122 Tasting Notes
Finally a chance to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea! I feel like I’ve been on my feet most of today. The dry leaves smell amazing — almost fruity, like citrus. The tea when brewing smells grassy and vegetal. Totally different!
I’m enjoying today’s tea with Japanese rice candies — the kind wrapped in rice paper that come with a sticker. My students love the stickers and the candy is addictive — win win! The sweetness also pairs well with green teas.
Oops, I accidentally oversteeped. Just a little bit, though. The tea is a lovely champagne color. It is a little bitter — this may be my “user error” in oversteeping. Sorry, tea!
I don’t think I care for this one, but perhaps I just need to try steeping it for less time. I will try this with the rest of my sample.
This is one of those ‘take it like medicine’ teas for me. Yogi always uses so much licorice in their darn blends! They could make licorice-free versions and make me very happy. What keeps me coming back to Yogi (besides how effective the teas are) are the little messages printed on the tags. Good Earth Teas used to do that, but now they have plain white tags. Tonight’s tea fortune is “Real happiness lies in that which never comes nor goes, but simply is.”
A little philosophy with your tea, I like it.
The tea smells good but the taste is pure licorice. Oh snap, stevia? I knew this tasted sweet. Yuck. Like I said, take it like medicine! Hopefully good night soon.
This is a lovely, generous sample from Hesper June. Right off the bat, it smells wonderful! The tea looks lovely too, with beautiful rose petals nestled in among the tea leaves. It smells like burying your nose in a magnificent summer rose. Yum!
The tea brews up to a lovely aroma, too. The taste of rose is not overpowering and it blends nicely with the base. This is the perfect tea to start off June with. After all, roses are the flower of June birthdays. Mine will be coming up soon, I’m excited! Hopefully the new year of life brings good things.
Hahaha, this tea has me happy and spinning off in all sorts of directions! If you enjoy rose teas, absolutely try this one out. It is delicious! Thank you so much, Hesper! I would not have tried it if you hadn’t sent it along. :)
I was excited to try this tea after discovering how much I like Tieguanyin. What a curious blend! It’s very colorful and right on top I had a little chunk of sap. I’ve never had tea with sap before, this will be interesting.
Woah. This ish is intense. In such a good way. It’s like David (I’m just assuming he made this, I’m sorry if I’m offending the tea-maker or tea-team) got to the heart of the Tieguanyin and then brought out all the flavors with this blend. It all works, even though on paper it seems like it might not.
This is a complex and delicious tea. I’m looking forward to the resteep as most of the leaves have not opened yet. Could this get even better? Anything is possible!
The tea looks different now — the orange peel has plumped up and looks brighter, the leaves are expanding, and the sap has turned white and is melting all over everything. The smell is slightly different, too.
YUM. It does get even better. I don’t have the words to properly describe this tea. I wish I had more linguistic talent! Some of you Steepster…ers are so poetic!
Overall, this is another amazing blend from Verdant. I highly recommend it to everyone. That’s something (out of many things) that I love about Verdant. They offer those little sizes so you can get adventurous and try new stuff. If you don’t like it, no big deal. You aren’t stuck with an ounce or two to pawn off or left to molder. I’ll enjoy the rest of my sample soon — no need to let this one go!
I don’t know who I am — a blend person or a straight tea person. I’ll try one of Verdant’s wonderful teas and nod assuredly to myself, “Ah yes, I do not need blended nonsense. I’m a straight tea drinker.”
Then I’ll try a blend, like Chocolate Chamomile Curiosity, and realize that blends are amazing and a good blend really enhances the tea I love. I guess I just like tea, guys.
Great review, so candid!
Tea’s not too bad of a thing to like either! (`v`*)
Thank you! :)
Definitely passing your compliments on to David!! So glad you enjoyed :D
You were right- the blends are all his, and all of them have the goal of showing off something new about the traditional tea base (rather than covering them up). He once described it as helping dress Cinderella up in her gown and glass shoes for the ball. She was always the most beautiful person (both inside and out)- she didn’t need the dress for the prince to fall in love, but the finery and framing helped everyone see what they might have otherwise overlooked.
http://verdanttea.com/what-is-unflavored-tea-anyway/
This sounds interesting. I don’t know about the sap part. I hate gin because to me it tastes like what sap smells. I’ve never tasted sap but I smelt it. As for your “linguistic talent” we’ll, you’re doing pretty good. I you didn’t have it, we’ll, you wouldn’t have said “linguistic talent” to begin with
The resin is worth reading about…it takes several healing oozes for the precious flavorful, healthful and fragrant frankincense that is so treasured to be produced and collected. It was after some conversations about the incense photo for my blog that David had this brilliant idea for Earl of Anxi. The way the incense melds with the tea is unique. Love!
You’re right, Bonnie — it is absolutely unique! I love it. That’s so cool that you inspired a tea!
No I didn’t, conversation did. Could have been anyone. I see you live in the Bay Area. SF BAY? I moved to Colorado from there. Grew up in San Jose but lived last in Morgan Hill and Saratoga (long story).
Yes, SF bay! I got my special education credential in San Jose — I live less than an hour north. It’s a wonderful area, but may be getting too expensive for my boyfriend and I to live here any more. Do you like where you are at now?
“Who couldn’t use more Euphoria?” I thought as I added this to my Kusmi cart without ever trying it. Luckily, I was not let down! This is a delicious tea that is much like a chocolate orange or Butiki’s Three Friends tea. The chocolate and orange blend really well together and it gives you a nice boost.
I wasn’t going to try this today, but a friend stopped in my room after the school day was over. We had both had rough days and a parent had just given me some cookies so I suggested a tea time for the two of us.
We both greatly enjoyed this tea and it definitely lifted our moods (or maybe it was the little tea party, who knows, probably both). The packaging claims the tea is “for a moment of sheer happiness” and while sipping this tea and laughing with my friend I had one. Thanks, Kusmi!
I used to love those rice candies, paper & all!
They are delish! And only $1 a box at my local Daiso. Love!