Verdant Tea

I have finished my sample of this amazing tea. Sad day :(
Such a rich, complex tea! So soothing, and not just for breakfast. I actually prefer it after lunch. It invigorates me.

The Laoshan Black is such a unique black that it really stands out – in both taste and aroma, with the other teas rounding out the flavor. This is an outstanding blend!

I really need to get more of this when it gets back in stock.

I made this as my morning tea today. One sip and my eyes opened wide in delighted surprise. My first thought? Wow! I was surprised by how utterly awesome it was. I was expecting a breakfast blend flavor, and was greeted by a rich, malty, complex flavor – way, way beyond the usual breakfast blend taste. It makes you sit up and take notice.

On second thought, this shouldn’t have surprised me – I have yet to taste a tea from Verdant that was not in a class of it’s own; the teas included in this blend are each excellent.

Problem is I gulped it down so fast, I am now at a loss now to describe it’s flavor. I will have to make another cup when I get home to savor more slowly.

I hate to say I thought I was’nt going to like this. I brewed it up in the Yixing with what I thought was an appropriate amount of buds. After about a few minutes I lifted the lid and I smelled evergreen. Maybe I should of had a cup then. I let it go longer. It was a yellowy liquor with a mild flavor and fragrance. Very nice in a white tea way. But the surprise is the high. A nice relaxing eye opener. As others have stated, I too am going to let it steep away for a long period after my 2nd steep. It’s very different yet very enjoyable if you have an open mind….

So, here’s my story. Over the past few years I’ve been broadening my horizons in the world of tea. Like most I’ve taken the leap from bagged teas to loose leaf teas and I’ve tried just about every tea that I could get my hands on…except for puer.

The other day I got my first paycheck from my new job, so I decided to pick up 3 Verdant Tea samplers (shu, sheng and oolong). Now, as a puer novice I’ve heard how harsh puers (especially shus) can be. With that being said, this shu was gentle beyond words. Being a newbie, this throws off everything I’ve heard about puer teas.

Thinking that I must have made a mistake I tried adding less water, some more leaves and even hotter water, but this shu stayed cooler than a hindu cow. Like other reviewers have noted, this tea is quite evocative of a library. A quick wiff of the leaves reminds me of the aged paper of an old dictionary that has never been sullied by words like “unfriend”.

I’m blown away by how mellow this tea is. Frankly, I would rather choose to not rate this tea, but since that isn’t an option, I’m going to rate it highly because this was a hell of a treat.

I am enjoying today. I am sure in a few years it may rival its older relatives. I would suggest to buy it now while the price is right. The 1st cup once again is light yet flavorful. Cup #2 is strong after a short steep of maybe 30 seconds. The liquor is coffee dark and the flavor is earthy with a touch of the sparkle that the relatives have. In a few years this tea will be sublime….

I am drinking this after the 2007. In the Yixing with generous leaf and no rinse. The first steep was light. Maybe I should of rinsed it. Steep 2 is holding its own. Darker. Stronger. Earthier. I do not think I will be able to go through this one for multiple steepings. I know when to say when. Or do I? For the 3rd steep the nuggets seem to be coming apart now. I am still getting the numbness and this mouth coating sensation. It is a very good tea. I probably should have waited another day to try it. It is hard to properly taste it right after the 2007. Besides, I can take no more….

One thing I enjoy doing is letting my late evening teas sit in the Gaiwan of Yixing or whatever vessel was used overnight. Leaves and all. This was last nights tea. It was probably the fourth steeping. I always look forward to what I will encounter almost 24 hours later. This was nice and invigorating. The flavors are intense as you might expect. So every nuance that you have read about will be multiplied. It’s just another way to enjoy our favorite drink.

I just received the 200 gram tin in the mail and even though I reviewed this just recently I figured why not. This brews up very quickly. Just hit it with the water and it’s dark within seconds. I personally love what Xingyang has to offer. It is nice and smooth without being too earthy. I am hoping that this will age as nicely as the ‘98. I would have to say it’s a good chance that it will.

A lovely tea on a rainy day. Or any day for that matter. Geoffrey is right when he said that something is going on at the Xingyang workshop. These are truly amazing teas. The beautiful Shu flavor with a hint of sparkle and life is grand when you sit down and enjoy these Pu’erhs. They are truly creating masterpieces….

Well I am finally getting to try the younger sister, brother or cousin of my beloved ‘98. After drinking a weaker ’98 yesterday I was paranoid. I brewed this one up with generous leaf in the Yixing and with no rinse. I let it steep for maybe 3 minutes. The result is a glorious nectar of the Gods. I am definitely getting the sparkle. When I was pouring it out of the Yixing I loved the color contrast with the brown of the teapot. It was a beautiful reddish brown color. I don’t know yet about the sensory overload that the ‘98 provides, even when brewed weak like yesterday. My mind is opening to say the least. This is something that coffee cannot provide. Yes it’s an eye opener but what about the third eye? These Xingyangs stimulate the brain and the body and everything in between. I am only on my first cup. I am not myself until the first sip of tea. Gee David, it looks like I need a tin of this too….

I would just like to add that I feel this tea is very cleansing. Moments ago I finished drinking 15 gongfu infusions of it, back to back, in my gaiwan. I’d been daydreaming about it since this morning. Went and had the one big turkey meal with family this afternoon and started dozing off from the happy mammal syndrome there induced. Honestly, I don’t really care for the feeling of being that full, but in this case it was the day’s only meal. All the while I was thinking about getting back home and having a nice, long, relaxing session with this jasmine white tea.

And how completely fulfilling it was! I feel cleansed, vivified, and totally free of worries. The tea is so pleasantly intoxicating I should re-affirm that the Island of the Lotus Eaters is an apt association. A great relaxation ripples through my body and mind when I drink this stuff… like light, semi-transparent, silk brocade curtains are doing an unhurried dance with the mid-morning breeze and making a delicate show out of the diffuse rays of sunshine passing through the window. It’s enough leisurely beauty to make you want to lose the whole day in idleness. Today, I’m very thankful that I have this tea, as it has been a great highlight for me.

Seeing that my supply is going to be gone very soon, I think I must get more. As a final note, I’d like to say that the staying power of this tea has deeply impressed me. Fifteen infusions to exhaust a white tea is amazing, and the lovely jasmine element stayed with it to the end! In the later infusions a delicious creaminess develops, I recommend staying with it to the end for that quality. It’s hard for me to imagine ever wanting anything to do with a different jasmine tea after experiencing this one. SUPERB in every way! +1 rating jump.

It’s been about a week since I first tried this tea, and I’ve now had four extended sessions with it. Four times in one week. . . . that should say something about how much this tea has impressed me. It’s had the same effect on everyone I’ve showed it to. People put their nose in the bag, take a nice deep inhalation and come up looking like one of Odysseus’s doped-out sailors on the Island of the Lotus Eaters. This was exactly the effect it had on me too. Let me put it this way, with jasmine scented tea I normally take a whiff and think, “Bluh, jasmine, I don’t want any.” But with this one, I catch its fragrance, feel goosebumps, and think, “Mmmmm, jasmine, I must have some nooowwwww . . . .”

The taste delivers in spades. I would have to say that this is the most enjoyable white tea I’ve tried to date. Interesting comparison occurred today by happenstance. I brewed up some of this after I woke up, and did about 4-5 gongfu infusions in my gaiwan. Then I left the apartment to visit my parents’ house for the day, and while there I took the opportunity to try another jasmine scented silver needle white tea that one of my mother’s friends had sent her recently. The fragrance of that one did not inspire me, in fact it produced the normal reaction I mentioned. The taste was also nowhere close to being in league with this one, it was actually pretty bitter by comparison. Not entirely un-enjoyable, but it barely held a candle in the sunlight of this Verdant tea.

I came back home, now at the end of the day, and decided to brew up the tea still in my gaiwan until all flavor was exhausted. It took me another 5 gongfu steepings! So the general experience has been that this tea will typically give generously for about 10 gongfu infusions. There are so many things I love about this jasmine white, but I’ll reserve for you the pleasure of making your own discovery of most of them. One quality that I can’t help but comment on though is the exquisite texture this tea leaves on my tongue. The sensation is like a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s heavenly!

Sipdown!

I have enjoyed this a lot but all good things must come to an end… especially where green oolongs are concerned. I am picking up on the saffron notes a LOT this morning and I am cold brewing the remainder of this for tomorrow, which should be lovely.

I am revisiting this again tonight. I am brewing this in the gaiwan and with short infusions. I am using a LOT of leaf vs. water. The lilac aromas are coming up very intensely. It is difficult to believe this is not scented in some way! I do think this tea is quite a beauty. I am also getting a bit of the vanilla flavor coming up here. I was scolded a bit the last time I reviewed this for eating it with a mango and I can see why. Tea is a very personal thing and we all enjoy different flavors. Mostly I like darker/roastier oolongs and I don’t really think this is a personal favorite, very high on the flowers, but I’m happy for those of you that are loving it. :-D

Finally I am getting around to trying this today…

I brewed it Western style for around 3 minutes in an infuser mug with around 180 F water.

I’m eating this with a mango today and I don’t know if this is influencing my perceptions of the tea or not but it does seem a bit fruity to me. I am getting a lot of buttery richness and it is a very smooth brew. Slightly floral in the finish. I think perhaps I need to try it again when I am not eating it with a big bowl of fruit but my initial perceptions are pretty good.

Wow, this is such a unique tea, like no other black I’ve had before.
The dry leaf smells heavily of chocolate and raisins; so delightful that it took me many minutes to get my nose out of the pouch and proceed with the brewing. The brewed tea has an aroma that I can’t put a name on, but if I close my eyes, I see corn fields and sun. It is very calming.
The flavor is malty, getting sweeter with each subsequent infusion – I’m on my 6th now, and it is still amazing.

I must say that there is a complexity in this tea that has effected me in a way that few teas have done. It’s not a simple tea and one that I feel deserves, even requires, a more in-depth observation. I usually don’t drink the same tea each day, however I have been drinking this one for three days now, and no end yet planned. I am greatly enjoying my sessions with this tea.

I have also noticed that most people have done very long infusions (a few minutes), whereas I have been having this gongfu in my pretty little gaiwan, lots of leaf and very short infusions. I’m wondering if I’m missing out on something by not doing a very long infusion, however I am so enjoying this tea my way that I don’t wish to waste the little leaf I have.

Well done Laoshan ! (and Verdant Teas too, for bringing us this tea).

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.

if you have ever wanted to sprint through a field of honeysuckle at sunset, this is that tea.

it’s the first Verdant Tea i’ve tried — it certainly won’t be my last. the family of farmers responsible for this tea must be enchanted. each cup of this Autumn Tieguanyin has yielded a flavor that is incredibly deep yet light as a feather. it’s youthful, but also wise. this tea conjures a willingness for expansive, open thought – bright and clear as a bell.

definitely floral in flavor, but never verging on perfume. it’s a journey at dusk.

This is my second tasting of this magnificent tea. I used the Gaiwan again with generous leaf. My steep was approximately 2 minutes. The result is a glorious golden nectar. This flavor is lingering in my mouth. This tea is awesome. So much better this time. And, as we know, it going to get better with the following steepings. I gave the second maybe a little over a minute. This tea is like having dessert. Without hesitation I recommend it. I have to up the score. I cannot believe the taste that’s In my mouth. Sublime…

I brewed this in the Gaiwan. When I first smelled the brew I thought I was not going to like it. I let it get stronger. The taste is a floral sweetness. A profile I have yet to encounter. I know I stated in my profile that I do not drink scented teas but I had to try this for some reason. The aftertaste is beyond sweet. A nice change of pace for me. I enjoyed it….

Finished the last of my Jingshan this morning. It is a comforting friend when a cool breeze is blowing. Must prepare a new order from Verdant Tea soon. :)

I have been saving this tea for a sunny day where I could sit quietly and enjoy this beautiful tea. I am glad I waited, and this morning brewed up a small pot to start my day. What a joy it was to sip and savor the complex, yet very subtle flavors. If you enjoy delicate white teas, or gentle greens, then this is one you have to try. I actually used a kyusu (Japanese tea pot) that holds about 6 ounces with about 1.5 teaspoons of dried tea leaves.

1st infusion: 2.5 minutes, at about 180F gives a very pale yellow green brew that smells and tastes of sunshine, sweet grass and maybe a touch of shiso ( a knid of Japanese basil/mint).
2nd infusion: 2 minutes, at about 180F yields a slightly more green brew with even more of the same flavors, just a bit more intense.
3rd infusion: 3 minutes, at about 195F brings out more vegetal tones, with maybe a bit of fresh hay smell in the aroma.

Yet another wonderful tea from Verdant Teas. A Yunnan green worth note! :)