75
drank Pumpkin Houjicha by 52teas
15678 tasting notes

Sipdown (135)!

Thanks Kittenna! I love the idea of flavoured Houjicha; the base just works with so many different kinds of flavours…

I don’t know why, but I brewed this one Gong Fu style in a gaiwan. I think it really boiled down to a matter of convenience; I had all of my Gong Fu supplies upstairs already so I just, you know, went with it. Maybe making this particular tea in that style was a little unconventional, but it sure was tasty!

This had a super strong roasty flavour, as Houjicha often does. I don’t know if I’ve ever tried a Houjicha blend from either Frank or Anne? I know I was really interested in the Lemon Bar Houjicha, but I never got around the trying it. This is the perfect level of roastiness, though! Mmm! I don’t think the pumpkin flavouring is super obvious, it’s more of a subtle pumpkin and cinnamon flavour in the finish. I don’t know if I’d prefer a blatant flavouring or something more subtle like this one?

The flavour fades quickly after two gong fu style infusions; maybe if it was stronger initially the flavour wouldn’t wane so quickly. However, I know that this wasn’t the best way to brew this one initially, so there’s that. And the base does hold up REALLY well after the flavour does fade. So it’s not like it wasn’t enjoyable, anyway.

Conclusion: Yum! I can’t wait to try the other flavoured Houjicha, probably Western style, from Kittenna in the near future.

Sil

totally trying to keep pace with you on sipdowns this weekend for fun :)

Roswell Strange

Good luck, I have all weekend off ;)

Sil

i’m working a release all weekend :)

kristinalee

So, Yunomi sell both a roasted lemongrass herbal and a houjicha-lemongrass blend, which I think sound promising. I’m not big on flavored tea, but I did put these both on my purchase list for this year.

kristinalee

It looks like it’s just the one ingredient — lemongrass — and not a host of chemicals attempting to approach the flavor of lemongrass.

Roswell Strange

Lemon and Houjicha sounds like a good pairing, for sure – though lemongrass in particular is one of my least favourite ingredients used in any tea blend – herbal or otherwise. I’d be much more interested in a houjicha blend that incorporated lemon zest, even though the flavour would likely be more subtle.

kristinalee

Ah, so they wouldn’t work for you then. What about verbena? Lemon zest would be good in a tea…

Evol Ving Ness

Hmm, lemongrass and the roastiness of this base sounds promising, even though I am not a big fan of lemongrass.

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Sil

totally trying to keep pace with you on sipdowns this weekend for fun :)

Roswell Strange

Good luck, I have all weekend off ;)

Sil

i’m working a release all weekend :)

kristinalee

So, Yunomi sell both a roasted lemongrass herbal and a houjicha-lemongrass blend, which I think sound promising. I’m not big on flavored tea, but I did put these both on my purchase list for this year.

kristinalee

It looks like it’s just the one ingredient — lemongrass — and not a host of chemicals attempting to approach the flavor of lemongrass.

Roswell Strange

Lemon and Houjicha sounds like a good pairing, for sure – though lemongrass in particular is one of my least favourite ingredients used in any tea blend – herbal or otherwise. I’d be much more interested in a houjicha blend that incorporated lemon zest, even though the flavour would likely be more subtle.

kristinalee

Ah, so they wouldn’t work for you then. What about verbena? Lemon zest would be good in a tea…

Evol Ving Ness

Hmm, lemongrass and the roastiness of this base sounds promising, even though I am not a big fan of lemongrass.

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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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