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Roswell Strange drank Anise Pu'erh by Cornelia Bean

15695 tasting notes

Evening pot of tea!

One of the things I found really cool about Cornelia Bean when I went to the store was the diversity of their Pu’erh selection. A lot of local tea stores or tea/coffee joint stores tend to have VERY limited Pu’erh options: a generic shou, maybe a sheng, and possibly like a dessert pu’erh? You know, chocolate or toffee? Cornelia Bean had some really unique options though, which I definitely took advantage of – grabbing three of the several flavoured pu’erh options they carried.

Dry, this one smells strongly of black licorice/anise. Obviously that’s to be expected with a name like “Anise Pu’erh”, so if you’re smelling this one and expecting that not to be the case then that’s kind of nuts? If you do like anise/licorice, though, then this is right up your alley! So potent and aromatic. Just rich, indulgent and so intense.

Steeped, it’s a lot less monotone in flavour than the dry aroma would have you believe. I mean, it’s clearly a really strong black licorice/anise flavour but it’s not the only thing coming through. There’s also a mix of fairly strong earthy and woody notes, which give this a bit of an unrefined/natural sort of quality that I’m digging quite a bit. Other things going on in this are some cinnamon undertones, and a bit of an almost salty finish? The saltyness of the pu’erh combined with the black licorice notes REALLY makes me think of Salmiak, ie. Finnish Salted Liquorice.

It’s very smooth overall; and makes for a sweet and relaxing evening pot of tea that works as a dessert flavour, albeit not your typical one. I’m a fan!

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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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