Verdant Tea (Special)

Having a bit of a lazy day, I didn’t pick up any tea until lunch… Shockers!

I’m not sure I would have picked this one up on my own. I really enjoy mint teas, and cinnamon, although I don’t think I’ve had them together yet.. before now. I’m not much for floral blends, and this has lavender scattered through the blend.. Hmm.. I can smell it in the dry mix too. Smells of mint and lavender.. but favoring the mint. I will have to admit I’m having a bit of trouble with smelling this blend due to the fact that I started a cold brew of 52teas grape iced tea blend and my hands smell of that.. even though I’ve washed them.. thinking that’s going to be some really grape tea!

Steeped, and with a less than my normal amount of sugar-I tried to hold off but I always add sugar to mint tea, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I get peppermint with a bit of floral from the lavender. Nothing is overstated. I can’t pick out the cinnamon or the rooibos, and don’t know what to look for for birch, but I imagine they come together to tone down the peppermint and blend the lavender into a nice smooth cup. Peppermint can be harsh, but in this blend it is smooth and rich tasting.

Thanks CelebriTEA for sharing this with me.

Backlog:

A very special Pu-erh. A young one, so definitely one that I’ll hold on to for a while before I drink the rest of it. Let it age a bit.

Very little earthiness here, as I would expect from such a young Pu-erh. It is more vegetal than it is earthy. The vegetative taste falls somewhere between steamed spinach and kelp.

A light, refreshing Pu-erh, sweet and slightly floral, and there is a creaminess to this that took me by surprise. A distinct nutty tone and a bright citrus note too.

A really interesting pu-erh, I’m glad I got to try it. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/16/master-hans-2013-sheng-pu-er-tea-verdant-tea/

Sipdown in my travel mug of this this morning! This tea was very good while it lasted, and now it’s gone. I am okay with this, as it definitely is an early summer blend and I haven’t been feeling it around this time of year, but this last cup was still tasty, lots of cocoa notes and a shadow of the grape/raisin flavor I enjoyed. Sadly this is suffering from Travel Mug Syndrome, so it is not nearly as flavorful as usual, which is disappointing since I also slightly overleafed to sip down the final bit of this tea. Nevertheless, it was good and I am very happy this one was included in the blends club! See previous notes on this tea :)

Backlog – I had a lovely cup of this yesterday morning before doing a lot of Christmas shopping haha, both online and in stores. It was a busy day. I am finally getting back to earth after my 9 day vacation, albeit much more relaxed than before I left. Which was exactly why I went :P happy that Christmas is coming and had a productive, satisfying weekend getting ready for it. This tea hit the spot. See previous notes on this one – I’m very close to sipping it down too!

The latest BOMC box arrived yesterday! All the blends look delicious and exciting as usual, although I was a bit wary of the mate blend, definitely not a before bed blend! After smelling all the teas, I decided this one was the one I needed to try first. It smells deliciously of dark chocolate! It looks like there are whole cocoa pieces in the blend, or cacao, whichever it is, along with goji berries and the famed Zhu Rong base. I steeped this for about 2 minutes with 200 degree water. The resulting dark liquor smells of raisins and chocolate. Interesting!

As for the flavor, mmm this is reminding me of a lovely red wine with chocolate. The main flavors are a dry grape-like flavor, raisin like but not as sweet, it reminds me a bit of how Master Han’s Yunnan black tastes, a hint of olive oil in there too! There is also that lovely dark chocolate flavor, a rich flavor that melds with the mild astringency and raisin like notes wonderfully. There’s a sweetness in the middle of the sip that could be attributed to the vanilla as well, although it is faint and not a huge component, just smooths things over.

Overall, this is quite good. It’s rich but light, fresh and filling. All the flavors blend together quite well into a dark chocolate, grape tasting tea. It mainly reminds me of Master Han’s Yunnan Black, but with chocolate added. Very tasty, a perfect tea for a day like today – blanket of fresh, wet snow overnight and temperatures just over zero melting it away. Spring snow day tea!

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @90C, no rinse, steeped 3 minutes.

Forgot to rinse.

After a disastrous two attempts to make something potable out of DavidsTea new First Flush Darjeeling (Chamong Estate), I turned to this beautiful oolong. Not rising the leaves gives this infusion a heaviness and a savour I quite like. This is a complex tieguanyin with lots of nuance, worth every penny.

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @90C, second infusion, steeped four minutes Western style.

I made a cup of this for my husband yesterday, because the tea’s name in trigged him. He loved it. I saved the leaves for a second go.

As I’ve noted before, the second steep gives more mineral notes. The scent is sharp and floral, that classic tieguanyin aroma, so enticing. Some cream in the finish. Such a beautiful tiguayin, lots of nuance.

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @90C. Second infusion. Steeped 4 minutes 15 seconds.

I want some black tea, but I have these glorious leaves left over from last night. One does not simply steep an oolong a single time.

Floral in scent — wildflowers and grass. The taste is more mineral on the second infusion, but also stronger on the florals and cream, especially in the finish. Some stonefruit. This tieguanyin has been lightly roasted, just enough to bring out some depth. Liquor is pale gold.

A stunning tieguanyin.

I can’t “like” anyone’s tea notes. This is irritating me. Whatever browser I use, I can’t “like” anything. GAH.

Back to tea …

1.5 tsp for 300mL water @90C, rinsed, steeped 3 minutes, then steeped 4 minutes.

Both infusions gave me an exquisite tieguanyin, with sharp florals, a touch of cream, faint vegetal notes, even, I thought, some faint and light musk, a light toastiness that just coaxes everything else out a little more, and so much oolong beauty that I have trouble writing about it. This tieguanyun needs, and will reward, your full attention.

The cinnamon has a brighter taste…at least on the first steep.
But this tea is truly lovely.
Each of the essences are combined in such a harmonious way…
You definitely get the Pu -er taste, but in laid back, more refined way…
This has me singing “it’s easy like Sunday mornin”
This quality pu~er blend has a lot more to give…
perhaps some of those other ingredients will shine in successive steeping
I am going to be drinking a lot of this…

Backlog:

I was really quite happy with this tisane. I’m not usually all excited about a chamomile blend, but all the components in this very busy blend work together quite nicely. I like the way the minty/basil-y notes of the tulsi unite with the apple-y notes of the chamomile and the sweet floral notes.

There is a distinct lime note to this as well, and I liked that tangy contrast, and I like how the lime-y flavor brightens the overall flavor. Sweet, warm, tangy, crisp … all these words come to mind when describing this tisane. I do wish there was a bit more from the cacao, but that should come as no big surprise, right? More chocolate always equals better!

That said, I liked this one.
Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/09/love-joy-tisane-verdant-tea/

Second time drinking this one. The tea itself tastes pretty good, all the flavors are things I like and they harmonize nicely… but it smells like unbaked bread dough to me, which is majorly throwing me off. Especially because I keep forgetting about it. >.< I guess we’ll see if it’s something I can get used to…

Another one from tonight… i give up on this blend. I know it has blergamot in it, but to be honest, i can’t even taste it. It’s mostly just sticks to me…there is no vanilla, no orange just woodsy rooibos flavour. I’m passing this on to terri to see if she can get more out of it…just in case. Besides, she too must try all the teas! lol

Final Count: 131

this tea makes me sad.. it’s not blergamot-ey; it’s not orange-y…it’s just bark-ish? I dunno what the magic is but i can’t seem to make it happen. I’ll drink it, but it’s just kinda there… poop.

soooo funny story. I PURPOSELY SWAPPED FOR THIS ONE….and it has blergamot in it. dinosara graciously allowed me to have this one. I have to say….NO. I DID NOT STEEP THIS FOR 2 MINS… yes, i’m talking about you verdant and your two minutes “blends box teas all steeps for 2 mins…” although to be fair i did see at least ONE tea that had a different time.

Soooooo this one? totally not finding the orange in this….and i DID shake the bag up…i was hoping that the blergamot would give this s semblance or orange but be tied up with the vanilla and rooibos and it would be my ULTIMATE CREAMSICLE TEA. it’s not. it’s like a “spicy” sort of cinnamon? vanilla bean like woodsy rooibosy tea. i mean hey, it’s not half bad…but (and don’t tell anyone) i kinda keep wondering where the blerg is. Maybe after all these years of hating on it, it just up and left. got the heck out of dodge so it didn’t have to deal with my mean and hurtful words. that could happen right? stranger things have happened.

soooo on that note. tea good. not what i wanted or expected. will try to wrasstle with it later and see if i can’t wrangle a little more blerg outta this. shhhhhhhhhh don’t tell anyone.

Final Count: 141 (11 to go! 1 swap incoming)

Well, umm, I don’t know about these herbal blends from Verdant. Let me make this clear – I only know two of them – the ones that were in the February Amoda box. The other was Love & Joy blend and I didn’t care for it much. This one also didn’t do much for me. I mean, I know it’s not purely an herbal, since there is some green tea in it, but its flavor and aroma just screamed HERBAL, so that’s how I feel I should think of it (does that make any sense?).

So, anyway, there’s sure a lot going on if you look at the impressive list of ingredients but they all merge into this herbally herbaliness that makes me feel like I should be sick in bed. I know it’s not a very constructive criticism, but I just have a weird relationship with herbals. I don’t like when they taste like herbals. And this one absolutely did. I could not find anything unusual about it, no flavor note that deserved a better scrutiny… I guess the right word would be boring. This blend was boring to me.

Oh well, I know that Verdant has absolutely awesome teas and I will definitely reach for them. It’s just that I will be more cautious about ever getting their herbal blends.

Well Done Verdant :)
When I was reading the description and I saw all the ingredients that were in this tea tea I thought “meh too much stuff in there” and didn’t expect much from it.
When I tasted it realized i was wrong in thinking it had too much going on because the taste of all those things actually go really well together.
It is almost like a type of tea for wintertime but not quite bold enough for cold weather days, It is very subtle and sweet and actually pretty dern good for Springtime.
I can taste most of the things in this one, the cinnamon and the dandelion root, ginger, vanilla and even the Tea itself But it is difficult to tell single most of those flavor notes out because they are so very well balanced and really play together as one.
I figured it may be too complex to be enjoyed with all those ingredients But the flavors of this tea are only slightly complex with an overall unique taste.
Very Well Done.

Omg This is Awesome!!!!
Reminds me of Raisinets with some vanilla.
I love the Zhu Rong Tea, I was totally pleased with my TOTM box this time around New Zhu Rong and a Kick-Ass Zhu Rong blend :)

This one make me think of being at the movies with my Mom eating Raisinets, she really liked those, I think she would have enjoyed this tea too :)

dexter sent this one my way and i think it’s because she knows i’ll drink anything even if i don’t wanna! That’s how i feel about yabao…yanaoway is where i land with it. I don’t like the taste, don’t think it’s pretty but still i try…and try again. This one? tastes like every other yabao tea. blechy. BUT thanks for sharing dexter lol

Reviewed about a month ago. Raisins and chocolate with the goji berri and some creamy vanilla…just kicked back chilling with a pot of this wonderful tea.

I have never enjoyed a chocolate tea as much as this!!!
It reminds me of chocolate covered raisins with added berries, and creamy vanilla.
But I steeped it about 4 minutes.
I love a good, deep, rich flavor and I cannot for the life of me,
see getting that from a 30 second steep.
It was far worth the extra steeping time for me…transporting me to Heaven.
THIS IS DIVINE ♡

I had this one yesterday evening. Whoa, is this one different.

I tasted almost a honey flavor, a floral flavor (probably the chamomile), and a berry something, it was also mildly spicy. Definitely different. I did a second infusion and it wasn’t as honey or chamomile, but it was still different and delicious. I like this. I don’t know that I would drink it often, but I’m glad I have enough for a few more mugs.

Great roasted tieguanyin. It is quite smooth and even a bit creamy in the first cup. Others have noted the smell of incense on the wet leaves, which I detected. I don’t think it carries over into the flavor. There is a slight cooling sensation in the aftertaste. Since this was called a traditional tieguanyin I think expected something a bit toastier. I for a roasted tieguanyin I prefer Rishi Tea’s version.