Autumn Hearth

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Dragonwell Style Laoshan Green: Autumn Harvest from Verdant Tea

Autumn Hearth drank Dragonwell Style Laoshan Green: Autumn Harvest by Verdant Tea

I do not normally log teas more than once, but the question of “What’s in your cup?” tempted me. I drank two infusions of this last night and am on my second for the morning. I have also decided to drink a green a day. I would love to drink white, green, oolong and pu’er everyday, but the way I brew (short steeps) I’d have a lot of wasted leaves or bladder issues.

I used to do more blends, Silver Needle, Gyokuro and Tiguanyin were my favorite and while I certainly have all the elements at home, I couldn’t imagine blending a tea like this. I want to be able to taste the soil of the land where this was grown, the mists that surrounded the leaves and the chlorophyll that was enhanced by shading the leaves while drying on an Autumn day. So while I may use up some of my Teavana greens that way, this however deserves to be savored.

And in an ongoing trend the husband thinks this tastes just like the others, mineral, I guess I love mineral, which is why I love short steeps, when i asked him to reinfuse this for me for 10 secs last night, he said “10 secs?! No wonder it didn’t taste like anything! But I guess that’s fine if you like boiled rocks” But as light and mineral as this is in the beginning, it still tastes so distinct from the nuggets and the yabao and by the second infusion it is already very “green”. Sigh I need some gongfu friends.

2012-04-24 10:11:51 -0400

175 °F / 79 °C

0 min 15 sec

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Spoonvonstup 2012-04-24 11:40:28 -0400

Wish I could be your gongfu friend! Hope you find some soon, or hope your husband can make a gong-fu date with you some Friday night and give your teas more of a chance.

Cheryl 2012-04-24 18:50:31 -0400

Ha @ boiled rocks…

Autumn Hearth 2012-05-04 14:11:19 -0400

I realized I had meant to respond to the comments but hadn’t. Spoonvonstup, aww if I was your gongfu friend, that would mean I would be living in Minn. and that would be amazing! Sigh, need a wormhole to there and Bloomingon, IN. The husband and I had two tea dates last weekend as part of our anniversary getaway in Cinci-tucky at Essencha Tea House. I had two delicious oolongs, which he deemed “earthy” this time, not mineral, either way he said he didn’t like that, while he had a very smooth Keemun and an Irish Breakfast that I don’t think I actually sipped. But I got to use a gaiwan and a really nicely shaped wee yixing pot!

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Druid, artist, poet, mum, lover of tea, ritual and myth. I grew up on Celestial Seasons herbals but fell in love with straight loose leaf tea working at my local Teavana for a year. I am grateful for the introduction and the experience, but have moved on.

I see tea as an experience for the senses, I like to imagine tasting the land and the weather as well as the effect of sun, air, fire and the human hand. I have a soft spot for shu pu’er, yabao, scented oolongs, wuyi oolongs, taiwanese tea as well as smooth naturally sweet blacks, creamy greens and surprisingly complex whites.

I began ordering lots of samples from Upton to educate myself on different varieties of tea we didn’t have at work and have fallen head over heels for the unique offerings from Verdant Tea. I am learning things I like: buttery mouthfeel, surprising sweet or spice notes, woodiness, mineral notes, depth and complexity and things I don’t: astringency, dry and sour notes.

I collect tea tins and am in danger of collecting pots, though I am trying to restrain the urge due to current lack of space. I brew mostly in a glass infuser mug or a tea maker, only using cast-iron for company now (still need to get a gaiwan) and tend not to sweeten my teas unless they are British or fruity and iced, which is not often.

As far as ratings, I lack a definite system and haven’t been assigning numbers lately, wanting to spend multiple sessions with a tea first. I usually only log a tea once, unless it is a new harvest or I have significantly different observations, but will go back and edit or comment if I find something interesting or new.