Verdant Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

77

I got this in the mail today with other teas I ordered, some new and some replenishing favorites. I opened all my tea packets and sniffed each in turn trying to figure out which one I wanted to drink this evening. I ended up picking this one out of the bunch.

It smells like winter. There is no other way to really explain it other than winter. Maybe it’s the juniper berries? But it’s been cold out and rained a little and I think there was some sleet in the mix too, but it was cold and this called out to me.

Western-style this brews a rich, dark almost murky reddish brown color. I can smell mostly the juniper berries, but there’s also the underlying musky earthy richness of the puerh. This tastes good, the flavors blend seamlessly. The coriander brings out the natural sweet cinnamon of the puerh. The tulsi and juniper add to the earthy muskiness. The chrysanthemum brings out the hint of floral and add depth to the earthiness of the tea. I can still taste sweet caramel and raisin from the puerh through all the added notes.

It sounds like a lot but it all does well together, they play nice together. No one note overrides the others. Even though I brewed this western style I’m still getting a lot of steepings out of this. Granted it’s not 10 or more, but I’m at 7 and the flavor is starting to fade and get weaker, so, I’ll probably stop after this one. But it still holds up well western-style.

I have noticed that in the 6-7 steepings that the coriander starts to stand out more and it reminds me of Old Bay spice for seafood. I found that odd and interesting. Even with that weird anomaly, I like this tea. If there are teas that just seems like they’re great for winter, this is definitely one of them.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Angrboda

Gosh, I misread that as Old Spice for seafood and couldn’t work out why lobsters needed that sort of thing… O.o

Invader Zim

Lol, I do that a lot myself. When I was writing this I even asked my husband to make sure that Old Bay was the spice and Old Spice was the men’s cologne!

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91

Eeeppp!!! I got my new mug in the mail!! I made my avatar pic it with my cat napping on the table behind it if anyone would like to see it, I don’t feel like uploading it to a site and linking tonight haha too tired..but it’s soooo pretty. I love it, it is a bit smaller than I expected, but it actually brews a very lovely sized cup of tea, not too much, not too little!

So I was so undecided on which tea to brew in it first! I wanted it to be special and fit the theme of the mug – artistic, nerdy, and a little bit sad. Oh and lovely. So I almost picked Jasmine Bouquet, but then I saw my Silver Buds and thought YES. It’s a light grey, delicate tea full of unique character, soft, sweet flavor, and it is beautiful in the cup. A perfect match for the mug. So in it went after a 25s rinse, and this tea is not disappointing, as usual. I haven’t had it in a while and missed the woody, brown sugar flavor. So tasty, and yes indeed, it fits this mug perfectly. A lovely end to a pretty good day, about time work stops eating away at my soul! See previous notes on this tea :)

ETA – the mug is called Digital Lace…haha it has circuiting lines on it :D the nerd in me (most of me) loves it.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Wood

Lucy

I adore silver buds. Hot is wonderful, but so is icing the left over leaves. Now I’m craving some! :)

Courtney

It’s an awesome looking mug! And your cat is awesome too haha :)

mrs.stenhouse12

Silver buds is soo yummy! I haven’t tried icing it yet but I will have to in the near future :D and thanks about the mug and my cat haha he is quite a character

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91

Sipdown! I’m going to get through a few samples today hopefully! I’ve realized that if I drink my samples sooner, I can order the teas I really like before they sell out! Would have been nice to get an oz of this to have, just because it is so unique! Today it smells very springy and fresh, there’s a nice tang of spruce in the aroma that seems more pronounced today. Mmm the taste is still nice and fresh and woodsy and sparkling. I wanted to brew this gongfu today but I don’t think I had enough leaves left for it, so I made it western style, with 1 rinse for around 25 seconds. Hopefully a new batch or variety of this tea shows up in the spring, so unique and tasty! See previous notes on this tea :)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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91

Drinking this to help me decide if I should add it to my (rather massive) shopping list of teas for tonight! This is the first time I’ve done Black Friday, and I don’t care for Boxing day here in Canada, so I don’t know what to expect! Also, trying shorter steep time with a brew basket for this and less water – I don’t know how it has turned out yet, still too hot to drink! Also rinsed it twice so as to slightly mimic the Gongfu brewing style. Hoping my experiment pans out, if not, well I still have enough left for one cup (and maybe more on the way).

ETA: First steep is delicious, so far the different method is a success! (~12 second steep, will increase by 5 seconds for subsequent)

ETA again: I taste the brown sugar!!! YAY I am so happy right now! This tea might just have to be re-ordered…

Preparation
Boiling

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91

Well, it’s about time I try this tea! I’ve been nervous and excited for it, especially after reading all the reviews. I love the look of this tea, little buds, they look so fresh and spring like to me! I feel like I am taking an adventuresome, yet calming walk in the forest with this tea!

The dry smell is definitely a faint cedar, with some spice. The wet leaves, from what I can decipher, are some kind of grassy scent, but with a forest in there as well, and I also detect something spicy again and something..hmm…a sweet fruit? Almost like a nectarine to me, I could be way off though! It’s a very interesting smell to say the least, I like it so far. I steeped for 4 mins in boiling water, after a rinse, as recommended by David on Verdant’s site.

Now for taste! Wowzers, this tea is really unique! It’s really quite light, but there’s a definite cedar, woodsy note, and I get some sugar sweetness at the end. It’s so strange that it tastes this way, so foresty, given that the tea itself is nearly clear! However, it does remind me of white tea, so the light color isn’t entirely off. It has a fresh taste, and a warming note to it as well. It’s times like this that I do wish I had a gaiwan though, to try lovely teas like this, I think even more flavors would become pronounced! I’m picturing myself walking through a serene forest, with spring buds poking out in the spring, brown leaves on the ground, and a nice little waterfall into a stream. Haha, I love how poetic tea makes me feel sometimes :)

Overall, I like this. I’m anxious to try steeping it a few times to see how the flavors change. Once again, a hit from Verdant!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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91

This year being my first ‘TEA’ Holiday time (I wasn’t even a tea drinker last November or December), I’ve been slowly purchasing favorite tea’s for my family. Now that you can get sample sizes from Verdant, I can get flavors to use as stocking stuffers. Little added goodies in my holiday boxes.
It will be so easy to send tea to California and to my Niece at Cornell University.
But, I just couldn’t help getting something for myself. You know how it is.

I couldn’t resist this Eight Treasures Yabao Winter Blend for ME!
I’m one of those people who loves the Yabao Pu’er!

This morning I brewed 2 pots of tea Western Style with the same leaves (aprox. 24oz). NO Rinse.

The wet leaves for the first pot smelled like roast chicken, and the second pot smelled less meaty and more like juniper berries.

The aroma of the liquor on the first pour was amazing! Lilies and jasmine, so fragrant that the vapor was like incense. I felt like I had stepped into one of the hot houses at Filoli Gardens (one of my favorite places to go in the S.F. Bay Area).
It felt like was close to the gardenias with the steaming scent of orchid and jasmine filling every scent receptor. Almost too much really. This was indeed intense!

I took a sip of tea which was sweet from the Yabao and Elderberry but I couldn’t taste any other flavors.
Being an experimenter, I poured some tea into another glass cup and added some honey which wasn’t very good, then milk in another cup which I didn’t like either and finally a little sweetening which was just OK.
I didn’t feel that I had a very good experience with this tea.
For all the quality ingredients, I wasn’t tasting what I should
have and I knew there had to be some reason for it.

I thought it over step by step.

Spring Water. Maybe my water was the problem because I had used tap water, and maybe I should have rinsed the tea leaves first.

So, I emptied the electric kettle, poured fresh Spring Water in and began again. Rinse, steep and pour.

Aha, this time the flavor was smoother, with Jasmine, Juniper, Yabao a little Lemon and the Tulsi was way off at the finish. (Not a taste but a coolness.)
The Vanilla taste wasn’t there at all. I think the Vanilla added a balance that kept the blend from getting acidic. As the tea cooled you can feel a creamy texture and the Elderberry aroma and flavor appear.

The second pot of tea was like moving out of the hot house onto the
garden path around the reflection pool…a quiet walk through cool gardens with the wafting scent of flowers, citrus and mint.

http://flic.kr/p/dq3Nhd

I learned a lesson that you can’t cut corners with tea! My oops!

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98

http://youtu.be/_NLCbqP6HjE Oh Yes,, Let it snow!!!!

I’m so excited, like a little kid! It’s finally snowing! Big huge flakes of snow (not snowkles!). 3-6 inches tonight (which will melt by Thursday or Friday) and then…the Weather Lady said the next snow is expected CHRISTMAS EVE! It’s my childhood Christmas dream!

You have to understand. Growing up in Northern California and watching all the programs about Santa and Christmas with snow.
I probably asked (begged) God a time or two for a miracle. Oh He heard me alright, but waited for me to need snow. Waited for me to be a child in an old woman’s body. Now, I appreciate the wonder of it all even more because I’ve waited so long!

I plugged in my Christmas Tree and opened the curtains so that everyone driving home in the snow could see my lights as they come down Elizabeth Street.
Then I plugged in the little tree on my tea table (it has an antique mirror behind it) and opened the side curtains in the dining room for people driving into Saddle Ridge to see.

Festivity, lights, sparkle and delight! Snow!

Next, I made a big pot of Ginger Sage Winter Sage Spa Blend Tea with 1 tsp. Laoshan Black added, and a few chunks of 04 Yanxin Reserve Shu Nuggets.(I find that this is a perfect combo…somewhat like the Imperial Summer Breakfast Blend but more savory, spicy).

The Laoshan Black, Puer and Herbal Blend together is so rich, full and robust. (You can add Honey or Milk without weakening the tea.)

Your mood will be elevated, it will make you feel warm all over and relaxed. It’s so delicious…one of my favorites for Winter!

If you’ve looked at the ingredients and thought…“Well, not now,” or if you drank some without adding Honey or Black Tea to it or a little Puer nugget…give it a try. (Plain isn’t nearly as tasty in my opinion, as it is with Honey!)

Happy Snow!

mrmopar

hope santa is good to you!

Bonnie

mrmopar…I got a great box from Santa awhile ago that blew my mind. Puerh…! Know anything about that? I’m still enjoying those little toucha’s like candy!

mrmopar

candy is always good!

Indigobloom

I have some of the Basil spa blend coming my way. Ever since that sample you sent me I’ve been craving it badly!

Kittenna

I have it, Indigobloom!! I’m currently at Pearson, too bad it wouldn’t have been easy for you to get here :p

Bonnie

The blends are addictive. They also show what you can do with your tea’s. I add some Laoshan Black to an herbal sometimes (depending on what it is).

Indigobloom

Kittenna, no worries we will figure it out in the new year. Have a safe flight! :)
Bonnie: I’m so looking forward to doing that myself!!

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98

Last night I set up a tea tray for watching a 3 hr 25 min. long Indian movie called Jodhaa Akbar, that my daughter had recommended.

I required a large pot of tea naturally, but also the right type of tea for setting the mood.

The movie was a historical epic. Palaces, battles, silk, incense, beautiful women and handsome men of course…with music and romance (just what I want in an Indian Movie!).

I didn’t have the right Chai for this movie. I needed something exotic, a little different twist, so I created my own.

I began with a large teapot (24oz) and created a blend:
2TB Ginger Sage Winter Spa Blend
1 teaspoon of Laoshan Black
Yanxin Reserve ’04 Shu Nuggets…1 small 3/4 inch piece broken up.

I knew this was going to make a hearty brew, able to stand up to the addition of honey and cream…the same way a Chai would.

I used a glass pot so I was able to eyeball the strength I wanted, but I think about 3 minutes was the steep time. (Maybe more)

This was so good! Sweet, savory from the sage, spicy from ginger and the added tea’s and comforting. The Shu and Black tea’s gave great body creating the wonderful full, warm broth that you want in a tea mug while watching a long movie.

I filled my pot for 3 steepings without any loss of flavor. What a
great companion!

Skulleigh

I really want to watch some Bollywood movies but I can never find any on Netflix. I guess I’m going to have to order an actual physical DVD or Blueray. Do you have any recommendations for a first Bollywood movie?

Your tea blend sounds yummy!

Bonnie

Monsoon Wedding for sure, the one I mentioned above Jodhaa Akbar.

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98

Just a quick jot of a note about how this is a great blending herbal. How this fits into my life and soothes my stomach.

I have to take anti-seizure pills in the morning to keep my migraines in check. The pills help somewhat but on an empty stomach, they make me more nauseated.
Most of you know from reading my posts about holiday celebrations that I’m a Greek Orthodox Christian. Sunday mornings Greek Orthodox don’t eat anything (no tea or coffee either) before going to Church but we eat together when the church service is over (nice and friendly way to break the morning fast and get to know each other better).
Every week I used to get very sick and had to leave the service half way through because of nausea migraines.
One day, my Priest noticed and said, that would never do. Rules and customs were never meant for harm but to help people grow spiritually. Of course I could have something to eat and drink with my pills in the morning before Church. (The Bishop said Please eat something too.)
What a relief!
(I know I could have done what I wanted all along, but this is not the path I’ve chosen. Self indulgence is too easy.)

So this morning, I made a nice pot of this herbal blend with a pu-er nugget in it for my stomach and had a piece of toast. That’s all I need to get me through until noon. I’ll be doing great without any queezy feelings and the blend tastes wonderful.

I know I have to stock up on some more soon because this is easily going to be a Winter staple.

Auggy

Your priest (and bishop) sound awesome.

Azzrian

I believe many religious customs began long before we had the complications as humans that we do now. Illness has evolved and therefore the faith does with it when necessary. You have a good Priest!

Nik

Nicely said, Azz. =)

K S

The Sabbath (or in this case the Lord’s day) were made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It is to make us look inward, and reach upward. Your heart is revealed in the attempt, and your need in the weakness. Be blessed.

Bonnie

I think hiding the things we believe in because we’re afraid of being politically correct has gone so far that we become mute. I wouldn’t be honest about my own story if I left out chunks that are important parts of my life. While I don’t believe in being pushy about politics, religion or most anything (even tea…ah hum…) I love the life I live in every way. If anyone was around during a Feast, you would understand and be invited for a great meal (and tea!).

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98

Right before David Duckler jetted off to China, gathering more tea for Verdant and to see old friends, he added this new Alchemy Blend. It seems that this kind of herbal blend is what you might find in Chinese tea stalls this time of year when people begin needing a remedy to boost their immune system.
I’ve been well so far this year, but my poor daughter and her 8 children have been on a merry-go-round of flu and colds. As soon as one child gets better, another one gets sick. (I keep my hand sanitizer in my pocket and had a flu shot!)

When I saw this blend, I bought a packet for me and one for her.

Another thing that really intrigued me was what I read about how you could customize this blend by adding your own tea to it.
You could add Black Tea, Green Tea or Pu’er and create a custom flavor blend you like. I knew what I was going to blend first for as my favorite. I just had to give this a try!

Today my herbal blend arrived! Off to the business of experimenting!

UNO
First I made a straight brew. You can’t tell by sniffing the dry tea how it’s going to taste so don’t be put off by the strong smell.

The actual liquor was soft and slightly sweet with a light lemon ginger taste. (Very light on both) Even the sage was light tasting and added a pleasing warmth that I liked.
I was thinking about how and when I would drink this blend. Before bedtime and if I wasn’t feeling well. I’d brew it longer though if I had a cold, and add honey. Aha! Honey was missing!

I added some clover honey and it was meant to be! The blend was outstanding! The sage, ginger and lemon tasted lovely with the honey and were soothing in all the ways you want an herbal to be. Fabulous!

DOS
For the next test, I made a whole POT of tea+blend with a teaspoon of Laoshan Black and a small little nugget of Pu’er.

OH SHUT UP!

For those of you who love the Emperial Breakfast Summer Blend…just imagine a slight ginger and lemon added and BAM! WOW! This was so good! I can’t imagine this being any better!

TRES
I mixed up a little Laoshan Green (probably too little green tea) and got a spicy reaction that was unexpected and a camphor sensation. I’ll have to try that one again.

The best, awesome taste for me was the Black Tea and Pu’er but you could really experiment and see what you like the best!

Quatro
That’s up to you!

UNO, DOS, UNO DOS TRES QUATRO…. http://youtu.be/QAvaJ0o_-9o

I LOVE this idea. My kind of BLEND to KEEP on hand all WINTER!

Terri HarpLady

LOL, Bonnie! I love your review! Mine also came today & I had a cup, with will probably wait until tomorrow to write a review on it.

Sil

Haha loved reading this Bonnie :)

darby

I got mine today too! Too busy to make some but hopefully will get a chance on Saturday

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100

A Tale of 3 Yixings – Chapter 5

The 3rd Yixing is a red Zi Ni Shi Piao. I’ll post a photo of all my babies some time soon. Last night I seasoned this one with the finest & oldest Shu I’ve ever had (& gratefully still have some of), this Xingyang Golden Leaf. I am amazed everytime I drink this tea. I feel as if I’m in the akashic library or something. This tea evokes an ‘ancient’ feeling & imagery, & I love it! So what better tea to share with my Shu Yixing, what better tea to bath her in? Of course, I drank my share of the tea, how could I not?

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100

A Tale of 3 Yixings – Chapter 4

The 3rd Yixing is a red Zi Ni Shi Piao. I’ll post a photo of all my babies some time soon. Last night I seasoned this one with the finest & oldest Shu I’ve ever had (& gratefully still have some of), this Xingyang Golden Leaf. I am amazed everytime I drink this tea. I feel as if I’m in the akashic library or somethings. This tea evokes an ‘ancient’ feeling & imagery, & I love it! So what better tea to share with my Shu Yixing, what better tea to bath her in? Of course, I drank my share of the tea, how could I not?

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100

This tea has come up a few times recently on here, & so I decided today was the day to bring it out of hiding & enjoy it.

“No MOAR hoarding!” I can hear Sil shouting all the way from Toronto.
“My Preciousssss….” Bonnie calls out from Colorado.
Ah, but this IS the exception, Sil.
Sorry Bonnie, this is my Birthday Present.

I’ve been sipping from these leaves for hours. I kept sipping while a few students came & went, tea & music go so nicely together.
I took a break from the leaves & worked in my Blackberry patch, pulling weeds, repairing trellis, training the canes, & inhaling the aroma of the mulched leaves & such that cover the ground beneath my berry bushes. The aroma reminded me of this tea. It reminded me that this tea was waiting for me. I finished my work & returned to the leaves, & I’ve been sipping ever since.
I’m still fairly new to Puerhs. This is the oldest Shu I’ve had. This is also the best Shu I’ve had. I love this tea.

Sil

Today would be a day for me to try some of my
Puerhs except going to the hallway for boiling water is annoying. I really hope they can fix this today. Fml.

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100

I drink different teas for different reasons.
In the morning I tend to drink bold & rich black teas.
Sometimes I want something green & fresh, sometimes I want something floral or roasty.
Sometimes I want something sweet & flavored like a dessert.
Other times I want an experience, not a flavor. A feeling of introspection, a feeling of ‘this moment’. The feeling of qi flowing through me…
That’s when I turn to this Shu. I love this tea! It is like a revelation every time I drink it. The leaves just keep giving, & I’m certain I’ll continue steeping them tomorrow. It’s not a dessert tea, it is a tea for the moment. It is a tea for all eternity.

Spencer

This sounds amazing! I love that experience (teadrunk?), and aged shou is what provides it for me, too.

Terri HarpLady

I tend to get it more from shengs than shu’s, but the chaqi in this tea is amazing! Every time I drink it, it blows my mind! :D

Spencer

Definitely adding this to my shopping list. Thanks for the recommendation!

Bonnie

Amen sistah! I still have a stash left myself. Need to drink some!

Terri HarpLady

I know it’s probably not possible, but I sincerely hope David encounters more of this, because I’d buy it in a heartbeat. I think its one of those puers that people would invest fortunes in!

Spencer

A fourteen year is a tremendous find. Was it pricey, when it was available?

Bonnie

Not really. You were able to buy smaller quantities which is how I began. Verdant had this puer for a long time.

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100

I have a xmas concert to play at 6:30, & I wanted to drink one more tea, something extra special, and here it is. I’ve already ranted & raved about this before, so lets just say it is awesome.

Bonnie

Wow, you’re brave…this makes me a bit high…I’d never be able to play after drinking this. Maybe sing and dance badly but not play a harp!!! Have fun Terri!!!

Terri HarpLady

It makes me that way too, which can be conducive to musical expression ;)

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100

This is my favorite Pu’er so far, I think. I tried it about a month ago, as a sample, and I just got another bag of it, and I want to order more.

It is a skull shining, mind blowing tea that immediately gets my Qi flowing, my ears popping, and brings me into a state of mindfulness.

The tea itself is so amazing to look at.
Dry, it’s a deep mahogany, and it looks so fragile, like books in the library of ancient Atlantis, and if you touched them, they would crumble. When you get it wet, it turns a deep black, and I want to touch it, and when I do, it feels really sturdy, kind of like oak leaves. The smell is sweet and ancient.

And it tastes so good! The only real description I can have of the taste is the aftertaste, which is sweet, with a teensy sparkle of salt, but it’s like someone sprinkled a few granules of a really finely powdered special salt, and every so often, a tiny particle melts on my tongue.

Bonnie

My favorite too! Geoffrey got me interested in it awhile ago and I was amazed at where it takes me. I call it my party pu’er because it’s transcendental. Skull shining is right.
Good pu’er to drink with someone you care about or good friends.

Terri HarpLady

I wish I could step into a transporter and come hang out and drink Pu’er with you Bonnie!

Bonnie

Me too! We’d have some stories to tell (no microphones allowed!)

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100

I ate chocolate last night. It was the deep dark dairy free & barely sweet kind from a local chocolatier, Kakao. I also ate a few bites of coconut milk ice cream. I normally don’t eat any sweets, not even a lot of fruit, as it isn’t good for me, but the revelry of Pirates brought out a surge of daring, bold, & reckless behaviors in me.

NaNoWriMo began at midnight, & I WAS going to write my first 2000 words (like I did last year), but I’ve also been working on making sure I get enough sleep & do my yoga, so I went to bed instead. I slept like a vampire at dawn, & woke a little groggy at 8:00, with my guts & head achy, ah the price we pay for sugar consumption. But I did my yoga, meditation, & journaling. I ate my BAB (Paleo-speak for Big Ass Breakfast), I taught my first student of the day & we shared a pot of English Breakfast (two leaves & a bud). Now on with the day. I wanted something deep, dark, & grounding. Plus I’ve been reading David Duckler’s notes on his trip to China, & the comments from Wang Yanxin about using more tea for less time. I also read the notes on the Verdant site regarding this tea.

I’ll admit, I’ve had this tea sample for awhile. David included it as a freebie in one of my orders & I’ve been a little nervous about trying it. It is described as "musty, sparkling, linen, cedar, stone, rock sugar. Normal people probably wouldn’t want to drink that! LOL!

I opened the package to find a most beautiful tea, deep mahogany, nice & leafy, a slightly musty aroma that left my nose with a salty sensation (not smell). Following the XingYang workshop recommendations, I put the entire 5oz sample in my 4oz Gaiwan, gave it a quick rinse, but only steeped for 1 minute. It tasted like a revelation. 2nd – 6th steeps for 2 minutes. I’ve drank them all & savored every moment of each sip. This is what I needed this morning. This will carry me into my day. I have no words for this tea, it tastes exactly as described. It is so smooth, so clean, it feels ancient like the earth.
Steeps 7 – 9 @ 3 minutes each: just wonderful. I feel that this tea is more about sensations & images than taste. A bright sparkling quality has risen, & I’m loving it. For me, today, it is about Mindfulness, groundedness, acceptance of myself, & Tea. I love this tea.

Bonnie

This is a perfect tea for writing. I have been restocking this one as my favorite pu-er not just for taste but it has mystical properties (odd for me to say) but I mean that in a more scientific way. The way this pu’er soothes my mind is as relevant as how it tastes.
All the best to you in your writing!

Terri HarpLady

steep 10 @ 5 minutes: My mouth is seriously tingling!

Bonnie

I have the largest size of this, seriously. I mean it when I said it’s my favorite. I call it my party pu’er. I used to give samples away and was left without any for myself. Now I’m stingy!

Terri HarpLady

I know! I’m serious considering the 100 g…how big IS that? I mean, space-wise? How does it come wrapped? I drank some other teas for awhile, & now I’m re-steeping this again! :D

Terri HarpLady

After going away from it for awhile steepings 11 & 12 @ 5 min each have almost a sweetness, a hint of cedar, mineral, & the tingle!

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82

mmmm sipdown on another tea that the lovely terri sent my way. It was really nice to have this back in my cupboard again for a brief moment :) I really like the steeps and resteeps of this one, though it’s not my all time favourite from verdant, but it’s by far NOT my least favourite black tea :) thank you terri!

Terri HarpLady

I loved this one. It’s not my fav, but I really enjoyed having it in my cupboard, & I’m sad to not have it anymore. Too bad they aren’t planning to restock it. Glad you liked it!

Kittenna

You may want to edit “but it’s by far my least favourite black” :D

Sil

i hope that was cause i was missing the word tea? :) otherwise….i’m confused lol

Kittenna

Haha, you’re saying that it’s by far your least favourite black tea. Meaning, you hated it more than Adagio’s! I assume you mean, it’s far from being your least favourite black :P

Sil

oh there we go… man. i’m tired. my other half just thought you were being uh…something lol

Kittenna

Bahahaha, nice correction. And nope! You can tell your other half… uh…. :P

Sil

you know him..always trying to cause trouble :)

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82

backlogging!

mmmmm this is a delicious tea! It won’t become a regular in my cupboard, but i may treat myself to the occasional sample from time to time. :) Really nice tea that I had the pleasure of running through a number of steepings on the weekend.

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82

I’m glad verdants samples generally have enough for two sittings as i’m fairly confident that I’m not going to be doing this justice at work today. I just wanted something today that wasn’t a flavoured tea but that had flavour..if that makes sense. I prefer the Mi Lan Black and Laoshan black from verdant but this is still a really enjoyable tea.

I can’t wrap my brain around the flavours that i’m tasting. it’s not really a malty tea..it’s sweet and yet not but yet is. I’m hoping in later steepings i’ll be able to discern more of the honey but right now i’m digging the woody, breadlike taste going on. I don’t catch the pepper that others do though.

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83

I finally got around to this one, and it’s just as well, because it’s taking up a lot of space on my desk. I’ve taken to keeping the teas I haven’t posted about yet on my desk next to the computer so that they don’t disappear in the collection or end up like the four red fruits black from Le Palais des Thes which we’ve gone through 200 grams of and I never actually posted about it. I thought I already had!

So yes. New system. This system keeps them in full view at all times, and encourages me to get to them faster so that I can get my desk back!

This one is from the Verdant order I made some time ago and had been standing there un-opened, taking up a lot of space. I usually have pretty good experiences with Dancong and tend to find them very similar to Da Hong Pao, but somehow more me.

I suspect this is one I’ll be drinking throughout the day today. It’s wednesday, which means I’m off work (oh I luuuuurrrrve working part time!) and I’ve got a to-do list the length of my leg. Well, nearly. Two pages anyway, with half the usual margins and slightly smaller font size. 116 items. Many of them are tiny things that will take maybe five minutes but which I’ll forget to do otherwise so that’s why it’s so long. This approach worked out awesomely for me last week with nearly 80% completion and Husband commenting on the all-round tidyness of the house when he came home, so I’m repeating the success. So here we go. A tea that can be repeated easily throughout the day.

To that end I started out with twice my normal amount of leaf and half my normal steeping time, and the result is something that smells remarkably like honey. And milk, somehow. Or at least sort of creamy. The aroma isn’t very strong, so that’s all I can pick up at this point.

It tastes like Dancong. That’s my first thought when I tasted it. Tastes like Dancong. Um, right. I should sincerely hope it would! O.o And also like oolong. (Duh, brain. Pull yourself together with the associations, please!) That sort of dark, slightly woodsy and kind of humid oolong-y taste that all oolongs must have. If they don’t, it’s a serious flaw for me.

I also like my darker type oolongs to have a sort of caramel-y note. Not outright caramel flavoured, because for some reason I can’t actually imagine that would work, but a natural swet and creamy note that invokes caramel. This is not a requirement in the same way that the oolongness is, but I do prefer it.

Third, it must not be too floral in flavour, and this is where Dancong and Da Hong Pao part ways for me. Da Hong Pao has a tendency to be more floral for me than Dancong. This is not always so, but it seems to be a tendency.

This one has the oolongness and the honey-y, caramel-y creaminess and none of the floralness that I could find. The flavour is somewhat delicate though, and I suspect I could actually easily have left my steeping time at my usual two minutes, even though I had used more leaf. I didn’t really take the volume of the leaf properly into account when I thought I doubled it, so I suspect that I actually used close to my normal amount although it looked like a lot.

Mind you, this is very nice, but do hope that I can bring some forcefulness out in the flavour in the next steeps.

The second steep is back to my normal steeping time. The flavour is the same as the first steep, only stronger this time. All the notes are there and in the same amounts compared to each other. They’re just less delicate now. This is what I hoped would happen.

I’ll take a break with it now and leave the computer before this hospital e-learning course drives me completely batty! It’s mandatory and involves watching a little film which I have now restarted more times than I can count because it just won’t play right. I officially give up! throws up hands

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100

Oh wow. Just…wow. I have to be in the mood for jasmine tea, and I was so I tried some of my sample from Verdant Teas – and…wow. Very very smooth and gentle, absolutely no bitterness at all, and the jasmine perfume is incredible both when opening the package and while drinking. It’s a pure aroma, but not overly strong. By far the best jasmine I’ve had. I need to order some more of this along with their Holy Basil!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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93

First off, I would like to give a hearty (and italicized ) “Thank YOU!” to LiberTeas for this sample. I’m always up for trying new whites, especially one with a name that looks dangerously close to “lotion”.

I was able to try this after a day of two failed interviews, a well-deserved nap, and a cat-puking wake-up alarm (no really). I am constantly impressed with the oddities that Verdant is dishing out, it tickles my geeky bone. As…wrong as that sounds.

This looked like a green tea on appearance, also smelled like one. It had the aroma of buttered veggies. When I brewed it, I accidentally went a little hot on the water. As a result, I decided to lower the brewing temperature by a minute or two – going with a minute-thirty.

The result was a pale yellow liquor that smelled like a green but tasted like a white. It reminded me of a cross between a Bai Mu Dan and a Mao Feng. Or some unholy hybrid of the two. Point is, I loved it. Mainly for the full-bodied aspect of it…but that might’ve just been my brewing. However, a good sign of a good tea is whether or not it can put up with my neglect. And this did. Good orphan.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 1 min, 30 sec
LiberTEAS

It puts the Laoshan on the skin or it gets the hose again…

Geoffrey Norman

Hilarious…but I can’t quite put my finger on where I’ve heard that! D’oh.

Daisy Chubb

Silence of the Lambs! :3 haha best comments ever tonight

LiberTEAS

Oops… missed it by that much.

Geoffrey Norman

And it’s reasons like this I stay on Steepster.

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68
drank Laoshan Genmaicha by Verdant Tea
15006 tasting notes

sipdown! you know… for whatever reason, i don’t love this nearly as much as i did the first time around. It might be because this is a different picking or something but the first time, i was in love! now i’m like meh. I wouldn’t be oppoed to picking up a sample of this later on and see if my tastes have changed again but for now, i can live without it for a while.

Terri HarpLady

Probably because you tried the Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha! I mean really, green tea can’t compare with THAT!

Sil

haha maybe. I REALLY loved the crap out of this one when i tried it a few months back.

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