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Roswell Strange drank 2017 'Floating Point' Black Tea by Kuura

15662 tasting notes

Gongfu!

Thanks Shredsofmetal for giving me an excuse to try this sample out; you didn’t really have to twist my arm all that much for me to test it out and give you a summary of the flavour notes, but when you get to having 600+ teas sometimes it is hard to decide which ones to prioritize…

This wasn’t my thing – I gave it as much of a fighting chance as I could and tried to be open minded throughout the session but the flavour notes aren’t ones I particularly look for in a black tea, and I found that overall the whole tea lacked body/sweetness which just made for an ultimately very flat/dull tasting cup. The plus side, I suppose, is that it was very smooth and forgiving to steep – it was impossible to make it come out either bitter or astringent; and that’s a HUGE win for some people. I personally just needed some bitterness or astringency to give it any sort of life…

Here’s my instagram summary:

This was an inoffensive black tea with a mix of malt, plum, and black peppercorn notes – with the latter being the most consistently present throughout the session. Those peppery elements lingered LONG after each sip. Throughout the session the plum, notes went from “plum-ish” to becoming much more distinct, and a more raisin-y note was introduced as well. Some infusions had a note of pennies, as well.

Also – I brewed 7/5g in a 130ml gaiwan, for six steeps before I just couldn’t do it anymore.

I have one other black tea sample from Kuura to try, but so far I’ve enjoyed the Go Juice coins (but not this one), and I liked both Honey Jar and Ghost (the white teas). Honey Jar is by far my favourite thing I’ve tried from Kuura thus far, though.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/ByXn1ClAtTi/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOYj7WfJQD8

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tea-sipper
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I was trying to think of what assam reminds me of today, and I think you nailed it: pennies.

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tea-sipper
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I was trying to think of what assam reminds me of today, and I think you nailed it: pennies.

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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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