Verdant Tea (Special)

I have to admit, I became a little afraid of this one when I first opened the pouch. The aroma is so strong and pungent and absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’m not even sure I know how to describe it. Verdant’s description compares this to an Earl Grey, but I’m not getting that at all. My only guess is that this scent belongs to the Cistus oil, a product that I am entirely unfamiliar with. So I’ve held this one back to try as my last sample from Verdant’s January blends box.

I must say that the tea itself is beautiful – there are long, dark, twisted pieces filling up the bag and pops of pink from the rose petals mixed in. The fragrance tones itself down upon steeping and the tea becomes a very pleasant and warming cup of flavorful black tea. I can’t say that I taste the rose or rooibos here, but I can still smell what I believe to be the Cistus oil. It is faint and serves to add another dimension to the already remarkable black tea base. This might be my favorite out of the whole box, which surprises me since it’s the one I was must uncertain about.

I can smell more mint this time. In fact, it smells and tastes like a straight mint tea. I added a bit of cream and the combination of that with the mint is nice.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 1 minute and 15 seconds

This second cup brewed up darker than the first in less than half the time. I did catch a whiff of fishiness while it was steeping (it was more like fish food really which is kind of strange), but now I don’t really smell that. There’s not so much mint this time around, but the tea is still incredibly dark.

Third Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 5 minutes

I cannot believe how prolific this tea has been! This is my third cup (I’ve been drinking on the same teaspoon of leaves all day) and it’s still brewing up dark almost as soon as I add the water. I let this one steep longer even though the cup was dark from the beginning. The flavor isn’t strong but still tastes like a decent cup of tea.

My first tea on this overcast January morning. With the weather as it is, I fully expect to have more than one cup today.

This tea came to me as part of Verdant’s January blends box. There is plenty of fennel in the mix as well as a little mint and some rooibos. The scent is mostly mint, but I’m also catching a glimpse of the sarsaparilla.

It amazes me that after only thirty seconds of steeping this tea has such a rich color. I guess I’m used to steeping dark teas for several minutes to achieve that kind of richness and flavor. Perhaps this is due to the high quality of the tea? Whatever it is, I’m impressed. The flavor is mint, though I wouldn’t call this a mint tea. It’s barely there, kind of hanging out on the edge of the cup. I’m also not tasting any of the fennel or the sarsaparilla here. It actually feels a bit one-dimensional. This is a very straightforward and uncomplicated tea, light-bodied but certainly not lacking in flavor.

My mom picked up some of this in the summer, so I avoided getting it myself and tried hers over Christmas. Oddly, it just tasted like Laoshan Genmaicha, to me. Lovely green beany flavours, toasty rice. Maybe a touch of vanilla. I certainly didn’t pick out any juniper. If this sticks around, I might grab a sample size to try again, because I don’t feel like I got the full experience. Perhaps just a flukey ingredient assortment in my infuser.

I want so badly to like this tea, but every time I drink it I only taste the rooibos. I’m steeping this at a lower temperature today with more tea to see if I can coax out a different flavor. It certainly smells different this time around – more like cinnamon or cinnamon candies.

So I’m thinking this wasn’t my best idea. It’s very, very weak and has quite an unappetizing smell. I put the tea ball back in while sipping and, though it’s helping a bit, it now tastes a little bitter. Definitely not good. Plus, the cooler this gets the worse it tastes. I can’t even finish it. It’s completely my fault though since I tried to make adjustments on my own.

This is my second time to try this blend. I see cloves and peppercorns in this cup so I’m hoping it’s a little spicy. I can smell the spices, but it’s also smelling a little sweet. I’m always worried about teas with sarsaparilla because I’m afraid it’s going to taste like hot root beer, but that hasn’t been my experience with this tea so far.

The aroma as it’s steeping is almost entirely rooibos. Sweetened with honey, it tastes very slightly spiced – not enough to determine which spice I’m actually tasting. It’s mostly rooibos which is what I experienced the first time around. I used too much water I think so next time I’ll try less and see if that strengthens the flavors. I’m thinking this might be better cold, maybe made like a southern iced tea with sugar.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 4 minutes

I’m attempting to re-steep this though I’m nut sure if you are actually supposed to re-steep rooibos. I noticed that the liquid started to color very quickly within the first few seconds, but it didn’t get much darker after that. The liquid does smell spicier this time, like cinnamon. I can taste the cinnamon now too. It still tastes watered down (since I forgot to use less water), but the spices are more prominent this time.

This blend is my first to sample of the three teas that arrived today in Verdant’s January blends box.

Upon opening the pouch, I notice first that the tea smells spiced. There is also a scent there that I can’t recognize. It reminds me of the soaps and essential oils section at my local health food store. Perhaps it’s the neroli? I’m not familiar with it so I cannot say for sure. I can see cloves, cacao nibs, and a small amount of rooibos. The rooibos definitely comes out while steeping and makes the tea smell almost sweet. I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed that I can’t taste any of the spices. It really just tastes like a straight rooibos tea to me, though it certainly is a good rooibos.

First time ever I think I’ve been disappointed by a Verdant blend (that didn’t contain any allergens for me)
I saw licorice and mint on the ingredients and thought – hey I’ll love that, I should get a bag! only to find out it isn’t the licorice I’m used to, much less the licorice Verdant used in their last herbal blend I tried. Or maybe it just pairs with the ingredients differently.
Maybe I oversteeped/overleafed. I’ll try again before submitting a rating

Ugh, I had a big long note written on this and my browser crashed. Le sigh. So I will quickly reiterate – this is citrusy, and the white tea base is quite present and good. The cedar, juniper and birch add a woodsyness reminiscent of the forest, but not of gin in my opinion (which I am okay with lol). Slightly alcoholic like after taste. It is making me sneeze a bit, possibly due to the leaves being a bit dusty. Overall, pretty good. I like the flavor, but not the sneezing haha!

Another tea in The Great Tea Purge/Sampling of 2014. I am trying as many untried teas as I can before the new year, and trying to figure out which ones to rehome/purge from my cupboard. This is next on the list, not really sure why I haven’t tried this one yet, but I know that it looks similar to the previous blends club one that I loved! Jingshan Earl Green!

The dry smell is very lavender, also smells a bit citrusy, so that must be from the fresh green base used in this tea. It smells very calming, I enjoy lavender. It’s not as enjoyable of a scent as the Jingshan Earl Green, as there is a woody note from the birch in the scent of this one. I steeped for 2 minutes with 175 degree water and the steeped smell is lavender, toasty coriander and crisp green tea.

As for the flavor, this is mostly a lavender green tea, with a bit of a toasty note from the coriander. It’s okay, but I found the other lavender green blend more flavorful and interesting. It’s pretty easy to drink, but does get a bit soapy near the end of the sip. The base is not overly present here either, mostly lavender, don’t get much of the other ingredients either unfortunately.

Overall, this is a decent tea that I will probably be able to sip down, as long as I remember to drink it. It’s not a favorite, but it is easy drinking. I might drink up half the bag and give the rest to a friend with similar tastes to me, she also loves lavender. Happy to finally have tried this tea!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Day yesterday :) I didn’t have time for much tea yesterday, so I didn’t log any notes. But today, after a disastrously messy opening of my tea drawer with company there, I decided I am cleaning house today, and hopefully before the new year. I am trying as many untried teas I have, and making decisions on whether I like them or not. Also purged the final few cups of some that I just couldn’t get down or finish the bag, no matter how I tried. Time for a cleaner cupboard in the new year!

The first teas under fire are all my untried teas in the blends club. As I have mentioned previously, I really dislike the scent of sarsaparilla, and as this tea has it in it, I put off having it. Also, to me the dry smell is strongly of pickles haha! There is a sharp, salty, and slightly sour scent to this one haha. Definitely some spice in there too, as my nose gets a bit tingly. It’s also a good day to try new teas, as I have an allergy pill in my system from yesterday so I shouldn’t react to any haha :)

So yes, finally I brewed up a cup of this after the offputting pickle scent. The steeped tea, after about 2 mins with 195 degree water, thankfully does not smell like pickles :D it is quite nice now, an oolong scent with a toasty, spicy smell. I think it is the schisandra and tulsi contributing. Not much in the way of sarsaparilla either, thank goodness. No idea what Blue Lotus contributes or tastes like, so I cannot comment on that.

As for the flavor, this is kind of a weird one to me. It’s like a very herbal chai. I get the green flavor from the laoshan oolong, which has some of the attributes of Laoshan green to me, a bit beany and vegetal ( I haven’t tried Laoshan Oolong by itself, so just guessing from the flavor). The tulsi is present, which I enjoy, it adds a nice spiciness. There is a faint woodiness from the sarsaparilla, but this is one blend I can tolerate better as it’s muted by the tulsi.

Overall, this is an interesting tea, once I get past the dry scent. It is very savoury, and not one I would drink every day, but it would be good for a salt craving. I am unsure if I will keep this one or re-home it, will have to think it over. Happy I finally got over the smell and tried it though, as it’s not nearly as scary as it smells!

Oh, and I will henceforth refer to my new tastings/cleaning cupboard as The Great Tea Purge/Sampling of 2014. Lol.

I’ve been sipping on this one most of the afternoon. It’s another really refreshing, light puerh. The first few sips were clean, slightly like spring water… as i had subsequent steeps, it became slightly nutty and then trended towards green tea/vegetal like :)

Well, I’m finally finishing this packet. I tried to stretch it out as long as possible because I really liked this one. Some of the blends from Verdant have been a little odd (but, I’m happy to try them). This one, I just loved. I love authentic tasting floral teas, citrus, and vanilla, all flavors present in this tea. It is also really flavorful. Juicy is a great way to describe this. The dominant floral is definitely jasmine, followed by citrus, and then vanilla. The texture is almost syrupy. The aftertaste is floral and sweet.

gah steepster ate my note. to recap:

this one was from dinosara and terri… i had it yesterday and it was really nice. This is not a strong puerh – it’s light and refreshing and reminded me of drinking spring water, except with taste that was sweet and earthy and just downright calming.

Final Count Yesterday: 75 (though that will be going up again with some teas that Kitenna dropped off once i get another few moments to enter them)

I thought I had reviewed this, but I guess not! This was a blend of the month tea back this summer. I have since discontinued the club, but I have a giant backlog of teas that I need to finish off from previous months.

I haven’t been paying enough attention to give this a detailed review, but essentially this is floral, jasmine and sweet. My favorite jasmine white tea is the base, and its typical linen and sugared sweetness is present, perhaps even enhanced by the vanilla. I agree that this being a ‘vanilla’ tea is a mismomer, but I do like the mild sweet flavor that smooths and softens the myriad of florals. To me, this reminds me of my beloved Eight Treasures Yabao but with a different base :)

Overall, this is a lovely summery tea if you like florals and jasmine. I love these things when they are done right, and I love how this blend tastes. For me, this is a good one, as it’s to my liking :)

nope. not for me. I’ve had this a couple times now and it’s just not working for me. something about the green and the berries that creates a flavour that is completely disharmonious to my mouth. The rest of the ounce i purchase will be off to Terri so that she can give it a try!

had this one today…willl write more someday but it smelled vanilla and wonderful…taste wise it was a little weird. Not bad, but i’m not yet sure what to make of it. Jury’s still out :)

I finally decided to give some of my November Verdant delivery a go – this tea sounded so unusual (and, given how much I love the Zhu Rong and the Yunnan Jasmine White, so delicious) that I felt it would be a safe bet for a sleepy Saturday.

The dry blend smells wonderful, though the delicious jasmine and the lighter orange peel definitely are the main aromas (not, of course, that I’m complaining). I used the recommended parameters from Verdant (5g per 8oz, steep for 30"). The infusion that it produced smelled divine – all of that delicious floral aroma from the jasmine, with just light undertones of orange (and a tiny bit of the ZR’s chocolate smell). It also looked noticeably darker than the Yunnan White usually does, when steeped in the same way.

To drink, it really was rather delicious. So floral, caramelly and fragrant – a sumptuous cup of tea, if ever there was one. I’m probably a little blinded by how fabulous I normally find the Yunnan White, but I really, really liked this blend. Though it did come in the November shipment (not, of course, that I received that until early December anyway), I think this tea is actually a perfect one to have out at Christmas – the blend looks very festive and the citrussy notes from the orange peel made it really appropriate for this bitterly cold day.

The second and third steeps were definitely less jasmine-tasting – the odd Zhu Rong leaf that I scooped into the infuser came out much more, giving a stronger caramel flavour. It was still delightfully perfumed, though, so I certainly didn’t mind. And, I guess, it’s kinda nice to have a tea that changes so much, whilst remaining really delicious, the more you steep the leaves.

Excellent!

Another from dinosara and my choice for a mid afternoon puerh. I pulled this one out since i had the 2006 shu this morning just to see how they might be different given that they ARE two wildly different puerhs..but similar hahaha at least in year and region.

I have to say, not a fan of this one. There’s something about the taste, even after multiple tastings that just isn’t sitting with me. It’s more vegetal than the shu and has a side taste that is like the oolong taste that i don’t like, but isn’t that taste. At least i tried..but not a fan.

Another of my puerhs from dinosara It’s a snow day here in Toronto and I AM LOVING IT! So i’m doing my best to be super productive work wise but also with my puerhs. My goal today is to get through THREE sessions! Mother is coming up this weekend for wedding dress shopping, so i won’t have much time to actually drink tea beyond what i take out with me. This was my morning puerh….though in retrospect i probably should have saved it for my evening puerh.

this was an earthy puerh but not overly so. as terri puts it – it’s a clean earthiness. For me, the first sip made me exclaim in surprise over how refreshing the taste was… and then i promptly had several more sessions in a row, standing in the kitchen….where my other half found me gleefully holding my little cup, drinking and smiling haha. This would be one of the few verdant puerhs i might consider reordering (though i doubt it’s available)….as i generally don’t find myself overly impressed with a lot of their puerh.

Thanks dinosara!

Interesting, but no.

Anyone interested in this one? People who I have on my shipping list preferred. :)

I ordered just a sample size of this, because on the one hand, it sounds amazing, but on the other hand, my love for green teas and green blends has been flagging lately, and I wasn’t sure if I would love it.

The blend looks lovely—Laoshan Green tea in those familiar curls, with yellow safflowers, long rice grains, and juniper berries. The brew comes out very harmonious, with a vegetal green base that isn’t distracting or too heady, and a rich, buttery finish with hints of vanilla and toasted rice, the rice being less evident than in the Laoshan Chocolate Genmaicha. I’m not sure if I’m getting anything from the juniper or safflowers, but then again, the berries might just be there for decoration. Overall, it’s a comforting and enjoyable blend, and worth trying, though I’m not sure I’ll get more as it’s not often available, and didn’t amaze me so much that I would search far and wide for it.

mmmm thanks for sending this one my way dinosara I have been enjoying this all mid-afternoon ish. Working from = get to try and have one of my puerhs! yaaay! this is a smooth one…with a woody sort of quality. Like being up north, standing in the woodshed. there’s a nutty quality to this one as well. i’ve quite enjoyed this today.

Another sipdown in The Great Tea Purge/Sampling of 2014! This was a delicious, summery floral tea that I have thoroughly enjoyed for the whole bag. This final cup still has that lovely linen flavor from the Yunnan White Jasmine that I really like, and the florals are atill light and good, even with all the dust that accumulates at the bottom of tea bags. I’d love to see this available next summer at Verdant! See previous notes on this yummy tea :)