Vanilla Citrus Spice

Another one from TeaTiff. I’m glad to be able to try out some Verdant teas because I really have no experience with them and yet steepster almost unanimously loves them.

This doesn’t smell like much in the bag, but as it brews it’s amazing. Sticky buns! It’s exactly like sticky buns (not quite cinnamon rolls—no icing and more cinnamon). The taste is similar to the smell, with more vanilla and a hint of citrus. I was afraid the orange peel might overpower the mixture or make it bitter—there’s a lot of it in there—but it doesn’t do either of those things. It’s perfectly balanced and delicious. This is somewhat similar to ATR’s Brioche, but it’s different enough that I could justify having both in my cabinet. Love this one!

I’m so glad that I was able to try this, it’s another really nice autumn tea from Verdant, I just wish I had ordered more than a sample. I absolutely love the fact that cinnamon isn’t the dominant flavor in this blend. The orange, ginger, and coriander all come through clearly, with just a hint of cinnamon to round the flavors out. The vanilla is a wonderful addition, leaving the tea feeling just a little bit creamy.

I managed to steep this twice last night and a third time this morning with great results.

Husband loved the smell of this one so much he made me get up and make him his own cup, something he never does. It’s definitely right for the time of year. It’s kind of gentle though, as these sorts of blends go (keeping in mind I’m a subtaster with leanings toward strong aroma and flavor). I bet it’d be good as a tea syrup for soda. Hm.

I spent a loooong time today standing in front of my tea cabinet and wandering around my kitchen, trying to decide what tea to drink. It was that kind of day. But I’m glad I picked this one, because it’s made my whole room smell like oatmeal cookies. And it tastes like one too!

I love the base of this tea, it’s robust without being astringent with notes of wood and cocoa. The flavours don’t sound like they should work together much less with a base that has so much character of it’s own, but the flavour blending is deft enough that the it has just the right spiciness, the right amount of sweet vanilla, the right degree of citrusy tang that it just works. It also holds up to resteeping quite well. It’s kind of a shame that Verdant Tea has changed to unflavoured teas (although it’s also great that they’re bringing single source Chinese teas to the N. American market, and area of tea production that has been underserved in my opinion) as I would be totally willing to buy more of this tea.

I’m revisiting this tea now after having set it aside for several months. I wasn’t feeling it then – perhaps because I didn’t love the Zhu Rong Yunnan Black base – and was curious what I would think of it now. I have struggled with the few Dian Hongs I’ve tried, which I found surprising since the typical descriptions of them – “cinnamon sweet with orange,” to use Verdant’s words as an example – sound so delightful. I will try more. Verdant’s is the only Zhu Rong I’ve tasted, in more than one tea (though all were blends, as I recall), and it didn’t appeal to me in other forms either.

I really want to like this tea, but I’m still not feeling it. My brain is making sense of it as a more sophisticated chai – a complex spiced tea with unexpected flavors to observe and discover – and wanting to appreciate it for being interesting even if not particularly enjoyable.

Overall, the flavor was muted, despite what I would consider a hefty amount of leaf/spice. I drastically increased the steep time (Verdant recommended 30 sec) to coax more flavor. Perhaps the bottom of the bag contained a disproportionate amount of heavier spice and zest bits, which I imagine would infuse more slowly than leaves.

Through each steep, a cinnamon-like spiciness remained the most prominent aroma. The first flavor to surface was a light smokiness, I assume from the Zhu Rong leaves. A citrus note in my first steep (208°, 30 sec) offered a bright orange flavor and in my second and third steeps (212° 1:30 and 208° 2:30) became moderately bitter, like some of the pith fell in along with the orange zest. In the fourth steep (also 208° 2:30) the bitterness mellowed, making way for a smoother cup, though still not an infusion that I found interesting or enjoyable.

Still, I would not consider this a “bad” tea, simply one that didn’t align with my palate in this moment. Perhaps on a different day I would thoroughly enjoy it – which wouldn’t be the first time my experiences with the same tea radically varied. Every experience is unique, there is no replicating, no consistency no matter how scientifically controlled the parameters are. Change is the only constant. This I find to be a magnificent lesson offered in every bit of our experience, and for me, quite succinctly through tea.

Somehow, I steeped this for 16 minutes – and it’s still really tasty if a bit astringent. I feel icky that I didn’t give it the love and attention it deserves. In my defense, I was working on something creative that had me instantly focused and in the zone. Still, it’s no excuse, I need to be more present, and that includes (especially) with steeping my tea.

Regardless, this is a chai-like, chocolate-y aroma-d, subtle vanilla-y tea. It’s nuanced, although again, likely not the best description or depiction based on my ridiculous oversight.

GCTTB
I really like this – it’s pretty much a mild chai with a hint of vanilla and a hint of citrus. I’m a little finicky with citrus, but this is nice and gentle. Yep – I like it, warm and soothing.

Many thanks to Sil for the super generous sample of this one.
I saw this one in Sil’s cupboard and though I usually go for straight blacks, this really jumped out at me. I’m a sucker for anything citrus-y and combined with vanilla it seemed like something I had to try.
Opening up the sample I can tell I’m going to enjoy this. There are big hunks of spice and orange peel which I always appreciate. And it smells just delightful. Brewed a bit strong at 4.5 minutes and added a bit of vanilla soy milk as I usually do with my chai (and chai-esque) blends. The citrus is a bit lost on me, but I’m fine with that. It’s really delightful as-is, very buttery and creamy with a nice amount of cinnamon and spice. It tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie. So much so that I decided I needed to make some ASAP. And with a quick Google I stumbled upon this recipe http://www.theppk.com/2012/09/chaispicesnickerdoodles/ How perfect! Can’t wait to have them side-by-side with this tea.

Sipdown! 982.

A half-finished package, so clearly I’ve tried this before… and have no note to show for it. Argh. I don’t even remember trying it, which is perhaps even more irritating, haha. Anyhow, it smells pretty nice brewed up – lightly spiced with a dash of orange and sweetness. It smells kind of like Christmas, because I guess orange spice = Christmas, to me. Flavourwise, that’s pretty much what it is – an orange spice tea, with some creaminess from the vanilla (presumably). Cinnamon is the predominant spice, but overall, it’s quite balanced, which I prefer. I would imagine there has been a bit of flavour loss here, given that this has not been sealed for a while (sample packet, so just clipped shut, and probably not all that well), but it’s pretty enjoyable. I’m not sure what the base tea is (I’m guessing Laoshan Black but have no real idea), but it’s really not terribly obvious here. Or maybe it’s an herbal? (I thought I saw leaves though.) Overall, pretty enjoyable, probably better when fresh, and I may throw another sample into a future order if it’s around, perhaps next Christmas, because I don’t think I’d drink this outside of the winter months.