Autumn Hearth

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Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend from Verdant Tea

Autumn Hearth drank Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend by Verdant Tea

Ohhh this is lovely! I missed out on the original Imperial Breakfast, but I love Laoshan Black, Wild Picked Yunnan Jin Jun Mei and Big Red Robe and will be trying the Aged Silver Needle and Willow Grove later today. I’m greeted first by light silvery chocolate sweetness, yes definitely the Laoshan (also can’t wait to try the new harvest of it by itself) and maybe some sweet sparkling notes from the shu. Then it turns all warm and sunny, liquid gold, a bit buttery with a dash of cinnamon and black pepper, ah the taste of Yunnan. Then back comes the chocolate with a stoutness this time (Big Red Robe) and then all those flavors meld and round each other out and I find my cup is empty with all the flavors lingering on my palate and that was just one five second steep.

Edit: Have yet to brew this western style for the husband, but drinking this morning the first infusion is like eating cocoa butter, not that I’ve ever ate cocoa butter mind you, but this is what it reminds me of. Second infusion is like dipping bits of dark rye bread into this cocoa butter and the third is more like the bread itself. While I prefer the first and second, it is a lovely gradual way to greet the day. There shall be much rejoicing with the Autumn Blend is made ;)

2012-07-23 11:30:52 -0400

200 °F / 93 °C

0 min 15 sec

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Azzrian 2012-08-23 12:03:38 -0400

This sounds AMAZING!

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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.