80
drank Vanilla Orchid by DAVIDsTEA
15575 tasting notes

I finally started my Christmas baking!!!

That’s really good, especially since it has to be done by tomorrow evening (family gets here Sunday morning). So, I did two out of five recipes, and when I get off work I’ll be doing either the big one (carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing) or the two smaller cookie recipes (pistachio pudding sugar cookies and butterscotch pudding sugar cookies)! And then whatever is left will be done tomorrow before work! This is super exciting because I was worried I’d procrastinated too long and wouldn’t have time to do everything I wanted.

Anyway, in the middle of baking my brownies, my tea samples from Keychange arrived (this being one of them). I finished my baking, logged everything on my spreadsheet and on Steepster, and then set out to make myself a mug of this one. I chose this one in particular because I’m realizing that I have a TON of smaller sample amounts from DAVIDsTEA and I’d really like to work through some of them – especially the ones that are part of the permanent collection and, ergo, don’t need to be hoarded.

(On that note, I used up all of my sample of DAVIDsTEA’s Kanpe tea sent to me from VariaTEA today by setting it up to cold brew – although I’m not counting it as a sipdown yet since it hasn’t actually been consumed)

I was also excited to try this one because I’ve seen lots of reviews on it lately (ok, maybe not lots – but at least two). So, I guess my curiosity was especially peeked.

I steeped 1 tsp. in 10 oz. of water, at about 80 degrees Celsius for four minutes. I had sort of just assumed this one needed a lower water temperature, but after looking it up I guess the recommended temperature is 92 degrees Celsius. I was all ready to try this hot, but then I took a look at the clock and saw that I only had 30 minutes until I started work – so in a frenzied panic I dumped it into my water bottle and rushed to get ready and to work on time (made it with five minutes to spare!).

So now I’m drinking this cold – although keychange was very generous in the amount she gave me, so I have more than enough to try this hot as well. Taste wise, the first thing I notice is the very floral aspects of this tea: definitely orchid, and some other things as well though I can’t exactly put my finger on them. I’m finding them borderline ‘perfumey’, but not quite there. Next thing is the very creamy vanilla taste. Because of the very thick mouthfeel this has, it sort of results in a “vanilla pudding” type of taste. I actually normally hate vanilla pudding (except, oddly enough I like tapioca which is just vanilla pudding with little gelatin bead type things) – but this is working pretty well with me. The fact this is cold is also probably only accentuating the vanilla pudding thing, as well.

I’m really enjoying this though – and I don’t think I’m gonna have any issues getting through it. That said, I can also see this as something I would get very sick of if I was having it frequently, and for that reason I doubt it’s something I’d ever keep regularly stocked or stocked in large quantity. I think it’d be awesome for an occasional treat, though!

VariaTEA

I definitely agree. Every now and then I think it is a nice treat but it is not something I would want often. One of those teas that when you want it, nothing will suffice, but you have to want it.

keychange

Yup, I’m with you there. I loved on it for a while, and now am a bit sick of it. When it’s good, it’s really good, though. Weird how tea can be like that.

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VariaTEA

I definitely agree. Every now and then I think it is a nice treat but it is not something I would want often. One of those teas that when you want it, nothing will suffice, but you have to want it.

keychange

Yup, I’m with you there. I loved on it for a while, and now am a bit sick of it. When it’s good, it’s really good, though. Weird how tea can be like that.

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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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