Initially, I had this very looong, like giraffe neck or elephant trunk long, note rambling on what I thought I was tasting. Luckily for universal sanity, I decided to scrap most of it. Yes… this is the shorter version. Shock and awe.
When I ordered from Verdant Tea for the first time I randomly picked a bunch of sample sizes so I could meet the free shipping quota. Except for a few, I didn’t read any of the ingredients or the notes here on steepster. All I can say is that it was a very big surprise, like redwood big, when I got a whiff of this. It smells like scorched vegetation- burnt and sweet. It made me recall the odor of Palm Spring’s dry desert lands.
First steep: I was intimidated by the scent so attempted to do a hybrid kind of short rinse with two cups. I mostly got a hot woodsy flavour, some jasmine, and a hint of basil. I don’t see this noted anywhere else, but I experienced an almond nuttiness too, which I really liked. The complex profile manages to be smooth, sweet, and creamy.
In the second steep I was able to smell the juniper in the wet leaves and liquor. In the third and fourth steeps I could distinctly taste the juniper berries and the “tree-ness” tasted less cooked. I didn’t get any lemony citrus notes until the fourth steep, which became cold after I forgot about it for hours. It’s sweet and “oily”, with dabbing of vanilla and white leaf creaminess.
I steeped this and Cantaloupe & Cream four times each throughout the day. While C&C was consistent this cup never stopped evolving. There was so much going on in this tea that it overwhelmed my pitiable little brain. Despite that I really enjoyed the experience. This is very unique!
