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2009 Late-Winter Budset Yabao from Verdant Tea
93

Another incredibly rare tea offering from Verdant Tea. There are only 2 families that produce this varietal of tea. I have seen it in a few other American tea houses, but take heed: this particular Yabao is far and away the best. Such a versatile tea; notes of cinnamon and nutmeg spice with a sweet and warm mouthfeel. I currently have a brick of Yabao as well as the loose leaf in my possession (from Verdant Tea), both of which are incredible.

Yabao is particularly nice because of its ability to steep indefinitely. This tea is a perfect candidate for throwing to the bottom of a travel mug and leaving there all day. I have also steeped this Yabao for 2+ hours and had no problem with it lasting throughout.

One more note: I have a 15 year Yabao in my possession and it is particularly mind blowing. This tea is GREAT for aging long term and will only continue to build in complexity. My honest opinion for any tea lover would be to buy a half pound of this…some for now and some to age long term. The price is right!

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Bio

I represent Verdant Tea (Minneapolis, MN) in the Milwaukee/Chicago areas. Spent a year working with David Duckler, picking his brain and absorbing knowledge…and well, here we are today :)

Anything I rank above an 80 is great tea. It takes a lot for a tea to get above an 80. Anything above a 90 is pretty rare.

The problem is that I have been spoiled by now, so you’ll notice that most of the teas I’ve rated are above an 80 or 90. This is because I’ve tried so many that rank below this region, but have not gone back to review them. Since joining Steepster I have really only spent time drinking really mind blowing tea.

Maybe I’ll get around to ranking some of those teas that I’ve had before that are a little less than exciting.

P.S. If you’re ever in Milwaukee and looking for someone to drink tea with for an afternoon, don’t hesitate to send a message.

Location

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Website

http://verdanttea.com/

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