This is the last of the Verdant Tea 5 for $5 sampler. There seems to be a void of tea space in my cupboard. I might cry…or not. However, these were all pretty nice flavors. I must say that purchasing the sampler did me good. It opened my eyes to great quality tea, and helped my palate understand tea in a different way. As I’ve written in my Bio, I’ve been drinking teas for a long time; however, these were one company’s tea—for three years! I haven’t stepped any further than that, and I felt kind of dirty calling myself a genuine “tea connoisseur.” I thought that I “belonged” in the tea world because I tried ALL 99 flavors from this ONE place.
I wasn’t.It was my job to think that.
And then I left.I started drinking other teas; I figured that someone could give me the fix. I became a tea-need freak. I went through withdraws and drank coffee…..But then, a miracle happened! I discovered Adagio, Tiesta Tea, Harney & Sons, etc. At that moment, I told myself to find something more…something new. I found Steepster. I found new brands. I found my place in the world….
Now—this tea—it’s great! The leaf is beautiful. I wanted to start on it last night, but I thought that I’d be up all night drinking pot after pot of tea, so knowing that Kindergarten registration was coming early, I went to bed. I woke up early, though, just to have a pot of tea before heading off to work.
The aroma of the wet leaf is nice. Imagine picking a leaf from a tree, and crushing it between your fingers. That is how this smells. The flavor is the same.
The first steep (25 seconds at 195 degrees Fahrenheit) was sweet, smooth, “grassy,” and had an overall gentle mouth feel.
The second steep was the same with a touch of astringency.
The third was more astringent than the previous two—but in a good way….
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Preparation
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Great tea note! I have been drinking tea since I was a toddler as a result of having an immigrant maternal grandmother who believed hot, strong tea was “good for what ails you.” I never acquired the coffee habit. As a tea drinker with 60 years of it under her belt, I thought I was in the tea elite stratosphere, too. It is only in the last 6-8 years that I am just beginning to really learn about and taste good tea-and realize how little I really know. Your post made me smile with agreement and humility.
I grew up in a home where there was bagged tea or coffee in the mornings—none in which I enjoyed. My mother drank tea and my father had coffee. I’ve never acquired the taste for coffee as much as I had for tea in my “college years,” but I stuck with it due to the fact that nobody seemed to have anything BUT coffee. I wasn’t introduced to quality tea until my junior year at college, thanks to a roommate who despised coffee. However, the tea he introduced me to wasn’t as high of a quality as I had expected (this I came to learn once I started working at that establishment). The majority of the teas sit on the shelf for a long time, and seem to lose their potency after a while. Although, as far as the job went, I was expected to convince the customer that our teas were “high quality” and “fresh,” even though I knew that they weren’t. For an example: we’d have a Tie Guan Yin on the back shelf for approximately two years, stored in a bag, before we ever used it—it wasn’t a high selling tea due to the substantial amount for a low quantity.
Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed the post, though! I appreciate the feedback.
Great tea note! I have been drinking tea since I was a toddler as a result of having an immigrant maternal grandmother who believed hot, strong tea was “good for what ails you.” I never acquired the coffee habit. As a tea drinker with 60 years of it under her belt, I thought I was in the tea elite stratosphere, too. It is only in the last 6-8 years that I am just beginning to really learn about and taste good tea-and realize how little I really know. Your post made me smile with agreement and humility.
I grew up in a home where there was bagged tea or coffee in the mornings—none in which I enjoyed. My mother drank tea and my father had coffee. I’ve never acquired the taste for coffee as much as I had for tea in my “college years,” but I stuck with it due to the fact that nobody seemed to have anything BUT coffee. I wasn’t introduced to quality tea until my junior year at college, thanks to a roommate who despised coffee. However, the tea he introduced me to wasn’t as high of a quality as I had expected (this I came to learn once I started working at that establishment). The majority of the teas sit on the shelf for a long time, and seem to lose their potency after a while. Although, as far as the job went, I was expected to convince the customer that our teas were “high quality” and “fresh,” even though I knew that they weren’t. For an example: we’d have a Tie Guan Yin on the back shelf for approximately two years, stored in a bag, before we ever used it—it wasn’t a high selling tea due to the substantial amount for a low quantity.
Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed the post, though! I appreciate the feedback.