Laoshan Apothecary Green

This is a sample from Anny Oxidant & the Tea Bullie, thanks!

I definitely get the cardamom, coriander and holy basil. I think the mint is more subtle than the above. The green reminds me of veggies. I’m not sure I’m that fond of this combination. It just doesn’t sweep me off of my feet. I would say I think it is a quality tea. Thanks for sending me a sample Anny Oxidant & the Tea Bullie!

A very generous sample from Anny Oxidant & the Tea Bullie. Also my first Verdant, strangely.

The Tulsi on this seems to be the most prominent flavor to me, followed by the mint and coriander. I seem to be experiencing this tea backwards from everyone else, like it was made for me by the Time Traveler’s Wife.

It was a very good quality blend, an interesting combination of flavors that was fairly enjoyable. I’m glad I had a chance to try it, but I don’t see myself stocking this one.

Thanks again, Anny!

I was curious about this one, so I added a sample to my last order. Because the samples don’t reseal, I opened it for the first time today and was surprised at how minty the aroma was. The blend smells more like an herbal than a green, but luckily it doesn’t taste that way. The buttery, slightly nutty flavors come out when it’s been steeped… as well as the complex notes of the blend, with tastes decidedly minty. I am glad I had a chance to try this, but I don’t think it’s going to be something I reorder, unless my husband (who did really enjoy it) would like more.

I really love this more than I expected to, as with most of Verdant’s blends. I’ve been drinking it all day – hot and iced since I remembered to stick some in the fridge early on. Spicy and herbaceous, with a fresh sweetness like a garden in spring, this is immensely refreshing.

I really hope this is a blend Verdant brings back. This is another tea that has swept me off my feet! I did not expect to like it as much as I do. The green bean flavor of the Laoshan green is paired perfectly with the coriander and cardamom- I find it hard to describe how it makes me feel. I don’t want to describe it as medicinal, because that sounds yucky. However, it really does taste like its good for you, very clean and comforting.

I usually don’t like any spices in my tea but decided to give this one a try. I think that the name is very fitting and not because the taste is in any way medicinal; somehow sipping this tea makes me think about old apothecaries with spices, dried herbs and weird thing in jars :) I can taste the coriander which adds some nice crispiness to the taste. I like this a lot. Will probably reorder.

ditto about drinking this months ago, not logging due to crazy hecticness and mind elsewhere at the time (bad me), cleaning out my greens stash for the summer and remembering i’d missed this. logging for posterity.

kind of funny now given i finally had NMTC Casablanca earlier today. it’s got to be sacrilegious to say this, but i thiiiiink i might prefer that one. it’s not the greatest comparison i realize since that’s got an earl thing going on and i’m a huge honkin’ sucker for earls, but the note about trying to do a twist on moroccan mint reminded me.

that said, a friend says this is super delicious cold steeped. i’ll do that with this last little sad bit of leaf i’ve got.

Brewed Western-style. Steeping times: 45, 60, 120, 240.

One of Verdant’s more intriguing blends. It struck me when I first drank it months ago. The dry leaf looks absolutely lovely – the tan coriander and fennel seeds provide contrast against the little dark green curled leaves – and offers a minty, tulsi-filled aroma. Mmmmm.

The first infusion is very minty. Having run out of steam, the mint fades drastically in the later infusions. This results in the other ingredients and the base tea are able to come out from hiding, thus creating a good balance between a spicy, herbal tang and a nutty, buttery flavor.

I’m wary of green tea blends, but I can say with confidence that this one is my favorite.

I just found my sample of this floating around in a drawer so I thought I’d finally crack it open! I’m surprised by how savory the liquor smells. I really like the laoshan green, so I was expecting to really enjoy this. This is very good! I like the savory aspects with the green being the undertone. I was surprised that the mint is more evident in the smell than in the taste.

A while back I was facing some personal challenges and just overall had a lot on my plate. So it was back then that I booked this week off so my partner and I can take a short vacation together. Things didn’t turn out as planned and partner is now back to work. I decided to still keep my week off and just relax. Be a tourist in my own city, eat lunch at all the places I never get to go to for lack of time, and mostly indulge.

Part of indulging, however, was allowing myself a day home with tea, books, tv and comfy clothes. (ok, originally it was pyjamas but I find the track pants are cozier). I always envied a little those of you who seemed to lack a rigid schedule and who went on about making and drinking tea, reading books and watching the grass grow. As a chef I don’t get to drink tea at work. There’s no sitting around a desk gazing at a computer screen while sipping a cuppa. I’m also not taking tea to meetings or what have you.

So today I treated myself to a day where I do all the little things. Reading from a good book. Watching the Food Network (yay!). The saturday crossword that I didn’t get to finish because we were at our cottage (that looks like this. http://instagram.com/p/rN4DFgnqXb/?modal=true .I guess I married up) And of course, drinking tea.

This tea, umm.. I will try it again when I’m in the mood for mint. I thankfully get quite a bit of the delicious Laoshan green base but also a lot of mint. There’s something refreshing about this that makes me think of citrus but there’s no citrus in this tea apparently. I admit to not reading the ingredients when I ordered this or I wouldn’t have gotten it. Tulsi? bleah. I think I meant to order Laoshan Green and ended up with this. It’s not a verdant error because I took a shot of my ipad screen prior to ordering.

I can’t say I love this, sorry. Like I said, maybe I’m just not in the mood for mint right now.