English Rose

Tea and Mr. Gill

A few years ago, a very old man came to my office asking for help… his wife Yollanda of 62 years had just past away and he needed help to sort her financial affairs… I remember him standing in front of me, a tall and handsome 82 year old man, and all I could see was infinite sadness in his blue eyes, completely broken emotionally. At the time, financial advice was the only help he requested, but it quickly turned into much more than that…

I became his financial advisor… money was not a problem for him, he had been in his prime a successful business man. Unable to have children, him and his wife had nieces and nephews to pass their wealth to. There was one in particular he was very fond of, Mary, but she lived in the states and he would see her only once a year. Basically, he was a lonely man.

What’s the relation with tea you are asking? Well, Mr. Gill being lonely started to find reasons to schedule appointments every weeks. It didn’t take long for me to realize that what he was really seeking was someone to talk to about his dear wife…

She had been the love of his life, and it was obvious he had been struggling everyday since she was gone. One day, after our conversation, I realized I was getting quite fond of this old man and made an offer he could not refuse: Instead of finding reasons to come and see me at the office, why wouldn’t he just join me for lunch once a week?

And so we became friends and every thursday for almost three years, we would meet for lunch at a local restaurant. He once told me I was the highlight of his weeks! The thing is we had such a connexion that the gap of generation slowly disappeared. Our conversations were sometimes intellectual but sometimes, they were just fun and foolish! I never took him for less because of his age, and he never patronized me for being younger.

One day, he didn’t show up as planed. I got worried and called his house. He was sick with the flu and didn’t sound to good. I bought some soup and brought it over. It was the fist time I ever went to his place. I remember thinking that for a man of his age living alone, he was pretty neet!

After thanking me as if I was god’s given gift, he asked if I wanted some tea. I realized that we had never really discussed tea together!

I had no clue what kind of tea he was keeping around, thinking tea bags most probably. He showed me where the tea set was. There was a lovely wooden cabinet on one corner of the kitchen I had noticed. On the shelves, there were the most exquisite china bone collectable tea cup sets. They were Royal Albert for most. He told me some of them dated from the time he got married!

He explained to me that being from England, his wife was an accomplished tea drinker and they used to share a good cup together on a daily basis. His wife’s favorite tea was black rose tea. She was having it shipped directly from England every couple of months. He still had a large supply of that tea and kindly offered me to try it. I don’t remember the brand’s name, but the tin was black with pretty rose buds painted on it. The tea inside still smelled quite fresh. He ask me to pick one of the tea cup on display, I chose the Royal Albert with the pretty pink flowers, him the Aynsley yellow set. And we drank our rose tea in our vintage bone china!

It was super tasty and rose tea quickly became among my favorite teas.

When I left his house, I remember telling him that his wife had exquisite tastes and how privileged I felt that he chose to honour her memory in my company by sharing her favorite tea with me.

Sadly, his flu turned into a complex pneumonia. I went to visit him twice at the hospital and the last conversation I had with him was about that lovely lunch we shared together having Yollanda’s beloved rose tea.

He died a couple of weeks after…

About a month later, I had a visitor at work. Mary! The favorite niece! She brought me a box…said her uncle insisted that I should be given what was inside. We talked a little, she thanked me for looking after her uncle. I mentioned to her how special Mr. Gill was to me and how much I would miss him and our lunch dates.

I brought the box home that night, still not knowing what was inside. Mr. Gill had once brought up the fact that he intended on leaving me some money when he would pass. I had to explain to him that it would be highly unethical for me to accept, but mostly, it would put a shadow on the true meaning of our relationship. He understood and never brought it up again.

So I have to admit I was curious about what was inside…

What I found brought tears to my eyes, but also a smile on my face… The vintage china! He remembered the cups we used that day and wanted me to have them! To this day, they have a special display in my house, and I use them on a regular basis. In his own way, Mr. Gill made sure I would never forget him and his dear love Yollanda!

You may have a look at them here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/sets/72157631994242094/

Now this tea:

Sorry for such a long story, and such a short review, but I felt only that story could truly explain why I love rose tea so much!

It’s one of those tea you either love or hate. Yes it’s typically rosy and soapy! I happen to love that smell, it’s an exquisite feminine tea, with plenty of almost too perfect pretty rose buds.

When I drink it, I see lace and pearls dancing all around me!

It tastes exactly what it smells like, floral, sweet and elegant! The black base is from Sri Lanka, it’s very tasty with just a tad of bitterness.

I will not pretend it’s the most refine tea you’ll ever drink, that’s not why I like it so much. I like it cause it makes me happy, that’s all. It reminds me of happy times.

Thank you Mr. Gill…

I love rose teas. I mean, I really love them—if push came to shove, I’d probably pick rose as the one flavor to have every day. Not that I’ll ever be in a situation where that will happen, but hypothetically. Unless, you know, a genie comes down and will grant me one wish if I pick one flavor of tea to drink for all eternity. Actually… I love tea so darn much I might only take that offer up if it was for 3 wishes! Or if the first wish didn’t have an “I wish for infinite wishes” clause.

I’ve been wanting to try this one for a while, but I have so many rose teas I didn’t know if this would be worth a 50g purchase. Fortunately, I got a sample in a swap with Sare! It smells SO good, like rose perfume. Okay, I know most people don’t like perfume-y teas, but I do. They remind me of when I was a little girl and had fake tea parties. In my head, the imaginary tea I served smelled JUST like this. I made this iced, since I have enough to try it both hot and cold.

This reminds me a lot of Upton’s Rose Congou. It’s got that same pervasive rose taste, backed up by a strong but not overwhelming black base. However, this might be even more rosy, believe it or not! The white chocolate also adds a wonderful hint of sweetness. This is such a little girl tea—not, of course, in a bad way. But you know when you’re 5 and all dressed up for some party in a pink frock, with ribbons in your hair? That’s what that tea is. Simple, sweet, innocent, fresh, delicious! This is definitely one of the very best rose teas I’ve tried, thanks so much Sare!

Anticipating ickiness, I am trying this tea because I want to leave it for my mom and not feel like I missed out on trying something! Even though I know I’m unlikely to like it, since it smells overwhelmingly of rose.

Surprisingly, either I brewed this well or the rose is not as strong as in other teas (or because I left out an actual rosebud from the infuser); I’m actually finding it to be bearable. And perhaps because of the white chocolate(?), there are other flavours taking away from the extreme floralness. That said, it’s not a tea I’d choose to drink if I had any choice. But it’s not drain-worthy. Thankfully, I’m leaving the remaining 8-9g for my dear mother. No rating because I went into this expecting it to be bad; it would probably rate in the low 60s for me.

Well I’m not doing any more sipdowns today, so I decided to go with one of the new teas I brought back from San Francisco. I stopped by one of the DavidsTea locations there specifically to get some of this tea, which I had wanted to try but never remembered to buy at the NYC store before I moved. I have tried a number of rose congous and don’t really need another in my life right now, but the inclusion of white chocolate in this peaked my curiosity.

The dry leaf smells rosy and sweet and a touch creamy, mmm. Steeped it has a lovely rose scent and also a bit almondy, surprisingly… it reminds me of the scent of Teavana’s Amandine Rose. Hmm, interesting! This is like a rose, almond cookie. Not sure where I am getting almond from, but it’s not strong, but the cookie is definitely present for me. And it seems to just be me, but maybe it’s the association with Amandine Rose.

So anyway, I am enjoying this tea quite a bit, but not quite as much as I enjoy a straight rose congou OR Amandine Rose. Also, as typical with DavidsTeas, the black base is boring (more boring than the Teavana one, even). So it won’t be a restock, but I will happily drink up the ounce that I bought.

Holy roses! This smells just like a Victorian gift shop! Not like a gift shop in Victorian London but a gift shop selling Victorian inspired things, perfumes, powders, lotions, lace and tea cups! Bit overwhelming actually…

This brews up golden orange and has little tiny white particles floating on the surface, must be the white chocolate, though the tea I got looks nothing like the picture, no white shavings or full rose petals, just a choppy blend. Again smell is much the same, the first sip is quite nice actually, its sweet and a little salty too, it tastes like cookies! Delicious black tea and rose infused snickerdoodles!

However as I swallow, in fact each and every time I swallow this, I want to cough, it’s irritating my throat. Yes it has a nice lingering aftertaste, but not worth it. Nope not for me, nice try, moving on, mine as well tackle another floral tea, coughs up perfume Hope someone likes this, it’s at least worth sniffing.

I have no idea why I wanted this so badly. I was afraid to try it at first because ROSE ROSE ROSE the smell is so pungent!

But apparently I am on a rose kick. I think it has to do with the amount of Doctor Who I’ve been watching lately.

Is it really a rose kick if it’s only been since 4pm and this is all the rose you have?

I steeped it for 3 1/2 minutes because I never trust DT’s black base with 4+ minutes. So far, so good. I took a sip of it without any additions, and it was surprisingly okay. This is really my first rose tea but I love them and have come to appreciate most floral flavors.

I added agave and milk anyway just to be on the safe side and I do like it a lot better this way. I think it helped bring the white chocolate out too. It really just reminds me of candied rose petals.

Now I want more rose teas, bad Amanda.

Only thing that’s really offputting is that it still smells like perfume when you hold the mug to your face, and the oil slick on the surface combined with that makes you want to think twice about drinking it, it could just be perfume.

Thankfully, it’s tasty.

I went to David’s Tea today specifically for a tin of this and guess what? They were essentially all out! I still managed to get 92 grams worth but only in the result of emptying the wall tin of all its tea dust and white chocolate crumbs…uhh… Maybe I should have forgone all of the “special bits”, as my server put it, and saved myself a few extra dollars. I was hoping to be in the position to ask for extra rose buds too. I really love this tea.

That love appears to be a very subjective feeling for this tea, however. It makes sense, but I hadn’t realized the emotions that the strong floral notes rouse up in people would be so “strong” as well. Personally, the aroma alone is enough to make me skip in happiness. It makes me nostalgic too and reminds me of the rose flavoured Turkish Delights that my dad and I both enjoy around Christmas. I actually bought a box of Turkish Delights the other day but there were no lemon ones and too many crème de menthe ones. Disappointing

The first time I had this I liked it so much that I re-steeped it three times! Tonight’s cup isn’t as good as that. The excessive white chocolate residue made this particular steep rather scummy. It’s also slightly bitter which is probably due to me over-steeping it and the tea powder. It’s still has the ideal creamy, floral, and sweet profile so I will do second steep.

The white chocolate helps to offset what would otherwise be a very perfume-like drink; flowers cutting through cream. The fragrance’s sweetness is doubled, I feel, from that same chocolate, however. English Rose has a very dominant personality and, while I’m on the ‘pro’ end of the spectrum the sheer decadence and richness of it prevents this tea from being a drink I have on hand 24/7- just like how Turkish Delights are not a food to eat all day, every day. It’s more like something I want once every couple days

I’ve noticed that all the teas I went for today (Banana Dream, Ceylon Star, and English Rose) have white chocolate as an ingredient. I guess I like white chocolate.

The bitterness has actually nearly vanished after cooling down for a few minutes. Success!

i went to davidstea in chicago, bought an ounce of this, and then went back 5 hours later and bought 2 more ounces for my sister. it’s a tea that calls out her name. and she’s the one i owe my enjoyment of tea to (well, her and british television) so i LOVE sharing all of my tea with her and giving her tiny tea gifts.

ya know, i came to log this tea, and then i IMMEDIATELY got side tracked by TheTeaFairy’s post about it
so that probably means we should just go read that instead.
http://steepster.com/TheTeaFairy/posts/139171

besides, my nose is too congested right now to properly enjoy this tea. sad sad.
(it’s just that i have tiny scarred sinuses, it’s not a cold or anything, don’t worry.)
(i hate to think on how my sinus effect my enjoyment of tea. i’ll go irrigate i guess.)

I am so happy to sit quietly this morning and enjoy this sample from whatshesaid. A normal appointment for backing up my laptop at the Apple store on Monday led to a big problem being discovered, and me spending pretty much all day yesterday at the Apple store trying to have it fixed. It was something to do with my iPhoto, and I really really love my pictures. Luckily all seems to have been saved, but I was up until the late hours trying to reorganize everything when I got home. Whew!

I LOVE rose teas. Like could drink them all day, every day love them! This one sounded so promising with the addition of white chocolate that I have been wanting to try it for awhile. The dry leaves have that perfumey rose smell mixed in with sweet white chocolate. I noticed a really lovely rose scent filling the air while the tea was steeping. The flavor is sweet and malty with a nice rose finish. And a wonderful perfumey aftertaste. The tea was just a little bitter, so I would probably drop my original brewing time down to 4 minutes from the 4.5 I originally tried. I added a little milk and sweetener and this tea is just perfect! Thank you, whatshesaid!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves, rose buds and pieces of white chocolate.
-Dry leaves smell like perfumey rose and white chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of toasty rose.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Sweet and malty black tea flavor with a rose finish. Lingering perfumey aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Sweet creamy rose flavor.

I am so happy that I picked up 25g of this to try yesterday! I love floral teas, especially rose, and this one is particularly wonderful. I love that it has a black base rather than green, and the hint of sweetness that the white chocolate gives. It comes off as both rich and light at the same time. This is everything I’d expect from a rosy tea!

I think it tastes best hot with just a touch of sugar and a bit of milk, but I’m biased since that’s how I prefer most of my teas. I still can’t get over how perfect the flavour is, it’s really everything I had hoped for when I first saw the description! A nice smooth black base, the perfect amount of rose, and a delicate sweetness at the end of the sip. It actually reminds me a lot of a sugared rose lip balm I love from a favourite etsy seller.

I hope this one sticks around in store, I can definitely see myself drinking this into the fall and winter.

I wanted to choose something special for my Valentine’s Day cup of tea. This one seemed very appropriate with the white chocolate curls and roses. I’m watching the snow fall after just making a big batch of chocolate chip cookies.. and have now cozied up to write this note.

The dry leaf reminds me of my childhood. I’m really not sure why, but I think it has to do with those plastic dolls/toys that were supposed to smell like roses or flowers. It’s not that it’s artificial, but just that it’s very ROSE scented. It brews up a very dark & mysterious liquor.

Sipping… I’m actually surprised by how much I like this tea. The strongest flavor is the rose, but it’s very gentle and smooth. Some rose teas are too strong, too much like the flowers were just picked and their very souls were concentrated. This one is nice and sweet and actually offers a nice balance between rose and black tea by the end of the sip. It’s quite astringent at the end, but I think this could be fixed with some sugar or maybe some milk. I’m disappointed that I can’t pick up on the white chocolate at all. It’s almost like those curls were never there. I wish that I could bring out the white chocolate more as it would be a lovely addition to this romantic blend.

I couldn’t have picked a better tea for today. It has everything a Valentine’s Day cup of tea should have. I will be picking more of this up in the future when I’ve worked my way through more of my tea collection.

1.5 tsp for 350 mL (I think) water. Made for me at a DavidsTea store. Steeped 5 minutes. Drunk bare.

First off, do not steep this tea as long as 5 minutes. I got stuck in a lineup behind someone buying those scratch lottery tickets. I should have hurried him along by slapping my wet teabag upside his face.

Oh, what a lovely rose black tea. Everything balances well. You can handily taste the black team which is pretty mellow — Chinese, I’m guessing — with a very subtle toast finish. I would hvbe liked this better steeped at 3 or 4 minutes; after 5, things get bitter and soapy. But I’ll put up with a lot for roses.

I have been lurking this site for about a year. All your reviews helped me on my own tea journey. I currently have 22 teas spread over two drawers in my work cabinet. A few more at home and 4 coming in the mail which I can’t wait for.

That being said I had to put my review up for English Rose because I do not think it deserves such a low score. I think it is great as a hot tea. The white chocolate just brings out the rose flavour so much. It is very much a comfort tea with its sweet aroma and taste.

I drink all my teas plain with no additions. I think this tea is fine to drink that way. However I would imagine adding cream would make it even more rich.

I had only bought 25g to start but I have been having at least two cups a day and running low so I will be buying a 100g tin today.

Dry Leaf Nose: Black tea and roses.

Liquor: Rose-gold colour with a very rosy aroma.

Flavour: Black tea supports the rose, while the white chocolate curls carry the flavour for a sweet lingering aftertaste.

I have to confess I went to David’s today for the sole purpose of trying this tea. And taking a breather from work at lunch. And checking out the construction at Queen West and Spadina. So I guess English Rose wasn’t the sole purpose of my trip, but I digress.

I tried this tea iced as the “Tea of the day” and sadly, it left me underwhelmed. I’m not really partial to flowery teas, but I don’t mind them. Rose blends, however, tend to be overwhelmingly rosy. And this one definitely veers in that direction. I was hoping I’d be able to taste the black tea or the sweetness from the alleged chocolate that’s in there, but no. Nothing. Just rose. I guess this would be a great tea for someone who really likes rose. It’s just not for me.

Ever since DT introduced me to All The Raj I’ve loved rose floral scents and flavors in my tea…

English Rose is one of DT’s new black teas and it makes my mouth water just smelling it.The Rose makes up the majority of the aroma and that’s fine with me..but it’s backbone is entirely black tea with a whisper of chocolate.

Once brewed it takes on a gold color and doesn’t seem to smell as lovely as before preparation still rosy but much heavier.

First taste and I’m enchanted.I love the rose and the bit of chocolate..it’s a splendid tea that tastes like it should be a classic tea like any earl grey or Orange Pekoe..an everyday tea.

It’s still a tad bitter but I think with a slight adjustment and a shorter brew time it might just be perfect.

Why oh why did they choose to serve this one iced as a tea of the day? It BEGS to be served hot, with milk and sugar, and with a tea biscuit or scone! Due to the white chocolate and rose, brewed, this tea tastes very much like a Turkish Delight candy…the chocolate with rose scented jelly inside. It’s still a bit too floral for my liking, but if my friends decided to get/make a pot of this to share, I would have some. It is tasty, but not something I’d buy for myself.

This tea completes me!

I really enjoy it best with milk! The sweetness of the white chocolate and the roses is so reminiscent of a Turkish Delight! Only without the chewing and sticky teeth after! A really pleasant combination best enjoyed hot though.

I am a fan of rose teas, and this one is no disappointment. I like how the chocolate softens the rose. I’ll have to order it again in a few months when it is cooler so that I’ll have more non-melted white chocolate pieces in the blend.

I got a pouch of this for Christmas this year – really enjoyed it! I could probably do without, or less of, the white chocolate (I noticed an oily film on the surface of the tea, hoping that it’s from the chocolate melting!), but I finished the pouch off fairly quickly. Definitely one I’d buy again!