Hybrid, eyeball estimation style steeping:
The dry leaves remind me of waffle cones: light and dried out, with a sugared vanilla sweetness. Whereas the dry leaves smell like stale, woody “waffle cones”, the hot water makes them come to life. It tastes buttered and fresh from the baker. Light waffle malt first steep.
Second steep: feels lighter than the first “awakening steep”. The honey notes are so very sweet and moist. There’s a roasted rice taste that reminds me of genmaicha. Delicious, like crispy grain goods with syrup drizzled across. Aftertaste is a fruity honey with a somewhat buttery lingering sensation.
Third steep: Lots of sweet butter and cream that pairs magically with the toasty note. Vanilla and caramel notes too? This is the best! Fourth steep is similar. The finish reminds me of Butiki’s Sparrow Tongue- where does that even come from!? I think I’m going to stop on my fifth steep today but this has at least another few left in it.
The tea has transitioned from roasted sweet malt to a rich, honey-infused, buttery cream. I’m getting the impression that Verdant Tea doesn’t deal in the simple and static.
I would’ve never picked this out for myself as I’ve not been a huge fan of the darker oolongs I’ve come across in flavoured blends. I’m grateful Verdant Tea threw this one in as my sample, though, because my preconceived notions were wrong.
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Think this is better than you rated it. But,considering you don’t like this type I suppose this is a good rating. I loved it and I like the darker roasts myself too.
I wish I could mark teas on multiple levels, like how I feel they hold up compared to their type, their company, other personal favourite teas, and if I would buy them again, etc. Because this tea is high at 79 for me but underrated for itself (it’s still the best roasted oolong in quality and complexity that I’ve ever had).
I sometimes wish it was easier to achieve objectivity in ratings, because mine totally are influenced even just by my mood some days, haha. And I realized I’ve been rating things absurdly high for the past while as well – things that I like but that are pretty mediocre belong at 67 (according to my arbitrary ratings scale)! So, many teas I like reasonably well should land between 70-80, drink often 80-90, absolutely love 90-100. But it’s hard to remember that every time… (I’m rambling. Must sleep.)
I’ve given up rating for now except on occasion when I run into a 100% that must be given attention.
Sometimes I think about giving up ratings too; I’m constantly reevaluating them as I continue to try more tea, revisit old teas, and as my tastes change.
Think this is better than you rated it. But,considering you don’t like this type I suppose this is a good rating. I loved it and I like the darker roasts myself too.
I wish I could mark teas on multiple levels, like how I feel they hold up compared to their type, their company, other personal favourite teas, and if I would buy them again, etc. Because this tea is high at 79 for me but underrated for itself (it’s still the best roasted oolong in quality and complexity that I’ve ever had).
I sometimes wish it was easier to achieve objectivity in ratings, because mine totally are influenced even just by my mood some days, haha. And I realized I’ve been rating things absurdly high for the past while as well – things that I like but that are pretty mediocre belong at 67 (according to my arbitrary ratings scale)! So, many teas I like reasonably well should land between 70-80, drink often 80-90, absolutely love 90-100. But it’s hard to remember that every time… (I’m rambling. Must sleep.)
I’ve given up rating for now except on occasion when I run into a 100% that must be given attention.
Sometimes I think about giving up ratings too; I’m constantly reevaluating them as I continue to try more tea, revisit old teas, and as my tastes change.