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I cold brewed a cup of this for almost 24 hours and it’s nice and refreshing. Kind of mild. I feel like this would be a good base tea to mix with other teas and cold brew… hmmmm..

It’s been soooo long since I’ve put up a review! Gaahh

So, I’m drinking a Christmas tea in July… yes my bag is still one that says “Oh Christmas Treat” on it… and it is messing with my head. I want to be wearing a big sweater and watching the snow out my window! Early winter/late fall is the best time of year, I think. But I feel like whatever time of year it is, I’m often wishing for something else.
So, I guess summer really isn’t that bad. Lots of produce is in season and the summer thunderstorms are awesome. And I love iced tea, even though I go through so much more tea so quickly. I’m sure there were times in the winter when I said “I wish it was summer!” so I should appreciate it while I can.

UM ANYWAY… this tea is still awesome. It’s like a grown-up chocolate orange. It came out a little bit weak/watery this time though, but still enjoyable.

Cream earl grey is my favourite kind of tea and this one is very very good. It’s even competing with the Davids version for the #1 spot in my cupboard. It smells amazing dry and even better steeped. The cream comes through in a totally satisfying way, but I wish the bergamot was a little bit stronger. Maybe with a 3 minute steep next time it will be better. Still creamy and delicious.

I think this may be my first-ever straight pu’erh. If not, it’s at least my first sheng. Excited! The Verdant site says that this was picked in 2001, when I was 10… it’s strange to think about.

The dry leaves have a pleasant musty smell that makes me think of venturing into my grandparents’ basement when I was a kid. It’s almost eerie how spot-on it is.
I’m using my gaiwan and after two rinses, the leaves smell amazing. I tried really hard to think of words to describe it, but I can’t. You’re just gonna have to try it yourself, lol.

First steep – Definitely nutty, and there’s something spicy about it too. Something leather-like in the taste. I can’t help but feel calm with this tea. I feel a lot of stress slipping away while I drink it.
2nd – The texture is silky smooth and there’s a surprising sweet aftertaste! I actually did a double take. It takes longer to emerge on some sips.
3rd – The musty-ness is receding slightly and giving way to a clear, light kind of sweetness.
4th – The best steep yet. This is definitely a complex tea and probably one that I’m not really experienced enough to comment on yet… I feel like I’m trying to play a song on guitar and messing up all the notes. It’s amazing though!

I got up to around 12-14 steeps (I lost count). I want to try more pu’erhs after having this! Maybe after experiencing a few more I’ll be able to give better reviews.

Mehh, this kind of tasted like a lot of flavoured black teas I’ve tried. The caramel was there but I didn’t get the salt. Nothing special. But then on the second steep the salt really came out in a weird way, with this saltwatery aftertaste… blehhh. Maybe I’ll try it as a latte.

I’ve been loving a lot of unflavoured teas recently, and flavoured ones haven’t been doing much for me… I may be moving into a somewhat straight-teas-only phase. I blame Verdant.

Bleh. The dry leaves smelled fairly peachy and just a little weird, but the tea smells totally plasticky and off to me. Maybe it’s the yogurt bits? I’ve heard this is better if you take them out. So I’ll try that next time. But yeah, the taste is plastic and weird too. I’m not even really getting any peach at all. :/
After it cooled a little I started eating some mint chocolate with it and it actually tasted better. Huh. Still hopeful about this one, gonna try it iced too.
EDIT: The second steep was much nicer and lighter on the weird stuff, but still not all that great :\

Of course I ended up buying some! And now I am finally trying it. I’m using my little gaiwan and I even took a bottle of filtered water from work to use with it (my first time using non-tap water lol, I knoww… but I think Toronto tap water is actually quite good as far as tap water goes). First I did a rinse.

First steep – I have never had a tea like this! This seems to be my first impression trying every tea from Verdant, lol, but it’s true. There’s something earthy about the smell of the dry leaves that makes me picture a forest after the rain, and it comes through in this first steep. When I close my eyes I see the forest from Totoro.

2nd – This steep is a little lighter. I can taste the same soft pretzel-y baked goods flavour I’ve found in other Yunnan teas. And there is a definite sweetness in the finish, mmmm. Almost like icing.

3rd – The sweet flavour is really coming out, it’s a bright, sugary taste, but subtle too. I had no idea what to expect with this tea, but wow. It seems like it would be right for any season, any time of day, as long as I had time to sit down with it.

4th – Slightly spicy, still sweet. The forest imagery has been staying in my mind the entire time. I feel like I have to comment on the texture, it feels somehow soft and makes me think of mushrooms. Everything comes together to create something I feel lucky to have experienced.

I got up to 7 steeps and it’s still going strong. I have to go somewhere but I’m gonna save the leaves and come back to it when I get home… I don’t want to waste any! This is obviously a really amazing tea, it’s like a secret place I didn’t know existed but am totally in love with.

Mmm. This is helping me after a long night of essay writing.
Normally jasmine is too flowery for me, but this tea is serene instead of cloying. There’s something nice and sweet in the background. Yes… I am too tired to write any more, lol. But I wanted to update since I hadn’t posted in so long! Plus I like this tea.

I cold brewed a pitcher of this and when I took it out of the fridge everyone in the room recoiled in horror. I hugged it to my chest and said “IT’S CALLED COLD BREWING, IT’S SUPPOSED TO LOOK THIS WAY! THERE’S A FILTER IN THE PITCHER! IT TASTES LIKE PINA COLADA!!” No one would try it so I have the whole pitcher to myself, which is awesome because it tastes amaaazzinnnggg. I was expecting to have to sweeten it a little but I totally don’t have to at all, it’s naturally sweet and creamy. I would love to try it as an iced latte! The pineapple flavour is really pronounced. Unfortunately I used up my whole bag making this pitcher, so I’m gonna have to go back and get a tin of this!