sweetness maple note. I wish it was richer, but I do appreciate that it’s at the level that allows for really good customization to suit your personal taste preferences – through adding stuff like cream and sugar.

I had debated ordering this, but ultimately was happy that I hadn’t…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6eVRWOg4Ns/

mrmopar

Nice to share with the parents.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Comments

mrmopar

Nice to share with the parents.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer