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Roswell Strange drank Singapore Breakfast by T2

16603 tasting notes

After the recent announcement that T2 would be closing their stores and online presence in the US and UK I knew I had to place an order. I managed to scoop up my two favourite blends, and several that are new to me, before they sold out and I’m very grateful for that! As you can see in the second picture, I just had to make a cup of Singapore Breakfast ASAP – it had been far, far too long since my last. It’s always been very challenging to get ahold of any of T2’s teas from here in Canada and unfortunately it just got a whole lot harder; my heart breaks for all of their fans in the US and UK who are now facing the same reality.

I saw a lot of differing opinions from people in the tea community following the announcement of T2’s closure and not all of them are something I would call positive. Personally, if you are a lover of tea in any capacity, I think it’s naive to celebrate the closure of ANY tea company. For something enjoyed globally, our industry is small. T2 was (and still is) a pioneer of specialty tea across the globe. Whether the style of tea they sell was something that appealed to you or not, it’s ignorant to ignore that they introduced tea to many people who may have never touched a cup at all otherwise. All awareness is good. And, I cannot stress this enough, ALL tea and tea companies are good – even if it’s something you eventually move away from in favor of another company or style of tea, like a more traditional straight tea oriented route. When one of us succeeds, we all do.

I know I usually stick to more light-hearted tasting notes and reviews with pretty teaware, but I just wanted to share this perspective as the reality set in today that this is probably the last tea mail I will receive from T2 for quite some time.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnnVTMuOuJU/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U1Zr0mP-44

Flavors: Coconut, Coconut, Cream, Cream, Sticky Rice, Sticky Rice, Toasted Rice, Toasted Rice

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Martin Bednář
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I was ready to place an order today morning (on the way to work) to find out they don’t send anything to the EU, because Brexit! What a shame!

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Martin Bednář
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I was ready to place an order today morning (on the way to work) to find out they don’t send anything to the EU, because Brexit! What a shame!

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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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