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Nabbed this one from the first GCTTB when I had it a month or so ago…

I brewed this one up Western style to enjoy whilst having a long soak in the tub. I haven’t yet found a practical way to enjoy Gong Fu whilst having a bubble bath, but rest assured that once I do I’ll be taking advantage of those long soaks to enjoy some Gong Fu brewed Pu’erh.

I was a little surprised by this one; it had a really upfront sticky, fruity sweetness to it and a mouthfeel to match that syrupy quality. I’d say those intense fruity notes really reminded me of both raisins and plums. Apart from that, this had your typical array of earthy, brothy and mineral notes and then a richness in the foreground that I think would best be described as a fudgey, chocolate note and maybe even a little bit of caramel? The caramel was a stronger presence in the aftertaste, where it lingered on the tip of your tongue. About halfway through my mug, I noticed I was also observing a little bit of an sweet and umami quality as well in the top of the sip alongside the raisin/plum. Initial impression was tomato, but looking back on it I’m thinking a bit more of a persimmon. Persimmon is like a tomato, but sweeter/fruitier with a more honeyed taste to it.

So, a very enjoyable as well as interesting and even somewhat unique cuppa.

Christina / BooksandTea

Did you have to do any rinses on this? After I tried this and didn’t get very far, someone else suggested to do a rinse or two the night before and let it sit so that the nuggets had time to unfurl.

Roswell Strange

I did a ten second rinse to start, and that definitely opened things up a little. After that I brewed Western though, so the longer steep time was, I believe, more beneficial to getting more flavour out.

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Christina / BooksandTea

Did you have to do any rinses on this? After I tried this and didn’t get very far, someone else suggested to do a rinse or two the night before and let it sit so that the nuggets had time to unfurl.

Roswell Strange

I did a ten second rinse to start, and that definitely opened things up a little. After that I brewed Western though, so the longer steep time was, I believe, more beneficial to getting more flavour out.

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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

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

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