Verdant Tea

Rose and marshmallows! What a strange tea, but I like it so far. Since I can’t try this in a gaiwan right now, I put 3 tsps in my Perfect Mug steeper and steeped for 2 mins initially. This is REALLLY floral in scent, even for my tastes, but the florality (is that a word?) backs off a bit in taste. I am curious as to how the next couple steeps are going to be. However, I won’t rate this tea until I’ve tried it in a gaiwan and with a cold steep. Those seem to be the most popular and best methods for bringing out the nuances of this tea.

Some teas are good/great/ok etc. and rarely you come across something that is outstanding. For me this is outstanding. I love the earthy “dirt” taste with chrysanthemum and some citrus aftertaste. So sorry I can’t order it again. Please, bring it back.

I forgot about it and steeped it over 5 min and it came out very dark, almost like coffee but I’m not afraid of strong taste or bitterness in a black tea. If I recall correctly, according to George Orwell that’s exactly how tea is supposed to taste :)
The smell was earthy and rich and not funky or fishy; very rich with notes of chrysanthemum and danylion and surprisingly light, no bitterness at all. I absolutely loved it. I would buy it again for sure. Checked the website and it’s gone …. What?!!!!

Backlogging from this weekend.

A sample David was kind enough to send me.

Brewed this gaiwan style for 15 infusions after the initial rinse. I’m not going to write about all 15 infusions, just the first 5 where the most changes happened for me.

The dry leaves were brown and packed and smell was woody with a hint bubblegum, but not just any bubblegum, it was the Big League Chew bubblegum!

Wet the leaves unfurled with shades of green and smelled like mushrooms.
The first infusion was crisp and woodsy like conifers with notes of mushrooms and a sweet note that I couldn’t place. The mouthfeel was thick with a creamy-silky texture.

The second infusion was still very woodsy with mushrooms. The texture became very smooth, more velvety. There was a sweet spice starting to come in, something like nutmeg but not as strong, I couldn’t place it.

In the third infusion there was definitely more spice, the earthy notes were becoming stronger and pine notes were making their way in.

Fourth steeping had that sweet spice turn into black pepper. The pine notes were much stronger and the aftertaste was becoming thick, mouth-coating thick.

Fifth steeping the spice began to fade. The earthy and pine notes were getting stronger still with mushrooms coming back in. The aftertaste was very thick. The aftertaste coated my mouth with a texture similar to eating a too ripe banana.

The later infusions had more pine notes, earthy almost soil-like notes, and mushrooms. For my first time brewing my own pu-erh I would have to say this was a success!

This is pretty wonderful! It’s intensely sweet and juicy. There are those lovely charcoal type notes but also a melon type taste in there too! On the end sip I can pick up some floral notes that seem semi-warming…maybe a floral-spice combo even!

This is a nice surprise! I like this a lot :)

I drank this lovely tea yesterday, but found I didn’t have time to sit and log it, so I’m doing so now :)

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this tea since I’ve read that it can have a peppery quality to it and I wasn’t sure how that would translate into a tea. But I was more than pleased when I took my first sip. The honeyed flavor of the tea on it’s own had a subtle spiciness and maltiness that was lyrical on my tongue and with the addition of that little bit of honey into the cup, it just came alive.

Thank you to Bonnie for sending this sample my way! :)

Dry Leaf: Has a sweet earthiness aroma.
Wet Leaf: There is still that sweetness with a woody slight earthiness and even a very faint vegetal aroma.
Liquor: Was a golden honey or amber color.
Taste: This started out sweet and earthy. But as you further steep this tea the earthiness starts to mellow and you get a smooth leathery flavor I can even see someone say they get a raisin after taste. Also you get hints of a peppery taste along with some slight dryness with this tea.
Overall Opinion: I give this a 90 it was a good enjoyable tea.
Vessel/Leaf: Leaf use sample. Sama Doyo Gongfu/Kungfu teapot 500ml inner cup holds 220ml or aprox.7oz similar to the piao i teapot.

This is one of my favorite pu’ers. I remember purchasing this 7 months ago and kind of forgot about it. Nice to find it again and be enchanted by its cedar apple qualities.

Love this tea. This tea was the reason why I put in my last order to Verdant. I picked this up with the Golden Fleece. I must say this tea really got me thinking. It is robust, but not. To me it is not as in your face as you might think. I have had 3 sessions with this tea, and the one word that keeps coming up is…buttery. Will have to get more of this.

I don’t drink many White Tea’s. The few I have are very special.
They seem mystical with an energy that is healing and complex.

I used a Gaiwan to brew this tea. My timing was 20 seconds for the first three steeps then I added 5 seconds for additional steeps.(If you go too long the tea gets bitter )

The liquor began as light pastel yellow gradually becoming deeper gold with each pour.
The scent of the wet leaves was savory becoming milder, and finally having a light vegital aroma.

Artichoke was the first flavor I tasted, savory and delicate like the memory of something eaten earlier in the day that was delightful.
Hidden behind the artichoke flavor was the taste of lilac with a peppery bite.
My mouth was full of an energy that I sometimes feel with a very good tea.

The second pour was less savory and more floral with a cool Pine vapor to it. This type of Pine I associate with wild herbs and sand at my feet, Pacific Coast Fog oozing in through the scruff on a hot Summer day, spritzing and fluffing the wilted branches back to life.

By the third steep, the artichoke and lilac flavors were back… dancing around each other with flirtatious abandon. One was brisk, the other creamy. So very good together that I drank them down with an “ah that was good”!
The pictures in my mind that went with the tea and mental imaginings as I savored the flavor :

My grandmothers house…

The story part is on the blog www.teaandincense.com

Thank you Jason for this Sample Tea

This is the first review on this NEW WHITE TEA from Verdant
(Only saying this because this is not one of the tea’s that is gone!)

It’s Saturday and for most of the day, I’ve been considering this one tea.
First I needed to add it to Steepster, then make sure my palate was clear and my mind still.
The lighter tea’s are more of an effort for me. They are delicate, and for some strange reason, cause me to go places deeper…reaching for elusive flavors that sometimes flutter past me so fast that I can hardly keep up with them.

My preparations were simple. A 5oz. Gaiwan, Spring Water, small sipping bowl and tea. The color of the infusions was not spectacular ranging from pale green to light green. The scent was lovely. Others will follow and discuss this more. I followed the exact steeping instructions on the Verdant website, 20 seconds, 15 seconds, 25 seconds.

The tasting of this tea was a complete experience. An adventure of remembering a time and event without losing touch with the reality of
the tea experience taking place at the same time.

I began with the first sip which sparkled with effervescence, dancing on my tongue like the sun rays on the sea.
There was the softest hint of pine and lilac ending in bread baked in a hot brick outdoor oven.

This is what did it. The flavor and scent that was hardly there and like a small hand reaching out, pulled me into a memory.

Corfu. I began to see that beautiful Greek Island again with the pines and flowers and….

The second steep was stronger than the first. It sparkled then splayed a dryness like linen sheets from a clothesline…slap across my tongue and gone. Here again there was the soft floral flavor spreading like a vine and wrapped around the pine taste trying to come out but still barely there. The taste of semolina was strongest at the finish.

I remembered going to Paleokastritsa Monastery on Corfu perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea. Walls washed with white and tan, abundant bougenvilla flowers and many happy monastery cats laying about. I approached an old Heiromonk and placed my hands palms up in the form of a cross indicating that I was asking for a blessing. He was from the U.S. and had retired to this Greek Monastery(a common practice especially after a Priest is a widower http://flic.kr/p/cfhUGo ). He blessed me, we chatted in the shade under the trees and I went my way. It was such an ancient, beautiful and peaceful place…smelling of flowers, pine and baked bricks and bread. Monasteries always have tea for guests.

My final steepings were very, very tingling on the tip of my tongue and sweeter. A great deal of semolina and creaminess with a hint of salt. I could tell that there was a rose floral flavor in these pourings and a bit of tannin at the finish, although not much.

I had a decision to make. The salt is what prompted me to make this decision. Should I add some sugar? It is vulgar to some people I know…but this is MY cup and I am not a tea snob. I believe that if there is any saltiness in a tea, a little sweet will often enhance the flavor.

So…I…Did…IT….

NECTAR We have a place in Colorado that is beautiful called
Garden of the Gods. This is the tea version of the place!
Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls…whatever your AHHHH! is…this flavor is that AHHHHH!

http://youtu.be/q2pgPkZZZOg Music

This nectar flavor is where I began my journey back to Corfu with the sun shining on the clearest water I’ve ever seen, and pine trees dipping to the Ionian Sea. Flowers, pink, red and purple, white washed houses and Greek Taverna’s all along a narrow road leading up to a beautiful Monastery. Calm and unforgetable.

TEA!

Here are some pictures, Corfu..
http://youtu.be/WuUHIoo7raA

Steeped per Verdant Tea’s instructions. 4 grams of leaf in 4 oz of water. Quick rinse. 2 second infusion. Beautiful colored liquor, like gold sunlight. Some haze, but not enough to detract from the appearance. First impression of the aroma is a soft grain character. Similar to wheat or spelt. Some sugar-like sweetness as well. The taste bears this out. Wow. So soft and smooth, beautiful texture. Some grassiness, and honey as well. The aftertaste lingers nicely. An inviting and delicious tea.

This is a very rich and deep blend with many dimensions to it. I was impressed.

Today I visited Met and after that went to La Maison du Chocolat to get some ice cream. Turns out they have a cafe in the back selling among other things some tea. It was $8 per cup. Wow … That’s some price even for Manhattan.

After the hype around this tea I was a bit let down. It is, indeed, a very nice dancong but it seems a bit… safe.
I’ve grown accustomed to a sort of tug in two directions from Phoenix Oolongs. On one side we have fresher, lighter tasting contenders that seem jubilant and crisp – really reminiscent of champagne to me. On the other side we have two teams pulling the same direction towards potent, mulling, and lingering tendencies with either a brooding mob-boss air (woody, cedary, cigar-tinged, with afteraroma that sits in yer throat for days) or a gruff fifties dad character (heavy fruits and a bit of pipe tobacco with a background of smells akin to a sawdust-littered garage workshop). Ultimately this side is more like port or brandy to me. This tea is coming off to me as some kid who sits in the middle of this tug of war and cries “Can’t we all just get along?”

Again, I mean no offense here and the rating I give is only representative of my personal preferences for character expression among Fenghuang Dancongs and excitement level when drinking this. It’s darned tasty, clean, and has definitive dancong character in spades. What catches me off-guard here is the lack of necessity of praying to the great caffeine overlords on high that you won’t screw the thing up by missing your mark by a second or two while brewing. The astringency is muted even when using boiling water. A variance of 4g per 100mL hardly put a dent in its character. Using 85C versus 100C made little difference. Tactile impression for nearly every infusion has been well-balanced throughout the mouth. And, unlike the description led me to believe, every cup up to the 9th infusion of second round was very consistent in base character.

It’s that consistency and balance that puts me a tad at odds with this tea. A tea that’s a pain in the arse to brew and jumps hither and thither whether you want it to or not is neigh impossible to replicate results with at times but it keeps it interesting. I love aggressive dancongs and yanchas that throw that at me. I like when every cup is a new adventure more than a steady flow from one character to another over the course of infusions. I definitely look for that in some (hmm, actually most) of my teas, but for dancongs I want a bit more excitement. Cup size matters here – when poured into a small gongfu serving cup there is far more deviation in character than in my cup that holds a whole 200mL, so this tea would be far more exciting when sharing amongst a bunch of people from a small pot compared to pouring it all into one for a single person. Now, I essentially got what I was looking for in my initial brewing round with this tea, where I approached cautiously – it’s my freakishly aggressive brew round that left me puzzled as to why I wan’t getting jumps and twists of fate in my cup.

First Round: Tommy’s Pussy Little Babysteps Approach.
This is my baseline method when I first meet a new Phoenix Oolong and the way I tell most people to start in on ‘em if they haven’t screwed around with these teas before. Even really aggressive, broken leaf dancongs can be easily approachable under these parameters, so it’s about the least risky brewing method I know for bringing out good flavor without producing overbrewed characteristics.
4g/100mL in a heavy glazed ceramic gaiwan
85C
Rinse
30sec-30sec-30sec-45sec-60sec-1min15sec-1min30sec-1min45sec-2min-3min-4min
Typically I’d progress in 30sec intervals at the 2min point but the tea started dying fast on me at that point and the 4min infusion was severely lacking (3 min wasn’t much with it either).
While there were ebbs and swells of flavor intensity and aromatic expression, this was overall very mild and kinda buttery. Not Taiwanese Oolong creamy-buttery, o’course, but still smooth and “soft” feeling. The overarching base characteristics remained really consistent through each infusion. Gardenia and African Violet florals, Vanilla and Crème brûlée toasty-sweet nose/afteraroma, and a blanket lightly-toasted sesame seed nutty flavor foremost above everything in every brew. ‘Round the third-fourth infusion a secondary set of floral-vegetal characteristics akin to spices came through but they were not obvious enough to pick out and identify until I encountered them in the next brewing round when a touch of astringency helped key them out.
Highly approachable when brewed this way. Very consistent and clean. Sesame seeds really took the bulk of the flavor stage.

Second Round: Pack As Much Tea Into The Pot As You Can Approach.
This is how I generally prefer to brew these (well, with somewhat cooler water and without the break), but it requires a basic understanding of a particular dancong’s habits beforehand. There’s typically a risk to overbrew with this approach and it’s less likely to preserve light floral and fruity aromatics but it usually garners the greatest diversity of flavor for me. I’m using water just off a boil in the hopes of pushing the tactile impression on this tea since the safer brewing method produced such a light mouthfeel.
Used my 180mL Zi Ni Rong Tian pot for Fenghuang Dancongs in this round.
Using this level of concentration, leaves have a real tendency to displace water over time (more so with rolled oolongs), so later infusions are inadvertently brewed a tad bit stronger while more leaf surface is available to brew as well. However, pouring from the kettle into the pot with high velocity is sort of necessary to churn the leaves a bit.
Water shortly off a boil
Rinse
9g leaf / 155g water
13sec-10sec-10sec-12sec-15sec-20sec-20sec-20sec

[break]
Rinse
9g leaf / 135g water
30sec-30sec-45sec-1min30sec-2min-2min30sec-3min-3min30sec-4min-4min30sec-5min-7min
Final infusion measured at 9g leaf / 120g water

Flavor smoothly progressed from one infusion to the next, sometimes with hardly a change at all. Probably the most consistent Huang Zhi Xiang cup-to-cup I’ve had. I suspect I could easily replicate the flavor sets I got out of these without much effort even if I push the first few infusions a bit harder.
Very first infusion probably shoulda gone for around 20sec and second-third infusions around 15sec. Mild. Little perceivable astringency. Most teas and most brewing methods I’d go for I hope to limit astringency, but in dancongs I feel it makes for a vital component that helps add mouthfeel since they have relatively little taste and rely predominantly upon aroma and nose. The 12sec and 15sec infusions were the most pleasant of all the expressions I’ve gotten from this tea and I strongly believe it’s more a byproduct of them being the fourth and fifth steeps at high concentration than the duration of the steep time. Greenhouse florals and faint mustiness come through nicely in the afteraroma and work well with the light acidity and faint astringency though the body could be thicker (again-longer brew time).
When I reached the 20sec infusions, I finally got those secondary florals again. I’m reluctant to say “smell” since the aroma was so light and you don’t get these from the liquor aroma – it’s going back through the nose from the mouth (the “nose” of the tea). So I’m going to say it’s the “taste” of the air when walking through an almond orchard mixed with that of an orange orchard (neither in bloom). Xing Ren Xiang frequently comes off as very much like the aroma of an almond orchard in bloom and You Hua Xiang has the aroma of a lemon orchard in bloom while this has more the leafy character of these from summer – essentially the taste of the air around a few street vendors I stop at when driving through the Central Valley. Faint Rosemary and Thyme spice notes fleet into this one. Later it is more of a shadow of spearmint, but really not obvious to me at all in the larger cup (only picked it out ‘cause I’m pouring ~10mL into a little cup on the side).

After the several hour break, infusions started moving towards a more mineral expression. Really not much flavor until it cools down and then the aromatic characteristics come back into play within the mouth. Soft and crisp with a light lingering afteraroma similar to tulips and violets in a greenhouse. Once the cup goes lukewarm, more gardenia, vanilla, and citrus orchard characteristics come out and I finally get some of the woody notes mentioned in the company description. Sweet, creamy taste very similar to sweet brown rice is noticeable once cooled in the second 30sec infusion and a tad more astringency helps promote a pleasant twiggy taste. The 45sec infusion is about the same as the previous one but with a bit more citrus peel and overall starting to fall a little flat so I ramped up the time a bit faster than I normally would (I prefer to progress in 10-15 second intervals at this concentration). Rice and sesame seed share dominance from this point on and the astringency provides a pleasant balance to the moderate body and vanilla-floral nose. Few characteristics are present in the liquor aroma – almost all identifiable aroma keys are from the mouth leading back up through the nose. The liquor aroma at this point is faint and kinda similar to “honey and cream” scented moisturizing hand soap… which isn’t really like honey nor cream in any way unless you boil the hell out of them. For the long infusions (2+min) the flavor is all cooking rice and lightly toasted sesame with some stir-fried bamboo shoots hiding underneath. It’s possible to get a wider range of character by pouring into a little gongfu serving cup since it cools down so rapidly, but inside a cup holding ~100mL the range of character is significantly truncated unless allowed to sit to a barely-warm temperature. Once cool, the long infusions are pretty uniform with a creamy-sweet nose, moderate body, very slight mouthwatering effect towards the front from light crisp acidity, lingering parching astringency across the tongue, faint sesame flavor and gardenia nose. Slurped from a small cup showcases some nice woody tones at this phase.
Flavor seeeeriously slacked off and started going pool-waterish at the 4min30sec infusion and the following 5min infusion wasn’t much worth drinking in spite of the tactile impression and taste not really changing… Loss of aromatics. Honestly, the final 7min infusion was more to weigh the pot than for taste, just ‘cause I was curious what the displacement wound up coming to by the end. Really it had little discernible flavor, the body was really light, and the astringency parched the tongue and throat uncomfortably so I just set it aside and used it to wash down some rice I went and made (so much tea with the character of sweet brown rice, I figured why not make some).

Very pleasant overall. If I had more I would screw around with a 9g/100mL concentration and a full minute initial infusion using 95C water right off the get-go. It’s good enough that I feel inclined to buy some to experiment with, though I’d feel guilty choosing this over the other teas I got in this package of samples from Geoffrey at Verdant.

SIPDOWN!
All gone.
Would love to order more but I placed too many orders this week and need to stop for the month.
I also really want to get my stash organized before the orders I placed arrive let alone order more.
I throughly enjoyed this tea!
Bold, rich, flavorful, (see previous notes).
An excellent morning cup.

Throughly enjoying a couple of cups of this tea!
Full review on SororiTeaSisters.com on the 6th but here are some snippits:

It has a rich full mouthfeel yet a savory element in the flavor profile that boarders right on the spicy side of life. I can’t think of many unadulterated teas that have so much complexity. From sweet to savory, spicy to fruity. Zhu Rong Yunnan Black Tea from Verdant has it all.

The berry notes I detect are not listed in the flavor profile of this tea but I get a dark berry and raisin flavor when I swish the tea around my palate.

Enjoying a delicious cup right now. This tea is very rich almost like drinking dessert. A real treat – loving every sip!

What I like about this tea is that it is perfect for any season!
This has the chocolaty notes and cake like notes perfect for fall and winter.
It also has light berry notes perfect for spring and summer!
Its warm but with a light lifting mouthfeel!
Its not one to coat your mouth in flavor but has a lingering essence that stays with you reminding you of the goodness you just encountered!
I even like it cooled which I do not usually find with this flavor profile! I believe it is due to those lighter berry like notes!

Once again Verdant tea comes through with a tea that is truly a step above most other tea companies. Now that I’ve tried a number of companies there does seem to be an taste aesthetic to each one. This may be due to their resident buyer/taste tester or owner preferences. Verdant seems to find teas with a whole lot of depth in them. Every tea seems to be like an onion, rich in layers.

The Zhu Rong Yunnan is another fine “deep” tea. And when I say deep I mean its like diving into a very large pool, every time I take a sip I get subtle taste variations. The first time I steeped this western style I did it for 3 minutes which turned it very bitter and ashy. But the second time I did shorter steeps of about a minute and this seemed to bring out the perfect amount. The smell is malty and caramel, there is an almost an element of fine aged whiskey (without the burning aftertaste). The taste is like mexican hot chocolate which then fades into a stronger cooking chocolate taste. I can also taste the hint of cayenne pepper. This tea has a wonderful soupiness but it never gets harsh or bitter.

Love! I want to scream out loud that I love this tea. In fact I did shout it down the stairs at the husband. I knew this was the next tea I wanted to try when I opened up the tiny tin I placed it in awhile ago when I got it as a complimentary sample. It smells so familiar though I couldn’t quite place it till the first sip. I had a moment of panic, thinking I had somehow drunk this sample, forgot to log it, replaced it with Bailin Gongfu and forgot to relabel. Not a chance, but those first few sips were so decievingly Fujian in nature, by which I mean grainy, malty, cocoa sweetness and a hint of juicy dark fruit. But then came the butter, honey and spice all also wonderful and present unlike my unfortunate Yunnan black brewing yesterday. This is a very flavorful, complex, yet balanced black and I’m only on the first five sec infusion. More to come. Three steeps in, getting darker richer and more savory, LOVE!!! Ohhh steeps 5 and 6 so unbelievably sweet and steep 7… intense sweetness but now with a dark thickness that reminds me of Twin Elephants Trail Shu, oh… my… swoons

On my fourth infusion. The sweet cream aroma has backed off significantly, leaving a nice pastry (almost shortbread) smell. The flavor reminds me of brown rice (but very subdued).

Brewed per @VerdantTea instructions. Very pale yellow liquor. Big sweet cream aroma. Bordering on warming cream/milk in a saucepan. Reminds me of English custard. Some fruit notes. The flavor is a bit strange as the aromas are also present as flavors. So I almost forget I’m drinking a tea, and I expect a thicker mouthfeel. The tea however has a wonderful texture. Very smooth. Nice floral notes. The aftertaste is drying on the front of the tongue but has a lingering sweetness on the back.