Verdant Tea (Special)

I had some free time this afternoon, & spent part of it partaking of this yummy oolong! I can see why it has won awards, it’s amazing!
The dry smell is sweet & fruity & there is a bit of a caramelized aroma too.

Garret (Mandala Tea) suggested preheating a Gaiwan, then dumping out the hot water, putting the tea in, cover briefly, and then smell. He was talking about puer at the time, but I decided to try it with this tea. Thank you Garret :)
Oh my!! The aromas were intensified, so that now I’m smelling fruit loops, only the best fruit loops you’ve ever had, or maybe a tropical smoothie. Yummmmmmm!

I can’t tell you how many rounds of steeping I went through, but they were so good. The early ones were especially sweet, tropical, & floral. Gradually a rocky taste & a light roasted flavor crept in as well. There was a little astringency in a few rounds, but mostly this was a mouth watering, tongue tingling delight! I also got some nice 3rd eye opening sensations, & interesting sensations in my ears, neck, sinuses, & shoulder blades.

Thank you to David & Verdant for this wonderful offering. I will savor every cup!

From January of 2013’s Reserve TOMC, this is somewhere between a Sheng & a white tea, as far as it’s flavor & qualities. It starts out lightly tart & citrus like, gradually gets a creaminess to it, with a growing evergreen essence. It features a decent tea-buzz, both savory & sweet, bringing to mind Pine & Eucalyptus.
Sipdown – 365

I’m having an all day gongfu session, it seems. As one tea begins to wane in flavor, I’m just starting up another one. So now we have this.

This tea is from the January Reserve TOMC. In my efforts to really drink ALL the TEAS, I’m gradually working my way through the TOMC bundles. I have the ‘reserve’ teas in one box, the ‘classic’ club teas in another. I’ve cut the flaps off several Verdant boxes, & I use them for dividers. So this week I’ve been working my way through January in the Reserve Box & March in the Classic.

I am a fan of Master Han. As far as I’m concerned, he is one of the Jedi Knights of tea, with Master Bi being another. Their teas inspire me in a way that Thich Nhat Hanh inspires me.

This tea is very gentle. It is gently sweet. It is a comfort tea, like a soothing bowl of cream of wheat, with a drizzle of honey. There is also a drizzle of olive oil, a trait that all of his teas tend to share. And a nice new-age style buzz, which I’m thoroughly enjoying. I’m still tired, & still feel out of sorts, but I’m breathing deeply & slowly, sipping deeply & slowly, & the next stop will be my garden, because although I’m feeling anti-social where people are concerned, I have a deep desire to commune with plants. Here I go.

Verdant Tea of the Month Reserve Club – January

I opened this package thinking I’d see something along the lines of Silver Buds Yabao, but this tea doesn’t look anything like that! Instead it is beautiful roasty looking leaves in shades of mahogany, olive, & cocao. I can’t quite describe the aroma. I want to say vanilla, but it is not vanilla. It is almost a ‘cereal’ kind of scent.

I followed the verdant instructions: 5G + 4oz (rinse) X 3-4 secs.

It kind of reminds of of cream of buckwheat cereal. A creamy vanilla like texture, a mild sweetness. Not something I would get excited about, but a pleasant departure from the norm.

Thanks to my family who gifted this to me!
The instruction said to set aside an hour to enjoy this tea (which I did). I set aside my whole morning! (I recommend at least that much time)
This tea swept me off my feet. Not only did the cosmos shift but I felt it physically. Bravo!

I kept my steep time short (8-10 sec.) after one test which was just on the verge of becoming bitter.

Having time to properly enjoy tea feeds my spirit.
We tea people have learned to step back from the World and relax.
No frenzy. It’s why the people here on Steepster are so nice!

I remembered learning from someone here to warm my Gaiwan first, place in the dry Oolong leaves then put on the lid and smell the aroma.
The feeling is like hugging fresh warm linen plucked from a clothes line on a Summer day. When I smelled the tea, it was soft and floral with a hint of forest under the covers. There were very long, brown leaves like fingers of tea.

One quick rinse and the leaves smelled like light smoke and buttery gardenia.

The liquor was light champagne yellow, glistening in my glass cup.
This color never changed.

I sipped the tea and there was a strong floral aroma. My first flavor impression wasn’t flowers at all, but pineapple. The taste was clean, lightly sweet and not astringent or dry but still, pineapple was what I thought of and nothing else.

I continued to enjoy the scent of gardenia and brown sugar in the wet leaves, and the flavor began to taste like that aroma with a texture that was smooth but not buttery.

As the steeps continued, a background savory taste appeared…not associated with any vegetable in particular, just savory.

There was soon a complete Umami flavor. Sweet, sour, savory, and bitter in all the right proportions, that came together and caused a puckery feeling in my nose.

Sometimes, certain really good tea’s hit me hard. I get a very intense feeling in my sinus between my eyes…BAM!
I think this happens because we taste flavor with our nose not just with our mouths.
When the mouth gets hit with Umami and the L-Theanine hits the brain too…oh my goodness…it’s wonderful, but later on, I need a NAP!

What I thought of when I was drinking this tea was my parents home in the Sierra foothills. (I took care of them for several years)

The house was nestled in a forest of Pine trees with flowering pink Dogwood in the front yard. The property had a hedge of Camellia around the front that bloomed in Winter, and a Gardenia bush that did it’s best to produce fragrant flowers under the dappled shade of the trees.

When you’ve lived in a forest community, you don’t forget the sound of leaf blowers and chainsaws, the smell of wood-smoke and rain on leafy soil, the sweetness of pine and bark or flowering jasmine and gardenia wafting powdery perfume on a sunny day.

It was our Summer garden that I remembered when I was drinking this Oolong.

I’d sit at the old redwood picnic table with my dad Bill, under a tall pine tree with the warm sun at my back. My friend the chipmunk chattered at me from the fence to give him walnuts (I had trained the little thing to take them from my hand).
At noon I would bring my mother Pat’s wheelchair out the front door of the house and down the wheelchair ramp first, then dad’s wheelchair came next. Both were brought through the garage and into the backyard so that we could have our lunch in the fresh air. Dad would read the paper and mom would nod off to sleep.

It smelled wonderful out there, like life and hope.

Sometimes I can’t describe the flavor of a tea very well, but I say instead where it took me in my heart or memory.

This has been a memorable tea for me and for all those who drink it, take your time.

Sipdown No. 95 was a reserve TOMC tea from about a year ago. I made the final cup of it this evening, & then I remembered that I had planned to compare it to the Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong that Verdant currently is offering. Oh well, that won’t be happening, cuz I’m at Tony’s.

This is a delicious rich smoky cup, with a natural sweetness, like caramelized brown sugar. It would be wonderful with Maple Syrup added, but I drank it plain, & it was wonderful anyways.

This was one of the January reserved TOMC offerings. I loved it then, & I’m loving it now. I’ve never had creme brulee, but I imagine it being like this tea: creamy mouthfeel with a sweet brown sugar topping.

As far as Lapsangs go, this one is very refined. The smoke quality is there, but not so intensely as many others. It’s really lovely. Other images that come to mind while sipping:
canned condensed milk
kettle corn
A fine pipe tobacco

I’ll keep sipping :)

The January tea of the month reserve club package arrived last week. Part of me feels that being a member is perhaps more money than I should be spending, but so far I have not been disappointed!

When I opened this first one, I was immediately caught up in the aroma of the dry leaves. Smokey & sweet, it brought up images of kettle corn, being made in large kettles the old fashioned way. The smokiness made me thing of a fine pipe tobacco as well. There are other faintly familiar aromas that I’m having a hard time placing. Like canned condensed milk (crazy, I know, but there is a hint of it) This is a very complex & interesting tea!

5G of tea + 4 oz Gaiwan (rinse) X 4 secs (+ 2 secs each steeping)

I’d like to say at this point that I have not always been all that into Lapsang Souchong. Having said that, I’ve been sitting here, sipping cup after cup. I’ve never steeped Lapsang this way, & I was missing out!
The smokey flavor is there, especially in the initial steepings, but not in your face.
There is a real nice sweetness that expands with each steeping. It brings to mind the aforementioned kettle corn, with it’s caramelized brown sugar.
I lost count, but after several steepings there is a creamy mouthfeel & the sweetness lingers, making me think of some kind of vanilla pudding topped with brown sugar that’s been given the flambe treatment. The smoke is still there, but in a very pleasant subtle way.
In the later steepings the sweetness gradually dissipated, giving way to a ‘rocky’ taste, a bright feeling on the tip of my tongue, & yet there were still sprinkles of sugar on top.
I actually made it through 15 courses, although admittedly I only drank about half of some of the cups, combining the 2nd half into a jar, which is in the freezer to chill. I’ll report on that in a little while.
A very yummy tea! Thank you David & Wang Shilin! I will savor it!

This was from the Reserve TOMC, Dec of 2012.
It came in little cubes, & featured a cream kind of flavor, very enjoyable. I hoarded the last cube for a long time, but today was the day. And now it’s gone.
373

This is from last December’s Reserve TOMC. I forgot that I was supposed to only use half a cube. The first couple of steeps were really nice: cream, honey, & a vanilla feel. But then it got really strong. I tried shortening the steeps, but I feel that I kind of ruined this one, plus my guts started hurting. Oh well…I still have enough for 2 more sessions.

About a year ago I joined the Verdant Reserve Tea of the Month club. This was among the first offerings. I can’t believe I still have some of this. I’m trying to make an effort to drink through more of these teas, as there is no point having them if I’m not going to drink them. I followed the same parameters as in previous sippings of this (see previous notes), & the results is a soothing cup. I suppose it could be considered a white sheng, & does have a really pleasant energy about it. The dry aroma reminds me of fresh goats milk, while the wet aroma is more like canned condensed milk with a little malt thrown in. The tea itself has a mild maltiness & creamy vanilla like texture. As I continued through the cups, my tongue developed a tingle, my brain got a little buzz on, & gradually the flavor became sweeter, reminding me of sorghum, only a diluted lighter sorghum.

I played a gig this afternoon, the monthly tea at the retirement home. Just for fun, I did a full hour of Beatles music, & the residents loved it. It was fun! For some reason, by the time I got home I was exhausted, just really really tired (I suspect it’s the mold level in the air). I started drinking cups of this about an hour ago, & now, on the 10th & final cup, I am feeling quite revived!

It’s been a long day. Suffice it to say that I slammed down a cup of Assam, left the house early & had breakfast with my 2nd daughter (the breakfast was awesome!), then spent hours at the courthouse on the first day of what is probably going to be a very ugly & expensive custody battle between her & the father of her son. Now I’m home, & I wanted something soothing, something special, this!

Dry, it’s interesting looking little blocks, with multishaded layers of sage, cream, white, black, & gray. The dry aroma is rich, & it took me a few sessions with this tea to identify the very familiar aroma: A very fresh goatmilk. A long time ago I raised goats, & when goats milk is good, it is really really good, but sadly, it is very susceptible to aromas, & also can spoil quickly, so it is best when it is very fresh.

The wet aroma was of malt & canned condensed milk!
I steeped 1/2 cube + 4oz gaiwan (rinse) X 6 sec, then 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 35

The color is a beautiful amber Honey.
The flavors: fresh cream, malt, hint of vanilla, & a gentle fruity sweetness. It is delicious! I usually go for teas that are more assertive, but the richness & creaminess of this tea makes it very satisfying!
I hope that David gets more of this someday. I’ll buy it!

So, yes, I did join the Verdant Tea of the Month Reserve Club!

This afternoon I have been hanging around, sampling this offering for a couple of hours now. I’ve also been returning phone calls & emails, in an attempt to maintain some semblance of business-like behavior in my
self-employed way.

These are interesting cubes of pressed tea, and I followed the instructions, rinsing & steeping half a cube, 6 seconds. The dry tea has a lovely aroma, making me think of the vanilla malt powder we used to get when I was a kid. It smells of cream with a hint of malt.

The tea is a beautiful liquid gold! The taste & mouth-feel also remind me of cream with a little malt & vanilla, each cup is a little sweeter than the last. I think I’m on my 7th cup.

A very soothing, gentle, & pleasant delight!

mmmm…this is my morning to afternoon tea today as i work from home. I’m goign through one last round of this before the last of this goes to cavo (who miiiiight be surprised at all the goodies here for her) because she mentioned wanting to try more puerh and figure out what she likes/dislikes. At least part of this is from dinosara who sent me a number of the reserve club puerhs she disliked, while she got the green stuff i didn’t like haha. there will be numerous steepings of this one today – it’s a really nice puerh.

Another tea that i’ve been drinking all morning from the reserve club. This is one of the few puerhs from verdant that i really enjoy, as in the past i’ve much preferred Mandala’s offering. I am a fan… love it!

Well I figured that i should try and give at least ONE of my reserve club teas a try. I figure if i can hit one a week, then each month i’ll actually get around to trying all 4 that i receive. Though they’ll be some overlap since canada delivery means i don’t get my order until halfway through the month. That being said, i still have january and february to get through lol

So i’m 98% certain i’ve never had a sheng before. I’m also fairly certain that my gaiwan skills can use a little honing. However, practice makes perfect! This tea not only smells like “up north” but the first tasting of this reminds me of liking a cedar chest. Not that i’ve done that before, but it tastes like i imagine doing that would. It’s a delicious mellow flavour that is a pleasure to drink.

Edit: really enjoying the steeps of this one as they progress. A wonderful afternoon tea for some reflection.

So I’m not rating this tea, given that this is from the perspective of someone who is NOT a fan of jasmine (actually i’m pretty sure it gives me a headache).

That being said, i saw Bonnie’s tasting note tonight and it inspired me to try this for several reasons. 1 – there is someone out there in tea land who would LOVE to try this but couldn’t afford to pick some up and 2 – there’s a pretty good chance id never open it of my own free will if i didn’t just jump at the chance!

So seize it I did. The first thing i have to say, this is a BEAUTIFUL tea. The hand tied little bundles are just beautiful. They remind me of the bundles of herbs that hang to dry in some shops….or when people with wonderfully long hair braid their hair and twist it up into a loop. Really. Just so pretty.

And that’s about where my love for this tea ended. I went through a few steepings to get a sense of the different aromas and tastes (1-2 sips per steeping at most). This might be the one jasmine tea that i could love…if i could ever love jasmine. there is a delicate balance here between the flavour and the tea. There is also a hint of a citrus like taste/flavour that eluded me because of the jasmine. I have trouble getting anything else when jasmine is around, even if i try really hard. So, this is technically a sipdown. I’m hoping that the home this is going to will love and cherish it like i never could :) I’m still happy to have tried it though.

A Shu with extremely thick and rich earthy taste. Brewing in gaiwan as per instructions and so far I absolutely love it.

Sipdown! 825.

So I possibly did a Bad Thing and used all 5(?) of the little bundles for one western-style infusion. I just couldn’t be bothered to do things gongfu style; yes, I’m lazy. However, this tea was pretty tasty regardless. I gave it a 1-minute infusion probably at about 90C, and the result was delicately jasminey and quite tasty. I really can’t tell you much more (other than it’s quite a delicious jasmine), but perhaps I can upon further infusions.

Thanks for letting me try some of this one Sil :)

This was my birthday tea, made possible by the lovely and talented Lily Duckler. Thank you so much, Lily! This tea does not disappoint. I am a big fan of the early spring tieguanyin and I was interested to compare that with ‘Top Grade’ tieguanyin. I was so happy to have the opportunity!

The top grade smells a little different: more mild. After the rinse it smells amazing. Visually it has less stems and is a little more uniform. The taste has similar notes, of course, but this one is a lot more floral. I was getting lilac in addition to the springtime daffodil taste that the regular tieguanyin has.

I am treasuring this tea. It is only for special occasions — like my birthday and my 111th tasting note! Thanks again, Lily. You and Verdant continue to amaze!

Yep, top notch. I instantly noticed the smell is the most intense and savory of all the laoshan greens. The taste is savory, sweet and with nice vegetal notes, but not like your usual green teas.

Now this green came as a surprise.
The first thing i noticed was the strong aromatic smell, this tea is superfresh. And the small size of the leaf.

6g / 200ml glaspot
Three infusions
1m/2m/3m @ 80C

I must say the flavour was a surprise. Loads of spinach and a a superb freshness.
I put the flavour as almost identical to a good quality sencha! Wierd considering senchas are steamed. Maybe its the fact that its still so fresh?
As a fan of sencha i am very pleased :)

Tried this westernstyle today.

5g/200ml glaspot.
1m/1:30m/2m

The flavour is nice, but it´s to weak, like theres something missing.
Is this really a high altitude tea? I would choose a nice alishan anytime over this.

I was a little bit excited about trying this tea.
I´ve only tried a low grade TGY before and i was not very impressed. So this was a chance to redeem it!

5g / 90ml celadon gaiwan.
wash/5/5/8/12 etc for maybe 10 steepings.

The overall flavour is nice and floral, somewhat creamy. But the flavour is light, good but light.
I keep thinking it tastes like a diluted taiwanese highmountain oolong.

I will try brewing this westernstyle to try and force some oomph out of it.