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It’s been a busy last week at work; but I managed to sneak to the downtown Cathedral area after work today for a short while which let me stop at Cuppa’T and restock a favourite tea I was out of as well as pick up a couple new teas before I leave for Montreal in a week!

I mean, I do own several blends from Cuppa’T already – but it feels nice to have gotten to pick up some new ones before leaving. It’s like taking a little piece of Regina’s tea scene with me to Montreal, in a way. I only got a small amount of this one (about an oz) because I’m actually hoping to finish this one off before I move (leaving three new blends to take with), and of the four teas I picked up it was the one I felt the least sure that I’d like…

I brewed myself up a large pot of it tonight, and am just finishing it off now. I did add a little bit of milk at the recommendation of the sales associate who sold it to me. I’m mostly liking this blend, but at the same time I’m not totally sure what it’s trying to be? None of the listed ingredients are ones that I’d associate with truffles – and from what I gathered in store the “butter” element in the same is supposed to sort of be like buttered rum!? To be fair, the dry leaf does have a buttery, sweet and almost toffee like aroma to it so maybe!? It’s a little weird, though.

As far as taste goes that lack of clarity in terms of flavour is still sort of present. The black tea base is surprisingly present throughout the cup, and has distinct notes of yeast-y bread, malt, and dry/astringent nuts. It’s nice, and I appreciate the full bodied characteristics and briskness – I can also see why it was recommended that I add milk. As for the flavourings in the blend, I do actually feel like I’m getting the sweetness and buttery elements of buttered rum with a tinge of toffee to the undertones. I really like that element of the tea too, but wish it was stronger. If “truffle” is supposed to be chocolate, though, then I’m completely MISSING that aspect. Also, there are spices in the ingredients but not really in the flavour so that’s also a little weird.

So overall, I’d say this is semi-buttered rum flavoured with really strong black tea. Like a lightly/moderatly flavoured breakfast-blend type of tea!? I mostly really enjoy it, but there’s just something that is stopping me from “fully” embracing it.

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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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