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I won a contest on instagram recently from Call Me Sweetea where the prize was a custom designed fandom themed tea for a character of your choice – and I decided to do my favourite character from Campaign Two of Critical Role – Caleb Widowgast.

The overall flavour profile that I wanted to go for was a “Smoked Creamsicle” kind of vibe, based on a couple key ingredients/flavours that I felt represented aspects of the character. Dani, the shop owner, was very accommodating and easy to work with and I feel like she reallyyyyyy killed the execution of the blend and understood what I was going for!

I chose something smoked because the character (spoiler alert!) is a wizard that uses fire magic primarily and, as part of his backstory, was brain washed into burning his parents alive – it’s something that torments him throughout the campaign and ends up being on of his biggest driving motivators throughout the series. So, smoky lapsang!? Perfectly on the nose! I wanted the orange for his physical appearance; a mop of ginger hair that stands out amongst his travelling party. And then the cream/vanilla to me represented the softer and secretly warm/loving side of this grimy murder hobo.

In practice the smoke comes through at exactly the right level for me – I am a lover of all things smoked tea so I wouldn’t want it to be subtle but it’s also not so strong as to cover the other flavours and that’s just perfect! The orange is sweet and bright and exactly right for the sherbet part of a creamsicle. Because of the use of woodruff and whipped flavouring in place of vanilla, this ended a little more marshmallow-y tasting but the fluffy light sweetness still conveys the character trait that I wanted and it super delicious and complimentary with both the orange and smoke. Like a softly orange flavoured ooey gooey toasted marshmallow!

I’m super in love with this one of a kind blend – Dani killed it, and I look forward to enjoying this the next time I dive into an episode!

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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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