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GCTTB Round 6

The Great Canadian Tea Box has landed, and I have to say that I’m very excited to be participating in it again! I had a lot of fun with it last round, and I’m sure that’ll be the case again.

This is my first pull! I’m very, very familiar with the Bananas & Cream matcha from RLT it’s a personal favourite so I was really curious how different the plain banana would taste compared to it. Sadly, I don’t have any B&C at the moment though so I’m just mentally comparing instead of doing a side by side.

Instead of milk, I whisked this one up in straight hot water because it didn’t feel right to do it in coconut or cashew milk (the two kinds of milk I have on hand) because back when I was regularly drinking the B&C I didn’t drink either of those kinds of milk so I wouldn’t be able to factor in the distinctly coconut or nutty notes each milk have respectively when used in matcha milk.

It was hard to remember to drink this one slowly; I was really thirsty and the tea tasted so good that I was slurping it really quickly instead of paying attention to differences. Honestly though? Maybe that’s because it didn’t taste that different to me. The banana was definitely VERY strong and really enjoyable but it tasted exactly like the sweet, creamy banana notes I got from Bananas & Cream. You know, a mix between banana pudding, banana medicine penicillin and those banana marshmallow five cent candies.

So good, but just not as authentic to the fruit as I’d always pictured the straight up banana matcha tasting. I can’t decide whether I’m disappointed by that. I mean, if there’s not a noticeable flavour difference between the two then what’s the point of having two distinct flavours?

Happy to have tried it regardless, though.

Arby

I’m glad someone enjoyed it! It wasn’t my cup of tea (hehe) so it’s great you could not only get to try a new flavour (er…same flavour as you’ve already tried?), but also like it. Did you find it bitter at all?

OMGsrsly

Banana flavour is based on bananas that aren’t grown for commercial eating anymore. They might have actually gone extinct, I can’t remember. There were tree disease problems.

Roswell Strange

@Arby

No, I didn’t – but I also used a pretty conservative steep temperature. 75C, I believe.

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Arby

I’m glad someone enjoyed it! It wasn’t my cup of tea (hehe) so it’s great you could not only get to try a new flavour (er…same flavour as you’ve already tried?), but also like it. Did you find it bitter at all?

OMGsrsly

Banana flavour is based on bananas that aren’t grown for commercial eating anymore. They might have actually gone extinct, I can’t remember. There were tree disease problems.

Roswell Strange

@Arby

No, I didn’t – but I also used a pretty conservative steep temperature. 75C, I believe.

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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.

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Montreal, QC, CA

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https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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