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Roswell Strange drank Black Beauty 2009 Meng Hai Imperial Ripe Pu'erh by Bitterleaf Teas

15752 tasting notes

Gongfu from yesterday!

I have 100% had this tea before – but apparently I’ve not reviewed it before so, uh, my bad. Anyway; this was my morning Gongfu session yesterday because I had a real craving for a nice, clean shou and that basically perfectly describes this tea. I paired it with some Rainer Cherries from the local market, because cherries and amazing and shou just goes so well with them and, well, bam! I was set!

Something like ten infusions – I didn’t track ‘em, I just enjoyed. I did fully brew out the tea though because I was having such a lovely time with the session. I chose rainer cherries in part because I just really like them, but also because they’re sweet and tasty but not as dense and intense in sweetness as your typical red cherry; just a simpler, less complex flavour – which is good when you’re drinking a shou that is full bodied and can handle the sweetness level, but not nuanced and aromatic enough to match the qualities of red cherries…

Which is this shou! Super thick, dark and heavy infusions right off the bat that are full bodied and smooth. Really this is just a very, very earthy tasting shou with a hint of wood and mushroom; it’s quite tasty but really not all that complex in its flavours or delivery of them. BLT is correct when they say you don’t need to rinse this tea; it’s so clean that you can just enjoy it right away. That’s awesome! It’s just that, on the flip side, there isn’t really an evaluation of flavour to be had with this tea – what you get is what you get, just in a slope of intensity depending on where in the session you are.

Makes for really good no fuss drinking, though!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzQkay9g4iG/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir6nk2zrMG0

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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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