284 Tasting Notes

93

Wow. This is the creamiest pure green tea I have ever had. I received the sample from Verdant with my last order. I still don’t swoon over green teas so I opened all the other stuff first. I wanted a new tea today and this is the only thing I have that’s unopened and untried. (Not in the mood for all the pu’ samples I have in a box from a tea friend).

I ripped this open and I sniffed it out right away. The sweet creamy peas are so fragrant! Ok, there’s no peas in here but that’s what you smell. Now that the pouch has been open it is not as strong but man, that first sniff was delicious. If I take some in my palm and keep smelling them, they smell so sweet, and somewhat toasty. But only if you insist on sniffing, it is not apparent at first.

I used a sort of western/gaiwan method for brewing because the verdant site said 4 grams of tea for a “medium” gaiwan. Errr, what’s a medium? I mean, we measure the time, the leaf and temperature, I’d like to measure the water too. So the western instructions said 6-8 oz water. I put it in a gaiwan. And I steeped not 3 seconds like they say (?!?) but 50. I know, I’m all over the place.

I have no idea what their steeping instructions would render but what I made here is so so good. It’s creamy and sweet, like bean sweet, and I’ve never had anything like it. Very pale brew. Drinking it out of tiny cups that came with my glass gaiwan. Pretty. Because, you know, we don’t just gulp this stuff around here! :)

Thanks, Verdant!

TheTeaFairy

I think verdant have some of the best green tea out there…
Lol at “medium gaiwan”, would it be so hard to just say “in a 5oz gaiwan” if that’s what they mean?

yyz

I like 45s start for the first steeps of Green teas. It was what was recommended for gongfu, by a guideline I have had success with. Glad you enjoyed the tea.

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96

This is my one tea I hope to have on me if I ever find myself up stranded on a desert island. It’s almost all I have to write about it. I much prefer this to a green Genmaicha, verdant or otherwise, but maybe that’s because I dig black teas more than greens.

The chocolatey rice is out of this world and oh my god, what’s the biggest quantity I can buy because I’m already looking in my 3-oz tin and thinking that I have to hang on to it but I can’t because all I want to drink is this.

And no, I don’t have to add anything else to this note because there’s a lot of them out there, with stories and everything, which most certainly makes this one dull anyway. So there :) Drink this and stop talking. It’s smooth, it’s rice, it’s chocolate and you too will want to take it on a desert island.

TheTeaFairy

(A shitload is the biggest quantity you can get. Ask me for some if you ever run out.)

Nxtdoor

I would never ask for this! If it’s hard for me to part with, it’d be hard for everyone else too, I’m guessing. Or maybe it’s cause I’m an only child and don’t know how to share.

SarsyPie

LOL. Too funny! Another tea addiction is born!!!

Terri HarpLady

Yeah, when the zombie apocalypse arrives, you’ll find me in an underground bunker somewhere in the woods near Emminence, Mo, by the Jacks Fork spring fed river (one of my favorite float trip rivers)
https://www.google.com/search?q=jacks+fork+river&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=E97LU9_TOYW0yATO0oCAAQ&ved=0CDAQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=615

You’ll find me somewhere down there, with a survival kit of knives, fishing gear, a few cast iron skillets, a canoe, sleeping bag, tea kettle, & a lifetime supply of hoarded teas, including this one. You’re welcome to join me, people, but please BYOT
LOL

SarsyPie

Terri! Bring me! I can make alcohol, for those interested, and I’m a great gardener and forager! I’m building an impressive supply of shengs, too. :p

Terri HarpLady

If I actually had the money, I’d buy a place down around Emminence, & go there as often as I could. I love it there :)

Nxtdoor

I’m a chef. Surely to god people want a good cook around. Although, I don’t know, Terri can probably survive on those pancakes of hers.

Terri HarpLady

We could all go in on a place down there, as a group vacation home, & ‘just in case’ place. ;)

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60
drank Campfire Blend by Verdant Tea
284 tasting notes

Aah, the things we buy when we’re trying to meet shipping minimums. I got a sample 1 oz pack of this after reviewing all other options and deciding against. I should have just gotten more Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha. BUT I wanted to try it. 1 oz is not a lot so no harm done.

I’m not sure about this tea. I definitely don’t love it, I’ll tell you that. It’s got chai spices with some orange peel. I do like the scent of the dry “leaf” but as much as I can smell the orange in dry form, I can’t pick it up past the ginger and Cinammon once brewed. I steeped using spring water which I seldom do (I bought two large jugs for camping and we didn’t use it all then so it’s for tea!) and I only infused for 2 minutes or so. It seemed what most people on here were doing. Maybe it would get too spicy if kept longer? Maybe I’ll try longer steep with what I have left…

It tastes like a spicy, dessert bread of sorts. Not banana loaf but maybe carrot? A a carrot muffin I think. I’m going to share my 1 oz so that leaves me with another 16 oz mug worth, surely I can manage downing it.

TeaLady441

Oh no! I hope I enjoy mine a little more as I bought it for the EXACT SAME REASON!

Nxtdoor

It’s not bad but I don’t love it. If I don’t love it I will avoid it and it will drag around my cupboard. Kinda like mulberry magic. It’s ok but I rarely reach for it.

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60
drank Campfire Blend by Verdant Tea
284 tasting notes

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93

This is back in my cupboard, yay! About a year ago I had this as my first chai and it came from Dexter3657 . I vowed then that it was going to be a purchase and thought this was the best chai ever. It was a no brainer that I would order this once I placed my verdant order. That order is finally here and oh, there is so much love in these packages waiting for me.

Still remains my favourite chai. I love the way the spices are all there, not too overpowering, not “spicy” at all in that sense. I usually don’t care for ginger in teas but I like this one here, the tingle from it and what must be the peppercorns. I loooove the look of the gojiberries in it too, the red pop against the cardamom green and the black beautiful Laoshan, against the fennel seeds and whatever else.

I tried it without the almond coconut milk at first and it is good that way but with the almond milk it’s all I can do not to down this cup in two big mouthfuls.

So I think next time I will sweeten with chocolate syrup. I mean, I can’t really taste the Laoshan behind all this anyway so I don’t feel too guilty about the sacrilege.

I don’t know what else I can say that hasn’t already been said. This is a classic!

TheTeaFairy

Always fun to restock on favourites :-)

KiwiDelight

I love this brewed on the stove top with milk and sugar. Roasted goodness x3

Nxtdoor

Kiwi, I was too lazy to do it this evening but I was pretty close. Next time for sure.

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54

I am almost certain I wrote a note on this before but steepster says I haven’t. Oh well. I know all about disappearing notes from some of you. I even remember writing about how I liked the second steep better because the spices are more muted.

Well, anyway, so I got this during Black Friday because it seemed to be so popular on here and I was curious. Unfortunately I was really disappointed because all I get out of this tea is Cinammon. It’s also a bit bitter and needed some doctoring. I get no raisin or oatmeal or anything resembling a cookie, aside from the cinammon. It reminds me a little of DAVIDs Glitter and Gold which I also don’t dig mostly because again the spices run amok.

In fact I like this so little that I still have the full 2 oz pouch, I only made 3 cups out of it so far. Tsk.

SarsyPie

Oh no, cinnaBLARGH!!!!! One of my least favorite tea spices! Almond raisin sounds good. Too bad there’s none here.

Nxtdoor

Some stuff is just too strong for tea. Cinammon for example. Another is clove. Mint also. I love mint but I find that when there’s mint, you can be hard pressed to find stuff beyond the mint. Oh well. I guess now I have a Cinammon tea.

SarsyPie

I have to update my list of tea dislikes. Mint and melon are on there. I need to add cinnaBLARGH! And I agree… certain flavors are just overpowering. Mint absolutely tops the list, IMO!

TheTeaFairy

(It’s cinnaNOM …just sayin..)

SarsyPie

I knew you’d pop up eventually with your pro-cinnamon talk!

Sil

lupicia! MELON! OOLONG! it’s so far from oo-wrong :) even if you’re not one with the melon

OMGsrsly

(I have to agree with Sil… and I’m not one that likes melon much.)

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44
drank Choco-Mint Black Tea by Tealux
284 tasting notes

Thank you TheTeaFairy for this sample. This poor sample got roughed up a little, I took it with me to work one day but never took it out of my bag. For weeks! It just hung out there, at the bottom of my not too small bag. Ladies, you know what this ziploc looks like after several weeks, dontcha? What lies at the bottoms of your bags?

And since I mistreated it, it mistreated me. 3 tsp for 16 oz of off boiling water, 4 minutes as the tea fairy says. I added sugar. It is quite bitter, possibly overleafed I thought to myself. Maybe overstepped? So I added some creamer. Then lots of creamer. Still bitter. What the? I poured another half a cup of water over it. And some coconut milk. So now I have the kitchen sink in here. And it’s drinkable but it’s only because I’m sad of wasting all the stuff on it or I might have dumped it!

Holy jumpin, I’ve only had a couple of Sri Lankan teas in the past that I considered or ended up flushing. Not sure where this tea originates, I looked at the Tealux site and they’re tight lipped. Also, looks like CTC. I should have steeped less.

In any event, I’m determined to drink this abomination :) cheers!

TeaKlutz

Oh, I know all too well what that Ziploc looks like. I’ve put tea packets in my lunchbag for work, then completely forgotten they were there. Whoooooops…

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85

I’m about one cup away from a sipdown on this one so I thought I’d tell you all about it again!

Spicy but so good, especially if you add some sugar. I’m still reading “a thousand splendid suns” and they drink quite a bit of tea in this book. So I put some instrumental African music on Songza, made this tea and it makes me thoroughly enjoy my Sunday. My partner is away for the week and it’s totally awesome. :)

It is minty and sweet and spicy and it hits the spot. I can totally fantasize about Egypt.

TheTeaFairy

Aww, this note totally made me travel…

Too bad, I don’t have that book in my Overdrive :-(
Is it good so far?

Nxtdoor

It’s really good! I was wait listed about 9 months. Lol

Nxtdoor

Fairy, we should watch “Cairo Time”. Not sure you’d like it but what the hey, worth a shot.

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8
drank Coco Chai by Tealux
284 tasting notes

No. Just no. And it seems it’s unanimous so far. Three notes now say “no, thanks” to this one. And TheTeaFairy who didn’t write a note (yet?) also doesn’t like it based on what she wrote on the ziploc bag she sent my way. There’s too much nutmeg or something in this one. No coconut despite the almond coconut milk I threw in. Usually that additive helps along any chai wannabe. Thank you, TheTeaFairy for crossing this one off my list.

I’m sitting here on my sunny patio reading “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini and I grabbed some veggie samosas and made this chai to help the mood. But this chai will have to be replaced. Thank goodness Laoshan village Chai from Verdant is on its way to me. Yay!

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Profile

Bio

I started drinking loose leaf tea in the spring of 2013 (why do we feel compelled to mark the date of tea drinking somewhat like addicts counting their sobriety days?)

Never been much into tea before. Growing up in Romania, tea was something mom made for you when you were sick. As an adult, my hot beverage of choice has been coffee, both flavoured and regular. I’ve recently stumbled upon Teavana and DAVIDs TEA and quickly got addicted to the latter. Then came steepster and all else followed.

Formerly a mathematician and insurance adjuster, I gave up the corporate world and am now a professional chef. I drink wine and sometimes cheat on it with tea.

I lean heavily towards flavoured black teas. I’ve started to crave the occasional straight oolong and green but so far unflavoured black teas leave me unimpressed.

I’m learning so I drink them all. Am even introducing myself to pu’erh. So far I can do fine with the sheng cause frankly, they don’t taste like pu’erh to me. The shou is another story.

Note*: The virtual cupboard does NOT contain any of the samples I hold since most of them are one-cup quantity.

Note**: My partner, our home improvements, gadgets, mortgage, travel, wine and food have budget priority over tea.

Location

Toronto-ish, Canada

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