Well, I got the 1 oz. sample to try from Verdant and I was not disappointed at all…
I did the first two steeps at once and they were quite lovely together. I get a light medium-yellowish color with the tea liquor. I am really picking up on the semolina type flavors or maybe a touch of pastry. Plus the floral notes are coming through in a very light way. I would say this is gentle and sweet at the same time. I used water that was nearly boiling and for around 10 seconds so I will try a slightly lower temp. for the next steep.
3rd and 4th steep, intriguing this tea is now a bit darker and the delicate notes have disappeared a bit and I am finding the cinnamon spice flavors coming to the forefront.
this is a very intriguing and interesting cake and it is tempting to purchase a whole one for aging, although I feel $110.00 for a cake this young (2011) seem rather pricey, even though the quality is fine. It has not been aging for very long so far, but it would be very interesting to see what happens to it in the future. Perhaps I will age this smaller piece for a bit or pick up another smaller piece to age. I have certainly enjoyed trying it.
