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Sipdown (119)!

Finally finishing off this forgotten sample from TheLastDodo which she sent up months ago. I’m drinking it hot while getting ready for work because I woke up a few hours early and had the time to do so!

Not going to lie; other than remembering I cold brewed this the first time around I couldn’t remember what I thought of it at all so I had to go back and read my tasting note for it. Turns out I didn’t really have much of an impression in the first place; I didn’t even initially score this!

However, as I’m sipping on it now I definitely think there are some very interesting, and nuanced things that I clearly missed when it was cold brewed! It’s like this tea has three ‘levels’ of flavour that hit you one after another. The first is very, very short – and it’s just like a punch in the mouth of of sweetness; definitely fruity goji and maybe the jujube too? That’s an ingredient I’m not too familiar with but based on what I’ve read the flavour is similar to what jujube is supposed to taste like. Of course, you can’t forge that there’s a lot of rock sugar in this too which adds to the sweetness.

Then you transition into the second ‘level’ of flavour – savory/herbaceous. It’s got the vegetal notes from the green tea base, and the strong flavor of chrysanthemum but also something very brothy too; it’s very, very borderline reminding me of cheddar and chives and potato. I love it; but it’s strange and I don’t know which of the ingredients is causing it. Then we fade to level three – sweetness again. This time the sweetness is more raisin and ginseng with a pinch of goji, and it’s the flavor that lingers in the aftertaste.

It’s also my least favourite part of the tea; probably because of the raisin.

I’m very happy I tried this hot though; it’s so incredibly different from what I remember the cold brew tasting like, and very unique overall as well! I definitely don’t think I’d buy this for myself because there were certainly unappealing aspects but I’d be curious to try it hot again to see if the flavours I picked up were the same, and I feel like I learned a lot trying it.

Thanks again TheLastDodo!

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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...

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