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#VacationTea

Well, we’ve safely arrived in Fargo! We’re here for about two and a half days in total; not totally sure what we’ll get up to but I’m sure it’ll be fun! I know there’s a tea store in town, so definitely gonna check that out.

We’ve actually already been to the mall, and then we stopped at the giant natural foods grocery store to pick up lunch/supper to have in the hotel. Probably just gonna have a mellow evening in now – maybe watch Stranger Things season two?? I got a really good Kombucha haul from the store though! I’ve seriously never seen so many different kinds of kombucha in one location. Like, they had a kombucha aisle. It was kind of crazy. I ended up getting five different kinds – three different brands in total. All of them were companies I’d never even heard of before. So, definitely looking forward to checking those out.

This is Kombucha number one of five; I’ve actually had grape kombucha before but I’ve really enjoyed it so I decided to try this company’s take on it. Actually, three of five different kombuchas I got were from this company – as a whole, they had the most unique range of flavours and the packaging was also REALLY pretty.

This is very tasty! It’s really msooth and has a very bright, vibrant concord grape flavour! It’s super light, really refreshing and just the tiniest bit acidic. There is hibiscus in this one, so I bet that’s where the bulk of that sort of acidic/tangyness is coming from. Other ingredients include Gingko, which I feel like I can taste just a little as well. Mostly just very grape heavy, though. The finish is very crisp and clean cut – no real lingering flavours here. I also found it really interesting that this is a rooibos kombucha. I’m certainly no expert – but when I took the kombucha starter seminar offered by TAC I definitely remember them clearly saying that they didn’t recommend using rooibos/mate or purely herbal bases for kombucha – I think it kills the SCOBY overtime, if I’m remembering that correctly? Perhaps someone here on Steepster who’s more knowledgeable about kombucha would know more?

Anyway! This was tasty! Definitely nice to have something cold on hand to sip on at the hotel since I haven’t had consistent access to iced tea since we left.

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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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