68
drank Paris by Harney & Sons
15575 tasting notes

Woke up this morning and went to check the mail for my RiverTea order. Instead I saw a large DAVIDsTEA box and was heavily confused because I’ve never placed an online DT order in my life – especially not recently. I thought that maybe it actually wasn’t for me, and my landlord’s daughter had ordered it, but nope my name was on it.

Brought it inside and opened it up (still very confused), and immediately saw the little note card which read “From Keychange ”. Instantly, I realized that it must be the tea she’s sending me – a few small samples and then a lot of HS’s Boston Blend. I figured she’d just parceled it in a DAVIDsTEA box because maybe the Boston she sent was really that much? And that it had just got here really fast…

But nope, I kept opening only to see this beauty:

http://www.davidstea.com/david-s-mason-jar?&TF=69F219E5A1A1&DEID=

Remember the mason jar she was raving about? Yeah – she sent me one. Seriously, the kindness of people here on Steepster is sometimes just absolutely too much! And, totally out of the blue! I’m overwhelmed by the generosity. May Keychange receive all the good karma! ALL OF IT.

Consequently, right before I went to check the mail I started steeping a sachet of this, which Keychange also sent me. My first taste was when I was sick and I feel like I wasn’t really tasting it properly so I wanted to make a cup now that I can taste it ‘correctly’.

Except, then I received random good karma mail and I forgot I was steeping anything because I was so overwhelmed and I immediately had to go to (Tre’s) computer, and write her a thank you note and post in the ‘What Did You Recieve in The Mail Today’ thread and by the time I remembered there was tea steeping in my kitchen it had been like 20 minutes…

So…

This is insanely bitter to the point where I don’t really even taste the bergamot. Plus side #1 is that I can taste some caramel. Plus side #2 is that I still have a sachet of this left, so I can go make another cup (and this time be diligent in steeping it correctly). And finally, plus side #3 is that since there’s only one sachet left I can make it a sipdown.

So, I think I’m going to go do that! And then, I’ll likely make something in this beautiful mason jar.

caile

So nice!

Rosehips

Steepster people are the best.

__Morgana__

Lovely :-)

OMGsrsly

Wow! :) That’s incredibly lovely.

Tuscanteal

So lovely! I love this community :)

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Comments

caile

So nice!

Rosehips

Steepster people are the best.

__Morgana__

Lovely :-)

OMGsrsly

Wow! :) That’s incredibly lovely.

Tuscanteal

So lovely! I love this community :)

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Profile

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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