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Gongfu!

So this was my first tea session (though not first tea) of the year – not for any particular reason aside from the fact I got this order in right before my holiday break and I’ve been waiting for a good day to steep one of them up since. As it’s a colder grey and overcast afternoon, the sweet and comforting profile of an orange stuffed tea felt correct for the day. It really is QUITE sweet though!

Opening up the package the aromatic sweet orange notes immediately punctuate the moment, as if to say “You’re in for one hell of a treat!” – and from the first steep my whole room smelled beautifully of the juicy, sweet ripe orange – like digging your nails into the skin of a good clementine or tangerine and breathing in the mist of essential oils spraying back at you as the rind peels back. The session just kept going with the spectrum of steeps ranging from syrupy sweet candied orange to a more full bodied and robust (but still smooth and rounded) coating profile of plump, ripe clementine slices with rich black tea that added additional notes of sweet red fruits, leather, and honey.

Have I conveyed enough of how sweet and distinctly this tea tasted of orange!? It was perfection!! I’m honestly so glad I decided to go all in and get multiples of each of the three tea bases because this is probably one of the most pleasant orange stuffed teas that I’ve ever had!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYM_gd4ugUG/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E84ZuzpxG18&ab_channel=MoreFatter

DrowningMySorrows

Well, that’s another one for my wishlist. Just when I think I’ve figured out my next tea order(s) someone posts about something that sounds absolutely delicious and screws up my whole plan!

Ros, do you have a separate storage area for your orange peel teas? They’re so “smelly” I’ve been afraid to keep mine organized by tea type like I usually do. All the orangey ones have to live in a separate box.

Roswell Strange

The answer is yes and no, haha. I put these ones in a special area because they’re pretty potent smelling and I have a couple more fragrant chenpi shou cakes in the same area; but most of them are stored within their tea types.

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DrowningMySorrows

Well, that’s another one for my wishlist. Just when I think I’ve figured out my next tea order(s) someone posts about something that sounds absolutely delicious and screws up my whole plan!

Ros, do you have a separate storage area for your orange peel teas? They’re so “smelly” I’ve been afraid to keep mine organized by tea type like I usually do. All the orangey ones have to live in a separate box.

Roswell Strange

The answer is yes and no, haha. I put these ones in a special area because they’re pretty potent smelling and I have a couple more fragrant chenpi shou cakes in the same area; but most of them are stored within their tea types.

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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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