Ag select Send Message

Ag drank Cornfields Shu Tuocha by Verdant Tea

149 tasting notes

Whoo, first post since I’ve been back from Ethiopia!

I was there on a paleoanthropological field seminar with my professor. It was an amazing experience. We were in Addis Ababa for the first few weeks, doing labwork, and then went out to the desert for about a month to collect fossil specimens. It was the first time I’d ever done fieldwork this intense (I did go to Israel for an archaeological excavation last summer, but it was only for 2 weeks and the conditions were considerably more comfortable, since we had air conditioning in our cottage). I learned so much about anthropology, working in the field, and Ethiopian culture, and had a lot of fun in the meantime. The people I met were so friendly. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

Anyway, on to the tea!

When I first brewed this up, the aroma instantly reminded me of sticky rice. Sweet, light, with a hint of earthiness. It tastes exactly as it smells and has a very smooth, slightly creamy mouthfeel. Very refreshing!

I Like This

4 likes

1 comments

Bonnie
Delete

Welcome home. I hope you’ll share some stories here!

People who liked this

Comments

Bonnie
Delete

Welcome home. I hope you’ll share some stories here!

Profile

Bio

I have far too many interests. Tea is one of them.

Background in bioethics, medical anthropology, and evolutionary biology with aspirations of eventually going into a medical field. I also have strong interests in theater, computer science, and food (which shouldn’t be particularly surprising).

Brewing
Brewing method is usually Western style for black teas (2-3 minutes at near-boiling), “grandpa style” for shu pu’ers and longjing, and gongfu (with a gaiwan) short steeps for sheng and shu pu’ers (two 5-second rinses, then 5, 10, 15-second steeps with a gradual increase in steep times to taste). The gaiwan is also used for oolongs though I sometimes use a brew basket if the gaiwan is occupied and I’m taking a break from pu’er.

Preferences
I enjoy black teas, pu’er, and oolongs (leaning towards aged, cliff/Wuyi, or roasted/dark), depending on my mood. I don’t usually drink green tea but do enjoy a cup every so often.

Ratings
My rating methods have changed over time and as a result, they’re very inconsistent. For the most part, as of 11 November 2014, unless a tea is exceptional in some way (either good or bad), I will refrain from leaving a numerical rating.

The final iteration of my rating system before I stopped (note: I never did get around to re-calibrating most of my older notes):
99 & 100: I will go to almost any lengths to keep this stocked in my cupboard.
90-98: I’m willing to or already do frequently repurchase this when my stock runs low.
80-89: I enjoy this tea, and I may be inclined to get more of it once I run out.
70-79: While this is a good tea, I don’t plan on having it in constant supply in my tea stash.
50-69: This might still be a good tea, but I wouldn’t get it myself.
40-49: Just tolerable enough for me to finish the cup, but I don’t think I’ll be trying it again any time soon.
Below 40: Noping the heck out of this cup/pot.

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer