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Roswell Strange drank Chai Apricot by Tea Desire

15695 tasting notes

GCTTB V1

Ok, so I’ve had this tea before… on many occasions, actually.

However I saw it in the box, and then I smelled it in the box and it made me nostalgic for past pots and mugs of this brew. I think it really is an underrated Chai and as someone who really dislikes Chai in general I’ve found that the combination of green base and sweeter, fruitier notes really does work so well for me. I just had to revisit this one.

So Cathryn and I are sharing a pot while we wait for the swimming pool to open up: there’s a strong aroma of cinnamon, ginger and apricot wafting from the pot and it’s making the apartment smell really lovely. Drinking it, I’m definitely hit with heavy waves of melancholic nostalgia. The flavour is lovely though: a great ratio of ginger, clove, peppercorn, and cinnamon notes though a bit more heavy on the cinnamon over anything else. It’s hard to taste the base, but there’s a certain smoky quality that’s more than likely the only trace of the gunpowder to be detected. The best part is the bright, sweet apricot note that pushes its way to the top, creating a very sweet and lively top note that forms an amazing contrast to the spicey base. It’s a very warming brew, but in the sunniest way possible.

I mean, Chai blends don’t really read as “Summer Blends” do they? But I think if you find a somewhat lighter one with a fruit ingredient thrown in as a bit of a ‘twist’ they CAN lend themselves to a more summery sort of feel. And this one does that.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to take the rest of this out of the box for myself; and I still might. However, I’ve drank my fair share of this over the last few years and I think I should try to be happy with just revisiting it and let some other people enjoy this unconventional Chai.

And yes I DID get moments where I tasted ketchup, just like years ago…

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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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