I am so happy, I went to check the mail and discovered that I had no mail…wait, that is really sad…the reason I am happy is because it was beautifully warm today! No sunlight (always a plus) and spring-like warmth, for the first time in a while I was able to toss open the windows and enjoy some fresh air. Today was also a day for a new Minecraft Texture Pack, the City Texture Pack which has mobs in suits and some really gorgeous texturing. Playing around with my mom on the Xbox today, we both decided it would be our new ‘everyday’ texture pack, replacing the Natural Pack. Also, for anyone who is keeping track of these things, I almost have my huge star jar filled with 2,000 lucky stars filled up, yay!
Today’s tea is an innovative spin on a traditional Japanese tea, Verdant Tea’s Laoshan Black Genmaicha! This blend is created from Laoshan Black Tea, Minnesota Wild Rice, Organic Fair Trade Jasmine Rice, Organic Cacao Nibs, and Shui Jin Gui Wuyi Oolong. This was the tea that convinced me to first order from Verdant Tea over a year ago, I saw it and fell in love with the idea, but did I fall in love with the tea? The aroma is decadent, very rich chocolate and nutty notes. There is also a rich malt aroma from the black tea and an extremely delicate floral and caramel notes. The key words to take away from the aroma is rich and decadent, it is nothing short of mouthwatering.
The brewed tea leaves are as expected, very rich with earthy tones, rich chocolate notes, and a touch of rice. After the initial chocolaty good aroma you can detect a slightly mineral like roasted oolong aroma. The liquid without the soaking leaves has the aroma of chocolate cookies and chocolate liqueur, it is very rich and has distinctly malty and creamy notes.
Tasting the tea is a real treat, it is very rich and quite creamy. The chocolate taste is slightly bitter like a really high percentage dark chocolate (think the 80% cocoa variety) but with an extra earthiness and burst of malt. The aftertaste is a mix of oak wood and toasted rice, as the tea cools it gets sweeter and richer. Even though this tea is not overwhelmingly sweet, adding cream or sugar I think detracts from the richness of the tea. It is very much so like dark chocolate and meant to be savored as such. As you can tell I enjoy this tea immensely, it has a permanent place in my tea collection and certainly cemented my love of Verdant Tea!
For blog and photos (and a creeper): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/03/verdant-tea-laoshan-black-chocolate.html
Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Malt
Haha! Love iggy, he’s the major twitch and shakin’ master!!!!
I <3 him so much, bless his crooked little heart
Video review. Niiiiice! I’m beyond excited to try this tea! I hope mine arrives quicky!
I hope so too!
<3
(Sarsonator and mzpriss, if ever it doesn’t arrive, you know where to find some..)
Correct, TTF! I’ll just drive to Canada and pick some up from you. I love Canada!!! :)
I wish mine would come NOW. I’ve only had one cup of it but I still think about that cup!