90

My tummy has the gurglies…

I just finished baking two dozen cupcakes and I most definitely ate too much cupcake batter because I’m a foolish person. It was fun playing around with new recipes though; the ones I made are Vanilla/Cherry/Zucchini with a Strawberries and Cream matcha icing. I can’t even think about trying one right now – but Tre played ‘Guinea Pig’ for me and tried one without the icing and one with. He says that without is amazing; very moist, with a good balance of zucchini and cherry. With, he didn’t like as much – though it wasn’t because of the vegetal factor like expected. It’s ‘cause the strawberry blends into the cherry too much and it gets too strong taste wise. Of course, I’ll test them for myself later and record a note for them…

This is a queued tasting note.

Made this one up in my timolino with a little bit of milk splashed in. I realized that with the change of season, I’ve been neglecting my rooibos teas pretty badly so I pulled about five of them out of my cupboard to incorporate into the work week. This is the first one I steeped up.

The mouthfeel was very thick and rich, and the creaminess of the milk only help extend that feeling. Creamy vanilla bean notes dominated the cup in a way that made me think of thick, frosty vanilla milkshakes (only hot?). The last few sips were a touch medicinal tasting; perhaps from the rooibos base, sitting in the timolino for an extended time or possibly a combination of both.

Milk seemed to simplify the complexity/layers of this blend – but it was enjoyable overall, and perhaps the best way to drink it in a timolino. I find with more complex/nuanced teas, the timolino strips that away anyway or it just becomes too much of a distracting paying attention to the tea when I just want something casual to sip on during my work commute.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer