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A gifted antique chair now fits nicely at the tea table. Wood and wicker, small and sturdy. I’ve never felt so comfortable sitting proper.

The chair has nothing to do with this tea. In fact, I am in bed just looking around with one eye open and I happened to notice how neat the chair is. It takes up minimal space. It’s made for a person of my stature. It possesses the type of artistry and craftsmanship that I’m craving in pandemic times. A glance at its figure brings comfort in this moment, something a soul-less ergonomic office chair on wheels will never provide. Guess I’ll no longer be hauling ass across a 2 foot radius of open bedroom floor or spinning, spinning in circles (weeee). I like this chair. I don’t like office chairs, or office work. This much I know.

This freebie sachet got me goofy. Knocked me on my ass. Guess that’s what happens when you steep it for 20 minutes. Peppermint is strong and sweet, like my favorite Pacific Northwest grown leaves. This blend and the linden I had earlier feel beneficial to my breathers after driving today with my windows down despite the smoke. The verbena doesn’t make a loud presence, bringing an earthy tone and citrus note. It tastes a touch soapy, like rancid coconut oil. Whatever, I still enjoy it. The long brew is oily viscous and the same color of my chair when the room is lit by a 7 watt lightbulb. There, I tied the tea to the chair.

The tea never did talk.

This was a desperation purchase to tide me over until my order was ready for pickup at the local apothecary. Had there not been a 25% off sale going on the moment I was browsing Harney’s website, I would have passed as these linden sachets are expensive. High demand in these strange times, reduced harvest, supply chain interruptions?

The full sachet contains fine sifted leaf. If I were served this blind, I wouldn’t be able to tell. It’s all sweet nectar floral, a bit of soft wood, forest herbs. A delightfully elegant full-bodied elixir.

One thing I have to mention is Harney’s absurd amount of packaging. The envelope is 2 to 3 times the surface area of the sachet itself (I noticed the same thing with a recent purchase from Rishi Tea). Twenty sachets to an oversized paper box. A large cardboard box stuffed with craft paper to ship it.

Should you not give a damn about excessive packaging, I do recommend Tilleul. Though it does seem, based upon other reviews, that I have the minority opinion of this tisane.

Delicate fluffy white tea on a smokey August morning.

Liquid honeysuckle in a cup. A little tangy with a dry finish. Mellow honeyed aftertaste.

It was a nice moment, courtesy of White Antlers.

2.5g, 200mL, 2 steeps

April 2015 harvest, sealed pouch.

Flattened, unbroken olive green leaves are still quite fragrant with roasted chestnut and what reminds me of the sunflower butter swirl brownies a friend made recently. Very light yellow liquor has a taste kind of citrus-bright and nutty with typical dragon well roasted nuts-chestnut as well as dry grass and clean, mouthwatering minerality. Wet leaf has a leek-beef umami aroma. The second cup isn’t as flavorful but it does have a much stronger aroma. This old leaf would probably take some playing with parameters to get the most of what it has to offer.

It’s been interesting trying a handful of green teas with 4-6+ years of age. While not optimum, they could serve in a pinch.

There is another Whispering Pines Xin Yang Mao Jian on Steepster, prefaced by ‘High Mountain,’ which is not written on this particular pouch of tea. So despite the leaf looking different than what’s in this photo, I’m going to drop this note here.

Another old’n. The dry leaves are green-grey-blue and fuzzy silver-fawn thin, tight twists. Smells like walking from the edges of a sweetgrass meadow into the depths of a mossy forest. All the leaves sink to the bottom after filling the cup with hot water. Not much of an aroma. The liquor is buoyant, viscous and smooth with with most of the taste happening in the back of the mouth — like steamed broccoli stalks and buttered nuts. Mouth-watering, oily and mineral clean. The wet leaf smells tangy with a citrus-berry tone, sweetgrass and florals, as well as with something fleeting that reminded me of a wet rag. Wet rag isn’t a good way to end this note…

Great body. A green tea I’d love to try fresh.

This Laoshan green arrived from White Antlers in a pinecone-stamped mylar-lined brown paper pouch with the tea name handwritten. It must be an old’n, older’n my first order with Whispering Pines maybe 4 years ago.

Small yellowish grey-green-brown curls of leaf smell like sweetgrass and maybe violet? Pale yellowish green liquor with a lightly sweet and umami aroma that reminds me of cooked beef and onions. While it may sound strange, that aroma is what really drew me in to a different company’s Imperial Laoshan Green. It stimulates my stomach rather than being off-putting. The taste, I imagine, has suffered from the years. It reminds me of a sweetgrass incense braid and very lightly sweet mineral water with hints of nuttiness, umami and violet. The mouthfeel is nothing noteworthy but I was taken by surprise with a moderate sugarcane returning sweetness. Body-warming.

I’m sure this tea was better in its prime. It was nice to try another Laoshan green despite its age. Laoshan produces probably what is my favorite type of green tea.

Sealed bag, Spring 2014 harvest.

Delicate, brittle leaf in colors faded grey-brown-green. Smells spicy, dry and pungent — desert earth and green bell pepper without sweetness underpinned by muscatel and strawberry.

First steep had a dry grass-desert earth aroma and a light golden color with a tinge of green. Viscous and smooth finishing dry with minerals and salivation. Mostly tastes of dry grass, barely noticeable apricot aftertaste. Feel mintiness in chest and in the sinuses. Second steep was basically hot water.

I would say time hasn’t been so kind to this green tea but RahRahSan’s review 6 years ago suggests that it was never remarkable to begin with. At least it had a nice mouthfeel.

The land we call home burns once again. I’m holed up in the house, safe in my town. A few of my coworkers have had to evacuate. The smoke is thick in the valley today. Since I’m staying in, I might as well put a dent in this massive gift box of tea, recover from the madness of work this week as 5 counties of people scrambled to our store for emergency supplies. I think a lot of people still have PTSD from the massive, devastating fires of the past three years. Not to mention the stress of this year has been relentless! Life is resilient, though.

This was one of many unopened green teas from White Antlers. July 2015 harvest.

Dry leaf is very dark brown and hard, wiry and twisted spindles that smell of smoke and leather-tobacco, rounded out by mango skin and with a thick bottom sweetness of brown sugar and papaya.

First steep produced a clear, pinkish yellow cup with a light mango skin aroma and a touch of smoke. Light body and tastes with a hay mid/base note, a hint of smoke and a mango skin-apricot mid/high tone. Mineral on sip with a very drying finish. Very light fruity aftertaste. Following a second steep, the leaves were still not unfurled so I went for a third which was tasteless. The spent leaves revealed a pick of nearly all 2 leaves and a bud.

Based on the dry leaf aroma and TeaNecromancer’s experience (who picked up on remarkably similar notes as myself) with this tea 5 years ago, it seems like this green tea would have been a delight when fresh. It’s still drinkable, likely due to being stored in the original sealed pouch.

Quick progression note.

This sheng must be doing well in my storage. The leaf is much darker than the first time I tried it a few years ago. Strong vegetal notes and bitterness and astringency are nearly gone. Now really quite cotton candy sweet and smooth with nice tastes moving toward tobacco. The smoke has lessened, adding depth. Mellow and cooling.

Another sealed bag from White Antlers :)

September 2015 harvest had grandpa. Dry leaf smells like floral perfume. A deeper sniffing reveals candylike melon and a pleasant, clean animal fur. I don’t remember the liquor aroma. Has the silver needle velvety thick mouthfeel with a dominant honeysuckle-nectar-straw-smoke taste and a background melon that becomes stronger in the aftertaste. Grandpa may not be the best method for this tea since it can get bitter. Pretty enjoyable and I’ll try the next round western style.