60

Thank you Marzipan for the tea! I drank this what seems like ages ago, but just now getting around to writing about it. It was buried pretty far down in my queue. Thankfully, I wrote a lot of jot notes down when I did drink it…

- Cold Brew
- Sadly I think I have evolved past added sprinkles and bits in my tea
- Which is honestly a little sad; it feels like I’m being a bit of a buzz kill
- Liquor is a slightly more red amber colour; from the sprinkles I think
- Taste wise there’s something about the black base that irritates me
- I wonder if this company uses the same base for all their black blends
- ‘Cause I liked Vanilla Black Magick but struggled with Pumpkin Chai
- Definitely registered the peppermint/vanilla
- The chocolate came through in a weird way; very artificial tasting
- Perhaps artificial flavour was more from the sprinkles though…
- Chocolate didn’t seamlessly blend with the other flavours either
- What does the popcorn contribute!?
- No but seriously, does the popcorn do anything other than look cute!?

But yeah; on the note of evolving past sprinkles in my tea, recently I shared with one of my supervisors how into tea I am and she suggested I try DT’s Birthday Cake blend. I had to really, really hold in the loud scoff I wanted to make because she’s my superior at work. And, when I was down in Regina my Mom said she was telling coworkers about how I’m “going through a huge tea phase” (the wording she used pisses me off; definitely not a ‘phase’ – but that’s not the point here). All her coworkers urged her to buy me DT’s Birthday Cake blend.

Part of me is frustrated that particular blend seems to be many people’s shining standard of “good tea” when it’s really not, but I’m also conflicted because it is, in fact, that particular blend that got me interested in tea in the first place. Just goes to show how far I’ve come as a tea drinker, I suppose.

Anlina

I haven’t had Birthday Cake in ages but I do remember really enjoying it. I’m definitely more of a straight tea person these days, but I keep getting reminded of why I like flavoured teas too.

Mikumofu

I end up feeling quite conflicted about sprinkles and added stuff too…if they’re contributing something, it can be great and creative, but if not then they just add weight.

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Comments

Anlina

I haven’t had Birthday Cake in ages but I do remember really enjoying it. I’m definitely more of a straight tea person these days, but I keep getting reminded of why I like flavoured teas too.

Mikumofu

I end up feeling quite conflicted about sprinkles and added stuff too…if they’re contributing something, it can be great and creative, but if not then they just add weight.

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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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