I received a small sample of this tea about two years ago, when I received my first order from Verdant. It was the first white tea I can remember ever liking. Up until then my experience had been limited to bagged white tea; flavored, more often than not. (And not flavored in any way that added to the tea.) I picked up a couple of ounces of this last month, although I hadn’t drank it in some time.
This is a review of the 2014 Spring harvest.
Method:
3tsp/10oz
Pre-boiling
First steep: 35sec
Second steep: 55sec
Third steep: 1min 15sec
Fourth steep: 1min 40sec
The first steep is laden with the taste of fresh jasmine, cream, and a hint of banana with a silky texture. It makes me think of vanilla custard. There’s an almost bubblegum candy-like sweetness. In subsequent infusions it develops notes of pine, spice, and honeysuckle. The mouthfeel is thick and the flavors juicy. I don’t enjoy it as much as I expected to. My tastes have changed; I don’t generally prefer light, floral teas. I knew it would be floral because of the jasmine, but in the first couple of steeps it’s nearly all that I taste. Flowers.
I tried brewing it a different way. This time I used 2tsp of leaf, water somewhere between 160-170 degrees, and steeped for five minutes. I much preferred this method. The jasmine isn’t as overwhelmingly strong, and I’m able to pick out notes of cereal, marshmallow, whipped cream, and pastries. The flavors of light banana pudding and pine are also present. It’s like a light, fluffy dessert with buttercream frosting. There’s a thick creamy finish that lingers long after sipping, and it’s paired with the faint flavors of grain and oat—like oatmeal. I might try grandpa style brewing with this tea eventually.
Flavors: Banana, Candy, Creamy, Custard, Frosting, Grain, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Marshmallow, Oats, Pastries, Pine, Spices, Vanilla
