Verdant Tea

The descriptions for Verdant’s Laoshan green teas mention a distinctive green bean taste in those teas, and that it was I taste most prominently in this one. This one is rather sweet, and has a very nice smooth and yet crisp texture, but that green bean thing is just not what I’m looking for in a black tea. Or, really, any tea. (I have notes for Verdant’s Elderberry Spiced Pu’er and Big Red Robe, and I liked both of them! I don’t dislike everything, I swear!)

I usually read the description at the top of the page with a little heaping of disbelief but this tea truly grows and transforms as I continue to resteep. It’s probably the best greener oolongs I’ve ever had. The first steep was vegetal and spicy and further steeps became thicker with a more buttery aftertaste, it also does have that thirst quenching biting into a peach feeling. I also pick up the roasted marshmallow or more of a burnt sugar/caramel essence. I’ve had teas that resteep nicely and lend new flavors to each cup but this tea is different. It’s actually getting richer around steeps 3 and 4. This is a fantastic tea and I can’t wait to try the spring one.

Backlogging from several days ago. Amazingly complex tea— floral, buttery, and reminds me of freshly mown grass. Sweet, sugary aftertaste. Will steep and write a more detailed note once I have time.

It’s official. I don’t like Chamomile. And unfortunately, the first thing I taste when I take a sip of this tea is a punch of brassy, flowery, chamomile. The mint and chocolate are quite nice, but rather over powering, to the point where I’m not sure what the base tastes like. (But I have some of the Big Red Robe and Laoshan Black on their own, so I guess I’ll find out.) And even though I tossed a good bit of this in a travel tumbler, so the leaves never got removed from the water, it wasn’t strong enough for me. sigh Oh well. My mother will probably like it.

Oooold old tea, but still has life left! Some of the white tea nuances are gone now, but the jasmine is still pretty potent and it’s overall a pretty tasty cup.

Sipdown! 990.

This is a sipdown of apparently 3 different sample sizes I have of this tea. Not entirely certain if I know the locations of the others, but hopefully they are unopened (this was open). Anyhow, I don’t have any particular aversion to jasmine (as long as I am wanting/expecting it), and this is quite a nice version of it. No artificialness, a great silky smooth and flavourful base, strong yet delicate jasmine aroma and flavour. Not always something I’m craving, but it was nice tonight.

Drank some of this in the travel mug yesterday. I think I overleafed; it was way too strong. I think one of the keys with this tea is short infusions and not a ton of leaf; also, I don’t think the delicate flavours are robust enough for a travel mug (it really just tastes strongly of jasmine, and almost soapy).

Received a sample of this with one of my recent Verdant orders. Drinking a second infusion of it right now, as my roommate drank the first a night or two ago. Not a ton of flavour, but I can definitely taste the jasmine. Probably would have been tastier had I been able to smell properly! There’s enough in the sample package for another cup, so I’ll have that at some point in the future. I definitely prefer jasmine whites to jasmine greens, and should really get around to trying the jasmine silver needle from Teavivre.

Didn’t steep this one up as well as last time, for whatever reason. But it was still good (just not amazing). Mom liked this one too, but can’t recall Teavivre’s Jasmine Pearls well enough to know which she likes better!

So given the still-unhappy state of my stomach, and queasiness that comes with thoughts of any sort of flavoured tea (by that I mean confectionary-flavoured; fruity or jasmine is fine), I opted for a few light options tonight. Straight greens sounded particularly appealing, but whites and an oolong won out since I’ve had a few greens over the last couple nights.

So, finishing up the second 1/3 of my generous sample of this sent along with my first order. It’s not like I don’t have another 0.5 oz. coming… hahaha. As usual, absolutely delicious. Definitely will be my go-to jasmine for a while. I love that when I smell it I instantly think of my favourite chinese restaurant, but then when I sip it it’s the same flavour, only lighter, more delicate, and with no scratchy astringency that always happens near the end of the meal, when the tea has been steeping far too long.

(Uh oh. Exhaustion definitely just hit. Hopefully I will get through all these teas!)

This was the sample included in my first Verdant order. Very generous :)

The dry tea smells barely of jasmine. It’s a different jasmine aroma than I’m used to. But, it’s good.

Steeped, there’s a wonderful jasmine aroma. Quite strong. The wet leaves, although they have a jasmine aroma, it’s also a bit different than what I’m used to. Good different.

The tea tastes so light and jasminey floral. Absolutely no astringency or bitterness. Just pure jasmine. Oh, and I’m getting a lovely white tea aftertaste. Wow. This is really the epitome of jasmine teas. It’s almost a bit fruity, too. Now, jasmine teas are not something I would drink daily, but they are a nice treat, and this one would be perfect for that.

I’ll have to do some more infusions tomorrow. I’m sure the leaves have a lot left to give.

ETA: Next-day infusions.

Second infusion (2min/175F) is jasminey and white tea-y. Om nom nom. Pretty sure jasmine + white tea is a way better combo than jasmine + anything else, because I’m just not getting any bitterness or astringency. Just lovely light, floral, tasty flavours.

Third infusion (3min/175F) is also lovely and lightly tasting of jasmine, with a delicious white tea aftertaste. I think I may be able to get a fourth out of these leaves tomorrow.

This is hands down my favorite blend ever. There are so many distinct tastes that have melded into a single superb fusion. The flavors you will notice immediately are the tastes of chocolate milk, cinnamon and candy apple. Beyond that there is marigold, chinese 5 spice, a tiny hint of root beer, and even an ancient pu’erh flavor (I’m guessing this is the “curiosity”). There is even a slightly crisp vegetal taste hidden in there as well. And at the bottom of the cup: a syrupy bitterness like the last sip of a fine espresso. Another sparkling flavor combination!

What is sparkling flavor, you ask? It has been a continuing exploration for me to find out what this tasting note actually means, and here is my latest update: First off, I drink a lot of sparkling water, soda water, etc. Not only does it satisfy my thirst, but it also gives me that relaxing effervescence in my chest as it goes down. I have heard that sparkling water also aids digestion because the bubbles help to break down your food. While I am no expert, I am inclined to believe this is true based on personal experience. And although I have never associated this same feeling with tea, now that I am aware of it, I have shared this experience in a slightly modified way. However, certain symptoms remain: The saturated savor at the tip of your tongue and the soothing sparkle throughout your body.

It’s hard to explain, but for me, there is something beyond inspiriting in this blend. While the caffeine combination of the teas plus cacoa nibs gets your blood pumping, the flavors send pleasant but conflicting signals of relaxation to your brain. Your heart skips a beat and suddenly you find that you can only breathe out but not back in again. We all know this feeling – but in a tea?? If this tea was a very attractive kitty cat, then yes of course all of this would make sense. But alas it is not. It’s a beverage – we consume it and five minutes later it’s gone. But thankfully these leaves are most certainly built for multiple steeps… Sorry Triple-C, I’m quite fond of you, but it’s back into the boiling hot water for now!

Other tasting notes: Licorice, molasses, sugar snap pea, acorn squash, taro chip

An older bag of this, but still comfortingly rich and roasty. I have a few packets on the go; this one’s down to just about a cup left!

Never know where to review these yearly iterations… this is a packet of Autumn 2019 LB. It was very rich and satisfying, although took on a bit of an odd flavour in the travel mug. Still good, though.

I’m going to run out of this one awfully quickly if I keep drinking it at this pace, but it’s hard not to have it when I think of it!

Travel mug tea #4 for Easter outing

Classic standby. Actually drank most of it at Easter breakfast; also a good accompaniment to sweet treats!

Travel-mugged tea from a few days ago. It was yummy, although as with basically all teas, would have tasted better from an open mug.

Lazy tea choice for the evening. I wanted a black and was in a rush, this was the first black tea I located in the straight teas bin. It hit the spot. So roasty and chocolatey. Yum.

Noms. I was just craving this toasty, rich chocolate flavour tonight. I tried to have a biscotti with it, but alas, the tea is overwhelmed by the biscotti chocolate, so I just ate it and am enjoying the tea by itself.

Gosh, there are a lot of entries for Verdant’s LB! I have no idea which harvest this is, since they aren’t labelled on the bags (probably 2016 or earlier). Anyhow, it was spectacular. Deep, rich, chocolatey goodness. Lots of toastiness here too. Glad I ran across it while looking for a straight black the other day.

This is probably from a batch I’ve never reviewed – but it’s just as good as any other I’ve had. No idea which harvest, but it’s still rich chocolatey amazingness. Yum.