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...
Haha I do apologize for the ridiculous (although pretty hilarious) tape. It was all I had but I am happy the teas arrived safely and hopefully you find some tasty treats inside.
Also, officially over 200 now for the first time ever… 211, to be precise.
haha Yes!!
It was a tad bit of a goal to push you over the 200 mark. You know have more teas than I do :P
It would have been 213, but two were blends I already had ;P
I think I realized that after sealing the envelope but just got lazy to take stuff out. Hopefully you like them. Also I am sure my number will go up as soon as yours or any of the other swaps I am waiting for arrives.
Mine had 19 blends it ;P And I know you have lots on the way as well. Personally, I think I maybe had something from Keychange (Her Eight Candles sample that made her sick?) and then my RiverTea order – but nothing else on the way! Except maybe Day 4 of the 12 Days exchange which never showed up :(
I don’t even recall how many teas I ended up sending because I just kept adding.
34… 32 of which I didn’t already have in my cupboard (and not counting the ones already in my cupboard, I’d only tried two others previously; Red Velvet Cake and Lime Gelato).
Wait I sent your Red Velvet Cake? As in the DAVIDs one?
Oh nvm. You mean the Stash one. I was wondering why I would send a tea you hated.
Definitely the Stash one – which is so much better than DT’s awful version :P
I am the reverse. I actually really liked the DAVIDs