58
drank Red Velvet Cake by DAVIDsTEA
15695 tasting notes

I might just end up shooting Tre! He decided to make a cup of one my DAVIDsTEAs for himself and chose Red Velvet Cake. It’s not that I don’t want him using my teas (he has permission to make himself whatever he wants so long as the tea balls aren’t already filled with leaves for things I plan to resteep later), but that he blatantly ignores what the tins say about amounts to use for a cup and what I’ve told him.

So, earlier today he made a cup of DAVIDsTEA’s Hot Lips for himself (the tea I bought specifically with him in mind), but halfway through his cup decided that he didn’t want Hot Lips anymore so he boiled up some more water, filled the mug up to the brim with new hot water (without dumping the old tea) and then, when he thought I wasn’t watching, took out a tablespoon it filled it so it was heaping and then proceeded to try and cram all of the leaves into a tea ball. THEY BARELY FIT. The leaves are gonna have no room to expand :/

If it weren’t one of my least favourite (if not my least favourite) DAVIDsTEAs that I currently have stocked, and if I didn’t have so much of it I would be so much more upset than I am right now!

He also added in about two full tablespoons of sugar to it! So, he has a mug of watered down Hot Lips that was then resteeped with AT LEAST twice the recommended leaf for Red Velvet Cake, and he then added a ton of sugar to it. YUCK.

Anyway, that’s why I’m drinking Red Velvet Cake right now – he was just going to trash the leaves, but it seemed like such a waste especially considering how much extra leaf he used. So, I resteeped the leaves and added a small bit of milk (maybe 1/2 a teaspoon if that). Like I said, Red Velvet is not one of my favourites, but this resteep is actually better than I usually get and almost as good as when I steep this one for the first time. I’m going to attribute that to the fact he used so much leaf for his cup.

I swear though, I better not catch him wasting leaf for any of my favourites! I might have to start hoarding some teas in my closet where he can’t get at them…

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Roswell Strange

Just commenting to add that he went to make himself a second cup with new leaf, and measured out the same gigantic, heaping portion! GAH! Thankfully he went to grab something from his room while the water boiled and I had time to dump about half of it back out and into the tin. He didn’t notice a difference in the flavour at all (and I managed to save some leaves). I don’t think he realizes how expensive teas can be…

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Roswell Strange

Just commenting to add that he went to make himself a second cup with new leaf, and measured out the same gigantic, heaping portion! GAH! Thankfully he went to grab something from his room while the water boiled and I had time to dump about half of it back out and into the tin. He didn’t notice a difference in the flavour at all (and I managed to save some leaves). I don’t think he realizes how expensive teas can be…

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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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