Verdant Tea

It’s been four months since I reviewed this tea.

I was wondering what I would think after going so long without even tasting it at all.
I’ll admit that I was hoarding the half ounce portion in my stash for some unknown reason. (Am I the only one that has the fear of a tea disappearing forever?) I must have more faith that there are further tea adventures ahead of me and bid this and other hoarded tea’s farewell.

Oh what a beautiful liquor this Jin Jun Mei has! Bright red-orange, golden and clear. Something like looking at a radiant amber topaz in the sunlight.

The flavor is not what I think of as a heavy Winter, stuck in the dark library… malty Black Tea. This one is a Spring morning and the World is waking up from months of frost malt type of tea. It’s flavor is alive and vibrant.

I make a caramelized Italian golden squash dish (Mario Batali’s recipe)using long slices of pumpkin (or squash), butter, brown sugar and a little balsamic vinegar and basil at the end. The squash turns into the most delicious sweet and savory, buttery dish. Oh my!

When I drink this tea, I think of this dish! The yammy, buttery and roasted flavor melting in my mouth are what I taste in this Verdant tea.
You can see why I hoarded it. Why wouldn’t I steal away as much as I could for a treat? But it’s gone.
I will have to look with anticipation for that next tea around the corner and now, after four months of drinking stunning tea’s…I know those tea gems exist. I have confidence.

This was a great cup of tea!

My learning continues, it’s just slow.

I can’t wait to jump right into the taste of this tea…but wait…catch my breath…first things first. The aroma of the dry leaf is very inviting and sweet pastry. The color of the liquor…ah..deepest pure bright honey gold 24K.

The flavor, oh my….Wonderful!
This tea is like the best homemade, still warm from the oven wheat bread…soft and steaming (my daughter bakes all the bread for the family). You want it now and can not wait to put unsalted fresh butter on it…and finally the whole messy lump is melting in your hands. Heavenly! It is one of those best memories for both kids and grandma’s.

Now on to the honey assertions. Honey is a harder flavor to pin down since there are soooo many honey’s out there. I know what the Verdant Website discription is getting at…but in this case I think that the bread itself has the sweetness and if anything it is a sweet malt from the wheat that I taste. Perhaps further steepings may change my mind. I added some sweetening after a bit which enhanced the flavors further and was delightful.

This tea is absolutely rich and special. I would recommend it especially as a brunch or morning tea because of the toasty flavors which would brighten up the day and give an excellent start. I imagine this would go well with strawberries and cream.

Here is a piece of music I love and sing in English (this is Russian):http://youtu.be/IHtfYkL71dI

Second Steep I had great success on a second steeping with no weakening of the brew. Very hardy. I think I know what I taste instead of honey for sweetness! Yam! It is fortuitous that I had been baking yams and the scent called to me. Once cooled, I tasted one… did a double take and a lightbulb went off in my head bing…YAM SUGAR! which can be very honey, brown sugarish. This is my final answer!

I’ve finally used the very last of this tea. It’s been almost a year, shich is rather remarkable, and this tea still tates just as good as it did when I bought it. The bottom of my canister was cleaned out into my cast-iron teapot, and I let it steep for a bit mroe than 15 seconds. The result is a very malty tea with a bit of a linen sensation that David commented on in one of his blog posts, highlighting the tea’s Yunnan pedigree. Another nice quality of this tea is that it is very warming, which is another reason that I decided to drink it today (It’s 40 and raining here in Virginia). Also, this tea is moderately sweet, adn the aftertaste is a bit hard to explain, but it lingers wonderfully on the roof of my mouth for two minutes.

Second steep, 10 seconds. The big change is the texture, which really dominates the flavor profile now. It’s really ver interesting to feel it this clearly. The tea is also a bit sweeter, but not quite at the same level as Golden Fleece. Regardless, this tea is still a wonderful example of a Yunnan black, and if I remember corectly it will contiunue to be a very interesting tea for several more infuions.

Sorry that it’s been so long, but I’ve been super busy lately. My internship has gotten a bit frantic, since it’s drawing towards it’s conclusion and I want to get as much done as possible. To top it off, a small presentation that I’m doing tomorrow just got a lot more serious (The CEO and other senior executives decided to attend :-\ Lots of stress…)

Anyway, The comforting warmth of this tea is helping me relax,and I’m glad that I decided to take a bit of a break. It actually turned out a bit sweeter than usual today, and the combination of taking time to slow down and make the tea and the comforting flavor is doing wonders for my stress. I don;t know why the malty taste is so comforting, probably has do deal with something from my childhood, but I;m just glad it’s working.

Good afternoon everyone! I just got back from a week and a half in London and Ireland, and the seven-hour flight gave me a major craving for caffeine. Honestly, I had only four good cups of tea, and two of those were iced tea at Hard Rock Cafes (I went to both the original London location and the Dublin location on the trip). Anyway, this tea was exactly what I needed: Sweet, yet still very flavorful. The boldness of the malt flavor was a welcome break from the monotony of the cheap hotel bagged teas.

Another day of intense study, another black tea, and another delightful piece of music. It’s really crunch time for me, so I’ll keep this brief. Today, I’m pairing this malty black tea with more philosophy (but I don’t agree with the author today, so it’s a bit frustrating…), and I’m listening to Das Rheingold as performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Georg Solti. Not the best recording, but I bought this when I was a little less picky, so if you know of a really good recording. please leave a comment.

Anyway, back to the tea, it’s very malty. Not as much as the Golden Buds that I was drinking yesterday, but it’s still the dominant flavor. The tea is a bit too strong yet to be classified as creamy, but I’d say that it will probably be next steep. Finally, the sweet aftertaste provides a nice smooth finish to complete the experience. It’s worthy to note that the tea is sweeter and a bit weaker than last time I brewed it, but not by a terribly significant margin.

As the forth scene of Das Rheingold draws to a close, so does my second cup of this tea. It must say that this was a singularly unique experience for drinking tea, but that might be due in part to the nasty weather I just had to deal with. Anyway, the malt flavor of the tea has begun to retreat a bit, and a wheat flavor has become evident. Also, the wonderful buttery mouth-feel has started to show itself, which combines with the wheat to give a sensation similar to taking a bite of buttered wheat bread, and letting it sit on the tongue. If you’ve ever done this, you’ll realize that it starts to taste sweeter the longer it sits there, kind of like how this tea has a sweet finish. Of course, you should take what I say with a grain of salt, as campus food leaves me longing for something a bit more flavorful…

As the the second act of Die Walküreplays (with an interlude of Byzantine music, see the comment from Bonnie for more info), the third cup of tea finally reached the right temperature to drink. The big developments of this cup was the malt flavor going dormant, and the beginnings of the peppercorn flavors beginning to show up in the aftertaste, lingering on the hard palate of my mouth. Unfortunately, I think this tea is past it’s prime, and I’ll probably only get one more cup out of these leaves.

Ah, the forth infusion of this tea was delightful in it’s subtleties. Most of the flavors of the tea are in decline, but the peppercorn flavor provides a delightful sensation as it dances across the surfaces of the mouth, and once again lingering on the hard palate. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else left for the flavor, so this is definitely the final cup. Surprisingly, one of the things that has stuck around until the (figuratively) bitter end was the buttery mouthfeel. Usually this little sensation would have been long gone from the tea, but that just goes to show how good this tea really is.

I’m backlogging this as I woke up this morning, and found out that 8 hours of work I did yesterday all went down the drain due to a freak accident involving how SAS saves files. Needless to say, the past 6 hours have been full of frantic programming, colorful cursing, and tons of tea. I think I got five steeps out of these leaves, but don’t quote me on that. Anyway, check out my first note about this tea for more detailed information.

It was still raining today. And it was cold. REALLY COLD. And it was windy, so my umbrella was pretty much worthless. I desperately needed something bold and warn to help recover from my brief trip through the elements, and this tea fit the bill.

I was generous with the amount of leaves I used (As much a one can be when using a tea ball), and I let it sit for a good five minutes for the first infusion. the result is a deep red, bordering on black, and with a taste that was a nice creamy, yet strong, malt. Anyway, I’m sitting here writing, this, and it’s already starting to warm me up, so it looks like this was the right decision.

Ah, such a great tea to wake up with. The first infusion is extremely dark, with the flavor completely dominated by malt. This is probably because I steeped it a bit longer than usual, and I was a bit generous with the amount of leaves that I used today. Regardless, it was a great way to wake up, and I know that this tea develops pleasantly, and eagerly await the more complex flavors of the later steeps.

The second infusion has developed nicely. The flavor is more subdued, and the honey flavors are starting to emerge, thus sweetening the tea. The malt is still the dominant flavor, but the undertones of honey help bring out the best of the malt, smoothing its rough edges. And this is why this tea is going on my “always have in stock” list.

The third infusion was much sweeter than the previous two, and seems to have started to develop the pepper flavor earlier than expected. It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. Other than that, the flavors are pretty thoroughly muddled right now, but the next infusion should clear this up a bit.

The forth infusion is one of the best cups of black tea I’ve ever had. the perfect balance of malt and honey, with delightful accents of pepper to round of the flavor. I have to say, this tea developed really well this time, and it definitely topped its previous performance.

More to come later

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!