Verdant Tea

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!) .

First Review. My Verdant Shipment Arrived! I’ve been watching the mailbox and it’s here with this tea, the new 2004 Pu-erh the Laoshan Chai and 2 samples of new tea’s with a nice handwritten note (now who does that anymore)?! I am so excited. I’ve been out getting a hair trim and could use a good strong black tea this afternoon. This one sounds like such a perfect choice.
I checked the steeping time first…3 minutes, 2 TB. for my glass teapot size and boiling water (I know, filtered!). Tic, tic, tic, ready.
I like to watch the tea steeping in my glass teapot basket. I’m like a kid watching fish in a fishbowl and my nose is going to get burned one of these days. These tea leaves are gnarley and dark and when steeping they look like inky octopi dancing about. The liquour turns to the color of root beer an smells malty. Time to pour and sip…slurp.

This is full bodied, toasty with some remote almond or hazelnut taste. There is malt but not the brewery malt, a bakery maltiness without sourness. I was a doubter about the buckwheat comments. Really? Buckwheat? Seems a strong flavor. I had to see for myself. I went to my spice cupboard and picked out the Buckwheat Honey and poured a little in some hot water. Sniff, sip, taste the tea now and… right-o… BUCKWHEAT! Straight up this is tasty tea. Add sweetening…which many of us do….and this is really a good dessert tea.

The Chocolate has not been addressed yet. I have not found Dark Chocolate notes as yet. Some Milk Chocolate I can grant… but I am a Dark Chocolate LOVER! I do not taste Dark Chocolate! Maybe I will some other time, who knows.

What I have to say about this tea is…BRAVO! I hope this tea becomes available on a permanent basis because if so, it will be a staple for my cupboard. An Awesome Tea!

I received this one in my tea of the month selection for March. My first impression after opening the package ’it’s like buttah’! Seriously this has such a buttery scent to it I was instantly in love without even tasting it! That is some serious commitment on my part. As the leaves (which were beautiful) steeped more of the buttery notes came through and the leaves opened up perfectly. I used my bodum Tea for One to steep this in and it came out perfect! (I love this Tea for One cup.)

Now on to the taste of this tea that knocked me off my feet at first smell…WOW! So rich, smooth, and yes still buttery. This is amazing. It is also light, crisp, and refreshing. There’s just so much going on I can’t pin everything I like about this tea because the good just keeps coming with it! I’m pretty sure I’ll get a few more steeps out of this too. THIS is already in my cart over on their site…now to order it (and two other favorites) without my dear, wonderful hubby finding out. ;)

What a fascinating tea! Thanks to both Geoffrey and David for the insightful information about this tea’s extraordinary and rare history. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s saga of complexity with their tasting notes. Here’s what I experienced, cup by cup:

8 steeps, 8-40 seconds.
The first thing that hit me when I opened the bag was a smell that reminded me of the tea at the Chinese restaurant my parents always brought me to when I was a kid. I take this to be a very good sign. Now on to the taste.

1. Grassy white tea with floral notes.
2. A bitter smokiness emerges.
3. Dark & smoky, but a nutty vegetal flavor emerges, like green beans.
4. A citrus smell is now standing out, with a flavor like zubrowka – vanilla, buffalo grass.
5. A faint lilac begins to pop out.
6. More vanilla, macadamia.
7. Caramel & rock candy.
8. The aroma of fennel and just a hint of sarsaparilla.
The scent of the leaves after steeping: Grapefruit, fennel, earth.

What an elaborate network of flavors! Great by itself or as an accompaniment to a spicy meal. Both captivating and calming all at once.

The Jingshan is soft and crisp, tasting of asparagus and corn with a natural sweetness to it. The lavender is wonderfully floral and earthy adding extra weight to the tea, in a good way. The bergamot and lemongrass are light and I smell them more than I can taste them adding more of a crisp feeling, playing opposite of the lavender.

If you are not a fan of lavender or florals I wouldn’t recommend this one. Lavender is a strong one and easily overpowers what it is paired with. Even though there isn’t much lavender in this blend and doesn’t overpower the tea, it is impossible to ignore.

I love me some Earl Green teas and this one doesn’t fail me.

Enjoyed this tea this morning in my yixing-lined travel tea tumbler. I’ve kept it pretty exclusive to use with oolong teas, but this is the first real hearty oolong it’s seen. To begin, I really just love the flavor of tea when it has that yixing addition in general. And this yixing has seen some nice ginseng oolongs, so that was slightly added to the mix, mostly with an after-taste mouth feel.

As ever, this tea is delicious and I’m eager to taste it again in future!

I enjoyed this quite a lot! I actually just did my first side-by-side(-by-side) tasting of the same tea from different vendors with some Red Robes I have in my cupboard. So I’m going to try and keep this review to this tea alone, as I’ll be writing a post this weekend comparing them more directly.

In any case, I really love a Red Robe oolong. It’s a fun tea that packs a wallop and has some seriously awesome flavor every time.

Of all the Red Robes I’ve had, this one from Verdant Tea is probably the most mild. This is not a negative thing, however. It’s just a thing. The wet leaves after the first infusion were mild and nutty in scent.

The liquor had a smooth aroma and there was something familiar about the flavor that I still can’t quite manage to place. As if it tasted of something I’ve eaten before and really enjoyed, but I’ve only actually eaten it once or twice. But it has a lovely flavor that I enjoyed very much.

The second infusion was mellower and added a touch of sweetness. Interesting enough, even though the water was still quite hot, it left a coolness in my mouth. Like a mild version of the feeling you get when drinking a mint infusion. But it didn’t taste minty, just mimicked that sensation.

I’m glad I got this tea and will be happy to finish off what I have in time!

I think this tea is growing on me—instead of searching for “cake”, I’m beginning to like this for what I can taste in it—mainly buttered asapargus and Wheat Thins. There is also a flavor of broth and minerals.

I’m not detecting any bitterness or tannins at all. Super smooth—which makes it perfect to just toss into my travel mug and resteep all day. I’m feeling somehow calmer and more centered just by drinking this.

Just a quick impression—

I’ve steeped this with more tea then last time (plus a lower temp and longer steep time)—using about 5 good-sized nuggets (nearly the size of the those little dried, salted plums) to 12.85 ounces.

I’m now getting an abundance of buttery asparagus and hints of wheat thins—but still no cake.

Yay! I got this today and instantly tore into it!

I have to say it’s super smooth and the flavor seems very soft and slate-y. But I’m not getting much of anything else, sadly. No cinnamon, no sweetness, no vanilla, no angel food cake…

Just smooth, soft, slightly rooty puerh-ness.

But wait!…..if I breathe deeply and exhale with each sip—I can taste something like buckwheat…something like malt-o-meal..something like those whole wheat tea biscuits in those cylindrical packages (“Digestive Biscuits”?). Then, finally some rich buttery notes, upon cooldown.

Wow. Some teas assert themselves right away. This one doesn’t. Patience is key!

I really like this pu-erh. It tastes amazing! It has these delicious cake-y kind of flavors, complete with notes of vanilla, sugar, caramel and cinnamon … even some wheat-like tones in there! So good!

Definitely a pu-erh I’d recommend to anyone, even someone who doesn’t think they like pu-erh. This is incredible!

First Review of this lovely black Yunnan Golden Bud tea. Each infusion 3 minutes. 1TB Leaves used per instructions on the Verdant Website Per Cup. traditional method (PIAO 1 glass pot used).

1. Beautiful medium golden brown (with a twinge of green) colored liquor. There is a very pronounced honey scent that picked me up and carried me away…I mean it…all through this first tasting…to my crazy place! (You should all be afraid!) I went to my cupboard and pulled out some honey. Buckwheat honey…yuk…not that one…too strong. Then the local Prairie Wildflower Raw honey (Copoco)…which was closer to the scent( I’ll get back to this later). I needed to taste this tea! The flavor reminds me of those honey seseme candies…but slightly astringent on the finish. Juicy and bright.

2. This I was hoping would be the ‘MegaMillion’ Pour. Soooo much darker! Rich and silky looking caramel orange liquor. The same color that you don’t want your tanning lotion to do to your body! This smells like a slightly floral honey…here we go folks…that Prairie Wildflower Honey! Sumptious and bright on the tongue! Juicy! I just HAD…yes HAD to add sweetening to see what would happen to the honey and it was the best thing I ever ate. No, that’s a show…but it was so darned good! That sweet addition brought up the cinnamon and spicy pepperiness which made a huge difference to the whole cuppa experience. I have to say that when I finished this second cup, there was a feeling and coating on my tongue like whipped creamy honey thick and gooey.

3. The liquor is getting lighter now but still nice and amber. What to expect here? No floral notes but still some honey flavor exists. What is so pronounced at this stage is cinnamon and pepper. If you are a spice-aholic…this is where you jump for joy and say “Mama Mia! "
(I’m thinking Verdant is going to bar me from writing comments about their tea!)

How fantastic to have honey and cinnamon in your tea without having to add it! It’s there already naturally! This is worth a try!