Gong Fu!

This one is weird because it’s from the sort of “limbo” period between when I was feeling really sick and when I was feeling a lot better (though still not 100%). It was a really nice session, and after nearly 48 hours of being stuck in bed, sore, and quite sleepless I found the routine of brewing Gong Fu quite calming and peaceful, and the tea made me feel very relaxed.

I’m still very new to Liubao/Heicha in general and I’m dipping my toes into this new area of tea fairly slowly – but this seemed a lot different than the few other kinds of heicha that I’ve tried before. It’s very tightly compressed into a brick shape but steeping it broke apart so quickly (after like infusion two!) in the little glass Gong Fu teapot I was using and basically was this highly broken up sort of CTC looking grade of leaf. I’m glad I did choose to use a teapot with a strainer in it, because this leaf was pretty fine! I don’t generally use a strainer as part of my Gong Fu set up, so I imagine with a gaiwan this would have really gotten into my Cha Hai and cup…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVaGWiHKX5/

You can see how fine the leaf was in the final image/video…

Still pretty earthy, but also surprisingly sweet and fruity. I don’t 100% trust my taste buds from this session though because the finishing note for nearly every steep was reminding me heavily of sweet blackberry leaf and Fuzzy Peach candies; which is certainly strange. Probably better to retaste this when I feel completely fine…

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDZkdkPHQ00

(Good music for calm, slow evenings – and when you’re feeling sick and kind of hazy…)

derk

Had a good and very different experience with some liu bao Togo sent me, so I bought a few each of some liu bao, liu an and fu zhuan to try out.

Roswell Strange

I’ve yet to venture into Heicha outside of Liu Bao – that was what was recommended to me by someone on instagram who is VERY into heicha that I trust quite a bit with recommendations. I’m sure I will at some point, but I like the idea of getting very comfortable with one type first before jumping into others. Where did you purchase yours from?

(Also, we should totally swap at some point!)

derk

The liu bao and fu zhuan came from YS and the liu an from Yunnan Craft. I will keep you on my swap radar :) Have about 50 swap samples to make my way through until I’m ready.

john-in-siam

It sounds a lot more sweet and fruity than any version of Liu Bao I’ve ever tried, but then I’ve only tried a half dozen or so, all on the mineral and earthy side. A 2012 Three Cranes version had too much off storage flavor to be a fair representation, but after close to a year of airing out that faded.

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derk

Had a good and very different experience with some liu bao Togo sent me, so I bought a few each of some liu bao, liu an and fu zhuan to try out.

Roswell Strange

I’ve yet to venture into Heicha outside of Liu Bao – that was what was recommended to me by someone on instagram who is VERY into heicha that I trust quite a bit with recommendations. I’m sure I will at some point, but I like the idea of getting very comfortable with one type first before jumping into others. Where did you purchase yours from?

(Also, we should totally swap at some point!)

derk

The liu bao and fu zhuan came from YS and the liu an from Yunnan Craft. I will keep you on my swap radar :) Have about 50 swap samples to make my way through until I’m ready.

john-in-siam

It sounds a lot more sweet and fruity than any version of Liu Bao I’ve ever tried, but then I’ve only tried a half dozen or so, all on the mineral and earthy side. A 2012 Three Cranes version had too much off storage flavor to be a fair representation, but after close to a year of airing out that faded.

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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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