Gongfu!

Placed a spontaneous Tealyra order earlier this week (Tuesday, in particular) and it showed up today – which is SUPER quick! I was craving a specific tea and that’s why I ordered, but I added a bunch of other things to the order as well like this shou. I’m running low on my BLT Lao Cha Tuo so I thought it would be nice to have some on hand from another company as well…

Like all Lao Cha Tuo, this is a “slow & steady wins the race” kind of pu’erh as these nuggets just steep forever. While the sweet, earthy & petrichor dominant flavour is lovely, especially with the undertone of raisin and prune, I don’t have the patience tonight to brew out the leaves gongfu tonight so I’ll finish them stove top.

I also had some really beautiful, bright red cherries with this session & cherries are always a lovely addition to nearly any shou…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAL9WJWAqsD/

And no, I did not use all of those nuggets – it was just for the photo.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBcgTO7YH-I

Nattie

Those cherries look like something out of a food magazine!

Roswell Strange

They were possibly the reddest cherries I’ve ever seen in the grocery store before! I simply could not resist! Really delicious, too.

Martin Bednář

Indeed wonderful cherries. We have huge cherry tree in garden (and one smaller). I hope they will ripe. But my father will say it reminds him communist party (their logo here) :D He is really against them.

ashmanra

That is very interesting, Martin! I had no idea, although I know the color red is associated with communism.

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Nattie

Those cherries look like something out of a food magazine!

Roswell Strange

They were possibly the reddest cherries I’ve ever seen in the grocery store before! I simply could not resist! Really delicious, too.

Martin Bednář

Indeed wonderful cherries. We have huge cherry tree in garden (and one smaller). I hope they will ripe. But my father will say it reminds him communist party (their logo here) :D He is really against them.

ashmanra

That is very interesting, Martin! I had no idea, although I know the color red is associated with communism.

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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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