MissLena12

Woot first one to review! I received this tea in my Try Me Sampler and it’s now a sunny day and I feel like having it! The dry smell is very tropical and sunshine-y, with a lot of flower petals around the top of the bag. And the little sample pouch is certainly stuffed full of tea! I like full samples :D I steeped this for 2 minutes with 175 degree water.

The tea is a pale golden yellow color, and man, the petals really expanded and they are full petals! I took out a sunflower petal and showed it to my boyfriend, who though it was pretty weird that I was drinking a tea with THAT in it haha. I will have to steep this in my glass gravity infuser next time to watch it unfurl! The smell is again very tropical, with mango and peach at the forefront.

The taste is pretty darn good! Very light, fresh, and fruity. The main flavor is mango, with some peach in there and something a bit more tropical, I again want to say lychee, but I don’t think it’s that. Anyways, this makes me think of Mexico and hot weather, so it is definitely doing the job! And it is very aptly named!

Overall, this is a delicious green tea! I am very pleased with the fruitiness, and it’s all a very natural fruit flavor to me as well. I am definitely going to put the leaves in the fridge for some cold brewing, and I can see myself ordering more of this for summer, it seems like a perfect iced tea candidate. I like it!

Sunday Sipdown! A lot of bits in the bottom of the bag, but this was quite a tasty cup. A very good vanilla oolong, but I don’t think I will restock just because there are a lot of other teas out there to try! It was very creamy and yummy while it lasted though. Oh actually, I might get a little bit more because this is a favorite of lots of my friends. See previous notes!

Squeezed in a sipdown tonight! I accidentally made this with boiling water, my bad, hoping it doesn’t destroy the flavor too much. It smells amazing at least! I will miss this blend, but now I can stock up on the summer blend, which I liked a little bit better. This is still awesome though! See previous notes :)

ETA – It still tastes ok even with steeping with a higher temperature, it’s maybe not as flavorful but still quite tasty, maybe a bit more tart for some reason lol.

So since I’ve been sipping on sheng pu’erh earlier today and yesterday, I decided to see the difference in flavor between sheng and shu by trying out a shu for a bit now! It was time to open this sample from Verdant, I mean, no time like the present! The dry smell was nicely earthy, not as woody as the sheng.

I decided to try the same steeping parameters that I did for the sheng : around 3-4 g of tea I assume (1 big chunk and a few smaller ones) and did two rinses with boiling water, first for 25 seconds and second for 15. Then pour the boiling water in and out as fast as I can in my little glass teacup. The color of the liquor is a sharp constrast to the sheng; this one is a deep rich reddish brown, while the sheng was a pure gold. This one definitely has a thicker scent to it as well, a more rich, caramel scent. This is giving me more of an earthy smell as opposed to woods, I’m picturing more leaves in a deep forest, shrouded in mystery, while the sheng was more clear, woody, rain in the trees, up a bit higher above the ground maybe? Both are unique, and I quite like how they both remind me of the forest, but different aspects of it!

As for taste, this had the tiniest touch of fishiness, just a wee bit, also in the aroma a bit, but not unpleasant at all. I also noticed it dissipated by the end of the cup, so maybe a few seconds longer of a rinse would have eliminated it entirely. The flavor is more rich and caramelly, with a clean aftertaste. To me, this tea has a more sweet aftertaste with the sparkle, while the sheng was more of a crisp sparkle, different sensations. This tea is already becoming very soft and silky as well, something I really enjoyed finding in my first shu pu’erh. I can only imagine how much silkier this tea will get with multiple steepings!!

Overall, this tea hits more of a comforting level I think, warm crackling fires, or the inside of a tree. In comparison, the sheng I had earlier was more reminiscent of being outside in the forest while it was raining, the deep woody flavor was indeed the outdoors. Both are very interesting, and very happy I actually had these back to back to compare the flavors! Now that I’m getting on to how to brew pu’erh, I’m unsure of which one will be my favorite. Another wonderful offering from Verdant :D going to enjoy a bunch more steepings while I get back on track to doing my finance project lol.

So I am opening this tea sample as I have been explaining chaqi to my friend and we want to see if this sheng will show us some! This is also my first sheng, so I am pretty excited to taste this!

The dry smell is pleasantly of wood, a nice musty smell. The leaves are in beautifully pried off sheets, very nice job! I did two rinses, the first at 25 s and the next at 15. Then I poured boiling water into my gongfu pot and poured it out as quick as I could, probably around 6-7 seconds. The steeped smell is woody, with some kind of creaminess that I associated with scotch! A very pleasant smell, and no fishiness at all, I wonder if it is because it is a sheng, either way, I am very pleased with the scent!

The taste is very nice and mild, a woody musty taste with a bready mouthfeel, thick and satisfying. I am picturing a cellar stuffed with aged meats and fresh loaves, and barrels of wine. My friend says it reminds her of smoked meat, which I definitely can get from the smell and taste as well. There is a nice sparkling aftertaste as well, which I am enjoying. And yes, I feel a bit of the chaqi, maybe because I haven’t eaten dinner, but it’s an interesting feeling. Might also be that it’s a new tea and I’m excited about it!

Overall, I am very impressed with this tea. Maybe sheng pu’erh is the tea for me rather than shu. I will resteep this after I eat lol. Happy this was a success!!

ETA – This tea is really tasty and I have been enjoying a few more steeps today! Added rating as this has been my favorite pu’erh so far :)

Have I mentioned how delicious this tea is?? If not, well, it is really delicious!! The tart lemon, mild ginger spice, and creamy coconut aftertaste are just superb in this tea. I hope this sticks around for a while. I have been drinking from my 50 g bag, but I will eventually need a tin of this I think. In my opinion, this far outdoes the whole Spring collection of DavidsTea. So far this year, there’s been 2 ginger teas of the month, and I have loved both of them. I hope this is a continuing trend, maybe not with ginger, but with loving the teas! See previous notes :)

ETA – So this is the first time I’ve done this haha, but I actually ate something out of the infuser. This giant piece of coconut was just sitting there, calling out to me…munch. It was infused with lemon and sooo yummmy. I need to eat out of the infuser more often!

So the time has come for me to open more of my hoarded Verdant samples lol. This one has been on my mind for a few days. I couldn’t remember exactly how much of the Laoshan green I had been using to make my cups, but I used about 1.5 tsp in my brew basket and did the first steep as 10 seconds and have been increasing by 2 for each resteep.

First off, the dry smell is like a faint Laoshan green. I have only had the summer harvest (have an autumn sample waiting to be opened though hehe) so that is the tea I will most likely be comparing this to. After 10 seconds, the tea is a very light yellow, so beautiful, I have been snapping pics of it sitting in my double walled tea cup in the sun here, might upload them later :D The steeped smell is a tinge sweet.

And now, the flavor, I am pleasantly surprised that this is very different from the regular Laoshan green! This one is very light and creamy, but instead of savory, it is definitely more on the sweet side, and I find that a sweet, nutty taste is the most prominent. It actually is reminding me a bit more of the Laoshan Genmaicha due to that lovely sweetness, but it’s a bit different than that too, more nuts than corn like. I gave the second steep to my boyfriend, who downed it quite happily as he does with straight green teas. I may have slightly underleafed this time around though, it seems a little on the light side, but the flavor is still very good. Maybe I will increase steep times for the next few cups to see if it will help my underleafing.

Overall, a very delicious cup of green tea. I might prefer the straight laoshan green savoriness a bit more, but that might change after I have a few more cups of this! Another wonderful tea from Verdant that I’m happy I snagged to sample while it was available!

ETA – The third steep is a rich light green color, a sharp contrast to the first two. The flavor has also become a bit more savory, but with a sweet aftertaste. Mmmmm this is a very nice tea, I am enjoying how the flavors have been slightly changing already!

Only one cup of this left, soo close to a sipdown! Creamy and tasty although there’s more rooibos taste with this one in the travel mug. See previous notes!

This is sooo good! Why have I been holding off brewing this?!?!?! I ordered 2 oz (I think) back about a month ago, and have just not been in a chai mood, and I was worried it wouldn’t live up to how good the Laoshan Village Chai is. But man, this is good! It’s very similar to the village chai, minus the caffeine! swoons this might be my new nighttime chai! And yes, I am going to try blending this with some of my Laoshan black, and some other teas as well! I steeped this for the whole 5 minutes, and it’s a spicy, stimulating brew but yet warm and comforting at the same time. This has a bite though! There’s a spice in here with some nice zing to it :D and it feels very cleansing on the throat. Very happy I finally dove into this bag!

I had a cup of this earlier this evening, another fitting tea for a snowy day. Hooray for me drinking my winter teas again! I was getting all crazy about my spring teas, and now I am craving cozy sweet, or spicy teas again :) this one has the sweet factor covered, although I got a bit more apple in this cup. See previous notes on this tea :)

So it’s ridiculous weather here. Now they actually have been closing major roads, massive multi car pile up on the main highway…I am hiding inside with tea. This one seems perfect for this crazy spring snow day. Creamy, sweet, warm, comfort. Delicious. I’m hoping that they cancel classes tomorrow :D I could get so much work done and drink so much tea! See previous notes :)

So I’ve decided, i really like this tea. It’s fresh and light and awesome. I don’t mind the hint of bubble gum scent even, because it’s getting more honeydew like to me. I think my favorite part of this tea is that it is a way to have caffeineated green rooibos. It’s my only blend with it that has caffeine, and it’s a nice change! I think I will have to stock up on some of this. I really like it! See previous notes :)

Oh, and second day of spring, we are in a major winter storm… Highways almost shutting down. And of course I have my grad pics later today, going to try to not get snow in my hair lol

I’ve been drinking tea all night and just haven’t felt like logging them haha, but this one I will before I head off to bed. Creamy, smooth, comforting roobios blend right here! Yes you can taste the rooibos, but it blends very nicely with the cream soda flavor that is in this tea. Perfect for before bed :) see previous notes, night steepster!

So I was looking through my tea cupboard and wanted some pu’erh, but I don’t want to open a new sample tonight, so I was pondering which one to have. And this one just popped out! I’ve been hoarding my last 2 cups of this ever since it went out of stock, but hey, I might as well drink it! Hoarding it doesn’t do much good, there will be more amazing teas that come out! This is lightly spicy and the sweet aftertaste of the licorice is really nice tonight. The pu’erh tastes delicious here, light yet satisfying. As it’s cooling the spiciness from the ginger is coming out. I steeped this first cup for 1 minute with a 25 second rinse. I’m looking forward to a few more cups tonight, there was a nice big chunk of pu’erh in this cup too, I actually broke it in half and saved the rest for the last cup. Ahh I hope Verdant does more pu’erh blends, this is awesome! See previous notes :)

ETA – forgot to mention, this is another tea that goes good with LOTR. Rich and earthy, with some spice and mystery, perfect for the Two Towers. :D

Sigh, needed to kick back and chill tonight, getting busy again with school :( so I made a cup of this, one of my favorite decadent teas. I love the sweetness, the vanilla, the fullness of the cup, and especially that fruit aftertaste. Mmm! Saved the sachet for another steep later. See previous notes!

This tea is soo tasty! I think I have determined that I prefer green rooibos teas, whether blended with mate or red rooibos, doesn’t matter, for my morning cup. It also does ok in the travel mug, which I probably why I like it. This one is so fresh and springy! I should have ordered a lot more of this and less of the peach apricot one by Della terra (still have to make a note on that one I think). I think I will order more of this anyways, I am loving it, especially the lychee flavor that is somehow present, even though not in the ingredients lol. See previous notes!

I’m finally getting the chance to sit down and review this! I’ve already had a cup last week and gave one to my friend (who loved it btw). So now I need to write about it too!

The dry smell is sooo delicious. The lemon-lime tart is definitely identifiable, with the creaminess and citrus goodness. Steeped for around 4 minutes, although I know it could handle longer. The steeped smell retains the cream tart image, just a bit fainter.

Boy, is this ever good! I seem to recall my first cup having a bit more of that bitter lime peel tartness, but this one is very very smooth and creamy, a lot more vanilla and more lemon. In fact, this cup is predominantly lemony, hmm it’s like a more tangy Lemon Chiffon, the lime is still there a bit in the flavor too though, that key lime pie from Lime Chiffon is here too!

Overall, this is a really good combination of the lemon and lime chiffons. The extra vanilla really adds to the creamy aftertaste, and I think it might also be the honeybush that makes for a more cake-like addition, as I just checked out all three rooibos’ ingredients and this one and lemon have honeybush, while the lime has only rooibos. Anyways, I’m getting too technical, this is delicious. Still don’t know my favorite, darn it, but since this one combines the two other favorites, it might take the first place spot. Ah, they’re all good. Thank you Della Terra for another delicious caffeine free tea!

So I was watching LOTR tonight..and wanted a rich, creamy tea to go with it, with a nice golden sun color..yeah, this tea fit the bill to go with the movie lol. It was enjoyable and so smooth as usual, I have enough left for about 2 cups :( ah well, I’ll enjoy it while I can! Oooh and the bf was feeling really gross tonight with regards to his stomach, I chopped up a bunch of fresh ginger and added honey and boiling water straight to it as I usually do, and also decided to add .5 tsp of lemon juice to fight if he’s getting sick. And just leave the ginger in the cup until the cup is finished. He really liked it, and requested another cup, and his tummy is feeling a bit better, as long as he doesn’t move :) sadly, I didn’t try any of my concoction, as if he’s getting sick, I don’t want to get it (it will be inevitable, anyways). But yeah, that might have to be my new cold remedy! But back to this yummy oolong haha, see previous notes :)

I needed a little kick this morning, so into the mug this went! I’m still too scared to try my guayusa lol so I’ll try this a few more times to make sure the caffeine is acceptable. And man, this is so tasty. Fresh melon, love it! I might even end up getting 50 g of this hehe, and i am noticing my focus increasing as I drink it. Excellent for a Monday, and it’s making me wish it was a dewy spring morning instead of still snowing. I’ve had to uncover my car from mass snow twice in the past week already! D:

This tea is much better this time around! I may have steeped 30 s less or something, but this is not nearly as overpowering as the first time I had it. It still packs a wallop of coconut and has that weird, oily, sunscreen smell, but the taste I can handle much better tonight and I am enjoying this cup. Maybe I was just in the mood for coconut! :) anyways, this has improved for me, so I will up the rating a bit. Definitely prefer this as it cools off, has an enjoyable flavor! I might even try a re-steep tonight, I’m not coconutted out yet :D

ETA – the second steep was very good, much nicer, more oolong and not as much coconut :) so if I can get by the first steep, it’s a fairly delicious tea! Lol

Mmmm yes, my St. Patrick’s day tea. It would be kind of nice if this became a permanent in the DT collection, even if the shamrock sprinkles have to go. I really like the creaminess of this tea, and this cup has a bit more mint that the first one I had, I think. I much prefer this over Swiss Mountain, the vanilla just adds the perfect touch to the flavor! See previous notes :)

Top o’ the mornin’! Happy St. Patrick’s Day steepsters! I am going to try to just drink green teas today! (with a notable exception being my Shamrocks & Shenanigans black tea, which I would have had for my first cup but it’s too sweet this early) So I decided to brew up this green! I don’t drink this one too often, I’m not sure why, I think because my go-to straight green is Laoshan green. But this one is still very good! I should have used my finer infuser, there’s a few too many green bits that made their way into my cup and it’s affecting the taste, but it’s still a nice and refreshing first cup of the day. Hopefully I don’t overcaffeinate today lol, I did a bit yesterday oops. Anyways, see previous notes on this tea, and I will continue my green tea day (and maybe have to have some green alcohol later as well lol)

My friend had a cup of this yesterday when she was over, so I stuck the leaves in the fridge until a few hrs ago to see how cold brewing would turn out. I didn’t use a teabag this time, just the leaves in the giant mug with a covering on top. The flavor was mild, then I added some sugar and there’s quite a bit of strawberry flavor coming out! This will be delicious in the summer, I think I will hold off on cold brewing for a while here, it’s just too cold outside for it. But come summer, yes, this will hit the spot perfectly.

I’m very close to a sipdown for this one! One, maybe 2 cups left :P I did a small boo boo with this cup, I rinsed my cups earlier with vinegar to try to remove some tea stains, must not have rinsed the one good enough, because after steeping this I smelled vinegar! I quickly transferred it to another cup and thankfully the flavor has not been affected and it smells normal again lol. This is still a smooth, sweet rooibos, but now that I’ve had Lime Chiffon and Lemon Lime Cream Tart, I can definitely taste the differences. This one is a lot sweeter and more like cake, not as much of a tangy citrus flavor. I’m still having a tough time deciding which one is my favorite of the three! This one might not be as flavorful because it’s at the bottom of a bag I’ve had for a while, but it’s still holding it’s own! Oh, and I decreased the rating a tad just so it’s on par with the Lime Chiffon becaues I’m not quite sure about which one I prefer now lol. I just love the citrus rooibos Della Terra makes I guess. I saw they made an Orange cream now too, haha definitely going to try that one too! Anyways, back onto this tea, still an awesome rooibos, and I will be sad when I finally finish this bag, but at least I have two other good ones to sip :) see previous notes on this tea!