The Verdant email newsletter suggested trying this tea iced. Out of habit or maybe some deep-seated familial insistence I don’t ice Chinese teas, but I had to be more adventurous. So, cold brewed 8 hours, and it’s fantastic. Much more earthy, with predominant mushroom notes in the aroma and taste, very little noticeable sweetness, and a lingering background of cocoa and muted spices. It’s very complex and dimensional—as if short hot steeps would separate out all these elements, while cold brewing presents them all together but favors the ones that would have been less obvious. And as an iced tea it’s highly refreshing, and has a strong recognizable black tea base quality.
This is You :-D
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Bio
Science writer and a cat that learned to type.
I grew up in a tea-loving family, and tea has always been a part of daily life. I’m still astounded by the amount of tea and teaware back home every time I visit! While I’m most familiar with straight Chinese teas, I’m growing to explore and appreciate other types of tea, including blended and flavored ones. A good blend can reflect the thought and creativity that was put into making it, instead of being too sweet or busy in a way that gives the “genre” a bad rap.
Likes:
-most black teas (even lapsang)
-most oolongs, especially Fujian teas, baozhong and dancong
-houjicha
-straight white teas
-citrus
-almond/amaretto
-coconut
-vanilla
Variable (some are great, some not so):
-most green teas
-tie guan yin
-flavored white teas
-assam
-rooibos
-melon
-mint
-grape
Ratings:
90-100: definite repurchase if possible, recommended
80-90: enjoyed, possible repurchase
70-80: fair to good
60-70: fair with some shortcomings
50-60: there’s still a chance I’d take this if it were free
under 50: absolutely not
Location
Southern California
