My tiny tasting cup finally came! I’ve had this sample from Verdant for awhile now but I wanted to wait to try it until I could give it attention and lots of steeps. This is my first tasting note logging multiple infusions! I don’t have very sophisticated taste buds but I still felt like I got a lot of this tea (Rayn contributed a bit too).
I started out by giving this tea two quick rinses.
1st steep – about 4 seconds
Smells like hay and dirt, has a reddish brown color. The flavor reminds me of earth, mushrooms, hay, and the woods.
2nd steep – 5 seconds
Liquid is dark in the infuser but pours out a darker brown tinged with red. I still smell hay and dirt and barnyard. Tastes slightly mineraly?
3rd steep – 10 seconds
Sparkling taste is getting more prominent and it feels kind of cooling on the inside of my mouth. Still smells really earthy. Slight scratchy feeling near the back of my throat.
4th steep – 15 seconds
Scent is warm and almost spicy. More sparkly and sweet, this is the first time it’s tasted sweet. Wiggles, my cat, was very interested in this steep and spent a long time sniffing it!
5th steep – 20 seconds
Pu’erh is very sweet on this steep. Kind of juicy and fruity. I must have really liked this one because I drank it fast.
6th steep – 25 seconds
Clear and sweet. Rayn comments that this one “tastes like mineral water”. Didn’t get much before it got cold since he got home from work :)
7th steep – 30 seconds
Rayn’s note: “sweet and spicy”. Color is getting lighter again, I taste a bit of the spiciness Rayn mentioned, and it seems to be getting earthy again to me. As it cools more sweet mineral water flavor.
8th steep – 40 seconds
Light amber liquid. Flavor is bright, mineraly and this reminds me of pine or cedar.
9th steep – 1 minute
Light red color. Very sweet with a hint of saltiness.
I ended up steeping this three more times but didn’t write the last few down, they were really similar to the 9th steep.
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My palate is not sophisticated at all. I hear “hay, earth, and the woods” and I think “Dump it! Trade it! NEXT!” LOL
Haha! I know it sounds odd, but it tastes good.
What Rachel said. =)
I found a Bodum tasting cup that I want to get. It’s so cute, it’s only about 2 or 2.5oz. I’m so psyched that I finally found something I like. Now I just have to find a place where it’s actually in stock…
Anyhoo, really cool tasting note! I’m impressed by all you got out of the tea in spite of your supposedly unsophisticated palate. =) I’m looking forward to similarly educating my own palate soon.
It was a really cool tea, Nik! Well worth trying if you’re interested in pu’erh. Even Wiggles (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzo3ppZ4OW1r581hyo1_1280.jpg) couldn’t resist checking it out.
I’m not, all that much, but I’m trying to psych myself into getting interested. =P
P.S. Wiggles is very cute. Is Wiggles wiggly?
If it’s any help Nik, I wasn’t interested at ALL in puerh… but puerh got interested in me. I’m hooked now – highly recommend this and other Verdant pus!
Verdant…pus? Oh! The plural of “pu,” I get it now. Had a really grossed out moment, there. =P Thank you, yes, that does help. I try to keep an open mind, and I’m willing to go earthy if there’s sweetness to be found, but I’m not even remotely willing if there’s only fishiness to be found. =)
Nik – Wiggles was a very wiggly baby! Nowadays she does wiggle a bit, but mostly naps and starts fights with her sister.
In my experience, better pu’erhs don’t have any fish taste or flavor.
haha ‘pus’ – my bad!
Yeah to be honest, I don’t think I’ve had a single “fishy” puerh from a high quality vendor like Verdant or Mandala. Only from DavidsTea n_n; (I still liked them, but it’s a totally different thing like the difference between a book and a movie!)
Sorry to hijack your tasting note Claire! It is wonderful!
DaisyChubb – I don’t mind hijacking! :)
very cute kitty!
My palate is not sophisticated at all. I hear “hay, earth, and the woods” and I think “Dump it! Trade it! NEXT!” LOL
Haha! I know it sounds odd, but it tastes good.
What Rachel said. =)
I found a Bodum tasting cup that I want to get. It’s so cute, it’s only about 2 or 2.5oz. I’m so psyched that I finally found something I like. Now I just have to find a place where it’s actually in stock…
Anyhoo, really cool tasting note! I’m impressed by all you got out of the tea in spite of your supposedly unsophisticated palate. =) I’m looking forward to similarly educating my own palate soon.
It was a really cool tea, Nik! Well worth trying if you’re interested in pu’erh. Even Wiggles (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzo3ppZ4OW1r581hyo1_1280.jpg) couldn’t resist checking it out.
I’m not, all that much, but I’m trying to psych myself into getting interested. =P
P.S. Wiggles is very cute. Is Wiggles wiggly?
If it’s any help Nik, I wasn’t interested at ALL in puerh… but puerh got interested in me. I’m hooked now – highly recommend this and other Verdant pus!
Verdant…pus? Oh! The plural of “pu,” I get it now. Had a really grossed out moment, there. =P Thank you, yes, that does help. I try to keep an open mind, and I’m willing to go earthy if there’s sweetness to be found, but I’m not even remotely willing if there’s only fishiness to be found. =)
Nik – Wiggles was a very wiggly baby! Nowadays she does wiggle a bit, but mostly naps and starts fights with her sister.
In my experience, better pu’erhs don’t have any fish taste or flavor.
haha ‘pus’ – my bad!
Yeah to be honest, I don’t think I’ve had a single “fishy” puerh from a high quality vendor like Verdant or Mandala. Only from DavidsTea n_n; (I still liked them, but it’s a totally different thing like the difference between a book and a movie!)
Sorry to hijack your tasting note Claire! It is wonderful!
DaisyChubb – I don’t mind hijacking! :)
very cute kitty!