Verdant Tea (Special)

First tasting note! Haha I hardly get those anymore lol…let me preface this review by saying why I haven’t tried this tea sooner. As I have a severe food allergy (peanuts), I am very wary of trying things with unfamiliar ingredients – in this one the culprit was ashwaganda. But after a skin test I decided it’s safe to have (and I’m writing this review, so I’m still good haha)

So onto the review! The dry smell in this one is…to put it simply – MEDICINAL. Man oh man, I have never smelled a more herby smelling tea haha. It is strong and almost like Vicks mixed with tonic and some basil…strong and sharp and almost hurting the nose buds. I suppose you could compare this to alcohol in that it’s sharp and almost brutal smelling lol. But don’t let that deter you! I steeped this for 1 min with boiling water, and the steeped smell was much nicer – more chamomile with mild herbs that I couldn’t really identify, probably peppercorn though as that is a strong component.

As for the flavor, again this is quite medicinal, but I think it captures the feel of a strong spirit lol. I haven’t tried Chartreuse (the beverage) but the tea form is peppery, with an almost tulsi-like component. OH LOL there is tulsi in it, well that explains it hahaha. Not much in the terms of rose or fennel, so fennel haters rejoice? Haha, and the chamomile is just providing a neutral backdrop to the strong pepper and tulsi flavors I imagine. As for the ashwaganda, I don’t know what it is like but it might be provided the smoother mouthfeel like ginseng does, since it’s supposed to be Indian Ginseng.

Overall, a pretty bizarre blend. I can’t really compare it to what the tea is modelled after, so this is not a very helpful review probably. But it was an adventure, and I now know I can have ashwaganda! It might take me a while to get through the bag though because it is so weird….haha, happy to have tried it anyways though! No rating, because I don’t know what it’s supposed to be like.

(Sipdown, 152)
I think this was a free sample with my last order as I generally don’t order anything other than black teas. It’s tasty though! Buttery and light and very vegetal. It seems like a poor choice for 9 at night – maybe it’d be better in the morning or afternoon. Or at least some time when the sun is up?

Oh, and the spinach notes linger long afterwards…

It seems as though all my teas that I chose tonight all came from MissB!
Well, it is another lovely sipdown tonight. Probably one of my last ones.
I feel like the elderberry is what makes this smell so funny when it’s dry. It does take a slight medicine-y scent to it? And I don’t smell the jasmine at all.
But as it steeps, I can most definitely smell the jasmine!
Good tea, but a bit too much elderberry and tulsi, not enough jasmine :)

From Reddit traveling tea box.

Hmm, the scent of the tea was freaking me out – medicinal and strong. First sips had lots of Tulsi flavor. After a few sips and time to cool, not too bad. The rootbeer taste is interesting and the oolong is nice. The Tulsi I’m undecided on with the herbaly mint like flavor.

Backlog from yesterday. Used this delicious white to wash down the taste of the not so great Ceylon that I had earlier.
I wonder if Verdant will ever add this to their “normal” collection, seeing as they deal in small batches of tea anyway.

Had another cup of this yesterday. Tried to see what happens if I brew it longer around 7 minutes. It was both sweeter and more flavorful, which makes me think that it would do great with a long cold brew.
Kind of wish that it was part of Verdant’s regular stock.
No rockets on Tel Aviv yesterday. Which is good.

I was cleaning the house yesterday and I stumbled upon a stray bag of this. It is from Verdant’s now defunct Tea of the Month Club (Reserve). I have about enough for another steeping, which I will probably brew cold.
The leaves of this tea are amazing: huge, plump, silvery green “needles” that smell super sweet, with a hint of the “tea” smell, and a hint of a vegetal scent. I imagine that that is what caramelized green tea leaves must smell like, if such a thing existed.
The itself is as sweet as it promises to be, with a refreshing cucumber base and a toasted wheat aftertaste. Delicious.
Is is unique enough to deserve the “reserve” title? Yes.
Is it the best Silver Needle that I have tasted? Yes.
Will I recommend it to people, if it was readily available? It depends. The price tag is a bit too steep, even for such a good tea. If white tea is your favourite, then you owe it to yourself to try this one out. If you enjoy white teas on occasion, I’m not sure that this is where you’d want your money invested. There are very good and unique white teas to be had at a fraction of the price.

P.S. As of now the 12 hour ceasefire has been thankfully extended until midnight. Praying that it will be extended even more.
Be brave and drink tea…

HHTTB Round 3

I don;t think I’ve ever seen a black white tea blend. I was confused by that, but just went with the steepster suggested time and temp and was definitely happy with it. I had then a few days ago and forgot to log it, but it was a nice cup and I remember finding the cinnamon in it to be very comforting and didn’t think anything about it was super overpowering. I would definitely drink this again. It was a good rainy day tea.

HHTTB Round 3

I’m pretty sure I told my fiance this tasted vaguely like pool water. I am not a fan of this. It smelled weird and just did not taste enjoyable at all.

Okay folks, I’m calling it. This is the best genmaicha ever. And that’s that.

Seriously, though. Once I saw Ost’s Laoshan Genmaicha tasting note, my mouth would not be satisfied until I brewed up a cup of this lovely blend. So creamy and smooth, sweet butternut squash and oats and soy milk with a touch of vanilla goodness. And, of course, that delicious and nutty toasty rice.

I am the proud owner of 4 ounces of this now discontinued blend (thanks mj!) and I will cry like a small child when I run out of it. Seriously.

Aw, sad sipdown…

I really really want to order more of this one before it’s all gone, but I also want some more Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha and it’s out of stock right now… So I need to decide whether it’s worth it to me to pay shipping twice and get this now or wait and have it possibly be gone. Hmm…

GA! GA! OH LA LA!

…sorry. I was really excited for this blend, and I love Sarsonator forever for sending me a sample! I had to add this tea to the database, so I guess no one else on here has tried it yet? Hooray pressure! ;)

So, this is a genmaicha with some unconventional ingredients. I’ve had the base tea on its own and enjoyed it, I remember it being a smooth and creamy light green tea. This tea has two types of toasted rice – jasmine and Minnesota wild. There are also lovely golden flower petals for color, and juniper berries (I assume they’re dried, but they still have their plump fresh appearance). I didn’t see any vanilla bean pieces in mine, but supposedly they’re in there. The dry scent is toasted grains with a very light vegetal note in the background.

Brewed, the aroma is a basic genmaicha – green tea (albeit a mild green tea) and lovely toasted rice. Have I mentioned I love genmaicha? Sipping this tea, I get the impression of a traditional genmaicha done very well. The base tea is exceptionally smooth and creamy, its main vegetal note would be butternut squash. As I near the end of the sip, it becomes creamy vanilla almond or soy milk. Mmm… The toasted rice adds that lovely nutty flavor, and goes perfectly with the creamy soy and light oat notes of the base tea. I would have enjoyed a tad bit more vanilla, as I only really find it near the end of the sip. But I digress! I honestly am unsure what juniper berries taste like, but I would assume similar to pine? Either way, I don’t get any of that here. Same with the saffron.

Overall, I actually really like this tea. I would consider it more of a traditional genmaicha, but exceptionally smooth and creamy. Delicious! :)

Edit: I forgot to mention that this blend was created for Lady Gaga, in case anyone was confused by the beginning of the note… Lol.

From the Reddit traveling tea box.

A really pretty dry leaf with big flower buds and petals. THIS IS FLORAL. Mega floral! Sweet licorice, floral, lemony, mint fresh with a background of juicy white peony. However, the white tea is pretty drowned out. Little bit of a tart bite end of sip. If you love floral, you’ll dig this, but there’s a lot going on.

In the spirit of trying everything once, I cold brewed this. Don’t.

(It still makes a very lovely regular cup of tea, though!)

Finally done logging everything that came in the order!

This tea is similar to regular Laoshan Black, with less obvious chocolate notes, but still quite rich and mellow. It’s slightly smoky, subtly sweet, and has a malty, grainy fragrance that makes it quite a refulgent experience. If I remember correctly, it’s more complex than regular LB, because the chocolate being less insistent helps everything else come through. There’s also a freshness that’s almost reminiscent of Laoshan Green.

I had been having some trouble making an enjoyable cup out of this tea, and today I finally stopped overthinking it. I used the old tiny kettle, stopped before full boil, and brewed up a mug without really being particular about proportions or temperature, instead just going with what I was habitually used to. And it was perfect. I think there’s something to be learned here…

Very similar to the laoshan green in flavor. The green is a spinach and mushroom salad, while the black is more of a spinach and mushroom crepe with sort if an aged cheese flavor added on. I’m enjoying my first steep so far

Fancy LB! I just ordered an ounce of this one.

I think a comparison is definitely needed. Which reminds me I want to do a comparison between LB and Fujian. Perhaps all three at once!

This one has all the delicious qualities of LB, and they could be more enhanced, but without a side-by-side I can’t say for sure. However, this is certainly an enjoyable cup.

I received this today in my verdant tea of the month box. It’s my first nice green tea ever! First off, the bag opens to the smell of mushrooms and spinach.
I’m thinking that, once again, I have not used enough leaves. The tea was very watery… I have no reliable way to measure in grams, so today I ordered a scale on amazon.
On second steeping, I used less water and tasted a smooth mushroom flavor.

From the reddit travelling teabox

I’m trying this despite it sounding like a blend I would not like as me and red rooibos don’t get along. Actually, not bad – the spice, all big chunks of cinnamon, is a great level that keeps me sipping. Kind of sweet and vanilla smooth, bit of rooibosy. Not watery. I don’t really get much orange flavor though.

I enjoyed this sheng today, thank you TerriHarpLady for the sample!

I found the first steep lightly smoky, and all of the steeps sweet and woodsy. Makes me wish I could spend time outside even more! It is so cool and nice outside today for July. Stuck inside in front of the computer for another hour, meh.

I was skeptical of this one, because Cask Strength was supposed to be bourbon-inspired as well, and I found that one super icky. But this one didn’t have any suspicious ingredients in it, so I allowed myself to hope. I’ve only barely tried it so far (I’m steeping it in my tiny 2 oz teacups), but it’s definitely not icky and actually pretty good!

Update: as predicted, it goes great with chocolate. (72% with cacao nibs. :)

I’m not usually a huge fan of white teas (although maybe that’s changing recently?) but I love this one. I like the cedar tips and the juniper, and everything else kinda blurs together pleasantly in the background. I think I got through about four steeps before I switched to something else, but I maybe could have gone for a couple more. I’ll have to see how far I can stretch it out, and what more interesting flavors might emerge. :)

I’ve been drinking a lot of oolong the last couple of days, and I wanted to do something different. I found this in my pantry. I’d forgotten I had it!

I should have looked at the clock because I have plans this evening that come with a good length car trip to start. Well, hopefully I can find a place to stop when I have to, because I can’t stop drinking this tea.

I dumped the first two quick rinses, as I’ve seen that suggested recently. Then I really started into this tea.

oh emm gee

Deliciousness.

sweet but almost floral. Barely earthy, but it’s there. Creamy. Incredibly creamy.

Each infusion is a little different than the previous one.

I can’t believe how beautiful this tea is. And that I didn’t try it until now.

What was I thinking?!?

Even on the 6th infusion, I’m still getting such sweet notes to this, but it’s getting a little woody-ish. Sort of.

It’s hard to describe the beautiful party happening in my mouth with each sip.

I want more. I need more. I have to stop drinking because we have to leave very soon.

I’m going to hold the leaves and hope they’re still good when we get back.

Okay, tea friends, since I love this tea, what other sheng pu-erhs do you recommend???

Wow! This is amazing!

I was very hesitant about this month’s Verdant Blends Box because I had read that the blends were going to be whiskey inspired, and I am not a huge fan of whiskey or nearly any other alcoholic drink. With this reservation, I opened the box and read the descriptions of this month’s blends when the box arrived today. I was intrigued with the descriptions and decided to make a cup of this blend first. And, I love it! This is my favorite blend so far from this subscription.

The aftertaste is really fantastic. It is so rich and creamy and long lasting. All the flavors blend together so well that I have no idea how to describe the taste of this tea.