drank Mandarin Mimosa by DAVIDsTEA
15662 tasting notes

A new tea for the holidays and New Year!

I’m trying to think about when the last time I was this excited for a rooibos blend from DT was, and nothing is actually coming to mind right now. I suppose maybe Bed of Roses/Lavender Buttercream, but those are definitely very different vibes from this one as they’re more relaxing and this is fresh, sweet and fruity! I think the last time we had a new fruity rooibos would have been Cranberry Dandelion Detox?? To be fair, I like that blend too – but it’s more straight forward cranberry and a bit less fun, IMO.

Like, in the last year as I’ve been waiting for this tea to launch I actually finished a full 50g of it – which might not sound like a lot, but bare in mind that I own 1000+ teas so it’s pretty rare that I double back to the same teas in a short time span. I’ve now replaced my finished off 50g with a fresh 100g bag – we’ll see how long that last me, haha.

So what does this taste like!? Well, mostly orange – but a very fresh and sweet orange with more of a berry/red fruit kind of undertone. Think “Blood Orange” but also then factor in the sweet, fresh raspberry that is also incorporated into this blend and that pretty accurately nails the juicy orange/berry vibe of the tea. There’s also a hint of apple, some tartness, and a mild boozier kind of finish. It’s nice as a hot tea, but it’s great as an iced tea or cold brew – and I’m actually drinking it cold brewed now while I work on tasting notes. I should probably be drinking advent teas, honestly, but I just really wanted to make this because I was excited that it was finally officially released.

Honestly, I would love to see this get carried year round – but truthfully it does feel a little bit too seasonal to me, but as a non-chocolate and non-spice blend lover it’s just really nice to see a holiday tea that leans fruitier like this, and I’ve been obsessed with the idea of a “Christmas Orange” inspired blend for a while.

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.

AJRimmer

The name of this one definitely got me excited since I loved the Teavana blend of the same name. I’ll have to grab some of this in my next order!

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AJRimmer

The name of this one definitely got me excited since I loved the Teavana blend of the same name. I’ll have to grab some of this in my next order!

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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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