6106 Tasting Notes
I have nearly a full ounce of this, but I think this is my first time trying it… Anyhow, it looks and sounds good – barley and roasted mate, coconut – except for the rooibos. Unfortunately, something tasted off to me when I had a couple sips, so I tossed the cup (unusual for me, I know! But I brewed it up while I had guests, and then left it overnight, and just didn’t care to try and salvage it in the morning.) I realize now that it’s probably the coconut, which is sad. I’ll give it another shot, maybe with a bit of milk, before I toss the whole packet.
On the subject of travel-mugged teas… this one. Just not as good in a mug. I guess aroma is a big part of the flavour for this tea, and it just doesn’t work as well when you can’t smell the tea. Still ok, but not the delicious beverage I was looking for.
Sipdown! 164/365!
To be honest, I have no idea if I’m reviewing the right tea here. There are too many versions of the Verdant teas to ever be terribly certain, and some are divided by harvest and/or year, others not, and some simply with different wording. However, I am drinking “Autumn Harvest Laoshan Dragonwell” from a small silver sample pack, which I believe is the right tea for this listing (although I’ve written enough tasting notes to know that I must have/have had at least two different packages of this).
Boring stuff aside, this tea was great! I haven’t ordered from Verdant in a few years, so this sample is not fresh, and I haven’t a clue when the packet was opened, so my expectations were really low. However, it was significantly more delicious than one would expect from a green this old. Not as strong as it might have tasted, and missing the freshness, particularly in the aroma, but it was a cup of rock sugared steamed green beans, with some delicious umami flavours peeking out. Quite impressive, and I even managed to get two resteeps, which was particularly excellent. Probably would be rating it in the low 90s as is; obviously it would be better fresh. A lovely cup!
I see I liked this when I originally tried and, and I still do despite it being a couple years later – it’s a delicious strawberry Campino sort of flavour with a grassy green in the background (it tastes like many other strawberry greens have smelled to me in the past, but without the pesky metallic notes). Carefully brewed (175F, 2 mins, 1.5 tsp/8oz) – no astringency for me, at least. Likely would make a fantastic iced tea, but since I like it warm, I think I’ll finish it off that way and leave the icing to teas I don’t want to savour as much.
Sipdown! 163/365!
Happened to grab 3 green teas to brew up tonight; this was the first. Despite being a little old, it was still good – a bit more grassy of a profile than I’d usually go for, but there’s a sweetness to it that compensates. Brewed carefully at a low temp, there was no astringency, which I was also pleased about. I still prefer Laoshan greens, dragonwell, etc., but wouldn’t turn down another cup of this!
Secondhand tea from a friend who was moving away, and the latest iced tea candidate. I used 8 teabags for a pitcher of iced tea, which seems to be about the right amount, and this made a very typical hibiscus-heavy iced tea. No elderflower to speak of. A little woody-tasting (I wonder if it’s the licorice root?), but alright when sweetened. Leaving most of it to my husband to drink, though.
Sipdown! 162/365!
Individually-packaged teabag from a Secret Santa at work a year and a half ago. I drank the other two teabags (different varieties) at work, and probably didn’t note anything down about them, although I remember one being pleasantly minty.
This one, I expected to be minty (given the tea company name, especially), but it’s not. I actually… have no idea what it’s supposed to be flavoured like. I’m pretty sure it’s red rooibos, but the flavour eludes me entirely. Maybe it’s not flavoured at all? Hmm. Either way, not a big fan. It’s verging on that medicinal rooibos flavour, which I don’t care for. Glad I only had a single bag of it, I suppose!
