Roswell Strange Send Message

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drank Pumpkin Crème Brûlée by DAVIDsTEA
15695 tasting notes

If it wasn’t Autumn tea season before, it feels like it really is now – that change of season is coming and it’s coming fast. With it, of course, comes new and returning fall teas – mostly Chai, of course. In fact – I think this most recent collection is called the “Chai Collection” but not ALL the teas that launched are really Chai blends, some are just nice Autumn profiles…

Here’s the list of returning teas from this Friday’s drop:

- Chocolate Chili Chai
- Baked Apple Chai
- Chai Matcha
- Pumpkin Pie Matcha
- Guarana Chai

And of course Pumpkin Chai, but that launched earlier than everything else. There’s also this new tea as well as a new rooibos based chai called “Butterscotch Chai”.

First things first…

I adamantly refuse to call this a Chai blend in any regard; I’m not sure if it’s actually going to get marketed as one but because it launched with all of these other Chai profiles I worry some people might assume it’s a chai and I just need to (on a personal level) make sure that I’m really clear in saying that there isn’t any spice of any kind in the blend. Yes, that’s right, this is the RARE pumpkin tea without spices! Pumpkin fans, like myself, who don’t enjoy all those spices can rejoice – this year, we’ve got you covered!

I also like that it’s a herbal blend – I think that sometimes we box our herbals into only being these juicy fruit profiles and our rooibos into housing all the sweet/decadent profiles (when it comes to caffeine free options) so I’m happy to see that perception challenged a little bit. But, that said…

I don’t love this tea. I don’t think it’s bad, but it’s missing something to me and I struggle to put my finger on what exactly that is!? The flavour is pretty sweet and creamy with a nice light to medium type of pumpkin-y flavour – think the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen but without the pastry or the nutmeg?? It reminds me a little bit of the pumpkin in Monster Mash with the cream flavour that was used in White Peach, with a hint of the same very light apple-y note as well. Boost that creamy note with some white chocolate, and you get more of a Pumpkin White Chocolate or even Pumpkin Milkshake type of profile, in my own opinion. It’s nice – I wish the mouthfeel was a bit thicker to add to that custard-y quality that Creme Brulee has, and exaggerate the creaminess. Milk would likely go a long way in doing that…

Maybe what I feel like is missing is the “Creme Brulee” part of the tea!? Like, I definitely think this is sweet and creamy but an essential part of a Creme Brulee, in my mind, is that just barely bitter burnt sugar/hard crack sugar note that comes from the surface of the creme brulee – and that’s missing. It’s maybe just a little bit too sweet for my own tastes, without something to give it more depth like a bitter sugar note. I don’t know though, maybe that’s not it…

Anyway, while this isn’t my perfect pumpkin tea I do think it’s an interesting one so I of course look forwarding to reading reviews and thoughts from other tea drinkers and seeing where they land on it!

Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
3 comments
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Tiffany :)
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I’m wondering when this will pop up on the USA site?? this and cinnamon buns chai are both on Canada site ONLY. :(

Roswell Strange
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I think both should be quite soon – there’s usually a bit of delay since both sites pull inventory from different warehouses, but I’m not really involved with that at all.

Tiffany :)
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But you should be in charge of ALL of the goings on for DT ;)

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Comments

Tiffany :)
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I’m wondering when this will pop up on the USA site?? this and cinnamon buns chai are both on Canada site ONLY. :(

Roswell Strange
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I think both should be quite soon – there’s usually a bit of delay since both sites pull inventory from different warehouses, but I’m not really involved with that at all.

Tiffany :)
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But you should be in charge of ALL of the goings on for DT ;)

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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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