Verdant Tea

My most recent shipment from Verdant Tea came in today, and I’m really excited to try this tea, especially because I’m the first person to post a review here. _

Cute Asian emoticons aside, I brewed this tea Western style with water that was a bit under boiling, and I steeped for three minutes. The first infusion was pretty much exactly as the website described: Malty foretaste with a very pleasant creamy quality, followed by a sweeter aftertaste that lingers for a good minute. It’s a lot milder than I expected, but the result is exceptionally good.

The second infusion was characterized by a general sweetening of the tea, as seems to be usual for Yunnan blacks in my limited experience. The aftertaste also has definitely started to taste a bit like honey. This tea is definitely developing well, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

The third infusion saw the development of something new in the taste, but it’s still faint right now. Other than that, no real change from the previous infusion.

The forth infusion really developed well. The new flavor that I mentioned in the previous infusion has show itself to be a spice, but it’s still really faint. It might be the pepper mentioned in the description, but I’m not sure. Another development is that the sweetness of the tea has really increased, and the aftertaste tastes even more like honey than previously.

My fifth and final infusion had more development of the spiciness, which is definitely pepper, but was otherwise the same as the forth. This tea had a longevity that was better than some black teas, where you get four infusions on a good day, and it had a great deal of complexity to keep it interesting the whole way through. I’m really glad that I got plenty, because this is definitely something I could drink with regularity.

What’s fun about this tea, like the others I’ve had from Verdant, particularly the Yunnan Gold and Yabao, is that it shares some kind of sweet-earthy character that must come as a result of being grown in Yunnan.

I’ve had this twice now, probably enough left for 1-2 more pots, at most. It came as one of two January teas-of-the-month. The first infusion or two have been slightly weak – I think less because this tea isn’t interesting, and more because I haven’t been completely cold-free since the beginning of the year.

That being said, this tea has a very determined sweetness, that continues to grow with further steeps. I made it to four (western style) steeps, and the last was the sweetest and left strongest aroma aftertaste by far. It was really nice! There was a bit of a tang present throughout, as well.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a bit more out of the first steep or two next time.
Anyway, I think this is an straightforward green tea that anyone would enjoy.

This was a nice sized sample I received with my order last week, thank you David.

At first sight I am impressed by the leaves. They’re all whole leaves, not broken or tattered at all, flatten and vibrant green. Dry, the leaves have a green bean scent with something sweet that I can’t quite place my finger on. Wet, that almost candy scent is stronger and driving me nuts…I know what it is, I’ve had it before, but my brain cannot conjure up what it is, just that it is familiar.

The tea is wonderful tasting, very complex. My first thought is cooked green beans, but there is also a chestnut note and I’m getting an oceanic, salty taste to it with an almost creamy aftertaste. The oceanic note comes in at the tail end of the sip, salty and crisp. Reminds me of standing on the beach during off-season on a windy and slightly chilly yet sunny day. I can still smell that something that’s sweet and taste it on the tip of my tongue. I can’t take this anymore, what is it?!?! I went to the Verdant site to see the description for it and there it is…butter rum lifesavers.

Another wonderfully complex from Verdant!

Well this was different! …As compared to my previous dragonwell experience. I scored this sample from my Verdant Tea order and immediately gravitated toward it. Full leaves bloom in my ingenuiTEA and i got it to my mug in 3 minutes. It produced this beautiful golden tea with a greenish hint.

First sip was grassy, which is a new sensation to me. This is the first time i get what it means to have a vegital taste. A great smooth finish, almost creamy! Looking forward to a second steep of this!

Second steep: Whoa, got locked in a conversation and steeped this for about 9 minutes! Not bitter at all, and less “grassy” taste. Beautiful gold color was retained. Still delicious!

Third steep: Sheese, forgot this one too. But apparently it is impossible to over steep. Wonderful flavor, matching the second steep. It did not diminish at all. By the way, the leaves are full and beautiful.

It’s strange how tastes change… develop… I dunno.

I remember when I first tried this half a year ago, I initially thought it really overwhelmingly astringent. So I later reduced the leaf amount to make it more drinkable. Today, noticing there was only a little bit left in the bottom of the sample pouch, I emptied it into my 90ml gaiwan. It turned out, ehh, it was a little bit more than I thought. like five grams worth, when I only needed about two.

I had forgotten this was a tea I needed to use less leaf for, and kind of winced when I looked it up in my notes. But what was done was done, and I was going to drink this tea.

I very tentatively tasted the first steeping, expecting the same mouthful of dryness I got six months ago, and…. got something entirely different.

It was indeed a very strong, intense brew, but there was very little dryness to be found. Instead, I had a mouthful of… nuttiness, but creamy-nuttiness, like….almond-butter soup. Which is way more delicious then it sounds. And there is a definite aftertaste of cinnamon spice that I find myself enjoying almost as much as the taste of the tea itself.

But what changed? Why is it, that when I brewed this same tea six months ago, I could hardly stand the first few steepings? Conceitedly, I would like to think my tastes have just greatly developed. When I first tried this, it was among one of the first pu’ers I had ever tried. Now, having tried several, perhaps I’ve adapted to the dryness somehow and can “taste past it” if that makes any sense?

I guess I can’t rule our that it might be the tea itself— pu’er is supposed to morph over time, after all. But I have a hard time imagining such a drastic change in flavor could take place in just six months, and considering the packet it was in was (I assume, I guess I could have misjudged) sealed, it would have aged incredibly slowly, if at all.

My brewing vessels, my water source, my methods.. they’re all the same as far as I can tell. It’s a mystery. But I cannot complain; I am enjoying this tea more than ever. Too bad this is the last I have of it.

I feel the need to revisit (and re-rate) this tea after having received brewing advice on it. It seems my love for packing the gaiwan doesn’t have the best results when it comes to teas like this!

So I scaled back from 4g/90ml to 2.3g (well, I planned on trying 2g, but the leaves were in this nice little 2.3g chunk and I wasn’t sure how I was going to break that apart without damaging the leaves, so I went with it).

I can certainly say that with the lesser leaf, the sharp astringency that put me off last time is pretty much gone. I have to compensate with slightly longer steep times, which took me a bit to adjust to, but the results are very pleasing.

I will start by saying that I don’t know what this is, but this incredibly relaxing “tea-high” mental fog seems to come especially strong with this tea— I noted it was especially strong last time I tried it too. Not sure if it’s coincidence or something special in this particular tea, but it’s a factor I can’t ignore.

Nuttiness is a factor I’ve really come to love in teas, as well as this woody/earthiness I’ve only just been introduced to since wading around in the shores of pu’er (okay, that’s a strange mental image). I get a bit of a spicy aftertaste now that I didn’t get before; that’s really very pleasing. The later steeps still remind me a lot of Cream of Wheat (I was totally obsessed with that stuff when I was a kid). Overall I think it’s a very nice comfort tea.

I just went to Verdant Tea’s site to check the pricing on this stuff, and it’s 13.50 an ounce, ouch. Good as this stuff is, I’m not sure the experience is worth that much to me, personally. Although an ounce would go a long way, especially using 2g per session, I would rather spend on something I haven’t tried already.

It’s funny how I am much more than willing to pay a lot for samples of tea I have never tried than for larger amounts of tea I already know I like. Maybe that’s just the sign of a greener tea-drinker; maybe years later after I’ve got a pretty good handle on what most teas from major growing regions taste like, I’ll settle a little and be more than happy to buy entire cakes of stuff like this. But right now, the prospect of a brand new tea experience is worth more of my tea-budget than a repeat of something I know I love.

But back on the topic of the actual tea, I want to thank Geoffrey for the brewing suggestion; go easy on the leaf amount, especially if you’re super-sensitive to astringency as I am, heh. It really improved my enjoyment of this tea!

“Well, this is interesting,” I thought as I opened the little sample packet. My experience with pu’er is extremely limited (I guess that’s what inspired me to step out and order the samplers from Verdant Tea). The dry leaf was, well, chunky, as one would expect from a tea that had been chipped off a compressed cake, but it was exciting to my pu’er-noviceness.

My first impression of the leaf smell was…wood. Like the wooden desk I had when I was a little kid that for some reason, I enjoyed licking. I don’t know why, I was a weird kid, but that’s the first thing that came to mind.

After two rinsings, I had a bit of trouble getting this down for the first couple of steepings; it came off very astringent to me, despite near-instant steep times. But there was a nuttiness that was very apparent, along with more of that woody-flavor. Happily, a few steepings later the overbearing astringency subsided a bit. The emerging flavor is one I’m not quite sure how to describe; seeing as I have so little experience with teas like this I’m not really sure what to compare it to. There is sort of a light sweetness, almost like that in a white tea, and maybe a sort of whole-grainy flavor, like a hot breakfast cereal.

Overall, I’m not sure I’m exactly wild about this tea, but it’s certainly something I’d like to revisit later after I’ve had more experience with teas of this sort. Pu’er really is a whole world of its own.

On a side note, occasionally when I drink tea, I get this weird heady, cloudy, relaxed feeling that I half-jokingly refer to as “teahigh”. So far it doesn’t seem tea-specific; it seems to be pretty random. It’s not strictly caffeine or tea-related either, since I’ve experienced the feeling with herbals as well, and occasionally even coffee. But when trying this tea, almost as soon as the cup touched my lips I started getting that heady feeling, and much stronger than usual. I actually had to space out the steepings throughout the course of the day because I had some projects I needed to focus on. While I’m still pretty sure the feeling isn’t tea-specific, I figured I would make note of it anyway, just in case.

Resteeped. More cinnamon-y this time. Still also rather malty and chocolatey.

My first shipment from Verdant Tea! I ordered this (autumn pick), the Yanxin Reserve ‘04 Shu nuggets, and the Autumn Tieguanyin. As I’m waiting for the water to boil, I’m clearing out a new section in my comfort drawer (filled with teas, chocolates, and coffees) for somewhere to put these new teas.

The dry leaf aroma really, really reminds me of hot chocolate. After steeping, the tea has more of a toasty/woods-y(? I don’t know where that thought came from, but it reminded me of walking in the woods on my high school campus just as spring was beginning to dry out into summer), malty aroma. I also want to say that I can sort of detect a hint of something cinnamon-y, but not as strong. I don’t know if it’s my mind playing tricks on me, though.

On first sip… tastebuds stunned, mind blown. Be back later.

Yesterday I sold my car at about the same time that my 3 teenage granddaughters Schey (18), Megan (17) and Kiah (15) set out from their ranch on County Road 15 on foot, walking to town for the exercise. It is 5 miles to town and the plan was to hop on the bus (after stopping for ice cream) for a short ride to my house (another 5 miles).
I was ready for celebrating when they arrived but now I was without a car so I ordered Pizza’s and Root-beer. We watched old House episodes on my big screen TV. (This TREAT is noted because a family with 8 kids doesn’t order pizza delivery because it’s too expensive!)

After awhile I went to the kitchen to fix DESSERT!

Slowly, I brought a large pan of milk up to heat with a mixture of sugar and honey (but not too much) and then added Laoshan Village Chai Tea to steep slowly, swirling it with a spoon now and then.

It smelled really good.

There was just enough for 4 large servings of Chai and I used double
walled glass mugs so that the presentation would be special, showing the creamy light and frothy tea.
Laoshan Village Chai Tea isn’t overly spicy. This was a mellow, chocolaty blend and yummy. My granddaughters would have loved another pot or two to gulp down! Real cooked on the stove and simmered Chai is nothing like a quick cup of tea. It’s so easy to do that I’m going to make it for myself more often! (I bet it would be good cold with a scoop of ice cream in it!)

My buddies at Happy Lucky’s had mentioned that they like to mix types of sweetening when they make Chai. This is why I used both sugar and honey (I didn’t have any agave or I may have used honey and agave instead). I don’t like too much honey because it can overpower tea, but a little honey gives a nice round sweet finish with Chai.

How did I get so blessed that these girls like to spend time with me? It’s so cool!

Life can be grand!

Hi Everyone.
I know this is not the first time I’ve reviewed this tea but I needed a good friend to comfort me tonight.
This Chai is a comfort tea, one of my special Jewels in my cupboard.

I knew that writing a review would be difficult tonight.
I’m so upset about the fires raging in Colorado. There’s a new fire in Boulder close to Steepster Chadao. There’s a big fire with 32,000 evacuations tonight in Colorado Springs where Steepster Jason works. The fire here in my County is 65% contained after burning 85,000 acres and 260 homes. There are 16 fires in all!!! Plus 5 days of heat over 100 degrees.
Please remember your fellow steepsters and the people fighting these fires. I have friends in the path of this newest fire.
(While writing this a message came across my Facebook from friends in Colorado Springs. Just one word ….evacuating!)

Review:
I can always count on this particular Chai to comfort me with a blanket of warmth from cinnamon, fennel (love it) and burdock. The additional hint of saffron is such a special treat. Who else does that?

Another thing I love is the restraint in blending clove, cardamon and peppercorn. It irritates me to no end when I take a sip of Chai and a spice bomb goes off in my mouth that tastes like a bag of mulling spice mix full strength….blech…spit it oout! You’ll never get an awful vulgar spice bomb from Verdant! This tea is smooth. Mellow. Restrained, yet with enough oomph to stand up to sweetening and cream if you want additions.
The star of the show…the best of the best…is the Laoshan Black Tea base. Cocoa, thick and juicy tea that stands on it’s own as absolutely spectacular. It’s a treat to have this incredable tea used for Chai. Did someone make a mistake? Shouldn’t Verdant have used another black tea of lesser quality? Not happening! That’s not the way Verdant operates and I’m soooo glad. I benefit! We all benefit and can enjoy the best available tea and blended tea’s without denegration of quality.

My time with this Chai (one of my Jewels) was good for me tonight, relaxing and uplifting. Comforting.

I hope you will join me in sending good thoughts if that’s what you do, or prayers if you are one who prays for the people fighting the fires here in Colorado and those who are in danger and have lost their homes.

Thanks.

My time for tea! The grandsons came for a swim and had iced watermelon tea, some strawberries and went home. Time for moi!

Edith Piaf is playing on my Spotify…and my favorite Chai has finished steeping…so fragrant…the scent of cardamon and fennel…like vaporous fingers dancing around the room.
Do you love the early evening? The light seems to sparkle. Everyone looks more beautiful in morning or evening light. I do, and you do too. (Uh Huh)
This alchemy Chai base is the chocolatey Laoshan Black that I love so much. To blend such a special tea with anything whatever is brave. You would never casually cover up such a special base tea. Verdant really knows how to create layers of flavor in the alchemy blends without compromising the base. You have the chocolate black tea base layered with hot pepper and fennel (brilliant!) and saffron…oh yes…that is a treat! Who is willing to put saffron in tea? The clove may add bite but I could not taste it as a stand-alone spice. Of course the graham cracker taste (or gingerbread I think) is there. If I could be so bold though, do please add sweetening to the Chai and some milk of choice. It’s Chai for goodness sakes!

I wanted a big bold cup tonight! A tea that is like a hug! This is it! My favorite Chai!
http://youtu.be/kFzViYkZAz4 Edith Piaf

Honey, I Love this Chai! This is the best Chai I’ve ever had and I mean that! Usually Chai’s are a little too spiced…a bit heavy handed. But, the masterful blending of herbs and spices developed here are so subtle and warm that I am delighted. As soon as I finished the 4 minute steep and poured the amber liquor into my mug the air was filled with the scent of fresh baked gingerbread. Not too biteing or bitter but toasty gingerbread the way I make it at Christmas. Almost creamy. After a taste straight up I put in some milk and sweetened my cuppa…oh…yes! There is nothing better than this! Who needs a fancy car and diamond rings when you can kick it with a cuppa the finest Laoshan Village Chai! This my friends is the best of the best! Feet up, mug full!
*I shared this with my granddaughter Schey who agreed that this is a wonderful Chai. A second steeping worked well and was not watery or weak. Chai resteeped usually fails to keep the same level of spiciness but never fear, this tea has backbone! No tired old spices but honest top notch flavor.

I’m really glad I ordered this tea. White teas are hit and miss with me, but this surprised me. I love jasmine in almost all forms, but I was really worried the white tea would taste like hay. Thankfully this tastes more like a green tea to me. Kind of nutty but so amazingly smooth and sweet because of the jasmine. It’s a great blend. I tried it at 85 and 80 degrees, and i find it best at the lower temperature. A cold brew is next.

On a sad note, I’m drinking this while holding my breath for the Canucks. Down a goal already in game 4. I need a stiff drink to keep watching this. I was expecting to watch more than 4 games of playoff hockey this year!

EDIT: WE WON!

I seriously don’t know what I’m going to do without this tea in my life. I just got a 2oz bag in the mail after learning that this tea will be discontinued. I’m trying so hard not to buy every pound that is left of this tea. It should be stated that this is quite strong in the lavender and bergamot department, but it is blended so well with the lovely jingshan green. And it’s good for at least 3 western steeps.

Hoading mode – engage!

There is never going to be a time that isn’t right for a review of Laoshan Black tea…

this is my favorite…my ‘chicken soup’ cure-all tea!

However, I’m using this today because I wrote about it AGAIN on my blog… www.teaandincense.com

Hear ye hear ye

Laoshan Black for calming nerves!
Every hour the emergency warning system blasts announcements about the current flood emergency. The whole State has need drenched with a year’s rainfall total in 4 days (120 inches of snow equivalent).
The 100 year storm they call it.

This will pass.

Living at an elevation, weather is much more interesting than it was in California!

I ducked into the tea shop early along with young friends Devina (a Linda Hop Dancer and student at CSU), a Drama student and Bryce who plays trombone in the CSU marching band. All my young friends are a reminder of how generous and welcoming the tea community is to people of all ages.

Schools are closed, roads are rivers in some places and the morning will bring news of flooding. My favorite comfort tea makes me feel better no matter what!

Laoshan Black was my first great tasting tea. I’m never without my favorite tea in the cupboard so let the rain fall, I’m set with my tea!

Summer 2013 Version

Drinking this tea again, after it was gone…waiting for the Summer tea to arrive from Laoshan Village…took patience I do not have!

Laoshan Black grabs me by the ankles, gently sweeping me off my feet as though I am a young girl, wrapping me in delightful cocoa giggles.

If I have loved tea, it is due to this unique leaf unfurling an exquisite new world of aroma and taste. A flame was ignited which continues to illumine my senses.

I feel that I am a youth again, or at least…I know I’m young at heart.

I’ve waited a very long time to write down private thoughts about what drinking tea means to me.

Yesterday, after 2 years of contemplation, I wrote down these thoughts and would be pleased if you would read my blog. www.teaandincense.com

Laoshan Black continues to be a beloved tea and the Summer 2013 harvest has all the magic that I remember from my first tasting long ago.

When I’m not feeling very well I drink tea and feel better.

My comfort the past few days has been pots of the very best black tea sipped while watching ‘Call The Midwife’ on Netflix.

If you haven’t seen this British series, test it out. The series is full of compassion and reminds me of how kind life was in the 1950’s when I was young. Neighbors looked out for each other and hope was abundant.

Laoshan Black was my warm hug in a cup.

I never have to wonder what I’m going to get when I brew up a big pot of tea…settling down…warming my hands around the mug and inhaling the vapor. I wait as long as I can before taking the first of many satisfying gulps, unable to resist such rich chocolaty flavor.

I crave dessert when I don’t feel well. Salted dark chocolate, gooey fudge brownies and Laoshan Black Tea by the pot are some of my favorites.

The first two desserts I shouldn’t have, but the third I spend neither thought of guilt nor shame indulging myself repeatedly.

There’s a list of tea’s that I could be satisfied with having and be happy with them for the rest of my life. (There are just over 15 I’ve been tinkering with.)

Laoshan Black would be in my top 5. It’s a staple in my diet.

Have you looked at the Verdant website alchemy blends?
Three have Laoshan Black in them. This is one of the reasons this tea is a staple in my cupboard…BLENDABILITY!

My local tea shop has herbs and spices at reasonable prices ranging from $1-$2 an ounce (and Eric always makes sure I have the freshest).
I received my new Laoshan Black in the mail yesterday on the way to tea, and thought I’d buy some of these interesting additions for adding to tea. I’ve been mixing elderberries, ginger, chysanthemum, fennel, jasmine, burduck root, cassia to pu’er on occasion, whipping up tasty brews to satisfy my creative nature (this seems to work best with milder pu-er).

A big pinch of Laoshan Black added into Ginger Sage Winter Spa Blend is delicious (one of my favorites)!
My cocoa hull pu’er (called choco pu) with a pinch of Laoshan Black is amazingly rich.

This morning, I made a big pot of tea which I drank Naked. Laoshan Black and nothing added to it!.
It was an especially sensual tea drinking experience! (The guttural tea noises you can make when nobody is around!) A-hum!
You know what I’m talking about…come on, don’t pretend you don’t!

How could I have forgotten the cocoa goodness? Had it been so long since my last cup of Laoshan Black tea?

The new batch has to be even richer and creamier than before.
DD (David Duckler) is up to something, I know he is! That grainy texture mentioned by many people in earlier reviews was missing.
Maybe it was just Me? (Hope not!) But this was richer and creamier than I remembered.

No, this isn’t a hyped review of a tea. This isn’t an undeserved review.

It is as good as hundreds of people say. Even…Better!

Backlog Sunday 12-16-2012

Yesterday, there was a scheduled celebration at St. Spyridon’s in Loveland for the feast day of our parish. Metropolitan Isaiah (Bishop of Denver which also covers 12 States) was coming…
and then…

Sandyhill…and the killings!

I woke up early. Granddaughter Schey wanted to go to church with me and spent the night on the couch.

I quietly went to the kitchen and made a large pot of Laoshan Black Tea. This was serious tea for a serious time. The Best! A tea that’s good for contemplation and caffeine (both needed today)!
With a large pot and 2 glass mugs on my tray I set the tray on the coffee table bench and whispered Schey… to wake her up.

The tea was a perfect start to our day. (The only thing we would have for the next 6 hours)
Cocoa chocolate, potato….the best rich full bodied tea ever.
We were focused and this tea is focused too. I’ve loved Laoshan Black for so long that it was comforting to drink before going forward with my day.

When we walked into St. Spyridons, the first thing I saw was an Icon of Jesus with many children, a candle and note…
‘In Memory of those Killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School’.

It is comforting to smell incense, to have candles and flowers, hushed tones and chanting at such times.

It struck me that here in Colorado, the Bishop has had to comfort people since the Columbine massacre, and the Aurora shootings and now…to speak about Sandy Hook. His sermon was not just a bunch or empty words.

At the end of the Liturgy, there was a ‘Service for the Departed’ for those at Sandy Hook. This is the beginning of a ‘40 Day Memorial’ in our tradition. A vigil of remembrance.

All over the United States, others were remembering and thinking about what happened in many different ways. This is what my community does and has done.

Watching the President name the names of the Children and Educators made us as a Nation weep. Blessed are those who mourn…

I had a conversation with my 11 year old grandson about what happened…he’s the one who was directing the conversation.
We talked about how to be sure you’re safe and not be afraid.

I told him (without going into detail) about being jumped by a stranger and having that stranger try to kill me. I was afraid!
I stayed afraid until I began to believe that I have so many
days given to me.
Nobody can take them from me or add to them except me!(By that I mean that if I smoke or do things harmful to my body, I can shorten my life).

He seemed to be thinking it all over and thinking about how many good people there were at the Sandy Hook school…helpers…too. The helpers are hero’s!

I’ve rambled…but I had things I wanted to say. I wanted to share what the experience in my corner of Colorado has been.

http://flic.kr/p/dBLy6z (service for the departed)

I haven’t reviewed Laoshan Black in some time. I love this tea!

I’ve always been a bit of an experimenter, (or eccentric some would say). If I have an idea, instead of chuckling to myself and dismissing it, I sometimes carry it out.
Usually what I dream up is harmless.
For instance: One time I drove down Skyway (Paradise,CA) blowing bubbles from the Moon Roof of my Volkswagen Super Beetle. (It looked cool!)
But there have been more dangerous occasions.
Another example:
One time I thought I’d be slick and get a cheap haircut by going to a barbershop. The shop smelled of Ultra Sheen and Vitalis (This was when I was a Vista Volunteer in Philadelphia in the 60’s)
The barbershop had two swivel chairs placed on a platform towards the back of the room. I was seated in one chair facing the front door. There were old men sitting in their regular chairs and young men coming in to look at the dumb California girl in her mini-skirt getting a haircut. Clip, clip, clip.
When all of a sudden an angry man busted in the door with a gun!
I froze in my chair but didn’t change my expression one bit (you can’t look scared). I was a neon sign blinking ‘shoot me’ sitting in that chair! However, the gunman was looking for someone who wasn’t in the shop…(but I think I surprised him too and he shot me a shocked glance and left)! That shook me up for a day!

Why am I telling you these stories? (I wanted to tell a story as I always do for one thing…ha) I also wanted to say something about taking chances, doing something on a whim. (When I was young I didn’t think about the chances I was taking like I do now.)

Today while I was getting ready for Church I thought, “Hey, why don’t I bring my tea things with me and make some tea during brunch after the service?!” (That sounded brilliant!)
I gathered some Laoshan Black, a teapot and everything needed for brewing ‘proper tea’.

After Liturgy, I hurried to the Community Hall and heated water, and set up my serving spot. Everything was ready.
I poured water on the tea leaves, sat at the end of a long table and invited several friends to come have some tea with a stupid smile on my face I’m sure!

No response! The best laid plans of mice and men as they say…
I got a couple of comments from my two old Brooklyn friends…
“Wha? We got coffee hea.” Later Peter did come over and had some tea with me…(God Bless Peter!)
I offered tea to the young lady next to me. She commented that the tea didn’t need sugar or anything (points for her) and that it was obviously a good tea (more points).
A man looked at me like I was crazy when I offered him tea. (The devils work! (He was from Greece and unless this was Chamomile and he was sick…no chance he was drinking tea!).
Finally a younger man in his 20’s came by with a light in his eyes.
“TEA?”, he asked.
“Yes!”, I said with a smile.
I let him smell the leaves.
“Um, rich!”, he said. He liked my tea!
Then I opened a bag of Oolong that I had with me and he swooned.
“Look for me next week if you’d like to try some of this”, I said.

So week one of my whim…my experiment didn’t go over very well. But, all I need is to ‘convert’ one person, then another and soon…I’ll have a little group of tea drinkers on Sunday mornings!

One thing for sure, everyone looked surprised at the scent of the leaves, the smell of the wet leaves and the smooth cocoa flavor of the tea. It was as though a new door opened and they didn’t know how to process the experience. I remember when that happened to me the first time.

This was a whim and things don’t always turn out the way you think they will. At first I was a little disappointed, but I’m not giving up. I’ve decided to keep bringing my tea things and see how it goes.

This is the only tea that I’ve reviewed 3 times! I love this tea so much!
I’ve been gathering tea (hot pot, tea pot with stainless basket, tray, timer and a bunch of kinds of tea) items as a gift for Fr. Evan’s office at St. Spyridon and today was delivery day. Fr. Evan and I get together every 6 weeks or so to chat (the does this with the whole parish) and I know his wife and 3 little girls like the tea I sent before. This time, there would be a way to share tea with others who come for a meeting and any of the Deacons.
We chatted about tea and Steepster and life before I gave him the gift…and right away…with such a grin…he chose this Laoshan Black as the first tea to brew.
Quote: “Smells good!” Dry….
“This really doesn’t taste anything at all like bagged tea!” “Wow! This is really good and smooth!”
We talked about the flavor…the chocolate and yam like quality. He drank his straight and I sweetened mine. I had written on the Verdant bag that there could be 4 steepings…amazing information to a bagged tea drinker. It turned out that Fr. can’t drink coffee because it bothers his stomach. Tea was becoming a better choice. Aha! A victim…I now have another person to give tea to increasing my own tea community!

Second Review. Have you ever intended to write a proper review and then something distracts you? And this distraction happens AFTER your tea steeping has begun and time has to be attended to? FREAK OUT! As the realization hit me this morning, that I had gone 4 minutes past the recommended steep time I fully expected that I had ruined my pot of tea. Only one way to check …so I poured the deep dark liquor and braced myself taking a hearty swig. Ahhhh! As perfect (yes I said perfect) a cup of tea one could wish for! Because it is morning, I added milk (no soy or artificial white stuff) and sweetening sighing with satisfaction. "Perfect ",I said out loud. I love this tea so much that I’ve ordered more (afraid they’ll run out!) .