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While this doesn’t brew up bitter, all the assamness (awesomeness) is smoothed away from this tea. No malt, no coppery tang, no astringency. Kinda boring. I’ll mix it with something to sip it down it’s at least good for some caffiene.

I’ve brewed this with too much leaf a few times before actually measuring about 8 g for 16 oz. There’s a fine balance between too much leaf or not enough to get the vanilla bourbon to shine through. I do like a strong cup of tea, and even a bit of harshness to an Assam (awesome), but too much leaf here tips the balance and becomes too heavy and metallic.
So with the right amount of leaf this is an adequate cup, the second steep barely drinkable it is so much weaker than the first. While this is certainly an interesting combination, I like Upton’s Almond delight better for a flavored tea. This one is a bit to fussy to brew correctly to get a good cup.

I couldn’t find a tea with & or and, so I went for a sipdown of Simpson & Vail instead. At least its a sipdown, though I’m sure my next S&V order will have this tea in it.
This is still a strong brisk tea with a nice bite to it. Brews up quickly and would make a good travel tea, maybe with a bit of Yunnan to soften it up a bit. It balances the bitterness on a knife edge, I know it’s a sharp taste that will pucker my mouth, and yet I want another sip. At least all the bitter, metallic taste is up front, the finish is malty and nutty.

Sipdown. This smells like chocolate, but is just too weak to be truly enjoyable. I liked the few cups I had, but won’t be purchasing again. It was worth a try, not something I need to drink again.

There was enough to brew two cups in this sample from Shae, and the first attempt to brew some bourbon with tea leaves wasn’t that memorable. This morning was a different story, maybe I had a bit more leaf to water ratio. The first steep seemed a bit weak at first, but as it cooled, some interesting boozy vanilla notes and a woody taste come through. It had a pleasant aftertaste, but not a smoky note as you would expect with Lapsang.

The second steep has much less vanilla, and more caramel bourbon with a booze bite. Still an enjoyable cup, and I’m puzzled as to why I didn’t like the first cup from the sample. I’m not sure I need to search out more of this tea, but I did enjoy the taste. Thanks Shae!

Oh my, two tasting notes in one day? The busyness of summer must really be over.

I got this vanilla tea to compare to my favorite comfort tea from SFherb, and I didn’t check the ingredients closely, this has jasmine in it!

I thought I might need a side by side taste test, or that I wouldn’t like the jasmine, but I didn’t need to worry. SFherb vanilla is a single note, and Maya tea vanilla is a whole vanilla wafer or sugar cookie. The floral note waits until the end and is very subtle, unless I had read the package I wouldn’t be able to tell the jasmine was there. I really want to like this tea, it starts so well, but there is a soapy, astringent aftertaste that lingers after the vanilla cookie goodness. Once I noticed the aftertaste, it kinda lost its luster and I need a cup of SFherb vanilla to rinse my mouth out.

If you like jasmine and vanilla let me know and I’ll send you a sample.

I’m probably expecting too much from this tea to be robust and raspberry. It certainly is fruity and light, with a natural raspberry taste. Its quite an enjoyable cup worth three steeps. I’m just expecting a bit more from the base.
This one is going back in the cupboard until it hits 90 for the first time next summer when I’ll try a cold steep. Today is the first day of meteorological fall and I’m ready for cinnamon and ginger, not fruity summer light tea.

Another tea from Shae, I’ve gotten way behind on my tasting notes, it’s been a busy summer!
This is yummy, yeasty, chocolate malt, and very smooth. The first steep had a bready, caramel aftertaste. The second steep brought in a dark chocolate note. The third steep is weaker, but the malty, chocolate taste is still there. I certainly don’t need any more tea this year, but I’ll keep this in mind for a next order. Thanks for sharing, Shae!

From Shae, thanks for sharing!
Yum, this is chocolate malt in a cup, and very smooth. I started with 4 grams in 6 oz of water and am on steep number three right now. A nice bread, yeasty taste to this too. Way too easy to sip this down, its gone before you know it. I would certainly consider this one for purchase, but its been a long while since I’ve made a Verdant order.

This one is from Shae, thanks for sharing!
A cold front is bringing showers, clouds and cooler temperatures, pretty soon it will be fall tea drinking weather. This tea reminds me of a big red robe, with more toasty bread or hay notes. There is a harshness underneath that is smoothed over by the sweetness of the toasty hay, with a slight nutty aftertaste. Overall not bad, but I expect a bit of chocolate from a laoshan black so I’m wondering if it’s the autumn or the way it was processed. It’s an enjoyable cup, though if I had a whole bag I’d be tempted to blend it with something savory or sweeter to get a more interesting flavor profile. Glad I got to try it.