84

From this weekend, late Sunday.

I’ve been helping Shae and VariaTEA compile lists here and on instagram of Black owned tea companies, and in doing do I realized that the only one I could think of/had even knowingly purchased from was T by Daniel – I have since found a couple more companies that I was at least familiar with (even if I’d never bought from them) but just didn’t know the background of the owners.

I ordered from a new to me company, Hella Tea, earlier this week and I would like to continue to order from some of these new to me companies in the future.

In the meantime, I pulled out a couple of my T by Daniel blends to steep up and enjoy a little bit more actively and attentively. I really enjoyed my mug of this tea; it’s a great take on a Lady Londonderry profile, with a beautifully brisk lemon note accented against full bodied and just a little bit astringent black tea. The astringency actually works really well here, because it plays off the natural pithy-ness of the lemon, and offsets sweetness that could otherwise be cloying. Great on its own, but really well set up to be enjoyed with sugar or honey as well!

Nattie

T by Daniel was the only one on the list I was already aware of, too. Most of them weren’t even in the database. I’ve added a few so they at least have some sort of presence here and I’m going to continue adding them one by one.

Roswell Strange

That’s amazing, thank you for that! :)

Nattie

Thank you for helping to compile the list! (:

tea-sipper

Same – I was only aware of T by Daniel. (cringe)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

Nattie

T by Daniel was the only one on the list I was already aware of, too. Most of them weren’t even in the database. I’ve added a few so they at least have some sort of presence here and I’m going to continue adding them one by one.

Roswell Strange

That’s amazing, thank you for that! :)

Nattie

Thank you for helping to compile the list! (:

tea-sipper

Same – I was only aware of T by Daniel. (cringe)

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