BTVSGal

Well I was on the fence about buying this. I have not had earl grey in a long time without the word crème following it. So I did not know if I should get the Golden Earl or the Lavender Earl Green. So here it is the Golden won. The bag smelled amazing. Orange and honey with light Bergamot scent in the back.
I am writing this note after drinking it twice. The first time was not the best experience. After brewing it and tasting it something was a little off. Sadly I can not explain what it was. The dry and wet leaf smelled great, just when I drank it it did not come together.
I decided to try it again this morning. Much better for sure. The orange and golden buds was right there in front. For the first cup I did not add anything, which I usually don’t. The second steep I wanted to add a little honey.The bergamot was there in the back. Not overpowering the tea.
I used more tea the second time I drank it…I guess that was the problem the first time.

I was pleasantly surprised when I received this with my tasting set that I purchased from Adagio. When I opened the package I was hit with a nice spicy chocolate aroma from the dry leaf. I decided to brew this in the tasting set, and was happy with the results….although I did spill a little.Tasted like cayenne pepper on a dark chocolate bar. I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed this tea.

This was my sample from my 2nd order from verdant. I get a little surprised every time with a great sample…since I leave it up to them.The last sample was the Sun Dried Jing Shan Green tea, which I purchased more of with this order.
The scent of Jasmine was just right. When I opened the box it was the first thing that I smelled, which confused me because I did not think I ordered anything with Jasmine. It was at the bottom of the box…Yunnan White Jasmine. The smell was not artificial smelling at all. This is my second white jasmine tea. The first was the Steepster Select pearls…which I traded. I did not think it had a good balance of jasmine and white.
I decided to brew this in my new tasting set from Adagio. Since my gaiwan broke this was the next best thing for this tea. The jasmine was not over powering the white at all. A nice balance. The second steep came and went quickly. I was wondering where the apricot jam flavor was going to come through. It was not until my second to last sip that it hit. Very nice! The third steep the apricot jam flavor was even more prominent in the tea. I am now on my 4th steep and the apricot is still going strong with the jasmine.
While I am not typically a white tea girl….this was a nice indulgence.

Thanks for the sample. :)

Almost through my Verdant Alchemy blend adventure. I have been eyeing this on the site for a while now. Out of the 11 teas that I purchased last order I wanted to save this towards the last of my blends run. This is very very very good. Buttery and floral are the key words that jump out when you are drinking this. The orange highlights the buttery sweetness well. I am on my 4th steep and the orange is coming out a little more then before.

For an oolong girl this was a real treat.Great blend for sure!

Im not really getting smoke some from this. It reminds me of charcoal roasted Tung Ting. I was expecting something else I guess.It might also be me. My allergies are flaring up a bit so I can’t really smell. I will probably have to try this again when I feel a little better. I just could not wait to try it…

This is a great blend and a great intro to pu’er if you don’t want to dive head first into the world of pu’er. I am not a huge pu’er fan, but I have been trying to get more into them. It seems that verdant’s pu’ers are the only ones that I like. I have already purchased more of the Diyi Cornfields Shu that I got from Steepster Select, and I wanted to look at the other pu’ers that they had to offer. I told myself that while the descriptions of them were enticing I thought I should look more into the Alchemy Blended pu’ers to start off with.

It was hard to choose between this one and the Chrysanthemum Pu’er, but the word “spiced” tipped me over to this one. Me being a chai lover I had to try this one first.
The dry leaf smells amazing. No mustiness that has stopped me before, but pure spice. I put two nuggets and 2 teaspoons of the spices. Did a quick rinse and brewed it for 5 mins. The wet leaf was so sweet and spicy smelling that I almost forgot that it was pu’er. The first sip was smooth and clean. Clean dirt with ginger and orange. I could not make out much of the elderberry, but the galangal was in the background.

Very nice Verdant:)

I brewed this for some afternoon tea. Rich and complex with every sip. I can make out the Laoshan Black, and the Golden Buds perfectly. There is a hint of mustiness in the background from the Xingyang 2007 Imperial Pu’er. Its nicely balanced and a vacation from other normal “Breakfast Blends” one may drink.

The Alchemy Blend Adventure continues…:)

So on to my Verdant Alchemy Blend adventure. I picked this up because I have never had an herbal with rose or elderberry. I opened the package and saw the beautiful pink rose petals. The dry mixture had a fragrance of perfume. One of my coworkers said that it smelled like something Marie Antoinette would have had in her teacup.

I brewed 2 teaspoons for 5 mins. The pink from the petals transferred to the liquor and the wet petals were white. I could smell the cinnamon and licorice root right off the bat. Nice..very light. The elderberry was sweet and was matched well with the other ingredients. I’ve had this same tea but with hibiscus instead of the elderberry. While I love hibiscus this is a nice change from the norm. I’m glad I purchased this.

Wow…very nice. I have been wanting to try this after I tasted the Laoshan black tea. I opened the package and the spices hit me. I could not smell the tea at all. I was a little worried that it would be just that…SPICE! I gave the packet to a coworker and they said that they could smell it from across the room…it was so strong.

I used about 2 teaspoon in my wabi sabi pot from Samovar. Brewed it for 5 mins and poured. Nice amber color.The chocolate aroma of the Laoshan black was there. It smelled amazing, the spices backed the chocolate flavor of the tea perfectly. I put 2 teaspoons of raw sugar and a drop of cream. It was balanced..really did not need a thing.

This time last year I was trying almost everyones chai. I bought Adagio, Samovar,Yogi,Tazo, Rishi.This to me is the best one. Its because of the Laoshan Black. That tea already has so much dept that it would have to make an amazing chai. I’m so happy I purchased 2 oz of this. I will have to pickup more and do it “old school” on the stove top.
I kind of regret putting the cream, it did not need it……

The dry “bud” has a nice woodsy smell. I was eager to get home to brew it. The wet bud was a little musty but had a sweet cedar aroma. I did not know how long to brew it so I did it for 3 mins. It seemed to be enough to get the flavor from the buds. I don’t know what to say about the tea…I might have to come back to it.

After drinking this again I can see how this tea can grow on you. I have steeped it 6 times. 2mins,5mins,10mins,15mins,20mins, 1 hour. The buds really do take off on the flavor. I will have to try the new silver buds.

So After 4 cups of this I have finally finished this nice sample. I love it, it is the perfect way to end a stressful night. At first I did not think I would like it, but after the first sip it might be a buy :)

So I had this tea in the first box of Steepster Select and never really sat down to write a tea note. I am drinking it now while making some ginger mint tea on the stove. Hopefully this will tie me over until it is ready. The dry leaf is spot on with ginger, but I can’t really make out the peach. The wet leaf has undertones of peach but the ginger is in the fore front. I like it but I’m not blow away by it. This is a tea that I think anyone would like to be honest. The occasional tea drinker would pick this up and make it iced probably. Me not being an ice tea person would pass this by. Still nice though, just not something I would buy….

So I have been waiting to write a tasting note on this tea because I’m still trying to figure it out. The dry leaf is intoxicating. Like a bittersweet cacao. The wet leaf smelled the same but with undertones of honey. Hmm malty..but there is something else there that I can’t put my finger on.

This is my first traditional Genmaicha. I’ve had it only with matcha, so it is nice to have it the traditional way. The dry leaf smelled nice a nutty, while the wet leaf smelled like burnt popcorn. Nice to have a old “poor mans” classic Japanese tea. The “people’s tea” :).

Nice..first one. So when I opened my Steepster Select box this was the first one out of the two that I smelled. WOW…so sweet! I almost did not believe it was green tea. It did not smell grassy to me..something else that I could not put my finger on. I took the box to work with me since I picked it up on the way. Throughout the day I kept smelling the tea…then giving it to others, even one of my managers to smell. They got a laugh out how excited I was. Hmm….maybe a green Jolly Rancher when you take it out of the wrapper? Yeah thats what I got.
The wet leaf was more complex…maybe cooked spinach with nutmeg. The taste followed suit. It was not astringent at all…very smooth. A delight for sure.
Thanks Steepster Select for opening me up to new teas. I would have never have bought this otherwise. Green tea is a new world to me :)

So this was my sample from Verdant. I was a little surprised by it since I ordered a black, 2 oolongs, and one purer. It was a pleasant surprised though. I opened the bag and it did not have the grassiness that I’m used to from a green which was another plus. I waited till I drank my other purchases before I drank this one. I read the story by David on how he came in contact with the tea and it made me want to drink it tonight.
I drank it the “preferred” way the Jingshan way. I watched the beautiful leaves unfold and began to sip. It was a little strange looking into the glass cup and trying to avoid the leaves while drinking the tea. It started off light and floral then it transformed to more of a vegetal oolong. Loved it! I was afraid of overstepping it since I did not want it to be bitter. It was far from it….nice!
The Jingshan way is the way to go with this tea.

Just received my order from Verdant. I did a quick rinse and started with a 3 min steep in my wabi sabi pot. I will admit that I am a little apprehensive when it comes to pu’ers. I get a little sick to my stomach when I smell the fishy musky aroma. I took off the top of the pot and got a hint of the musky smell that I have smelled from other pu’ers…..then a nice sweet cedar. A sigh of relief came quickly and I poured it into a clear mug to look at the liquor. One my my favorite things to do with any tea is to smell the wet leaf. Hmmm, nice and woody. The taste followed suit with the smell. I have to spend more time with this tea. I like it I just don’t know if I love it…but that may change.

So far I have done two steeps…

So this was another sample that David sent me last week along with the King’s Tea oolong sample. The dry leaf smells sweet..and faintly honey like. I warmed my gaiwan and put a tablespoon of tea. I followed instructions and did a steep of 30 seconds. I smelled the wet leaf….HOLY CRAP!!!! Amazing, just amazing. I was so intoxicated by the smell that I forgot there was something to drink right beside it. I wish I could make a candle out of this. It was like sweet melon and honeysuckle. I went to taste the liquor and it was sweet and honey like on the top of my mouth. I waited a bit before I took the next sip. The melon hit the back of my mouth…WOW.
Asha Tea House does not disappoint. I’m so glad I have been ordering from David. He has a great selection of oolong as well as great customer service. I was happy that I did not wait too long to order again from him, since this is now sold out. Although this is the second order in two and half weeks….lol. My apartment complex thinks I’m into some shady stuff since I have boxes coming almost every week. Between Steepster select and Asha I have a nice supply. I little too much tea. My DavidsTea, Samovar, and Teavana tea has been taking a back seat.

The sample that he gave be was big enough to have 3 good tastings. I’m writing this after the second tasting. Still the same experience as the first time I had it. This would impress my mom who is a coffee person. :)

Hmmm…I like it. The wet stems smell like a camp fire about to die out. I don’t drink a lot of green because some are too vegetal for me, but this is nice. Creamy and smooth tasting. It hits the back of the mouth nicely. I’m not sure I would buy more but it would mix well with juice or be a great night time tea before bed since it is low in caffeine.

Would love to try this iced…:)

So I received this sample from David. I was so excited to try it since I loved my last order from him. The description of the tea is a spot on match.The dry leaf smells of a heavy roast and the wet smells of roasted coffee that was left a little too long in the roaster.

The first sip of the tea was strong. It tasted like a cross between roasted coffee and a bitter cacao chocolate. I was not sure how to take it at first until I swallowed and the sweetness hit the back of my mouth. WOW. I have never had that before from any tea. I took another sip and it was even sweeter. Very nice. It made my mouth water. I smelled the wet leaf in the gaiwan again and the smell was even stronger of a bittersweet cacao.

15 minutes after drinking the tea my mouth was still sweet from the tea…nice. I have already put in for an order.

I did 4 steeps the first time. The second time I followed the steeping instructions of 1 minute steeps. I did not like it as much as the first time I drank it. I guess 2 minutes for this tea is what I like. :)

Very..very.. nice. I will say that I am not a fan of pu-erh. I have only liked 2 of the 9 that I have tried and this is one of them. Nice and creamy corn flavor. It relaxed me and made me feel warm and cozy inside.
I decided before I brewed it to put the pod in a strainer and run cold water over it to filter out the debris. I then used my little Samovar Wabi Sai pot to brew it in for 5 minutes.

I opened my Steepster Select box at work and this was the first one that I opened to smell. When I saw that it was pu-erh I was a little put off untiI I smelled it. Wow..corn, creamy corn. I gave the tea to others that I worked with that are not tea lovers and they were impressed by the smell of the tea. Then they asked how they could join Steepster Select.

I would buy some more if I could….but it is SOLD OUT. Bummer….

Just got around to my sample packets of this tea. Very pleased with it. Loved the Fennel in it…and the minty finish.

YUM!

This is my first Alishan oolong. It was a real treat. My favorite thing to do is to smell the wet leaf in the gaiwan before I taste it. The smell was like sweet corn that was just husked. Loved it!

Wow..very nice. The dry leaf smelled sweet and malty to me. The taste did not change there. There was a depth of earthy sweetness to finish it off. This is probably the best Yunnan I have had so far. The dry leaf said it all before I even took a sip.

The second steep was even better….:)
This was also one of the 4 samples that they included.