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Gongfu!

Wednesday morning there was filming going on in the tea lab all morning and they needed the lab to be completely quiet/empty for the duration so I decided to work from home during the morning since my desk is in the lab and I didn’t really want to share a workspace with someone in the main part of the office. I really enjoy having the flexibility to do that on occaison when my workload permits. Most of my job duties, like lab testing and tastings, can’t be done from home – so it’s nice when it works out.

I got to save the hour of time I would have spent commuting and use it instead for an early morning Gongfu session – and I decided that shou was exactly what I wanted. I think I bought these mini coins last Black Friday, and it’s almost been a year without trying them so I decided to dig them out and give ’em a whirl! Since it was the day before Halloween, I also blasted the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. It was a good time!

Tea was thick – very oily/heavy mouthfeel. A bit shroomy in it’s umami/earthy overall profile. I felt, in a couple infusions, more like I was drinking some sort of umami bomb type of soup stock – but a really good stock. Other infusions were more the petrichor sweetness that I really like in a shou. I guess with a name like “Smoove Cocoa” I expected more overall sweetness and, you know, some type of cocoa or chocolate note – but that’s not what I got. Still very nice though!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4P876BB0L_/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vBrSWZnB9c

Really, as I said above, it was the whole album that I was listening to but this is the RHPS song that I had stuck in my head the whole week leading up to Halloween…

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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...

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