Roswell Strange Send Message

606 Followers / 385 Following

Roswell Strange drank Supreme Pekoe by DAVIDsTEA

15662 tasting notes

Steeped this one Gong Fu earlier in the day;

Somewhat surprisingly, I think I actually liked my Western steeped cup of it with milk and honey better. It’s not that the Gong Fu version was bad, but it didn’t feel as rich or as smooth and I didn’t pick up on the same lovely graham notes I noticed in the Western cup.

I ended up doing five or six infusions of this one? Most were fairly medium bodied, kind of malty? Not actually all that floral, which was a bit surprising for a Ceylon tea as they’re usually quite floral. After the first infusion where the leaves were still opening up I started getting a bit of cocoa in the flavour profile. Second half of the infusion was rather autumnal, which I realize isn’t really a flavour per say. More of a feeling, I guess?

Yeah – not bad. Room for experimentation, for sure. Maybe Western steeping without the milk/honey is the way to go next?

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhK81hZj4L4

I Like This

16 likes

2 comments

MrQuackers
Delete

The idea of using the Gong Fu method on a Ceylon has filled me with despair. :(

Roswell Strange
Delete

I’ve found, in general, that Gong Fu brewing black teas in general has not been the most successful of experiences: usually they aren’t bad, but I seem to far prefer them Western brewed. They lose flavour quickly with the Gong Fu method (I don’t think I’ve ever hit more than ten quality infusions with a black tea), and the flavour doesn’t evolve in the same way as other teas. Oolong are definitely my favourite to brew Gong Fu, as well as Pu’erh. Green/white have been hit or miss.

People who liked this

Comments

MrQuackers
Delete

The idea of using the Gong Fu method on a Ceylon has filled me with despair. :(

Roswell Strange
Delete

Profile

Bio

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...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer