64
drank Maple Bacon by Man Teas
15575 tasting notes

Ok, I may have lied to VariaTEA and told her I was taking a tea break. I honestly planned to, though! Except, last cup I had was like two hours ago, so that’s break enough, right?

Anyway, I took the pouch of this on vacation with me in the hopes I’d finally sack up and try a cup. I made it for practically every member of my family, but was too nervous to have a cup myself. Thing is, I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 10 years – that’s more than half my lifetime! In that time, not once have I had a vegetarian bacon equivalent so what makes me really nervous is that not only do I have no clue what actual bacon is supposed to taste like, I have zero clue what vegetarian bacon is supposed to be like either…

But regardless of that, I’m growing a pair and taking the plunge now.

So – for preparation I went with 1 1/2 tsp. of leaf in 8 oz. of boiling water, steeped for four minutes. Dry, this does smell sweet so that could be the maple. There’s also a savory and sort of salty generic “meat” type smell, which I suppose would be the bacon. Steeped up, I definitely get more maple than I do in the dry leaf, and then a slightly more mild and less stomach churning savory meat kinda smell.

Gulp.

Ok, taste wise this isn’t really as bad as I thought it would be. Mind you, I don’t really have any conclusive idea on what bacon tastes like – let alone what a bacon tea should taste like. Anyway, there’s the distinct taste of the black base that Frank uses, and then a sweet maple kind of taste which is obviously the maple. However, there’s also a very salty/savory flavour that I’m sure if intended to be the bacon. It has a kind of smoke like quality to it – and in there aftertaste I definitely do get more of a “meaty” kind of taste.

So overall, I’m glad I tried this – I don’t think I had as much reason to be fearful as I thought I did. Ultimately this isn’t bad, it’s just highly unusual and somewhat foreign in taste to me. I don’t think I’m going to reach for this often if ever as something to “just drink” but it’s a great novelty tea and I could see myself making some up for myself if I had family or friends coming over as a weird and unusual tea for them to try.

VariaTEA

So reading your description of the taste is very similar to mine. haha this is actually hilarious.

Also, I did not use your break wisely because rather than drinking many cups, I decided to package Cavo’s teas. And that took quite a while because I somehow managed to lose my banana pudding tea.

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VariaTEA

So reading your description of the taste is very similar to mine. haha this is actually hilarious.

Also, I did not use your break wisely because rather than drinking many cups, I decided to package Cavo’s teas. And that took quite a while because I somehow managed to lose my banana pudding tea.

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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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