68

So, I guess part of drinking down the teas I’m unsure about restocking means maybe using some of the tea bags I’ve never tried before. This came to me in a box of assorted tea bags from my Grandma when I told her I was moving out (a housewarming present, if you will). Since then I’ve tried and hated most of them (sorry Grandma). I’ve kinda put off trying this one though – primarily because I have no idea what it is.

On the outside of the package, there are no ingredients listed or steeping guidelines – and to me the title of this tea didn’t really clarify much about it (maybe I’m naive/stupid for not knowing, but honestly until I searched this tea on Steepster a few minutes ago I wasn’t even sure which was the company name and which was the name of the tea). I’ve opened up the bags before, but honestly I smell absolutely NOTHING when I sniff at the tea bag (I think that’s probably because this is SUPER old – years at least, and I have no clue how many).

I guessed at Steeping, but in the end I went with boiling water steeped for for minutes roughly. It’s a tea bag, so there was no portioning in that regard (just one tea bag for the oz. mug). Steeped, this smells like a pretty regular Earl Grey – so that’s not too bad. I just looked it up here on Steepster as I started writing this tasting note, and there’s actually a bit of an ingredients description (no steeping guide though): basically it’s an Earl Grey with cardamom (not that I can smell the cardamom in the tea). Here I was thinking it was going to be something really weird and spicey, or some kind of chai blend.

I just finished eating a plate of waffles drenched in syrup, so everything tastes a little syrupy to me right now. However, it tastes like a plain old Earl Grey – I’m literally getting nothing that says “cardamom” spice and that seems to be the selling point for this specific tea. That’s kind of really sad, and maybe a little pathetic. It’s not really too smooth tasting, but there’s no overwhelming bitterness or astringency either. I’d say the strongest flavour is the bergamot.

As an Earl Grey, it’s adequate to average. I’ve had much better bagged Earl Greys and stock some better and obviously higher quality loose leaf Earl Greys already. Plus, it’s majorly failing at what I assume is meant to be the selling point (maybe that’s because it’s old though). I’ll finish the cup, but there’s no way I’d restock this. That probably works out well, though – I haven’t the faintest clue where I’d even look if I wanted to restock this one.

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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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