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Roswell Strange drank Unknown Samples by Various

16603 tasting notes

So not last weekend but the weekend before, my manager had be over for tea during our extended holiday break – I brought some sheng over to share with him but we also dipped into some of his own tea selections/stash and had some of those teas as well.

In total, we tried three different teas from his stash – all Gongfu! I didn’t catch the vendor names for any of the teas, and obviously I wasn’t there taking notes with each session. There was conversation about the tea, for sure, but also conversation about many other topics as well as a movie on in the background that we were also loosely watching. So here’s some bullet points for the things I do remember…

Black Tea – Stored In a Wine Bottle

- This was a Chinese black tea that he had received as a gift
- The tea was given to him in an emptied out wine bottle
- This was a short lived tea; not a lot of longevity
- However I recall it being deliciously sweet and fruity, with a coating mouthfeel
- There was also just an interesting novelty element of seeing a LLT in a wine bottle…

Keemun
- It’s probably been a good, long while since I last had a Keemun as good as this one…
- Another short session; the shortest of all three
- Initially very wood and smoke heavy
- However has the jammy black currant undertone that I want/crave in this tea type
- Full bodied, mild astringency

Mucha Tie Guan Yin
- My least favourite of the three teas from his stash
- I personally feel like we were brewing with too many grams for the gaiwan being used
- Full bodied and astringent with drying notes of tree bark
- I think was a disliked was this cutting acidity and sharp high note in most of the steeps

Regardless, it’s always a great time sitting down and having tea with someone and I was really flattered that he took the time during the holidays to host me and dip into his stash with!

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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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