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My stomach was in a bad place this afternoon (must have ate something funny) so I made a cup of this tea pronto. It worked! My stomach is returning to calm, and I have a little bit of the giant mug I made of it left. Yay for tea!

My vanilla kick continues! Steeped this for around 3 – 3.5 minutes and it is awesome! Lighter and sweeter and there’s a bit more orchid I’m finding. Not as much of that strange melding of flavors I was getting the first time I made it, more just airy and dreamy and deliciousness. I haven’t had this tea in a while, so I’m happy I took it out today. Please see previous notes :)

So this was my first cup of the day today, I was craving something sweet and cozy. This cup fit the bill, I steeped it for 2 mins this time and it was perfect! I love the name of this tea, it reminds me of the Nutcracker and Christmas. Snow is lightly falling outside as well. Good start to the day! See previous notes on this tea :)

So I am finally trying my new Yixing with this tea! I seasoned it with this tea on Thursday, and today was my day to play with it :) I’m thinking I will actually brew this and the Shui Xian Wuyi in it to see how the flavors build over time.

Anyways, here is my first Yixing attempt. I used the remainder of my sample pack of this tea (another 1 oz on the way!) so it was about 3 grams or so I would guess, I’ve been skimping a bit as I tried it a few weeks back and then I wanted to save it for my teapot! So it might be a bit underleafed. I did two rinses and poured the tea over the cups and the pot as well. It smelled absolutely amazing rinsing it mmmmm sweet honey and fruitness and wood!!

I then poured water in and after pouring steeped for around 4-5 seconds. The first steeping I gave to my boyfriend haha, so I just went over and snagged a sip. THIS IS WONDERFUL!! The flavor is just as lovely as last time, but even more RICH and FULL it seems! Sweet aftertaste with a lovely roasty oolong flavor, juicy and full of life! The second cup (mine) I did for the same amount of time, and it is a bit muted in comparison, but still delicious, almost a more rounded taste. I will continue to get as many steeps out of this as I can today, and I’ll try increasing by a few seconds as I go along! Time to continue my adventure! I’m loving this!

ETA: Steeping 3 becomes citrus, grapefruit and toastiness all around. The sweetness becomes a bit of a fire at the end, but it’s mostly juicy and exciting! The 4th one, the sweetness has returned a bit! Ah I love when this happens with tea, different flavors all over the place but they all go together so well. Upping rating on this tea due to pure and utter enjoyment :D

I put this in my timolino today. Lately I’ve been craving warm, gingery teas and this was the choice for today. The flavor is actually growing on me :) the dry smell is very orange smelling. It brews up a very dark brown, and i steeped for 5 mins. The flavor is very dark roasted tasting, with quite a bit of orange in the background with a hint of ginger. This does very well in the travel mug, i almost prefer it in there as it doesn’t seem to taste as strong. This is also the first pu erh I’ve had in tea (not counting Yabao as it’s an interesting tea not sure how to classify it).

Overall, the flavor is definitely growing on me. It also is very warming and feels healthy to drink. Good choice for mug, oh and I couldn’t smell any fishiness that others have associated with the tea, which is nice haha. Will probably start drinking this a bit more often if my ginger kick keeps up haha.

I haven’t had this tea in a while, mm it’s so sweet :) helping with my headache. Please see previous notes on this tea :)

As a side note, I seasoned my Yixing teapot tonight, will actually brew some tea in it this weekend :)

Ok, I have to admit, I just received this tea yesterday, and I’ve already had 3 cups of it haha! I had one very very early this morning while I was up fretting about my presentation, and it soothed my nerves and stomach awesomely! Also gave me quite a bit of a boost energy-wise. Now I am having a cup as well as I have a slight headache and I finally have a break from school, and this is a very good relaxing tea.

I can see myself drinking through this 2 ounce bag in no time. Sigh. Will have to place yet another order probably in December or so for this tea. I should have known though, caffeine free herbal + Verdant = everyday tea. Love it :)

Oh, and this tea doesn’t mind oversteeping. Accidentely did about 5 mins for these past 2 and it’s still been delicious! Hehe, now time to sip and read up about seasoning my Yixing :D

IT’S HERE!!! Yes, this note is to this tea, but also my anxiously awaited YIXING POT! It’s BEAUTIFUL! I cannot get over the delicateness of it, how small and amazing it looks! I would love to season it tonight, but my darn presentation is tomorrow, and I am definitely not in the mindset for it, I want it to be special and I want to be free of all worries. I will be tomorrow thankfully, so I will season it then! I think I managed to include a picture in the comments.

Anyways, onto this tea review now! The dry smell of these leaves is very heady! I get a lot of the sage and ginger, and definitely a bit of burdock. It’s very spicy smelling. The blend of herbs also look absolutely beautiful, a myriad of petals and colors, it looks as if it has been crafted in a far away land.

The wet smell is at first very rose! Like a lovely perfume of it, with underlying scents of spice. I brewed this between 3 and 4 minutes, don’t know the exact time. The liquor is a light yellow color, and once the leaves are removed, the rose smell has been muted, and the spiciness is replacing it. This smells VERY healthy and like it will destroy any cold virus in its path! Mmm the spiciness is almost intoxicating!

Oh this is SO NICE. Perfect calm. It’s a very light tea, was not expecting quite so light after the aroma. The ginger is there, and I love ginger so this is excellent, I think I’m tasting the basil in there too (never have had Tulsi) and definitely some lemon. And a sage-y aftertaste, and a small hint of sweetness, probably the gogi berries and rose mixing maybe? I am very tempted to add a bit of honey like Bonnie did, just to see what happens. I am going to drink this cup straight first though for a bit, and maybe add it at the end, or have it in the next cup.

Overall, this is very good. Very light, and caffeine free to boot, I can see myself drinking this quite a lot. I’m happy I got 2 ounces haha, as it seems like a good evening tea, and especially good for if my throat is sore or I am sick to my stomach or basically anytime. Also would be interested to try mixing it with some of my Laoshan green or my little bit of Laoshan Black that I have left (might save that though). Thank you Verdant for another wonderful blend, and also for my teapot!!

ETA: Ok, I added a wee bit of honey near the end of the cup – the flavors seemed to come out a little bit more maybe. Hmm, I will have to try adding honey right at the start when the tea’s a bit warmer to see the results.

This was the choice for the travel mug today, this tea is slowly growing on me as I am starting to enjoy the unique flavor. I’ll have to try some flavored green rooibos blends in the future. See previous notes on this tea :)

I really love the name of this tea, it reminds me of the Nutcracker :) having this tonight to relax and focus on a big presentation this week and a lab report due tomorrow. This smells so gooodd! Please see previous notes on this delectable tea from Della Terra :D

ALSO – unrelated to this tea, but my Yixing pot is finally here from Verdant!! AHHH! No one was home to get it this afternoon, so I tried to get it at the post office tonight but they said to come tomorrow as they didn’t have their stuff sorted yet D: I could pretty much see the box! So anxious to get it! :)