1800 Tasting Notes
Still not a trace of bitter melon (thankfully). Not sure how much the bitter melon is contributing in terms of flavor, but this tea is extremely rich. Like a dark chocolate cake covered in roasted nuts.
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Roasted Nuts, Rosewood
Purchased the Element tasting set from Bitterleaf recently and this is the first I’m trying of the set. First thing I notice is how beautiful the leaves are- super bright green! Next thing I notice is how fresh smelling it is, which translates to the flavor.
Super vegetal and slightly floral. Really solid tiegaunyin.
Flavors: Butter, Green Bell Peppers, Lilac, Stewed Vegetables, Vegetable Broth
Trying to sip through this since I don’t love it. Easily oversteeps and starts getting quite bitter. Still not getting the sweetness associated with honey or creaminess associated with milk. Mostly butter and cooked veggies.
Flavors: Artichoke, Butter, Stewed Vegetables, Vegetable Broth
Wow, this tea is incredible. I think I got this as a sample in a TTC order a year or so ago and kind of tossed it into my work stash and forgot about it. Found it today and decided to brew it gongfu style and I was so pleasantly surprised.
It tastes a lot like Thai iced tea- that same caramelly sugary sweetness. Maybe like roasted candy-coated pecans? So tasty.
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Caramel, Caramelized Sugar, Pecan
A bit let down by this. I’m getting a lot of milk aroma (it smells like added milk flavoring, though that isn’t listed anywhere), but I don’t get it in the flavor. I’m definitely not getting any honey. Mostly butter and lilac. It’s quite average, and the price just doesn’t align with the quality ($15.50/30g….which is a perfectly acceptable price for a decent Jin Xuan but not this Jin Xuan).
Flavors: Artichoke, Butter, Clover, Green, Lilac
Sipdown 25- 2024
This was a sample given to me in my last Verdant order, so barely a sipdown but I’m still counting it!
Really pleasantly surprised by this. I don’t know what I was expecting- I love floral scented teas, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a yellow tea before. This is absolutely fantastic. I brought a mini gongfu set to work and enjoyed it that way at my desk. I’m pretty sure I audibly ‘wowed’ when I first smelled this brewed. It’ s a field of fresh orchids. Incredibly fragrant and it translates really well into the flavor. While I got mostly the flavor of the orchids, the yellow tea provided a really gentle base- somewhere between a white tea and a mild green tea? It also held up to 7-8 steepings with little impact on the flavor.
Just an overall fantastic tea. I’ve already added more to my Verdant cart.
Flavors: Gardenias, Hay, Honey, Jasmine, Lily, Magnolia, Orchid