Verdant Tea

So this one got a touch oversteeped today too. Closer to 2 min than I would have liked. However, it didn’t suffer too badly. Still rock sugary and delicious. It’s edging towards astringency/too strong, but I am only aware of it because of my poor sore throat, which is extremely sensitive to the least bit of non-smoothness. (So in other words, this tea is absolutely delicious and my throat is messed up.)

Glad this one still tastes good in spite of its age! Gotta sip these greens down more quickly next time. Still a few good cups of this one left.

Huh. To be honest, I have no idea which Dragonwell-Style Laoshan Green I’m drinking. I had the 2011 Autumn version, and this batch says Spring, and I have to assume Spring 2012, yet I also have logged something under the generic heading…. ah well. They all taste much the same to me, which is fine!

Anyhow, brewed up a delicious, large mug of this this morning, and followed it up with an immediate second infusion in a different mug, because I’ve found that green teas really don’t sit well in an infuser. I’d like to get another infusion or two out of the leaves, but I’m happy that I at least had two! And they were delicious as always, sugary and vegetal, although I wouldn’t recommend chasing Chocolate Phoenix Chai with this tea, as then all it tastes like is the aftertaste of CPC, since the flavour is quite light.

The smell as I poured it was like a warm, buttery potato.

It’s definitely unique! There’s nothing astringent, it has a wonderful honey sweetness, the potato taste comes with an overall “meal” taste to me (like it’s a nice big meal of potato and roasted veggies). Most of the chocolate notes hit at the end for me too, so it’s like dessert! There are so many tastes going on in it, but they come together in such a smooth, delicious way.

On one of my last orders with Verdant Tea I got some of their Laoshan Genmaicha. When I got the order in I went to go make some to eat with my dinner. When I opened the bag I noticed something strange. The leaves seemed darker then normal, but I figured it just might be my eyes. However, when I finished brewing it I knew it wasn’t right. Instead of the green tea base it was Laoshan black. When I told them of the mix up they apologized and sent out the right batch. I have to say though, This is one tasty mix up.

Interestingly enough, when David emailed me back about it, he said that he thought about making this blend available at one point.

When I sat down to brew this again with different steeping time, I found that it had an awesome flavor. The taste and smell of it remind me of malted bread that has been toasted and buttered, then dusted with cocoa powder. The early steepings are more savory and malty, while the later steepings tasted more sweet, nutty, and chocolaty. It’s like I made two pieces of toast and put butter on one, and then put Nuttella on the other one. It is very hearty and filling,it’s like breakfast in a cup.

Overall it is a very tasty tea. I can see it being a great early morning breakfast brew. I wonder what this would taste like with a spot of almond milk in it.

Specifications

Leaf: A little over 2 tsps
Water: 8oz
Steep Time: 1 minuet; adding another minuet after each steeping.
Sweetener: just a pinch of light agave.

Since I’m generally not huge on pu-erhs, this is a great middle ground for me. One of my favorites as far as pu-erhs.

I LOVE getting orders in the mail. Make my day, the worst part was having it arrive while i was at work yesterday and not being able to have any until this morning! Torture!
I felt like I couldn’t figure this cup out. It was everything it promised, but I could pick a predominant flavour. Chocolate, chamomile, spearmint, licorice. I;m in love.

Also finished this off yesterday and wish that it was in stock so that I could buy more.

This was great with milk or without. I then made iced tea out of the second steeping and let it steep for 5 minutes and chill overnight in the fridge. Tasty.

Overall very happy, just wish it was in stock from Vaerdant so I could resupply.

This tea has tarnished all other genmaicha, I swear. Laoshan green is an amazing base and the toasted rice is very complementing. I can’t wait for the spring batch of teas from Verdant!

It’s a fancy day for fancy tea. I’m a quarter century old! ACK!

This morning I have been craving something spicy. So I decided to try this tea. Dry it smells like ginger, peppercorn and other spices. mmm wet it smells like ginger snaps!! Oh my god yum! This tastes so good! Ginger, cinnamon, and is that vanilla in there?? Yes it is! Wow I love this. The aftertaste is smooth and I can taste chocolate that is Laoshan black tea. There is of course a nice warming effect in the back of my throat from the ginger and peppercorn. Its actually making my nose run haha. There is the perfect blend of spices, not too much fennel but just enough, and just enough clove that its not overpowering but gives you the taste of yummy gingersnaps. I am definitely going to have to buy much more of this :)

A fragrance of honeyed pineapple. The taste is a lovely buttery chocolate with slight honey or pear back notes. No astringency or acidity. Really a magnificent tea.

Backlog from yesterday. Morning brew of this – what a great way to start the day!

Backlogging a cup from this morning. Almost through a 2oz pouch of this tea. But plenty more is at hand.
I love the new verdant tea canisters. They are very attractive, and I “accidentally” left one in my tea cupboard, instead of gifting it away :)

Having this as an evening treat, together with some roasted chestnuts.
Also – just reached the 200 reviews milestone! Woot!

This is turning out to be an “all time favourites” tea day. A very good day indeed :)
I will try to get some sipdowns in later on today. Or just stick to really good tea that I know. We’ll see…

Had two cups of this today – one post-run and one after a very good lunch.
I have been trying to post a review of Fortnum and Mason’s Golden Monkey tea (very good), and have been having problems adding it to Steepster. Anyone else having problems lately?

First tea of the morning, and as usual – superb. If you have a friend that you want to introduce to good quality loose leaf tea – this is the tea to start with.

Not feeling well, and so drinking this in buckets. Or at least oversized mugs. Brrr…

This has become my Pick Me Up tea, particularly when I don’t feel like getting up in the morning. A staple in my cupboard, I just restocked in Verdant’s last Tea Tour sale. Most definitely a must (unless you have an aversion to chocolatey teas), and well worth the price. Bonus points on being super-easy to clean after, since the leaves are so big.
When I came back from my latest trip to the US the Jet Lag was just horrendous, and coupled with a nasty respiratory infection. This tea is what kept me alive during that difficult time, and I am forever indebted to it for doing so. Also, although this tea is a strongish black tea, the thought of adding milk to it seems SACRILEGIOUS somehow :)

First tea that I had after returning from my London/Boston trip. After 8 days in Boston with nothing but Tazo tea bags to keep my spirits up, the chocolatey goodness of Verdant’s Laoshan was most welcome. It’s good to be home!

Backlogging two mornings with this tea – creamy, sweet, chocolatey morning goodness. This tea has enough kick in it to make it a good morning companion, particularly after a brisk run in the morning mists.

Great two cups of bliss

This is just to show that brewing style can completely completely change the way a tea tastes.
The first time I drank this nectar of the gods I did so gongfu style, and it turned out very nice, but not amazing. This morning I brewed it western style and it was AMAZING! A coppery coloured brew with lovely caramel, toasty, chocolate, barley, vanilla flavour and a rich creamy texture. This tea is mind blowing – complex and tasty – a perfect pick me up cup of joy.
I’m still interested in trying to get a proper (and not pale) gongfu brew out of it. Has anyone succeeded with that? Perhaps longer brewing times will do the trick