Short steeps of this “not-Dragonwell” in glass gongfu pot.

Coming from leftfield, the smell of the dry leaves and the taste of the first steep remind me of a McDonald’s Apple Pie- which is something I haven’t had in at least ten years. It’s tartly sweet, in a fruity way, and loaded with brown sugar, vanilla, and something “zippy fresh”. There are hot banana notes that come out more as I sip this first steep but the fruitiness tends to drift more into the realm of apple dessert for me. A bit of puckering mouth.

This is not as buttery or creamy as Mrs. Li’s, at least, not yet. Instead, it has more of a refreshingly green quality to it that is delightful in its own right. I haven’t been drinking any simple green teas, besides Genmaicha and Dragonwell, lately. I need to fix that!

This is very good although I don’t think I’d get it again.. not that it seems I will ever be able to get the same tea twice from Verdant. I hate how I’ve fallen in love with these smaller companies that will never be as consistent (maybe “constant” is a better word) as a David’s Tea or a Teavana sized company. I guess that’s part of the charm though. :)

Kittenna

Haha, DavidsTea, for me, doesn’t seem to be as consistent as it should be! With Verdant’s stuff, I find that different pickings of the same tea taste much the same to me for the most part, even though other people can pick up different flavours, so I console myself that I can at least get close to the same tea (if they bring it back, that is).

Crowkettle

That’s true, especially with the blends from David’s Tea that have crazy amount of ingredients or have a huge weight difference among those ingredients (banana oolong, Indian summer, etc). I guess I feel better about being able to always have access to most of their teas. I’m just worried that I’ll find a tea I absolutely love and then I’ll never be able to get it again. I haven’t tried other pickings of Verdant’s tea yet so we’ll see. :)

TeaLady441

When you steep in gongfu pot, how many oz do you steep at a time? I saw a cute little glass pot at DavidsTea that I might snag if I don’t find a gongfu pot somewhere else and I’m trying to figure all this out.

Crowkettle

If they aren’t too busy and you ask, the employees should be able to do a demonstration with that little glass pot at David’s Tea! I made my friend who works there do that for me.. it was quite the spectacle.

DT’s glass pot looks exactly like this one http://www.teavivre.com/exquisite-glass-gongfu-teapot-with-doublewall-cups/ except it didn’t come with the proper serving cups (I use DT bubble cups right now..)

I’m honestly a slob when it comes to measuring things and usually fill it to full with leaves ranging from enough to at least cover the bottom to 1/3 full. I’ve read some places that your supposed to have it overflow a little? I’m probably the worst person to ask about this. XD

ashmanra

I used my Teavivre glass pot and double wall glass cups last night at Writers’ Group. One of the ladies put money in my hand as she was leaving and told me to get her those cups. LOL! People were fascinated by them, and the tea really does look pretty in them.

ashmanra

Just realized – I think my pot actually came from purepuer.com. I am not sure. It has a green handle and knob on the lid. Teavivre has one with pink, which is adorable and will probably come to live with me (and one with my daughter) soon.

TeaLady441

I like how that looks – so pretty and cute. I wonder if I should buy a gaiwan instead of a mini glass pot. But I could go to DavidsTea TODAY and get the pot and drink my dragonwell samples properly! Decisions… :/

I’ll probably end up with everything eventually, but I’m trying to fight it!

Thx for the info!

Bonnie

Cavocofax, if you can afford it buy both and you’ll be glad you did. They should both be cheap. My glass pot has lasted 5 years so far for $9 and my gaiwan’s run $10-$18 for the fancy one at the high end. These are my most used brewing instruments along with a finum basket and a small strainer. (My glass pot has a stainless basket in it). The standard tea’s from Verdant are those from Laoshan Village but that will probably expand eventually. Davids used to be better when I tried them a year ago I thought. BTW my double wall glass cups were bought at TJ Maxx for about $3.99 for 4. Not bad. Checking out the discount stores can be surprising.

TeaLady441

Thanks Bonnie. I bought the mini glass pot and am enjoying it now, but am still thinking a gaiwan would eventually be nice. But when would you use the gaiwan vs the mini pot? Functionally, aren’t they the same?

Bonnie

Well,Sometimes I do a side by side comparison so having 2 is nice, also…I use the gaiwan for puerh and often poke at it so a gaiwan is easier. Instant steeps seem easy with a gaiwan. I have a gaiwan for oolong,one for Puerh(clay), and a small white porcelain one. My yixing is for roasty oolongs but it’s a medium size pot.

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Comments

Kittenna

Haha, DavidsTea, for me, doesn’t seem to be as consistent as it should be! With Verdant’s stuff, I find that different pickings of the same tea taste much the same to me for the most part, even though other people can pick up different flavours, so I console myself that I can at least get close to the same tea (if they bring it back, that is).

Crowkettle

That’s true, especially with the blends from David’s Tea that have crazy amount of ingredients or have a huge weight difference among those ingredients (banana oolong, Indian summer, etc). I guess I feel better about being able to always have access to most of their teas. I’m just worried that I’ll find a tea I absolutely love and then I’ll never be able to get it again. I haven’t tried other pickings of Verdant’s tea yet so we’ll see. :)

TeaLady441

When you steep in gongfu pot, how many oz do you steep at a time? I saw a cute little glass pot at DavidsTea that I might snag if I don’t find a gongfu pot somewhere else and I’m trying to figure all this out.

Crowkettle

If they aren’t too busy and you ask, the employees should be able to do a demonstration with that little glass pot at David’s Tea! I made my friend who works there do that for me.. it was quite the spectacle.

DT’s glass pot looks exactly like this one http://www.teavivre.com/exquisite-glass-gongfu-teapot-with-doublewall-cups/ except it didn’t come with the proper serving cups (I use DT bubble cups right now..)

I’m honestly a slob when it comes to measuring things and usually fill it to full with leaves ranging from enough to at least cover the bottom to 1/3 full. I’ve read some places that your supposed to have it overflow a little? I’m probably the worst person to ask about this. XD

ashmanra

I used my Teavivre glass pot and double wall glass cups last night at Writers’ Group. One of the ladies put money in my hand as she was leaving and told me to get her those cups. LOL! People were fascinated by them, and the tea really does look pretty in them.

ashmanra

Just realized – I think my pot actually came from purepuer.com. I am not sure. It has a green handle and knob on the lid. Teavivre has one with pink, which is adorable and will probably come to live with me (and one with my daughter) soon.

TeaLady441

I like how that looks – so pretty and cute. I wonder if I should buy a gaiwan instead of a mini glass pot. But I could go to DavidsTea TODAY and get the pot and drink my dragonwell samples properly! Decisions… :/

I’ll probably end up with everything eventually, but I’m trying to fight it!

Thx for the info!

Bonnie

Cavocofax, if you can afford it buy both and you’ll be glad you did. They should both be cheap. My glass pot has lasted 5 years so far for $9 and my gaiwan’s run $10-$18 for the fancy one at the high end. These are my most used brewing instruments along with a finum basket and a small strainer. (My glass pot has a stainless basket in it). The standard tea’s from Verdant are those from Laoshan Village but that will probably expand eventually. Davids used to be better when I tried them a year ago I thought. BTW my double wall glass cups were bought at TJ Maxx for about $3.99 for 4. Not bad. Checking out the discount stores can be surprising.

TeaLady441

Thanks Bonnie. I bought the mini glass pot and am enjoying it now, but am still thinking a gaiwan would eventually be nice. But when would you use the gaiwan vs the mini pot? Functionally, aren’t they the same?

Bonnie

Well,Sometimes I do a side by side comparison so having 2 is nice, also…I use the gaiwan for puerh and often poke at it so a gaiwan is easier. Instant steeps seem easy with a gaiwan. I have a gaiwan for oolong,one for Puerh(clay), and a small white porcelain one. My yixing is for roasty oolongs but it’s a medium size pot.

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Bio

I started my Steepster loose leaf adventure back in 2012. I can’t say I’m completely new anymore, but I still view oolong as a magical, extraterrestrial creature that unfurls in water.

My favourites are teas like Milk Oolong, Silver Needle,and Japanese Sencha/Gyokuro, or fruity and floral flavoured ones. However, I generally enjoy ALL the teas, including a good old cup of Earl Grey or Breakfast blend.

FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS/NOTES:

DESSERT FLAVOURS
Vanilla, Maple, Caramel, Butterscotch, Cream, Toffee, Nougat, Marzipan, Butter

FRUIT & BERRIES
Citrus Fruits, Passionfruit, Banana, Pineapple, Melons, Blackberry, Raspberry, Currants, Elderberry, Persimmon, Rhubarb..

SPICES
Ginger, Turmeric, Clove-forward chai, Cardamom

AROMATIC & HERBACEOUS NOTES
Sandalwood, Frankincense, Juniper, Eucalyptus, Mints

FLORALS
Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, Violet, etc.

VEGGIE/GRAIN NOTES
Spinach, Grass, Hay, Cucumber, Rice, Sweet Potato

Less Preferred Flavours/Ingredients:
Stevia, Apple, Cocoa Nib, Almond, Licorice, Cinnamon-forward blends, Chinese Sencha

Subjective Rating System:
I don’t give a lot of low ratings out, since a) I tend to grab tea I know will appeal to me, and b) I don’t have a lot of strong dislikes.

90-100: Favourites. The Desert Island Teas.
80-89: Loved teas. Possibly staple-worthy.
70-79: Good teas, but I’m less likely to repurchase. Minor quibbles.
60-69: Ok teas. Likely a few preference and/or quality issues.
50-59: Cup of meh. Will do in a pinch.
11-49: Varying levels of undrinkable tea.
1-10: Nightmare tea from the chaos realms. This tea is the embodiment of the primordial swamp, an unholy abomination. It’s very gross and I’m almost positive it doesn’t exist.

Location

BC, Canada

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