Verdant Tea

After getting used to this tea and having an idea of what to expect from it, it didn’t excite me the same way some Japanese greens do each time I prepare them, but it was very nice to find a green tea that I enjoyed this much from another region.

The first steeping always has a nice honeysuckle sweetness; it isn’t a strong flowery aftertaste, but the initial part of the sip tastes like honey that is soft and sweet like the smell of honeysuckle (maybe orange blossom honey?).

Further steeps are greener, more like chestnuts, or snap peas. It was a good one.

Thanks to Lindsay for this one. My first Orchid Oolong. Now I’ve seen Orchid’s, Licorice, Ginseng oolong, and King’s oolongs and they seem to be synonymous with each other. Or so I thought. Check out the package no coating on the dry leaf really like you might see on some licorice oolongs(that candy coated like shell). Brew up the first cup. Eh kinda of a semi roasty nutty flavor to it. I didn’t get that sweetness though till the end of the cup. I didn’t really enjoy the first steep. However, in consecutive steeps afterward this tea really begins to unfold like an orchid. In the second steep is where I’m starting to detect the orchid. It reminds me of jasmine scented teas, but you can definitely tell that it is orchid and not jasmine. Then you have that sweetness at the end of the sip. This I enjoy quite a bit. I might be wrong but there has to be a little bit of ginseng in there or licorice root to produce that sweetness. If I am wrong…fabulous. I am thoroughly enjoying this tea. So with steep 3 and 4 I combined it with a sample of Teavana’s Dokudami Umami. The combination with licorice root in the umami was fantastic. I can’t wait to finish the rest of this, and try more to come!

Thanks to Dinosaura for this sample…

I think I might like darker oolongs better than most people but wasn’t sure what to expect with this. I have been doing my steepings in the gaiwan for around 30 seconds or so.

First steep: very roasted quality, aroma is a bit like burnt sugar and vanilla but flavor is lagging, I don’t think my water was hot enough either

Second steep: the sweetness is starting to come up a bit more along with some nuttiness. reminds me a lot of buckwheat or roasted barley and a bit of the hojicha I had a few days back. There is some tobacco is the aroma for me. Interesting.

Third steep: Very toasty, a bit smoky… I am still getting these burnt sugar/honey like flavors but it isn’t evolving into much more. It does have a bit of a bitter aftertaste…

I’ve enjoyed it but probably is not going to go on the must purchase list. I can’t help but wonder if I would appreciate this more on a cold and rainy day, I think I’ll save the rest of my sample for a time like that. This was fun to try but sadly, I’m losing interest. It tastes like someone charbroiled it, which is kind of the point, really but maybe not what I was in the mood for just now.

Tommy The Toad was kind enough to send me some samples to introduce me to unflavored pu-erh, this being the first of them I decided to try. I can’t thank him enough for helping me branch out. To be honest, I was a little scared to dry it when I smelled the brewed tea, but I kept an open mind. There was definitely a little bit of that “fishy” odor that I had heard about, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. When I tasted it, there was no fishy taste whatsover. It was just an earthy, smoky kind of taste that made me think of fall leaves, campfires, and dirt (I never thought I’d drink something that reminded me of dirt, but really it wasn’t a bad thing). This was a very new experience, my mind was not fully prepared for what my taste buds experienced, and I’m glad I got to try it. Once I get used to the taste a little more, I can see myself becoming a pu-erh fan. The whole process of making pu-erh is very intriguing to me. The amount of effort and expertise that goes into creating a good pu-erh is something I can really respect, and I want to experience all of the different facets of the tea world. When it all comes down to it, tea in general is a form of art and allows me to feel a spiritual warmth and a connection with the nature. I am consuming the ESSENCE of nature, and at the same time the product of a rich culture of my own human race. As you can see, I’m getting a bit contemplative…and that in my mind the greatest quality of tea. It gives me a few minutes out of a hectic day to truly feel centered and be able to THINK and BE in the moment. I truly enjoyed this new experience.

First of all, thank you to Amy Oh for sending me a bit of this chai. This is one I’ve been wanting to try since I’ve seen the tasting notes here on Steepster… and thank you, Amy, for this opportunity to try it.

As some of you know, I used to blend and flavor tea. My most popular blend was my Masterpiece Chai, and this is a chai that I took well over a year of testing and tasting to get the recipe just right. I’ve tried quite a few chai blends from other companies since that time (and even before that time, as my thinking was that if I could find the “right” chai made by someone else, I needn’t invest the time to create my own blend, you know?) My findings are that I’ve discovered many wonderful chai blends since I’ve closed my business, but, before I started blending to create my blend, there were very few that that I tried that I would consider “good” and none that were just what I was looking for which is why I decided to embark on my own.

Since that time, I’ve tasted many really good chai, but, I still have yet to find one that lives up to my own. (Gosh, I sound so humble, do I not?) And this one is REALLY REALLY GOOD. But, I can’t compare it with my own, because this one is quite different. I did not put saffron in my blend and that makes quite a difference, as does the burdock root.

But, this is REALLY good. I love the interesting flavor that the burdock root and saffron offer this blend. It is so well-rounded; a very pleasing sip from start to finish.

I really like this.

I’m very tempted to give this a perfect score, but seeing that this is my first tasting note, that’s probably bad protocol.

David generously sent me a sample of this and the 2008 Xingyang Shu nuggets as an introduction to Pu’er. The 2008 Shu was a fantastic horizon-expanding first, but this… I’ve been drinking this pretty continuously for two straight days.

With the 2008 Shu, I could see why a lot of people are turned off by Pu’er. My friend tried the Shu with me, and it was his first Pu’er as well. He simply described the smell as “fish” and the taste as “tree”. Overall: “best cup of tea I’ve ever had”.

With this Sheng, however, I can’t imagine why anybody would dislike it. The aroma it puts off reminds me of the aroma inside of a sauna. It’s just this excellent, warm, cedar-ish scent. I don’t really know how to describe the taste. I suppose the taste is pretty similar to the scent… Just imagine wood, but not in the musty, moldy, or damp sense. More like if someone were to refer to a nice Scotch as “woody”.

My favorite part of this, though, is the aftertaste. It realllly lingers in your throat, and you can taste it as you exhale. It’s surprisingly powerful, considering that the upfront taste is pretty subtle.

I know my review isn’t very useful. I’d say just try it for yourself!

Verdant’s blends are so cool. I was thrilled to see the combination of the Laoshan black, which is just the best ever, and Big Red Robe. And chocolate, of course!

The layers of flavour in this are amazing. There’s a lot going on, but it ties together incredibly well. I received it in the February tea of the month box, and only read the description included before trying it. I was a little apprehensive at the somewhat vague mention of “spices”, as I’m not typically good at isolating and pinning down what it is I’m tasting but hate not being able to identify flavours. My reaction to the first sip was: wow, is there mint in this? Ooh, there’s the cacao. I think I taste cinnamon, and is there fennel in there?

Spot on! That’s a first for me. I can make each out clearly, but they work together to make a tea that tastes like raw chocolate laced with spices and mild mint. Perfection! I’m not sure if I can make out the marigold and/or chamomile. I think they’re just mingling in there with the rest. I’m also getting the sweet, malty characteristics from the two base teas, but they seem to blend pretty seamlessly.

Thank you Dinosara for this. The Chrysanthemum seem to rule supreme on this one. It is my first Verdant Tea to boot. The aroma of the dry leaf is like walking into a green house or through a spring field. This is my third tasting before reviewing it. Every time the actual tea has been pretty weak in compared to rest of the brew. I definitely like it. It’s very vegetal. I have tried another tea like this before and like the combination of Pu-Erh and Chrysanthemum, however the other that I tried was a fishy pu-erh. I didn’t notice the orange peel till I made this pot. I will say that the pu-erh is more prevalent in this tea. The flavor almost reminds me of dandelions like when you took one as a kid and rubbed the yellow on your arm. The only bummer about this tea is the pu-erh is very weak. I like a good strong dark pu-erh. Overall though a good tea.

I’m not a Pu’erh expert, but I am a big fan. I like the heritage in the process of this tea. It reminded me of slightly weak Darjeeling though instead of a hearty Pu’erh. I probably won’t have this again.

Feels like I haven’t logged a tea in forever, I really haven’t been trying much new, being on a buying hiatus. But I have been drinking, drinking the seasons of Verdant’s non-roasted Tieguanyins and Laoshan Greens. Drinking them simply to drink them and for this reason: http://verdanttea.com/how-to-store-tea/ not for any special occasion, person, comparison or log, simply because they need to be enjoyed. And you know what? That is so much more fulfilling right now than trying to cram in three different kinds of tea to review.

I also probably won’t be posting as frequently here for awhile, our basement flooded last night/this morning, we’ve got guys taking care of it as I type this, nothing majorly damaged as far as I can tell, except the carpet which we wanted to replace anyway, so will probably spending some time outside the house as well as sorting things out to throw away, give away or donate. Gosh I started that note like six hours ago, before everyone descended upon the house, was much more relaxed then, guess I need to make another cup.

Sigh, I am sadly out of you, but you are by far the freshest, greenest, smoothest, most complex Tieguanyin I’ve had the pleasure of drinking (though to be fair I’ve only had a few). I foolishly shared you, twice, but thankfully everyone appreciated you. I must order more, before you are sold out so I can compare you to your spring sister and I must try you gongfu style, but no longer will I just seek our first flushes when you have shown me what my favorite season has to offer, I thank you.

Mmmm I need to revisit this again, but today I feel the ick, so I shall backlog. This though, this was a beautiful balance of soft buttery mellow oolong with a nice punch of roasted Dan Cong. In fact this was right in between Teavana’s Emerald Dan Cong (which I love the buttery mouth feel of but lacks flavor) and their Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong (which is too roasty for me) and was by far my favorite of the three at the oolong tasting I hosted a month ago. This is definitely the Dan Cong I would return to and I shall, just not today.

I don’t usually have tea in the morning, it’s a shame really, but I wanted some this morning and I wanted it dark. I didn’t want to open any of the new Yunnans and I certainly didn’t want a Darjeeling or Nepalese tea. I thought about blending the last of my Lapsang Souchong with Earl Grey, no, with a hefty oolong. I pulled out this to smell, oh gods, no I must have you by yourself, now. And it is soooo good. It trumps all the Dan Congs, it reminds me of the Rou Gui and the Tung Ting this weekend and a little bit of Laoshan Northern Black and those are very good things to be reminded of. There is chocolate and cassia bark and roasted deliciousness and I’m only on the first 15 sec steep, but the smell of the leaves and the first cup were inspiring enough to write this. I will probable spend all day with this tea, I may not even eat (of course I’ll eat, I’m hypoglycemic and would pass out if I didn’t). I should note this was sent as a free sample about a month ago and is the "new"er crop, I still have some of the old one from February and would love to compare, but probable will not do a side by side today. Soo good though, so very good. Rating must be bumped.

I did not take detailed notes on you, either at my oolong tasting or with my husband, but you, my first Big Red Robe, you were roasty, toasty, sweet and delicious and thankfully there is a serving left of you in the sample pouch and this time its all for me. I look forward to seeing your long, dark, luxuriously twisted moist leaves again soon. Oh and what everyone else said.

Sip down! So lovely and complex for a green. At times creamy, sparkling, brothy, sweet, vegetal, and nutty with hints of vanilla, mint and even cinnamon. Some steeps feel like soup and others are sheer dessert, rice pudding specifically. I know I must eventually drink through all of last year’s Autumn Harvests and then early Spring, making room for the harvests ahead, but I shall take my time.

I do not normally log teas more than once, but the question of “What’s in your cup?” tempted me. I drank two infusions of this last night and am on my second for the morning. I have also decided to drink a green a day. I would love to drink white, green, oolong and pu’er everyday, but the way I brew (short steeps) I’d have a lot of wasted leaves or bladder issues.

I used to do more blends, Silver Needle, Gyokuro and Tiguanyin were my favorite and while I certainly have all the elements at home, I couldn’t imagine blending a tea like this. I want to be able to taste the soil of the land where this was grown, the mists that surrounded the leaves and the chlorophyll that was enhanced by shading the leaves while drying on an Autumn day. So while I may use up some of my Teavana greens that way, this however deserves to be savored.

And in an ongoing trend the husband thinks this tastes just like the others, mineral, I guess I love mineral, which is why I love short steeps, when i asked him to reinfuse this for me for 10 secs last night, he said “10 secs?! No wonder it didn’t taste like anything! But I guess that’s fine if you like boiled rocks” But as light and mineral as this is in the beginning, it still tastes so distinct from the nuggets and the yabao and by the second infusion it is already very “green”. Sigh I need some gongfu friends.

These leaves while long and pressed flat are less uniform than the dragonwell I have experience with.  There is variation in size, shape and a lovely contrast of fresh bright and lush dark green leaves, they are beautiful.  The smell of the leaves don’t bring anything to mind except tea (lame I know, but there are too many other smells going on in the kitchen).  

It is in the rinsing of the leaves that a strong vegetal aroma is released and stays for the first 15 sec steep.  Very pale brew, with a tinge of blush against my white bone china cup, later steeps are near clear in my glass infuser mug. It is fresh and sweet with a hint of nut and evergreens.  The taste isn’t an overwhelming sort of vegetal, it’s light, bright and smooth and just so very fresh, which is what I have come to expect from Verdant’s teas.  The smell reminds me of matcha, the taste more of Gyokuro with such a nice sweet finish.  As I reach the bottom of the first cup there is a bolder, thicker body .  

I didn’t take notes for the second and third steeps which I also kept short, though I surely enjoyed them.  Yes there was a bit of mint and even vanilla. Fourth was warm and pleasant (I had it with breakfast so don’t ask me about flavor) I let it steep a minute.  

The fifth which I steeped for two mins had an interesting orchid note that of course brought to mind Tieguanyin and the sixth which I steeped for 3 mins was the least vegetal and the most sweet.  I don’t really get the banana but then I didn’t read that last night but there is a desert quality, maybe like a meringue minus the lemon.  Oh hey and there’s nice green tea flavor at the bottom of this cup.  Let’s have another go shall we? Hmm bit of spice, tastes like a second or third steep of a tea that isn’t meant for multiple infusions. I’m sure I could have gotten more if I had kept to shorter steeps, but my toddler renders me impatient sometimes, but thankfully there is another servings worth left.

MOMENTOUS OCCASION!
This is my first ever pu-erh! EVER! I’m excited, needless to say. This is also my first sample out of the box that LiberTEAS sent me. I was feeling daring, so I decided to make this now that I have time to make more than one infusion!

So, I decided that it would be fairly easy for me to make this in my mug (I need a gaiwan so bad!), so that is what I did. However, I messed up my rinses. First of all, I didn’t boil enough water to make a cup after the rinses. Second of all, I didn’t do the rinses for NEARLY long enough. Third of all, I went to actually brew it and after a minute or so decided that that infusion wasn’t right……… I’m new to this, okay!

Anyways, on to the first (second?) infusion. This definitely smells very earthy, but in kind of a good way… The taste, surprisingly, isn’t very earthy. It’s kind of got a unique flavor to it that I can’t really pinpoint… It’s very smooth and interesting…..

Second infusion-This one smells and tastes bit earthier. It is a bit lighter than the first infusion (even though I brewed for four minutes….). I’m still looking for that sweetness that others have talked about….

Third infusion-I think this is it for this tea. The sweetness has come out a lot! It still smells earthy but the sweetness in the taste has come out a lot. It’s still running a little underneath the base earthiness, but it is way more present. This is my favorite steep!

For my first pu-erh, this is pretty good! I’m looking forward to exploring more kinds (including some of the flavored ones Bonnie sent me) and learning more about them!

This is a truely remarkable tea. There is absolutely no bitterness to speak of. It tastes more like a oolong than a black, but with a stronger flavor and aroma. It reminds me of Big Red Robe, and other Wuyi mountain oolongs. There is also a slight bean flavor. It’s like roasted soy nuts, only without the bitterness. Could it be from the fertilizer? One of my biggest complaints with oolong is that it’s flavor is a little too light, for my tastes. This tea is a perfect alternative for anybody seeking a stronger flavor and aroma, but without the typical bitterness found in other black teas. It combines the best of both worlds, and would be an excellent way to begin any day.

Soo…David gave me this sample awhile back and I have since had this tea 4 times now. I like it, it grows on you. When I had it hot the lemongrass and lavender take front above the spearmint and peppermint. I am now having this now cold, as I did a cold brew on it two nights ago. The spearmint comes forward more. A nice simple herbal blend. I think I like it better cold….which is rare since I not an ice tea person.

I am just now finishing the combination of my fifth and sixth infusions of this tea, and it is quite lovely. An incredibly complex Oolong … most Oolong teas are complex, yes, but, even for an Oolong this is a complex tea. So many interesting flavors emerge with each infusion.

It started out with a sweet and floral note, which is typically what I’d expect from a Tie Guan Yin, but, there was a stronger vegetal note to this, and a warm, peppery kind of spice to it that seems to settle on the back of the palate and tickles the tongue in the aftertaste. It has a thick, velvety mouthfeel that starts out very soft and sweet, and develops into more of a buttery taste and texture.

With subsequent infusions, I notice an apple-y kind of flavor that starts as a sweet flavor, and develops into a snappy, crisp, almost tart kind of flavor that reminds me very much of a Braeburn apple. I do notice the saffron flavors as mentioned in the flavor profile, they start out very slight and develop nicely by the time I’ve reached my third and fourth infusions… providing an interesting contrast for the sweetness.

I really love this Tie Guan Yin! But then, that is no surprise to me, as Verdant Tea is always top notch!

Good tea has really been the only thing keeping me going while I study. Funny that studying can be done when there is the promise of a tasty tea! I’ve sort of been neglecting this one — not on purpose, but because I’ve been distracted by other teas lately. I find that if I don’t devote some time to taste this tea that it really is just tastes “roasty” to me and not at all like the deep chocolate that makes it so delicious! Sometimes I feel like I have to add a bunch of leaf to get that flavor as well. Tonight’s cups weren’t the greatest (a bit flat, roasty, not a whole lot of chocolate), but I do know what this tea is capable of so I’ll try again with this tomorrow.