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The dry leaves have virtually no aroma. That’s interesting for a roasted tea. I’d expect there to be a nice roasty toasty aroma dry or wet. Wow, the brewed tea aroma is so unexpected! Again, I expected something roasted like houjicha. But instead I was greeted by a baked squash aroma! It really smells like freshly roasted vegetables. It smells like food! Not tea! Pumpkin. Yes, this tastes like baked pumpkin. There’s a tiny bit of saltiness too that reminds me of toasted pumpkin seeds.

The flavor deepens in the next infusions. It’s rich and malty, full-bodied with a round mouthfeel. I’m definitely getting the chocolate notes now and they’re only getting stronger. I brewed this in my gaiwan and didn’t strain the leaves with a strainer. I just used the gaiwan lid to keep the majority of the leaves out of the cups. I read somewhere on Verdant’s blog that not using an additional strainer can change the mouthfeel of the tea. So I decided to give it a try. Little bits of leaves do end up in each cup, but it’s not bothering me. I wonder if the sediment and leaf bits are steeping the tea longer or if they’re too small to make much of a difference.

This tea definitely benefits from lots of quick steeps. Infusing these leaves for even a few seconds too long can result in a bitter cup. I’m not very familiar with roasted oolongs, but this strikes me as more of a black tea than an oolong. Drinking this when it’s piping hot results in a very nice mouthfeel. It’s like that prickly sensation you feel when you first get into a hot car that’s been sitting in the sun for a few hours and the warmth of the air prickles as it rushes over your skin. I like the sensation and it lingers after the sip.

I think this is the first time I’ve detected a cherry note in a tea. This is really good! It reminds me of Laoshan Black. They’re quite similar teas. In fact, I wish I had some so I could do a side-by-side comparison. I think I like this more than Laoshan Black actually. This is truly chocolaty in a way that many unflavored teas claim to be but aren’t. I love this! Thank goodness I have one more sample. I’d be sad if this was my first and last cup. And let me say that these leaves go for a long, long time! I’m getting many more infusions than I usually do with any tea and they’re staying flavorful. After approximately 15+ infusions, I’ve lost count. These later cups are chocolate and caramel with a silky finish. I think the sandalwood is peaking out a bit more now too. Oooh, yes! This is my kind of tea!

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I was in the mall doing some last minute birthday shopping for my husband when I stumbled upon a small tea and spice shop. I’ve never heard of them but I’m not one to pass up new teas. I perused their offerings and ended up buying an ounce of this tea and some chili coffee spice for my husband.

The dry leaf aroma is sweeter and more floral than the brewed tea aroma. They both smell amazing though! I first tried it sans additions and then I added a little bit of Truvia. Wow! This is AMAZING! It’s creamy and delicious! This tea is floral with the perfect amount of bergamot. Honestly, this has the best bergamot flavoring I’ve ever had in an Earl Grey. The base is quiet and takes a backseat to the flavorings. But it’s not at all bitter and doesn’t need milk like most Earl Greys I’ve tried.

This tea is so tasty! The cream flavoring really kicks it up a notch. It’s so yummy and has the perfect balance of flavors. The second infusion for five minutes is just as delicious as the first! I think I’ve found a new love. I am gonna’ burn through this ounce! Must have MORE!

The dry leaf aroma sure smells like blackberries! Oddly enough, the brewed tea has no aroma whatsoever. Thank goodness that doesn’t translate into a flavorless tea! The sip is clean, hay-like white tea with a punch of vanilla and a subtle hint of blackberry. I’m definitely getting more cream than berry in the cup. This is good! It’s not big on flavor but all the expected notes are there. The berry comes out more as it cools. I will enjoy the rest of this one but I don’t think I’ll re-purchase it. I simply have too much tea!

Time for another 52teas oldie. I love a good Yunnan black tea so I couldn’t pass this up. The dry leaf aroma is cinnamon. The beginning of the sip is somewhat dark and woodsy like a high quality Yunnan. But unfortunately that fades rather quickly and I’m left with a slightly floral, marigold petal flavor. I don’t think I’ve ever had eggnog so I can’t identify similarities or differences.

Overall, this is much calmer and less flavorful than I was expecting. The cinnamon is quite light and doesn’t contribute much spiciness to the cup. There is a little bit of creaminess. There’s no bitterness and I don’t feel the need to add sweetener or milk. A small amount of astringency is apparent but nothing off-putting. That’s about it. Not a nuanced cuppa but nothing offensive going on either. It’s just rather boring.

Yay!! My new kettle is here!! This is the first electric kettle I’ve ever bought and it is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I love that it’s simple and easy to use. It’s sleek and stylish. And most importantly, the pre-set brewing temperatures are exactly what I like to use to brew various types of tea.

I used to enjoy the laborious, time consuming ritual of boiling water on my stovetop, pouring it into a cup and adding a thermometer, waiting till the water reached just the right temperature and then adding the leaves, then waiting some more for the tea to steep, and finally FINALLY having a finished ready-to-drink cup of tea. Well, now that I have a baby…ain’t nobody got time for that!

Now with just the click of a button, I can have water that’s just the right temperature for my cup in no time at all. This thing boils water FAST! It also lets off a lot of steam so I don’t recommend putting it directly underneath your cabinetry. I do wish it kept the water warm longer than 20 minutes but that’s not a huge dealbreaker.

I’d say that’s my biggest critique of this kettle. The keep warm function isn’t entirely logical or intuitive to use. If you lift the kettle off the base, it automatically shuts off the keep warm function. You can press it again but it goes off within a couple minutes. So I guess you have to reselect the temperature each time you lift it off the base? That’s silly. Still, it’s better than what I’ve been doing. I’ll take pressing a button over my old routine any day. This kettle rocks! Now I just have to resist the urge to buy one for the office…

First note! I can’t believe no one has written about this tea before. Does that mean I’m the only one to have purchased it so far? I highly recommend you trot on over to Verdant’s new website and check out this tea’s story. There’s a very interesting video about how they cultivate the wild tea trees and how they prefer to process the tea by hand and lay it out to dry in the sun because it creates a better flavor.

I used my gaiwan to brew this gongfu style. I started with a 6 second steep and added 3 seconds to each subsequent infusion. Towards the end I lost count and ended up steeping this for a couple minutes. The early infusions have a light yellow liquor that deepens with each subsequent steep into a dark golden amber.

This may be a Yunnan Black, but it tastes like Puer to me. The primary note is aged leather, which is definitely a puer flavor note in my experience. There’s a minor underlying note of spice in the later infusions, which I’m really enjoying. It’s a dark woodsy tea. The description says it’s farmed in the oldest tea forest in the world and I feel like you can taste that in the tea. It has a strong presence and evokes the kind of reverence owed to a wise elder.

I can’t say I understand or agree with Verdant’s other flavor notes on this one though. It’s described as “very vegetal” akin to “tulsi” and “floral” like “orange blossom honey.” I’ve never had tulsi so I don’t know what that tastes like. But I have had plenty of vegetal teas and I wouldn’t use that word to describe this. Similarly, I have had lots of floral teas and I wouldn’t necessarily use that word to describe this either. There is something honey-esque in the cup but nothing overtly flowery. I’m interested to find out what others detect in this tea. Get some and see for yourself! For me, I will enjoy this sample but won’t be buying more. It’s not a flavor profile that I particularly desire.

Wooohooooo!!!!! This sample was a huge surprise from tea-sipper!! Thank you!! I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while & I can’t wait to try it! Peanut butter in a tea? Yes, please! The flavor is whoa…unexpected. It’s not like any other flavor I’ve tasted in a tea, and that’s saying something because I have tried A LOT of teas!

This really does have a peanut flavor. It reminds me of peanut soup from King’s Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. If you’re ever in the area, you have to go there and try it! It sounds weird but it is soooooo good! Like liquid peanut butter. Mmmm!

I tried this tea sans additions first and then added Truvia and a tiny splash of milk. It’s definitely better this way. I don’t know how much chocolate is in this. I’m trying to figure out if I’m really tasting fudge or if I’m imagining it because it’s in the name. The peanut butter is definitely stronger than the chocolate. Yum! This tea is unique and delicious. If you’re looking for something different, I definitely suggest you try this out. Thanks again, tea-sipper!

This is disappointing. This tastes like genmaicha and…that’s it. There’s a minuscule bit of mint, but I mean a very tiny amount. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to taste like…this is just a cup of genmaicha. :( I bought this from the 52teas clearance sale but it appears to be a tea that was in the 2014 Christmas box. So maybe it’s just old and that’s why it’s practically flavorless? It’s a great concept that is very poorly executed. Sadly, I’ll have to look elsewhere for gingerbread house flavor. As an unflavored genmaicha, it’s about a 70. But since that’s not what it was advertised as, it gets a 49 and a frowny face. :(

I’ve had this sample in my cupboard for an embarrassing number of years. I’m craving something sugary sweet and terrible for me, so I opted for this tea instead of the real thing. The flavor is vanilla and cake. The rooibos is pretty tame, which is good for me because I’m not a rooibos fan. The base is probably why I’ve avoided this tea for so long.

I added a bit of Truvia and now it is a real cake-y dream tea. Ohhh yeaaah! This is like liquid cake batter! I’m so glad I can enjoy this calorie-free, guilt-free tea to satisfy my craving. Yum yum yum! I’ve been all about the dessert teas lately and this is perfection.

The first infusion of this tea took my breath away. It’s even better than a premium Dragonwell! It’s buttery and sweet with notes of honeysuckle. This tea exceeded my expectations. I’m pretty sure I’ve tried a previous year’s harvest and wasn’t too impressed. But this year’s harvest is INCREDIBLE! Everything from the aroma to the flavor to the mouthfeel is tranquil, relaxing, and exactly what I needed after several frustrating days of dealing with a fussy teething baby. There’s something truly special about Verdant Teas. One sip transports me to my happy place, every time without fail. I’m in tea heaven. Oh, and this is my 600th tasting note!

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