First Review. My Verdant Shipment Arrived! I’ve been watching the mailbox and it’s here with this tea, the new 2004 Pu-erh the Laoshan Chai and 2 samples of new tea’s with a nice handwritten note (now who does that anymore)?! I am so excited. I’ve been out getting a hair trim and could use a good strong black tea this afternoon. This one sounds like such a perfect choice.
I checked the steeping time first…3 minutes, 2 TB. for my glass teapot size and boiling water (I know, filtered!). Tic, tic, tic, ready.
I like to watch the tea steeping in my glass teapot basket. I’m like a kid watching fish in a fishbowl and my nose is going to get burned one of these days. These tea leaves are gnarley and dark and when steeping they look like inky octopi dancing about. The liquour turns to the color of root beer an smells malty. Time to pour and sip…slurp.
This is full bodied, toasty with some remote almond or hazelnut taste. There is malt but not the brewery malt, a bakery maltiness without sourness. I was a doubter about the buckwheat comments. Really? Buckwheat? Seems a strong flavor. I had to see for myself. I went to my spice cupboard and picked out the Buckwheat Honey and poured a little in some hot water. Sniff, sip, taste the tea now and… right-o… BUCKWHEAT! Straight up this is tasty tea. Add sweetening…which many of us do….and this is really a good dessert tea.
The Chocolate has not been addressed yet. I have not found Dark Chocolate notes as yet. Some Milk Chocolate I can grant… but I am a Dark Chocolate LOVER! I do not taste Dark Chocolate! Maybe I will some other time, who knows.
What I have to say about this tea is…BRAVO! I hope this tea becomes available on a permanent basis because if so, it will be a staple for my cupboard. An Awesome Tea!
