Verdant Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

94
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

I am pretty stressed lately about an upcoming job interview, so this afternoon I wanted a yummy, comforting, hearty, delicious black tea. I recently got a bit more of this tea through a swap with Ze_Teamaker so I decided it would really fit the bill.

God, every time I have this tea I forget how so delicious it is, partly because I so rarely have it. But it is amazing, and it did make me feel a bit better.

Ze_Teamaker

YAY! Glad to hear it helped!

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94
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

In my recent gongfu sessions, I have discovered a new favorite step in my preparations. After I portion out some tea into the pot, I take a sniff in the pot. Then I exhale into the pot, and smell the amazing scents that come back out. It is a revelation. The teas smell amazingly different warmed and humidified by my breath, and notes come out that more closely match the flavors.

This one smelled amazing this morning, the perfect embodiment of autumn. New fallen leaves, sweet potatoes, spices. I have never brewed this tea gongfu before, so I am excited to try it. Once again, leaf amount is a guestimate… I really should bring my scale in since I rarely use it at home these days, at least until I get a feeling of what a certain weight looks like.

This time I didn’t even try to make the first steep a rinse, knowing I wouldn’t have the heart to throw it out. A few seconds, and the tea is just waking up but still has lovely flavors of sweet potato chips, a kind of sweet and savory together.

I do think I might not used quite the right amount of leaf, though I’m not sure right now if it should have been more or less. Regardless, the steeps I had (many) were tasty, though not quite as delicious as just steeping it western. But I will definitely have to properly measure my leaf and try it again.

Indigobloom

neat!! I’ll have to try that out. I’ve been told that the teapot lid carries the best scent.

Invader Zim

Seeing reviews like this makes me wish I could enjoy black teas.

Dinosara

Indigobloom – I always sniff the lid after steeping, and I do find it often has a nice concentrated aroma of the liquor.

Invader Zim – I used to never enjoy them, and then my tastebuds had a transformation, so you never know! :)

Bonnie

Aha! I also do this hyperventilation method! (I sometimes breathe in and out several times to get the steam all around my face) Even with wet pu-erh leaves…aroma is fantastic, you pick up things you wouldn’t any other way.

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94
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

Oh Golden Fleece, you are so freaking amazing. So naturally sweet, so spicy and smooth at the same time. It is such a great fall tea, what with it’s spiced sweet-potato flavors. And honey. Major yum. I don’t have a lot of time to write about this tea today, but you can bet I am savoring it.

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec

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94
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

I feel like I’ve been avoiding this tea subconciously. As if it’s too much of a big deal or something… I went ahead and order 2oz of it, but I don’t want to mess it up or anything. I mean, those two ounces cost me a pretty penny. But I’m going to go for it now, and I’m going to steep it western style (following the instructions on Verdant’s site) because it’s somehow less stressful to me at this point.

The dry leaf is beautiful and smells like very fragrant sweet potato chips. I took a big whif and was like, woah! sweet potatoes! Someone came into my office moments after I poured the water on these leaves and asked if I could unlock a door for them, which put me in a panic because I only had a minute to play with. I had a moment of indecision: do I tell them to wait one minute until the steep is done, but the door is just around the corner and that would sound odd anyway. So I walked briskly and I arrived back at my office with 5 seconds to go! Whew.

The steeped tea has some of that sweet potato-y aroma, and maybe the slightest hint of vanilla and spices. First sip, after it’s cooled a bit: woah. woah. Sweet, like brown sugar on a baked sweet potato. Sooooo smooth. Just a luxurious, silky, creamy feel to it. With a little tingle in the aftertaste. In the first part of the sip its straight up sweet potato, one that’s been baked to perfection and still has those fresh notes. Then the brown sugar and spices come sliding in… I mean, not spices so much as the faint hint of allspice perhaps. The after taste is light, and more of a sensation than a taste, a light tingling that is really intriguing. Really an amazing Dian Hong, and if you are a fan of that varietal you owe it to yourself to get a bit of this tea. Can’t wait to gong fu this one and see its performance there!

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec
CHAroma

I see your hesitation. At $30/2 oz. I’d be afraid of messing it up too! I just might have to make a purchase too though…your tasting note has sold me, and I love Dian Hong!

TeaBrat

The price tag of this scared me away…

Bonnie

So worth it! I’ve gone to a movie and spent money in 2 hours that is less satisfying and gone faster! $30 for this…it really is special! Some new tea’s are coming out…a White and a Pu-er.

TeaBrat

I have a serious need to slash my tea budget unfortunately. Need to stay away from the fancy pants stuff until I drink more of what i already have. :-/

Fjellrev

This sounds so awesome. But it really does put things into perspective when you start comparing the price to how much people would spend when going out to a movie and/or restaurant. Sounds like it would be money well spent here.

Dinosara

Yeah, I haven’t been buying new tea lately (or much of anything, actually!), so I didn’t feel so bad about dropping the money on the tea. There are certain teas that are just worth it.

TeaBrat

Hey, no judgments here… :)

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93
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
257 tasting notes

Another BIG THANKS to Steepster Bonnie for this sample!

About the only tea that I enjoy more than black tea is flavored black tea. I love them all- fruity, sweet, nutty, chocolate, coconut, you name it! So, this was another variety that I was excited to try when it arrived in the mail.

When I opened the packet, a wonderful sweet, chocolatey, coffee-like smell emerged (I don’t like the taste of coffee but I love its aroma) from the packet. I had a feeling immediately that this was going to be good!

I followed Steepster Bonnie’s recommendation and steeped this tea for three minutes at 212 degrees. The color was a light amber. I thought that was interesting for black tea.

At first sip, my palate was instantly pummeled with a terrific sweet taste. I could also detect a slight fruity attribute. Altogether, the flavor is evenly spread with sweetness, tea, and fruit, in perfect harmony. One sensation does not overpower another and there is no bitterness. This tea is extemely pleasant and tasty.

On the packet, with the instructions, Steepster Bonnie summed up this tea in one word: “YUMMY!” I couldn’t have described it any better myself so I’ll leave it at that.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Glad you enjoyed the yummy tea (which you can infuse 4 times from each brewing if I failed to mention that) .

Stoo

You were very thorough. You mentioned that too. I’m on infusion #3 as we speak…uh…type. ;-)

Bonnie

Slosh!

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84

I will say that I love Autumn oolongs more because of the butteriness they have to them. In the past with spring oolongs I was never a huge fan, but I can appreciate this one. Nice floral orchid notes from it. This was my sample that I received with my last order. I did 6 steeps of it and it kept producing good tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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94

I’m still inexperienced with oolongs so I was happy to see this included as a sample with my order. I read over the tasting notes on Verdan’ts site and they really hit the nail on the head. INTENSE, intoxicating scent of sandalwood incense in the steeping leaves, I never imagined such a thing in tea but with each new experience my eyes are being opened up to the many different dimensions of tea. I also smelled a jammy scent, apricot maybe? And along with that Ican definitely sense honey like the site mentioned, along with the typical roasty oolong smell. At this point, I’m excited. This is right up my alley.

I followed the brewing instructions word for word because I’m confident the people at Verdant know their stuff. As for the taste, I’m really liking it. Late nights are great for drinking tea, and this one just feels like a night time tea. It’s dark. It’s mysterious. And most of all, it’s roasty. I really can’t fully describe the taste, the only word I can think of is roasty. But it’s much more complex than that, it’s just outside of my tasting vocabulary. As for the texture, it’s smooth like silk or “buttery” as I normally call it, and that’s one of my favorite things in a tea. I will be sure to do at least three more infusions and see what happens.

Infusion number 2:
As always, I smelled the tea as it was brewing and I got so lost in the scent alone that I zoned out and oversteeped it by about fifteen seconds. The sandalwood aroma is more intense than before, as well as the aroma of honey.

As I sip the warm tea I am sure to inhale a breath of the vapor with each sip. I am stoll lost in the aroma. But it’s more than the aroma, as the scent enters my nose and the fluid enters my mouth, the smell melds with the velvety smooth texture of the tea in perfect synergy. This is an experience.

More to come tomorrow.

SimpliciTEA

I love this part of your review: “Late nights are great for drinking tea, and this one just feels like a night time tea. It’s dark. It’s mysterious.” I hope the other infusions have some, … intriguing surprises for you!

Scatterbrain

I can’t explain it, the late nights are when I feel at peace. I feel like my mind is in a more open, relaxed and perceptive state and so it’s the best time for tea! :)

Bonnie

Lovely review! Go get that oolong!

Ninavampi

Really well put! : )

jason

great review on a favorite of mine, nicely done!

Scatterbrain

Thanks guys.

Spoonvonstup

Love this note, especially the mysterious night time tea aspect. I feel like i know exactly what you mean.

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

Sipdown, 145. Taking the time to post this note just because it’s a sipdown. I got the remainder of a sample of this from my swap with wheezybee, which I was only too happy to accept. I didn’t have any regular Laoshan Black in my cupboard, so this is a sipdown. Mmmm, still soooo good. Love this tea, whether it’s straight, in a blend, or the first picking that I still have. It’s become a comforting flavor to me at this point, the taste of delicious black tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Chizakura

Shoot, now I want to put in an order at Verdant for some more of this too! I ran out a while back, but I’ve already placed two different orders within a week…

Terri HarpLady

Chiza, I resemble that last remark…

Chizakura

Haha Terri, somehow I’m not surprised ;)

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

Sipdown, 133. At first I was hoarding this one, too, but then I realized that I have two ounces of the first picking Laoshan Black, so why I am hoarding this?

I am immediately reminded why I love it, however. This was the bottom of my pouch, so this cup had some finer bits of tea than usual, and more of them certainly pack into a tablespoon or so. After 1 minute I knew that it was done and needed no more time. The scent is heavenly, and oh so chocolatey. And the flavor! Holy crap is this cup sweet. It’s like I sugared it, but I didn’t. I think this came from a particularly chocolatey and honeyed batch of Laoshan Black from a couple of springs ago, and it is amazing. Farewell, this batch of Laoshan Black! You were awesome.

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Oh sweet memories!

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

After this cup I only have one more left of Laoshan Black! Except for the fact that I have plenty of it in blends and I have 2oz the the first picking, which should last me for a while. The one ounce I got of this certainly did, because my first tasting note for it is a year ago.

Perhaps because I am getting to the bottom of my pouch, which has been packed and unpacked for moving several times now, and the leaf is not so fluffy anymore, but I used 1 TBSP for 12oz here and it is a bit overly strong. Still tasty, but a bit too much bitter in the bittersweet chocolate today. Guess I should be using my standard black tea amount (2tsp for 12 oz) instead. Which of course makes the last of my sample an awkward amount; I suppose if it comes down to it I could dump the extra teaspoon into my LB chocolate genmaicha or bergamot rose LB blends.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

Ok, so this one isn’t a sipdown. I realized I wasn’t really going to be able to sipdown any other teas in one go this afternoon, so I decided to have a cup of this one. I have more of this left than I thought probably enough for 3-4 cups more.

OMG I just got the Verdant email announcing the Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha!!!!! Count me in right away, even though I just made an order from them. :D :D

Ahem. Well I guess they have another order coming their way, since I’ve been waiting for the Autumn Tieguanyin so that I can buy some Earl of Anxi as well, and it is back too. Comforting myself with the fact I will be getting a remibursement for some money I spent recently, and that always feels like free money. :P

I still don’t know how this tea can be so delicious. It is so so chocolatey and nutty. I had been wanting to compare this one to Mr. Bi’s First Picking, and now I can say that the first picking is definitely a bit smoother and creamier than this one. But this is still amazing, and I’m glad that even after I drink up my first picking I can always come back to this one.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

OMG! I haven’t seen the email yet..been busy at work! WOOOT!

BoxerMama

Checked it as soon as I saw this! Sooo exciting!

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

Today I decided to try to brew this gongfu style. I’ve actually never tried to steep a black tea gongfu, though I have of course tasted a black tea steeped gongfu when I was in China. I watched David’s video on the Verdant website, and guestimated the amount of leaf to add into my pot (since I lack a scale, and also lack the confidence to know by sight).

My first steep was a rinse, but honestly it smelled too good not to drink. And man I’m glad I didn’t throw it out. The wet leaf smells deeply chocolatey and a bit roasted, and the liquor smells caramelly, honeyed, and like toasted grains. The flavor isn’t very strong (what do you expect from a rinse), but it is deliciously full of notes of chocolate, mollasses grains, and honey, including a rather prominent sweetness as it cools.

The second & third steeps were about 10 seconds, as per the video, and wow, this is a flavor I have never tasted when steeping it western style. It is more minerally, and more grainy. Chocolate notes are still there, but less prominent. The sweetness is darker, less honeyed and more like bittersweet chocolate (though not really “bitter” per se). It’s roastier, also, toasted and warm.

Fourth, fifth and sixth steeps return to the chocolatey, caramelly flavors that I know from this tea. Definitely delicious.

Seventh steep (at 1 min) started getting weak to my tastes, so I stopped. Still, this has to go down as one of my most successful gongfu brewing sessions with my ru kiln set. Can’t wait to try some more black teas in it!

MegWesley

Sounds amazing!

Faith

Seven steeps! Wowzers!

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

I am currently on a slightly earlier schedule for my wakeup and such than I was before I left for the field, partly due to the jetlag and partly due to just having an earlier sleep schedule while I was in the field. It’s kind of nice having a big chunk of time before lunch to do stuff, and it also means I have time for two mugs of tea instead of one. Score! Originally I was going to do what amounts to a little less than 1Tbsp for my 12oz cup, which is becoming kind of a standard for fluffy black teas for me, but then I reread my old tasting note for this that said I had used 1Tbsp per 8oz in my first cup and it seems to have worked out, so I added another perfect teaspoon to the mug (total 1.5Tbsp) and went ahead from there.

Oh my goodness this smells delicious. Like lovely bakey chocolate, like chocolate cookies or chocolate chips after they’ve been baked in chocolate chip cookies. Tastes delicious as well, and the liquor is so thick and rich on the tongue. Chocolatey, grainy, nutty. It’s less caramelly and honeyed than some of my other favorite blacks, but it also has some almost fruity note the others lack. I can’t even really place it, but it’s a great combo, and now that I started tasting it, it’s coming out more and more. Almost like black currant? Yum.

I am sad that the Bergamot Rose Laoshan Black is currently out of stock, but I am heartened that it will be back within 2 weeks, because I have got to try that blend. It will be one of the only teas I allow myself to order this fall, and I can’t wait!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

I think you are right in how the chocolate has that baked in the cookie flavor. The Zhu Rong is more dark chocolate. Such a great pair.

JacquelineM

I’m glad you’re back! I’ve missed your tasting notes :)

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
2201 tasting notes

Ah, back to my tea. Some day I will have a variable-temp tea kettle at home, and maybe air conditioning for hot days, and I will drink more tea at home. Right now its way easier for me to drink it at work!

Once I started getting into black teas I knew this would be high on my list of teas to try. I mean, just looking at the notes on Verdant’s site were enough make me excited. The dry leaf has those molasses-grainy notes I love from Fujian teas, so that’s a good sign already. I followed the instructions for western brewing of this tea on Verdant’s site exactly, which means I used a lot more leaf than I usually do (1 Tbsp per 8oz), but the leaf was pretty fluffy so it probably evens out.

After steeping the tea smells really great. Chocolatey, or maybe more properly cocoa-y, like the smell of my dark cocoa powder. Also a bit grainy, but mostly cocoa-y. The flavor is also very cocoa-y, in that same, unsweetened cocoa kind of way. There’s definitely an immediate aftertaste of having eaten something chocolatey. It’s certainly not bitter in the typical way tea is bitter, but it does give the impression of bittersweet chocolate. It was kind of a distracting morning so I didn’t get to spend a ton of quality time with this tea like usual, but it’s definitely delish. Wish I could have written a more thorough review, but I guess I can save it for next time!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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61

While better than pure Yabao I still don’t understand what is this tea all about >_<

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 45 sec
kOmpir

IMHO, I think that blend is more appealing to an average Chinaman. It just doesn’t reach well to westerners… I think.

Zeks

Maybe…I am not even sure I will drink all of this sample in 3 yrs :)

Ze_Teamaker

Out of curiosity what about this tea is makes it hard to grasp flavor wise? In a non-aggressive tone

Zeks

I dunno. It is simply too different from tea in my opinion.

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89

Alright, I’ve been playing around with it and the best flavor came on the second one minute steep at around 170 degrees. Nice and vegetal with a silky mouthfeel, a mineral flavor, and a trace of sweetness. There’s also a bit of a mouth-coating effect. Not mind blowing to me (that usually only happens to me with Japanese greens), but it’s very good. I just placed an order for the Yanxin’s Reserve ’04 Shu Nuggets, Yunnan Golden Buds, and Zhu Rong Black so I look forward to trying those.

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89

I’ve enjoyed the other teas from Verdant so far very much, but I’m gonna refrain from rating this one as I feel like I HAVE to be brewing it wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I like this tea and I think it’s quite a good one, but I’ve been trying hard to see why everyone seems to be blown away by it and why I paid so much for it, but I can’t. To me it tastes very similar to the dragonwell that I have in my cupboard. I’m really not trying to be critical, I just want to figure out if it’s my fault before I waste the rest brewing it incorrectly. Any suggestions?

Invader Zim

I haven’t tried this one myself yet (just got it in the mail today), but according to Verdants’ site the preferred method of brewing this tea is with a gaiwan. If you’re brewing it western style the site says to use 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of water with 175F water and to let it steep for no more than 1 minute.

Kittenna

I’m not sure I was totally blown away by this one either, although it was good. I seem to favour the Jingshan Green and Dragonwell from Verdant. Do try it with short infusions though (even if not with a gaiwan), because by far the best flavours come out then :)

SimpliciTEA

I haven’t had this year’s, but last years First Picking was (and still is) pretty tasty. I will say that to get Verdant Tea’s Early Summer Laoshan Green to have reasonable flavor I had to fiddle with the brewing parameters some (with some suggestions from David and a fellow blogger); I still have some of it, and although I normally start my Chinese greens at 170F for 1 minute, I found that going up to 180F for 2 minutes helped considerably with the flavor. As others have mentioned, I bet a smaller brewing vessel helps, but I don’t imagine it’s necessary to yield reasonably good flavor from the leaves. You can always shoot David an e-mail (as I have) and tell him what you’re doing, and what you’re looking for, and he should at least be able to offer some pointers.

Sometimes the flavors in green teas are delicate enough that their better characteristics may be hard to ferret out (at least they are for me, sometimes).

Good luck!

Scatterbrain

Thanks everyone.

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92

This is for the 2012 harvest. I noticed there isn’t a separate tea log for the new harvest, so I’m just adding it here.

I brewed this in my 12oz mug. It brews several times, I start with short steeps (about 20-30seconds) working up to 2 minutes. I can usually get about 5 steepings this way with plenty of flavor.

This tea is creamy, beany, smooth as usual. Like soy milk. It’s good. This harvest, this year, seems to have more smokey notes to it with a hint of a salt note. I get a nice oatmeal note mostly in the aroma, but definitely some smoke and a hint of a roasty note. This is not a bad thing, I typically don’t like smoke, but it fits this tea, this harvest. It’s more bold, more robust, but not in the way that a black tea is, it is in its own way. This tea, no matter the harvest, is always a pleasant companion.

Story
I’m always a little hesitant about telling stories, I feel as if I’m letting something so terribly personal out to the world, as if I am somehow judged for my memories. This story is a new one, one that I am always even more hesitant to tell people. Whenever I tell people this story I know they judge me. I feel as if I am put on a higher pedestal because of it and I am unable to live up to it.

Today is Veteran’s Day, I want to honor the veterans who are serving, those who have served and those who have paid the ultimate price. I have comrades in each of those categories. Some are family, some are friends, most were coworkers. Yes, I am a veteran. I had served 5 years active duty, I was a helicopter mechanic, and yes I did go overseas to the Middle East.

But in my eyes I did my job. I did nothing more, I did not sacrifice anything more than my own personal comforts and some frame of mind. I feel, if anything, that my eyes were opened to the world, my mind broadened. I learned to live with less, a more simplistic lifestyle, for the better, that I didn’t need all these materialistic things to keep me happy. I learned what I really needed to keep me alive and healthy and happy. Food, shelter, companionship, family. I also meet my husband in the military.

I was in a war zone, but I never fought. I just repaired the damage. And in many ways I am thankful for that. I know many that have, and not a single one comes back the same. Never. I never wanted to be a destroyer, I wanted to help, not hurt. Even if all I did was repair helicopters, those helicopters were used for anti-piracy, cargo and mail loading, and as air ambulance. There was an incident were those that I worked with died in one of our helicopters. Four people I worked with gone in a flash. Investigators never did find out what was the cause. That was 6 years ago, almost 7. It was within my first six months of actual service.

Twice a year, once in January when they died, and on today, I think of them. I think of those I worked next to, served with, served after me and before me and no matter how hard I try I cry every time I hear taps. It’s amazing how such a simple piece of music can carry such emotion and memories. So, to those who have served, to those who are serving, to the families, and to those who have sacrificed everything, Thank you.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 30 sec
gmathis

Wow. Thank you for your behind-the-scenes role, and for sharing that story.

Michelle

You told a beautiful story. Thank you for everything you do and did. Just because you were never in combat doesn’t mean that your role wasn’t integral. Please don’t ever feel hesitant to share your stories. We are all here to listen.

Ninavampi

Thanks for sharing!

ashmanra

Thank you for sharing your story. Blessings!

ssajami

Your story brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing it! Here in Israel everyone serves in the army (as did I for 2 years), and so every one knows someone hurt or killed in the service. Even if not in the front lines, every job counts and helps others do what they do. Our veterans day is in May, but I too will have a cup of this amazing tea today in remembrance and honor of fellow veterans overseas.

Invader Zim

Thank you all, I’m glad you appreciate it :)

Bonnie

You should always tell this story and often. Thank you! You served, and it does not matter that you were not in direct harms way! Those helicopters couldn’t afford to malfunction! You did a fine job and are appreciated!
You carry something inside you that will always be there, the remembrence of those who died and this story. Memory Eternal!

Ysaurella

thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

TheTeaFairy

I understand what you meant by« letting something personal out to the world» . I am in life a very private person, who never shares anything on the web…but somehow, Steepster makes me feel «safe» in some strange way with no fear of being judgedll…Maybe it’s the fact that we all share the same passion and that so far, I found only good people here?
Your review is truly inspiring and very humble…I think you described the true essence of what serving is all about…Thank you, I’m glad I got the privilege to read it…

Invader Zim

I too feel very safe here on Steepster. It really is a good community. I’ve been apart of other forums and this one is by far the friendliest and non-judgmental. Definitely good people here, you guys prove it!

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92

It’s wonderful weather out there today, nice, cool, somewhere in the 50’s…no sarcasm, I really enjoy the cooler weather. So I decided a nice autumn green tea was in store for today. The leaves are dark green, slightly curled and smelled like a lighter version of gunpowder to me. Wet the leaves smelled very creamy, milky and vegetal…kind of like a cream of soup or green beans that have been simmering in milk and butter.

I brewed this gaiwan style 175F starting at 5 seconds. The first and second infusion were incredibly creamy, milk and butter, with hints of green beans and hazelnut. A decent mouthfeel and a nice sweet creamy aftertaste. In the third and fourth steep I had a little bitterness and more green bean flavor. The creaminess wasn’t as strong but was definitely present. I probably could’ve shortened this note and just wrote creamy and been done with it!

I’m surprised how much different this one tastes compared to the Spring harvest. It doesn’t seem like it’s much different, but this one is much more rich and creamy. I have to admit that I much prefer this which surprises me because typically I like floral notes over anything else. This one was just so wonderful though.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 15 sec
jason

That’s the same one I am drinking this morning! Whaddayaknow

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93

Glad so many folks took so many comprehensive notes I happen to agree with ‘cause I just sat there and brewed this over and over with the attitude of a little kid blithely playing with a new toy. Okay, maybe I also rambled on and on about the merits of well-done puerh and the sad state of poorly made wo-dui teas or wet-stored teas for a little over an hour while sharing this with a neighbor, then proceeding to brew nine very different teas back-to-back into the night before returning to this, once again. When all was said and done, we’d been tasting tea for about four hours and only one tea out of the ten we tasted was capable of blowing this one away. But, hey, this tea was a highly effective springboard to drag an unsuspecting Matcha drinker into the realm of puerh and take him on a trip of different processing styles and techniques. Come to think of it, he’s one lucky duck having this be his first puerh!

I got this beauty as a roughly 11g sample from Geoffrey (THANK YOU!) and used it ALL in my 200mL Zi Ni Shi Piao pot for Shou Puerh using water brought up to 98C and occasionally drifting down to 87C before being refilled and heated. Last pot was the 11th infusion and I’m sure I could’ve milked a few long brews out of it to finish it off but it was competing admirably with one of my favorite teas of all time and I was running out of purified water. All infusions were around 30-45 seconds except for maybe one cooler steep I let go a little while. Color had great clarity and swung from deep yellow-orange to red-orange and lingered in the red-tinged range but overall had the appearance of Port only once really venturing into the range of red wine coloration.

Exceptionally clean yet very full bodied. First couple infusions had a nice resinous tang and softwood sweetness but it really started to shine ‘round the third and fourth brews. Fourth infusion was a big, fat, teddy bear hug over my tongue. Oh so warm and cuddly. Infusions 4-7 were graceful and borderline sensuous. Mouthwatering, brandy-like (neighbor said it was like a good whiskey) and with a comforting flavor and aroma reminiscent of wet river rock and antique wood.
Okay, that’s not good enough… “Antique Wood” doesn’t carry the weight this did for me, as it carried a very particular scene.
There’s this “World Goods” place a few blocks from me that just went out of business that had a terrific but frighteningly expensive range of furniture and various wood and paper goods produced by tribes from the Indo-Pacific and Africa. They had several massive solid teak four-poster beds placed intermittently among sandalwood trays sitting atop carved hardwood cabinets. A few years back, my then-girlfriend and I laid down together on one of these beds to see if $20,000 was really worth it for a frame. The comfortable feeling of laying in each others arms on that warm afternoon in the loft above that store filled with the smells of teak, bamboo, sandalwood, hand-pressed papyrus paper, dried lotus leaves, and the faint hint of coconut oil in her silky hair accentuated with the all-too-appropriate sounds of bamboo wind chimes and a trickling fountain wrapping all together in one of the sole truly pleasant memories from an otherwise not-so-good relationship… This tea dragged that whole sensation and memory back up from the depths of my mind where I’d intentionally kicked it.

This is probably the second best (maybe tied for second) of any Shu Pu’er I’ve had. At roughly $1/gram I’d say this is a good deal for even 1.5x the price – 2x would be the norm for the range and durability of flavor I got from this. The only issue I have with the tea at all is the description relating to “mustiness”, of which there is only a tad in the wet leaf aroma alongside the smell of a riparian cave. I’d say replace that signifier with the word “Humus” or “Moist Bark” and it would be much more accurate and less suggestive of your average pile fermented tea.

I’ll be singing the praises of this pretty little thing of a tea for a fair while to come and just hope I can buy some more before stock runs out.

And as for the tea capable of knocking this and my socks off and halfway to the moon… I might consider writing about it if it finally makes it onto the online catalogue of the company it’s from and then I get time to attempt doing it justice. Knowing me, that’ll be after hell thaws from a deep freeze, but here’s hoping…

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec
Azzrian

LOVE your reviews!

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74

I got a few Verdant samplers from Geoffrey and this has been my second favorite so far. Unfortunately, I didn’t write notes when tasting the lovely Xingyang Golden Leaf ’98 Shu so I will only be able to write about that based on memory. It’s great sharing tea you feel needs to be appreciated by more than one person, but it leaves one wanting to enjoy conversing and talking about tea rather than writing stuff down.
I have just enough left to take another stab at this one and am tempted to incorporate tasting that with the archived notes I’m cutting and pasting now, but would kinda prefer to hold the remainder of the sample for a few months and taste again at the end of summer. I have just enough to brew in the same pot at lower concentration but still within my typical young sheng cha range. It’s a nice tea and I’d normally jump and buy it so I could experiment and draw a better impression (or, more importantly, put some age on it and see how it does) but really don’t have the money for it right now. So here’s my tasting notes transcribed from May 20th – been busy and haven’t really had the time to post ’em til now.

8g leaf per 200mL in my Duan Ni Shi Piao pot for young Sheng Cha utilizing a single rinse at 89C.

Infusion 1: 85C, 15sec. Toasty, edamame-like wet leaf aroma. Liquor aroma and initial impression very much akin to pure, light maple syrup. Crisp, light flavor with a sweetness that takes a moment to appear. Sweetness is similar to Basmati white rice. Faint green bean and edamame toasty-vegetal flavor with a juniper accent (halfway between berries and leaves). Moderate body. Clear, amber liquor.

Infusion 2: 85C, 15sec. Rich, raw sugar cane (whole cane) aroma and a hint of molasses now present in rice-like sweetness. Crisp mouthfeel lingers. More woody, with a pine bark characteristic balanced against a light longan fruit taste.

Infusion 3: 85C, 15sec. Less sweet. More wood (cherry tree twigs). Light back-of-throat astringency. Lingering light green onion note. Hint of soy sauce hiding in edamame skin base.

Infusion 4: 85C, 15sec with new water. Less sweetness (now like long grain brown rice). Still crisp, but more astringent (still light and towards rear of tongue and throat). Wet cotton taste. Very much like stir-fried water chestnuts and bamboo shoots with a slight cedar-spiciness. Alfalfa in base when gulped. Next infusion will be longer and cooler.

Infusion 5: 75C, 1min. Nearly same as last but now with a dry grass component (more like a dry field – not straw or hay). A bit of a clay flavor has taken on the roll of the base when sipped but alfalfa and dry leaves are evident when gulped. Somewhat pithy sour wash when cool.

Infusion 6: 75C, 2min. Sedges and bamboo shoots. Much more lingering nose and vaporous quality in the throat, but also more back-of-mouth astringency. Alfalfa still in base flavor. Viscosity still kinda low for Puerh but more evident in these longer infusions.
Watercress in back of throat provides odd juxtaposition to more dry earth and grass primary flavors.

Infusion 7: 70C, 2min. Color has suddenly shifted from an orangey-yellow amber hue to a muted gold with a hint of green. Color blends in well against my bamboo tea table. More crisp up front and quickly dies over much of the tongue with just a lingering snow pea crisp and sweet taste along the sides. Reminds me of staling Zhu Ye Qing green tea. Stark contrast to prior infusion has me thinking I’ll start with cooler water next round. Faint browned butter flavor in middle of tongue and nose sticks around for a while. The majority of noticeable flavor presents after swallowing – the initial impression is akin to heavy bodied water. Hmm, those were my first thoughts when having Yin Zhen white tea for the first time and this is drawing that memory from around 10 years ago… This lacks the honeysuckle and nutty notes and has that slight sour quality (now reminding me of white plum) but as it cools I’m noticing a similarity to Bai Mu Dan in a cucumber-like base that’s developing. Funny that this dying infusion is easier to discern these characteristics on – maybe a lower concentration, longer, cooler approach throughout next round will reveal more.

Out of the tasting notes suggested by Verdant, I only got cedar and juniper as obvious ones. If I’d read the description before tasting and writing all this out I’m sure melon and citrus would have plagued my tasting notes like soot in a house with a wood stove. In retrospect, many of the characteristics I wrote are the same I write about medium-oxidation Tieguanyins but I really didn’t think of that group of teas at all when drinking this, in spite of the company description. Similar in what elements you may find in those teas, but not similar in flavor to one-another.

Pretty darned tasty as a whole. Had two other 2006 shengs since taking these notes and this one’s a tad more approachable but less diverse in character to either (a Pasha Shan Haiwan Factory cake and a Mao Cha I’ve reviewed here before). I think this tea is great for enjoying right now but probably doesn’t have much to offer in the way of aging.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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90

Tightly rolled little green balls that smell floral, creamy and of parsley. Wet they smell like greens sautéed in butter. The infusion smells floral and creamy. Brewed this gaiwan style at 208F for about 5-6 seconds after an initial rinse. I always forget how much these little balls open up and I ended up putting in a little too much leaf (I don’t have a scale) and had to take some out for later use.

Initial cup was wonderfully floral and creamy. The next few infusions I could taste lilac and orchid with the tingling mint feeling on the tip of my tongue. As the infusions go on the creaminess got stronger. Around cup 4 I flipped the leaves around and then tasted vanilla and the mouthfeel became stronger. A juiciness came into play around steep number 6 as did the parsley I was smelling earlier. Around #8 the floral notes were gone and the creaminess and parsley notes were stronger as was the mouthfeel.

I stopped for a little and came back to it but after the floral notes completely fade and the mouthfeel becomes really rich with a mouth coating aftertaste with a silky texture. I really love the floral notes with this and how I can pick out actual flowers other than orchid.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec
Bonnie

Delicious…Glad you had a good cup on Saturday! It’s what should be!

Bonnie

Here’s some more GAS for you….

Invader Zim

Oh goodness, you crack me up Bonnie!

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98
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
807 tasting notes

Wow perfection! This is the good stuff mixed in with Chocolate Chamomile Curiosity Brew! Just last night I was wishing I had some of this black tea without all the extras for morning and lo and behold David was two steps ahead of me having snuck a nice sample of this in with my order!
Yup THIS is the tea I want in the morning. THIS is the tea I want to mix strawberries in! This is bliss!
Flavors: Malty, Sweet, Chocolate, Leather, Spice – cinnamon and black pepper.
Mouthfeel is heavy and thick, creamy, and full.
Not drying on throat, no astringency, no bitterness.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Kittenna

Yeeeeaaahhhh this is delicious. I can almost guarantee it will be on my next Verdant order (although I still have two cups’ worth left, so I’m in no hurry thankfully).

Indigobloom

One day I will order a bathtub full and swim in this. Soooo good!

Azzrian

I only have a sample as of now but its on my wish list as well! :) Next time I order from Verdant I too will pick this up and Indigobloom – make it a kiddy pool so I can join you! :)

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100

This was one of the teas in my tea of the month package for May. I thought I’d give it a go while i was at work today. I tend to love Yunnan Black teas and this one sounded interesting to boot. I was not expecting to be blown away by a tea, but I was. This tea is very bold and savory… may be in love. I must add it made my snickers bar taste out of this world too. ;) Kudos to David and his team for this find that is going to cause me to place another order in under two weeks.

TeaBrat

I had to order this just now. I have been resisting for so long!

IllBeMother221B

I was too….it might be in my basket…. ;)

Daisy Chubb

ooh nice pairing with the Snickers :D
I had some with my Nutella toast myself ;)

ScottTeaMan

All of these good reviews…….it makes me want to order ssooo much more tea, and I really do <3 a good Yonnan tea!

IllBeMother221B

I’m currently trying to figure out how to sneak it all into the house.

IllBeMother221B

I know! I’m going to try to figure out how to sneak it all in the house!

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