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Smells like pasta sauce…. the herbs in a red sauce that is and literally every time I smelll it I crave pasta and starch. Back to to the tea though it’s a very light flavor (never goes bitter boiling water for 20+ mins still smooth) it travels well since it can not be over brewed and seems to possess very little caffeine (not bitter at all nor does it give me an energizing “buzz”). So depending on what you are looking for in a green tea not bad.

Overall all it was an impulse buy, it being cheap and I have never tried taiwanese green tea before but I wasn’t that blown away I will try gongfu since it is actually a green heart cultivar so maybe I can get some body out of it if I use boiling water and high leaf to water ratio but until I get anything striking it will just be my buffer tea to drink in between stronger teas.

Upped the gram used this time around getting to the bottom of my bag at this point in an effort to use up all my green(oolong) tea before this year harvest. Using about 7g in my 100 mL gaiwan and this time around it got even more intense. Before when I was following the steeping time rishi suggested it was always a bit light and vicious, now when I quit being so frugal I really got what this tea is all about. The body is heavy still on the lighter side but it was super watery before, also the subtle nuances before more pronounced. It is smooth like a jade and super floral but sweet floral instead of bitter floral like rose petals or jasmine can get.

I only got about two steepings in before I had to stop I am super tea drunk lol, calm and floating type feeling even though I woke up fairly stressed due to personal things. Who needs prozac when we have Gao Shan Cha, I can’t drink anymore at the moment especially since I have a busy day but it’s too good to toss….. Maybe cold brew the rest? lets see what happens.

This is my first aged/roasted oolong full disclosure. The first few infusions smelled and tasted exactly like a dark roast starbucks coffee whether that is a good or bad thing is up to your preferences, I found it to be nice and unique in tea. Over subsequent infusions I tasted more ash and incense. A little later on I could actually taste the TGY which I was relieved because in mind roasting in general coffee or tea should be used as a tool to build the layers of flavor, not the main flavor component unless you are trying to hide bad tea/coffee. Finally it finished off minerally like a wuyi.

Overall not a bad tea Verdant usually never lets down(roasted laoshan oolong was an exception maybe because I had such high hopes) I would not repurchase, once again I am a poor college student so was it worth the +$12/oz probably not but it was an nice change of pace and a unique experience and I will gladly finish off the bag and look forward to exploring the realm of roasted/aged oolongs.

Meh
That is how I feel about this tea long story short
-Soapbox
Rishi was my first loose leaf tea company so I will always have a special place in my heart for them. I have never had a bad tea by them and I believe the retail box packages are the best possible way to start tea and getting a footing for loose leaf tea not to mention to date some of the best I have ever had were purchased from their small lot batches on their website. Consistency is hard for tea companies let alone one that offer literally every type of tea available from yellow to pu er. SO with that said Im going to give this tea a “C” that not an insult but rather an indication that a tea of this high of quality does not excite me anymore considering I was the typical american who thought tea was the thing in bag you threw into styrofoam cups on an airplane or when you had a cold.

-Review
I remember there other crop a few years back being “better” a heavier body and more bold taste so I was a little disappointed. But I think it is was my blue collar tea taste because I can tell these leaves are of a higher quality plucking (1/2 leaves ATTACHED to a bud) and a lot brighter in color(usually indicating not from a high output factory" over cooking". Just as I prefer summer harvest over spring Darjeeling’s higher quality/price is not always “tastier”. Still this tea is a great example and high quality once again, I am just spoiled at this point with access to sites that sell teas I can’t afford and should not but do purchase from.

I had high hopes for “milk oolong” after reading about it but I was let down after trying a scented one. By chance I made an recent purchase of darker oxidized teas given the time of year but decided to throw this in for the hell of it.

WOW smelling taiwan teas just after opening the air tight bag is quickly becoming my favorite thing. This smelled just like I had imagined when I learned about “milk oolong” unfortunately I was conned and bought some of Mandala’s milk which was heavy scented/flavored/etc, that one is something I would expect at David’s tea or Teavana tisk tisk. This is whole other league it smells of creamed spinach with the smoothest of jade oolong amplified and the nice vegetal after taste of a quality unroasted TGY. Not to mention this is a winter harvest, and after the harsh winter we had, the spring crop must be ethereal.

Bottom line buy Eco Cha and if you can try their spring harvest you will thank me

Still can not get over this tea I had it again this morning in an effort to deplete my stash so I can open my recent Eco Cha order(Purchased some of their version as well). Western brew does not do it justice, it completely changes over multiple infusions and when I say changes I mean first it is brisk with a hint of warming cinnamon spiciness, then next it’s sweet up front like a date, after it transforms into a winter green/menthol/camphor cooling experience.

The quality of the leaf is impeccable as well, the infusibility is through the roof, a benchmark for what hong cha can and should be. I did not take black tea as seriously as oolongs or pu ers until now.