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So on to my Verdant Alchemy Blend adventure. I picked this up because I have never had an herbal with rose or elderberry. I opened the package and saw the beautiful pink rose petals. The dry mixture had a fragrance of perfume. One of my coworkers said that it smelled like something Marie Antoinette would have had in her teacup.

I brewed 2 teaspoons for 5 mins. The pink from the petals transferred to the liquor and the wet petals were white. I could smell the cinnamon and licorice root right off the bat. Nice..very light. The elderberry was sweet and was matched well with the other ingredients. I’ve had this same tea but with hibiscus instead of the elderberry. While I love hibiscus this is a nice change from the norm. I’m glad I purchased this.

Wow…very nice. I have been wanting to try this after I tasted the Laoshan black tea. I opened the package and the spices hit me. I could not smell the tea at all. I was a little worried that it would be just that…SPICE! I gave the packet to a coworker and they said that they could smell it from across the room…it was so strong.

I used about 2 teaspoon in my wabi sabi pot from Samovar. Brewed it for 5 mins and poured. Nice amber color.The chocolate aroma of the Laoshan black was there. It smelled amazing, the spices backed the chocolate flavor of the tea perfectly. I put 2 teaspoons of raw sugar and a drop of cream. It was balanced..really did not need a thing.

This time last year I was trying almost everyones chai. I bought Adagio, Samovar,Yogi,Tazo, Rishi.This to me is the best one. Its because of the Laoshan Black. That tea already has so much dept that it would have to make an amazing chai. I’m so happy I purchased 2 oz of this. I will have to pickup more and do it “old school” on the stove top.
I kind of regret putting the cream, it did not need it……

The dry “bud” has a nice woodsy smell. I was eager to get home to brew it. The wet bud was a little musty but had a sweet cedar aroma. I did not know how long to brew it so I did it for 3 mins. It seemed to be enough to get the flavor from the buds. I don’t know what to say about the tea…I might have to come back to it.

After drinking this again I can see how this tea can grow on you. I have steeped it 6 times. 2mins,5mins,10mins,15mins,20mins, 1 hour. The buds really do take off on the flavor. I will have to try the new silver buds.

So After 4 cups of this I have finally finished this nice sample. I love it, it is the perfect way to end a stressful night. At first I did not think I would like it, but after the first sip it might be a buy :)

So I had this tea in the first box of Steepster Select and never really sat down to write a tea note. I am drinking it now while making some ginger mint tea on the stove. Hopefully this will tie me over until it is ready. The dry leaf is spot on with ginger, but I can’t really make out the peach. The wet leaf has undertones of peach but the ginger is in the fore front. I like it but I’m not blow away by it. This is a tea that I think anyone would like to be honest. The occasional tea drinker would pick this up and make it iced probably. Me not being an ice tea person would pass this by. Still nice though, just not something I would buy….

So I have been waiting to write a tasting note on this tea because I’m still trying to figure it out. The dry leaf is intoxicating. Like a bittersweet cacao. The wet leaf smelled the same but with undertones of honey. Hmm malty..but there is something else there that I can’t put my finger on.

This is my first traditional Genmaicha. I’ve had it only with matcha, so it is nice to have it the traditional way. The dry leaf smelled nice a nutty, while the wet leaf smelled like burnt popcorn. Nice to have a old “poor mans” classic Japanese tea. The “people’s tea” :).

Nice..first one. So when I opened my Steepster Select box this was the first one out of the two that I smelled. WOW…so sweet! I almost did not believe it was green tea. It did not smell grassy to me..something else that I could not put my finger on. I took the box to work with me since I picked it up on the way. Throughout the day I kept smelling the tea…then giving it to others, even one of my managers to smell. They got a laugh out how excited I was. Hmm….maybe a green Jolly Rancher when you take it out of the wrapper? Yeah thats what I got.
The wet leaf was more complex…maybe cooked spinach with nutmeg. The taste followed suit. It was not astringent at all…very smooth. A delight for sure.
Thanks Steepster Select for opening me up to new teas. I would have never have bought this otherwise. Green tea is a new world to me :)

So this was my sample from Verdant. I was a little surprised by it since I ordered a black, 2 oolongs, and one purer. It was a pleasant surprised though. I opened the bag and it did not have the grassiness that I’m used to from a green which was another plus. I waited till I drank my other purchases before I drank this one. I read the story by David on how he came in contact with the tea and it made me want to drink it tonight.
I drank it the “preferred” way the Jingshan way. I watched the beautiful leaves unfold and began to sip. It was a little strange looking into the glass cup and trying to avoid the leaves while drinking the tea. It started off light and floral then it transformed to more of a vegetal oolong. Loved it! I was afraid of overstepping it since I did not want it to be bitter. It was far from it….nice!
The Jingshan way is the way to go with this tea.

Just received my order from Verdant. I did a quick rinse and started with a 3 min steep in my wabi sabi pot. I will admit that I am a little apprehensive when it comes to pu’ers. I get a little sick to my stomach when I smell the fishy musky aroma. I took off the top of the pot and got a hint of the musky smell that I have smelled from other pu’ers…..then a nice sweet cedar. A sigh of relief came quickly and I poured it into a clear mug to look at the liquor. One my my favorite things to do with any tea is to smell the wet leaf. Hmmm, nice and woody. The taste followed suit with the smell. I have to spend more time with this tea. I like it I just don’t know if I love it…but that may change.

So far I have done two steeps…