This is an amazing tea – the hype had mostly passed me by, I confess I tend to ignore a lot of reviews of teas which would be difficult for me to find. Ordering tea from outside the EU is risky, anything past 100 grams is subject to tax (and delay and flat fees on tax) and less than 100 grams the shippping so expensive for the quantity. I just might have to risk it because of this.
Angrboda very kindly and generously picked this for me in my last swap. After checking steepster the expectations were raised, and somehow how this lives up to it.
I can´t really add anything new to the great, complex tasting notes already done so not even going to try. This was somehow lighter than I expected (not a problem), and it is indeed magical at evoking scents of other things, while being tea, just tea. Chocolate, malty, vanilla-y and at second steep almost peppery – reminds me of another tea I loved, Theodor´s Milky Oolong which is also magical. Really fabulous tea.
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I drank a cup of this while fixing breakfast today :)
Glad you got a chance to try it!
I do that too. I automatically just assume that new names are out of reach, although I tend to be mostly hung up on shipping fees. It’s quite rare that I actually go and look them up. Sometimes I get a pleasant surprise when I notice that it’s actually a place I can shop at. :D Discovering a new shop is always twice as fun, though.
I am a bit scared of customs – it´s not paying the 6% or 23% (yikes, harder) but the whole fuss and flat fees. European Union is OK, out of Europe, a bit scarier.
I still got plenty from your sample (thank you! a treasure indeed) and I am going to enjoy it very much but I just might bit the bullet and order from then when this is back on stock. They have free shipping on orders above 70 dollars IIRC? Did it work well?
Terri, it is a small world! Loved it.
It seems to depend on where you order from. I have more frequently been asked to pay customs on something coming from the US than something coming directly from China (although that has happened once as well. A TeaSpring order was held hostage for a WEEK before I got it). There is a small number of American vendors that I will shop with. Verdant is one, but I only shop there very infrequently and primarily because of this tea. I’ll try the others when I’m buying this one, but probably wouldn’t shop there otherwise. It’s one of those special cases. I can’t remember if I ever pushed it above $70 for free shipping, though.
I am definitely considering ordering this when it is on stock – though 70 dollars worth of it no!
Here the post is pretty relaxed about duty, as long as it’s not much over the allowance, which is something like €45. But woe to you if you have a package from outside the EU shipped by UPS or FedEx. They are just MEAN and charge a massive handling fee for paying even a small amount of duty. You could always use my address if you want to order from Verdant and I’ll pop it on to you. They ship USPS so it would not be a problem!
Angrboda I’m so much less sensible than you about US companies – I got so sick of having to check shipping policies every time I read a tempting tasting note that I devoted a little notebook to it! I’ve already got info on about 30 or 40 companies. :) Not all US, obviously.
Hallie, oh that is a good trick! Though sometimes companies change policies – I ordered from Harney in early 2012, decent shipping, checked again one year later, shipping was 3 times as much (40 dollars or something. And nothing worth it).
And I just checked with verdant, shipping was a reasonable $8.50 , so I did a pre-order of the laoshan black while bravely ignoring everything else. When it arrives, I will have to send you some – though I think question is, when, it will take some time I guess. But could not resist (thank you Angrboda, it was indeed fantastic!)
Ugh, change of shipping policies is mean, as is $40 shipping. Though that’s about Dammann Freres price to Ireland, which still makes me crazy cranky. Thanks for the offer, but have to admit I tried some that sil sent me, and I wasn’t that keen. Will try to explain later when I’m not doing one-handed typing!
Yep – though I think teas can change a lot from batch to batch and their reaction to local water is always different.
And you are posting a lot already, am amazed! But it can surely wait!
True, and I gather there’s a big difference between the autumn and spring harvests for the Laoshan blacks.
:) you’re not seeing how very long it’s taking me!
And just to add, that is some nerve from Dammann! 40 euros to ireland, and they are not even that good – Mariage Frères and Thé-o-dor (both of which are better tea companies in two very different styles) have about 25-30 euros shipping to Portuga. And they have much more varieties of rooibos – this is quite silly but I am so picky about rooibos and have been drinking a lot of rooibos lately and getting new good rooibos is also a deal breaker for any tea order. If I am going to spend money on shipping I want to get food rooibos as well. One of these days I will indulge in a biggish Theodor order. Mariage Freres I can get here, Theodor no, and I am jonesing for more Carpe Diem and more Milky Oolong and a lot of other stuff on my wishlist.
I drank a cup of this while fixing breakfast today :)
Glad you got a chance to try it!
I do that too. I automatically just assume that new names are out of reach, although I tend to be mostly hung up on shipping fees. It’s quite rare that I actually go and look them up. Sometimes I get a pleasant surprise when I notice that it’s actually a place I can shop at. :D Discovering a new shop is always twice as fun, though.
I am a bit scared of customs – it´s not paying the 6% or 23% (yikes, harder) but the whole fuss and flat fees. European Union is OK, out of Europe, a bit scarier.
I still got plenty from your sample (thank you! a treasure indeed) and I am going to enjoy it very much but I just might bit the bullet and order from then when this is back on stock. They have free shipping on orders above 70 dollars IIRC? Did it work well?
Terri, it is a small world! Loved it.
It seems to depend on where you order from. I have more frequently been asked to pay customs on something coming from the US than something coming directly from China (although that has happened once as well. A TeaSpring order was held hostage for a WEEK before I got it). There is a small number of American vendors that I will shop with. Verdant is one, but I only shop there very infrequently and primarily because of this tea. I’ll try the others when I’m buying this one, but probably wouldn’t shop there otherwise. It’s one of those special cases. I can’t remember if I ever pushed it above $70 for free shipping, though.
I am definitely considering ordering this when it is on stock – though 70 dollars worth of it no!
Here the post is pretty relaxed about duty, as long as it’s not much over the allowance, which is something like €45. But woe to you if you have a package from outside the EU shipped by UPS or FedEx. They are just MEAN and charge a massive handling fee for paying even a small amount of duty. You could always use my address if you want to order from Verdant and I’ll pop it on to you. They ship USPS so it would not be a problem!
Angrboda I’m so much less sensible than you about US companies – I got so sick of having to check shipping policies every time I read a tempting tasting note that I devoted a little notebook to it! I’ve already got info on about 30 or 40 companies. :) Not all US, obviously.
Hallie, oh that is a good trick! Though sometimes companies change policies – I ordered from Harney in early 2012, decent shipping, checked again one year later, shipping was 3 times as much (40 dollars or something. And nothing worth it).
And I just checked with verdant, shipping was a reasonable $8.50 , so I did a pre-order of the laoshan black while bravely ignoring everything else. When it arrives, I will have to send you some – though I think question is, when, it will take some time I guess. But could not resist (thank you Angrboda, it was indeed fantastic!)
Ugh, change of shipping policies is mean, as is $40 shipping. Though that’s about Dammann Freres price to Ireland, which still makes me crazy cranky. Thanks for the offer, but have to admit I tried some that sil sent me, and I wasn’t that keen. Will try to explain later when I’m not doing one-handed typing!
Yep – though I think teas can change a lot from batch to batch and their reaction to local water is always different.
And you are posting a lot already, am amazed! But it can surely wait!
True, and I gather there’s a big difference between the autumn and spring harvests for the Laoshan blacks.
:) you’re not seeing how very long it’s taking me!
And just to add, that is some nerve from Dammann! 40 euros to ireland, and they are not even that good – Mariage Frères and Thé-o-dor (both of which are better tea companies in two very different styles) have about 25-30 euros shipping to Portuga. And they have much more varieties of rooibos – this is quite silly but I am so picky about rooibos and have been drinking a lot of rooibos lately and getting new good rooibos is also a deal breaker for any tea order. If I am going to spend money on shipping I want to get food rooibos as well. One of these days I will indulge in a biggish Theodor order. Mariage Freres I can get here, Theodor no, and I am jonesing for more Carpe Diem and more Milky Oolong and a lot of other stuff on my wishlist.