81
drank Malted ChocoMaté by 52teas
16827 tasting notes

So, I’ve had this blend in the past and evidently (going by my rating of 38) I did NOT like it. I tried to find my old reviews, but gave up sorting through all eleven pages of reviews – this is where some type of search function for rating would be a really beneficial feature…

I decided to try this one again though because it’s been years since I last had it and what I did have was blended by Frank – so I thought that my tastes have probably changed a lot, but also Anne’s approach to blending might be quite different than his recipe. I can’t remember if she stuck very similar to his OG recipe.

Whatever the case may be, I found myself really enjoying this cup! I actually had Maltesers pretty recently, and while drinking this tea I found myself impressed with how well that malted milk chocolate flavour was coming across! Yes, the mate tea base is pretty distinct but the chocolate/malt combo and creaminess is PERFECT as an offset to it! I don’t often love chocolate teas, but I loved this one. Maybe part of that is also that I just understand how to better steep yerba mate now? Or that the taste of it is less offensive to me in general?

Doesn’t matter – the tea was good, so I’ll take it! Bumping my rating to reflect my thoughts on the current Anne formulation of this tea vs Frank’s version.

Unrelated to this tea, but still loosely tea related…

I got promoted! Yes, again. Though – I don’t know if everyone saw my last note about getting promoted, since it was in a tasting note that I posted during the massive Steepster Freeze a few months ago…

Anyway, my new title is “Research and Development Lead – Tea”.

My previous title was “Tea Specialist”. A lot of people have asked me what that means in terms of what I’m doing for work, and my answer to that is that I’m still figuring that out. While I’ve been working in R&D since starting at the head office about two years ago, I’ve also had roles in the Quality Control department, helping with hard goods testing, and in Social Media, & most recently (over the last few months) I’ve had my hands in even more cookie jars, taking on various roles in Quality Assurance/Regulatory, Marketing, and Copy Writing in addition to what I was already doing. Some of those things I’ve enjoyed being a part of much more than others. We’ll just say I’m very well rounded across many departments…

I’m excited to hopefully be passing off some of those roles to new people though, and to take on more direct work with R&D – that’s obviously where my interest lies the most! Anything to get me more hands on with tea make me a pretty darn happy tea drinker!

mrmopar

I think you have found the job to stay in till retirement.

Michelle

Congrats!!

Inkling

Wow, congratulations on a second promotion so quickly! You’re obviously really good at your job…and you’re definitely the kind of true tea lover we want in R&D at a tea company. :)

Roswell Strange

Thanks all! And absolutely mrmopar – I can’t picture myself ever working in any industry other than the tea industry!

Martin Bednář

Congratulations! You certainly found a job which suits you best :)

52Teas

Congratulations on your promotion!

OMGsrsly

That’s exciting! Congratulations. :)

VariaTEA

Congrats Roswell! Can’t wait for you to be the next president of DAVIDsTEA :P

Roswell Strange

Haha, I’ll pass on that. I’m perfectly happy in my tea lab bubble :p

tea-sipper

Congrats on the promotion!

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Comments

mrmopar

I think you have found the job to stay in till retirement.

Michelle

Congrats!!

Inkling

Wow, congratulations on a second promotion so quickly! You’re obviously really good at your job…and you’re definitely the kind of true tea lover we want in R&D at a tea company. :)

Roswell Strange

Thanks all! And absolutely mrmopar – I can’t picture myself ever working in any industry other than the tea industry!

Martin Bednář

Congratulations! You certainly found a job which suits you best :)

52Teas

Congratulations on your promotion!

OMGsrsly

That’s exciting! Congratulations. :)

VariaTEA

Congrats Roswell! Can’t wait for you to be the next president of DAVIDsTEA :P

Roswell Strange

Haha, I’ll pass on that. I’m perfectly happy in my tea lab bubble :p

tea-sipper

Congrats on the promotion!

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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...

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