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I went ahead and ordered a little tin of this tea because I realized how much I love having a creamy strawberry rooibos on hand. This blend in particular has a strong rooibos note, but what I love is the bright strawberry that comes out every once and a while. There could be more cream flavor, but I’m enjoying the strawberry and rooibos pairing. I have to stress, once again, that those who aren’t fond of rooibos stay away from this one.

This tasting note is number 500 for me. Hooray! So excited to have reached this landmark. I had to pick a special tea to review, so Hand Picked Spring Tieguanyin from 2013 it is. The scent of the tea is very floral, green and a little bit sweet. I’m really looking forward to some of the flavors that I might find in this tea.

First Infusion: Oh, this is such a nice tea. I am always afraid of the floral hit of some oolongs, but this one is floral + such a light sweetness. I can definitely see the comparison of this to cotton candy as the sweetness is light and fluffy. Swirling around the sweetness and flowers is a bit of leafy, mineral, earthy note. I think this keeps it from getting too much like perfume, thankfully! The finish is very lightly buttered, asking you to come back for more.

Second Infusion: the floral scent is a bit stronger with this cup. It’s actually on the verge of being a little bit like stinky flowers.. jasmine often becomes stinky for me if it’s too strong. It’s interesting how much this cup changed from the first. It seems a lot heavier to me. Not a bad thing, but definitely noticeable. A sharp floral note dominates the sip, bit it ends with a nice cantaloupe flavor.

I’d like to keep steeping this one, but it’s time for dinner and I want to brew a few other teas before the night ends. This was a very delicious oolong with plenty of variety for those who want floral, fruit and sweetness over the course of different infusions. Yum!

I added milk to this morning’s cup and I think it’s a good thing I did. The milk adds a bit of creaminess and fullness to the cup. Without it, it could get a little bit thin and almost coppery? The start of the sip is mostly vanilla and rum for me and it slowly turns into a thick and sweet butterscotch flavor. This flavor works really well with the tea base which comes as a surprise since I thought the two would clash. The tea leaf and the flavor are balanced quite well!

This was a nice and sweet cup of tea to start my day. I don’t think I would buy more simply because there are other flavors that I enjoy more, but it’s certainly a must-try for those who like butterscotch! Thank you ToiToi for a sample of this.

I’m finishing up the last of this leaf in hopes of figuring out why so many love this tea. My first cup of this was disappointing, but this time I’ve added milk to see if I can bring out more of the pudding flavor.

Sipping… well, I seem to be picking up on a stronger banana note than last time. There is a rather ugly coconut flavor that finishes up the sip. It’s rather sour and spicy. Yeah.. not very much pudding here. To me, this is more of a banana and coconut tea.. but I am looking for something creamy and much more like pudding. Oh well, at least I tried it again.

This was one of the first Mariage Freres teas that I tried and I remember not enjoying the cup all that much. Tastes do change over time, though, so I’m giving it another go. The scent of this tea reminds me very much of strawberry shortcake. I can smell the tart strawberry, the cream and the cake!

Sipping… ooh, this is so tasty! I have to wonder what my tastebuds were doing the last time I drank this. I did add milk to this cup, but no sugar and I do remember adding both to my cup last time. I’ve realized that I can’t really tolerate sugar in tea, but milk can make all the difference. I love that I can detect the tangy sweetness of the berries and enjoy the creaminess at the same time. The black tea doesn’t disappear either, which is nice. It adds a nice sort of maltiness to the cup. Mmm. I can see myself buying more of this in the future. How yummy!

I had my last cup of this tea and decided to add milk to see how it would taste. I don’t pick up on the caramel or chocolate flavors, but am tasting a weird coconut flavor instead. It’s not gross, but is just rather surprising. This coconut flavor isn’t super strong or sour, so it’s good for me as I’m not crazy about strong coconut. I wish that more of the caramel and chocolate came out with milk, but this tea is lovely either way. I’ll have to buy more of this in the future!

I’ve had this tea for a while and decided it was an appropriate time to give it my full attention. The leaves are so soft, a little bit fuzzy and overall very pretty. The scent reminds me a little bit of sweet bread and beer.

Sipping… I taste dark chocolate, sourdough bread and maybe some lemon? I think I may have overleafed this cup, unfortunately. It definitely makes a bold cup, but I think I’m missing out on the softer flavors as a result of too much leaf. Silly me! This is certainly a tasty tea, although it’s not my favorite from Verdant.

Giving this one a try as my afternoon study tea. I’ve been drinking a lot of tea to keep me going the past few days. I have a big exam coming up at the beginning of July and need to study like crazy. I’m not getting a whole lot from the scent of this tea, it’s a bit soft. I do detect some sweetness, but otherwise it seems to want to hide its character from me until I sip!

Sipping… interesting.. not a very strong flavor from the tea. I wasn’t expecting the tea to mirror the scent as much as it is. I’m picking up on grapes, sugar and something a little bit metallic in the finish. It’s light, but satisfying at the same time.

It’s not as gutsy as some of the other black teas out there, but this is such a nice, light tea that it is perfect for the summer or spring. You know those teas that are darker, richer and sort of weigh you down? This tea is definitely one that can be had all day, no matter the occasion. What a lovely brew for this afternoon!

Finally getting around to trying this tea. As a big fan of lemon dessert teas, I’m very excited to drink this cup! The scent of the dry leaf is wonderfully lemony and creamy.

Sipping… mmm. I like the strong lemon note and the pastry-like finish. There’s a very nice balance between the sweet and tart flavors. I also find the lemon to be a bit stronger than other lemon dessert teas and that’s just fine with me! There isn’t a strong creamy note which I think would have made this tea even more special. It is sweet enough, though, and has a pastry-like quality.

I guess I wish that there were more variety with these lemony dessert teas — they all end up tasting about the same to me. Well, this was a very good cup and I did enjoy the stronger lemon flavor in this one, so I think I can say that this takes a spot in my favorite lemon meringue/pie/dessert teas.

The scent of this tea is much more green and floral than I was expecting. I hope that it offers something more than that in the flavor!

Sipping… I detect light flowers, sugar and raisins. This cup has a thicker mouthfeel, but it’s not necessarily buttery or milky which is what I look for in a milk oolong. I’m a bit disappointed. This is a drinkable oolong, though, if you like them to be on the greener and more floral side. I feel like it’s just not really milk oolongy enough for me. Oh well, onto the next!