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Roswell Strange drank Carrot Cake by T Kettle

15733 tasting notes

Several years back it used to be a dream of mine to find the perfect carrot cake tea but I’ve since given up on that goal and realized that I just don’t think that I’m ever going to be satisfied with one…

I didn’t much like this tea, and that’s not surprising as the ingredients list almost totally mirrors DT’s Carrot Cupcake blend and I don’t much like that tea either. Overall, I think the flavours in this tea are a little bit lighter/less dense and the tea tastes less spiced overall. That’s a mixed trade off for me – I think a good carrot cake profile should be dense (because a good carrot cake is something heavier and moist, not airy/fluffy IMO) but I did like that there was less spice to this blend. I think DT’s blend is a little too focused on the spice, not enough on the carrot. Ironically, I taste more of the sweet and earthy carrot in this blend but carrot is the second ingredient in this blend and the first in the DT blend. I suppose we don’t really know which blend is using more carrot because we only know the placement in the ingredient list (which is indexed by weight) but not the actual percentage of the carrot in the blend as a whole. That’s sort of a funny thing to think about…

Maybe one of the things that’s holding me back is the licorice – it’s in both blend, and I simply just don’t enjoy the taste of licorice root. Or ginger. There’s less spice overall, but more distinct ginger IMO. So many things that just aren’t my jam, haha. I guess my overall conclusion is that if you want more of a carrot tasting Carrot Cake this might be better, but DT’s blend is richer and has more spice if that’s more what you want.

I want neither, I seems.

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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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