15575 Tasting Notes

Gongfu!

The dry leaf of this cake smells so good! There’s a little bit of a bright fruity cherry edge to it, but then it’s all sweet earth and baked goods. I need to smell the pu’erh cakes in my stash more often. Drink them, too, but just the smell is so intoxicating!

I had this paired with some perfectly complimentary medjool dates for an end of the weekend session!! This is one of the richest sessions I’ve had in a long time – this shou is incredibly thick with very dark, dense notes of cooked down figs, dates, and cherries black cherries mixed with molasses, sweet wet potting soil, and an almost cinnamon laced pastry crust like element. It’s such a heavy sort of sweetness, and of course it naturally fits with the equally dark and sticky caramel-like and buckwheat honey taste of the dates. It’s a lot, in only the best way.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDDW59ALvc/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD1a2tfDC0c&ab_channel=ANTI-Records

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73

I must really be craving florals today because this is my third floral teas of the day. It was a delicious and highly sippable mug though; I didn’t get much from the oolong base aside from body and a little bit of a mineral undertone but the mixture of chamomile, lavender, and a lot of rose. God, I love rose so much!

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Woke up early this morning and though I had a few things to do later in the day I felt awake enough to just make myself a small cup of tea and watch the sun come up in a moment of near perfect calm and quiet. It was very relaxing and, honestly, almost meditative.

I need to make this tea more often too – it’s such a brilliantly beautiful but simple tea and I think there’s almost nothing else like it. The black tea is rich and so malty and cocoa tasting with woody undertones and it really shouldn’t work so well with the fragrant fresh and sweet jasmine but those intense notes meet this beautiful floral quality and somehow manage to stay soft and peaceful despite being so flavourful and nuanced.

So, so beautiful.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT-P866rJDV/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9ymTg1V40A&ab_channel=SufjanStevens

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 and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.

Tiffany :)

I’m attempting to start catching up on steepster notes. I’ve never been a huge black tea fan nor a jasmine fan but this note makes me want to order a bag with a DT freebie when it’s back in stock on the DT USA website. :)

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Gongfu Sipdown (1455)!

Wow – this is one of those teas that, when you look at the tasting notes on the Steepster page, really takes you for one hell of a wild ride.

Anyway, I have to thank Togo for gifting this sample – it’s one of many Yunnan Sourcing samples he gave me in early August and I’ve been greatly enjoying going through them and expanding my familiarity with YS’s teas.

This was one of those sessions where I kind of feel like I’m in a jungle thanks to all the surrounding plants! This shou is really nice though; it’s a great combination of very thick and wet soil notes like soaked forest undergrowth after a heavy rainfall mixed with dense syrupy sweet elements like fig paste, dates, and molasses. Occasionally a little like oatmeal. It’s such a curious accord of brothy flavours and heavy sweetness/starch. I’ve been steeping very casually in between different working from home tasks this afternoon and a couple times I’ve forgotten I had tea still steeping in the gaiwan – so it’s forgiving and long lasting as well!! All around pretty solid!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT5LoOflYUR/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbvWxCwIrvY&ab_channel=StJasper

tea-sipper

YESH, love this one.

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I wanted to like this tea. I wanted to like it so badly.

However, I think it’s one of those blends that’s unfortunately committed the crime of having too much going on. I mean, the ingredient list is long and it’s full of a bunch of competing flavours. Coconut and yerba mate sounds so nice, light and refreshing with subtle greener topical vibes – and some of that does come through! But there’s also A LOT of very herbaceous basil that seems diametrically opposed to the other flavours. Now, don’t get me wrong – I like basil in tea. A lot, actually. However basil and coconut!?

I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t work.

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86
drank Cinnamon Plum by Tea Runners
15575 tasting notes

Another one that I just had to revisit sooner rather than later!

I think, now that the intial wave of overwhelming excitement about the plum flavour has passed, I’m noticing the licorice root in the taste of this tea a lot more. Licorice root is kind of weird for me: I love black licorice, star anise, aniseed, and fennel which are all pretty dang licorice-y tasting. However, licorice root!? Usually that’s a hard no for me. However, it’s blend almost seamlessly into that plum undertone/finishing note and I think it’s actually helping the plum taste more like plum.

So… At least for now, I’m giving the licorice root a pass in this blend. It can keep doing its thing and I’ll not only suck it up but also enjoy it. This is a nice tea!

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Sipdown (1456)!

Decided to just push through the rest of this simple and clear it out. It’s really not a bad chocolate tea, it’s just that I’m only getting that kind of plain chocolate note and the simplicity focused around a flavour I’m not super interested in combined with the really oily mouthfeel from all the melted sprinkles just… isn’t doing it for me.

However, like I said in my last note, the fandom connection is really fun and I do think the sprinkles add a cool Captain America inspired visual! I know other people will enjoy this tea because it’s a solid chocolate flavour – I’m just not a chocolate tea person.

(And, blasphemous to say I know, I’m also just not a big fan of Captain American either.)

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84

Revisiting this one pretty quickly because I was excited by it and I wanted to see what it would be like iced. It’s fairly similar and super refreshing with those deep cooling eucalyptus notes. However, I feel like icing this resulted in a little more pithy bitterness from the lemon and the eucalyptus feelings a little more herby in taste too. Still very, very good but I prefer it hot I think…

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT24cQWLYtb/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpi35gB54oE&ab_channel=LakeStreetDive-Topic

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79

The excitement of advent calendar season is in full swing and it’s resulted in me pulling out a few more of my wintery or holiday themed teas as that excitement continues to build! I made this one to sip on while making supper a few nights ago and the medium bodied and very smooth/round notes of chocolate liqueur mixed with candied orange peel and praline were very delicious and decadent in a way that I almost want to say that “only French tea companies can achieve”. I don’t know if that’s actually true, but it’s just so stylistically different from North American chocolate blends and I find that really refreshing.

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76

Cold Brew!

So, I cold brewed this one in straight oat milk over a couple days time period and I like it significantly better that way. Both the blueberry and cinnamon come through pretty clearly and strongly, but the added thickness, creaminess, and distinct oat flavour of the alt milk really make a huge difference in this tasting like an indulgent stack of pancakes and not just a cinnamon heavy tea with blueberry undertones. I wish I got the tiniest hint of maple to just add to the pancake illusion, but it’s much improved.

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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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