drank Orange Glow by DAVIDsTEA
15695 tasting notes

Last of the new Harvest teas, since tea #5 in the collection is a core tea.

Personally, this is the tea I was least excited about of the new ones. It kind of sounded boring to me? Plus, I don’t love ginger so that didn’t do anything to make me more hyped about it. However, it is the only tea of the new ones that DOESN’T have apple in it, so I wanted to really like it because then I could share it with my boyfriend – who is very allergic to apples…

Something about the dry leaf of this one is REALLY unappealing to me. I can’t put my finger on what it is, other than I know it smells strongly of carrots. That’s not it though; while the carrot aroma doesn’t make me all that into it, it’s also NOT the thing turning me off. Side note; this tea DOES have more carrot than I think I’ve ever seen in a DT blend, including the carrot flavoured ones like Carrot Cupcake…

We did this one as a staff tasting, and we tried it iced. I will say, for a tea with dry leaf that smelled so unappealing to me the steeped up tea was actually surprisingly good. However, for me that’s only by comparison to the smell. Just based on taste alone, I still don’t like it much.

I was shocked that the flavour was so light though! It’s also sweeter than I thought it would be. Now, that’s not to say that it’s a sweet tea – because it’s not. Just, sweeter than expected. The orange note is very similar to the orange flavour in Orange Passionfruit, bit less tart. It’s the best part, imo. The ginger? Not a fan of it at all, and I think it tastes weird with the orange. I’m guessing that tiny bit of sweetness I get is from the ginger though because it IS candied ginger in this one – so I guess I have to thank that ingredient for contributing some sweetness even if I don’t like the rest of what it’s doing. The finish? Pretty carroty, with an earthiness to it. I think the pumpkin gets lost with the carrot…

A few people have told me this is just so much better hot, but honestly I just don’t feel compelled to try it again at all. Maybe I will – for science sake? Morbid curiosity? Sadism?

I do appreciate that this is meant to taste like some sort of tonic, or one of those fancy schmancy cold pressed and healthy ‘juices’ though because, you know what, as much as I don’t like it I think it kind of hits that nail right on the head. That means there’s DEFINITELY going to be an audience that appreciate this one a lot.

I’m just not that audience.

Also – for the record, I did make a cup of this for the boyfriend just to see if he liked it. He has so few herbal tea options that he can actually drink because of his allergies. He didn’t like it either though – which is a shame…

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 regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

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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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