Tamm Send Message

So I only have 3 of these left!
Overall I haven’t been too impressed by it. Some steeps have really captured the tart, pineapple and floral goodness that is this tea. Others were light, vegetal, and too subtle to warrant such a high price.
The bloom itself is beautiful. I am steeping this in a small, ~6oz. teapot. I think that this tea is much better if you use a smaller vessel to brew and use slightly higher temps. This time I got a light yellow brew that smells mainly of pineapple. It is pretty dang good on this steep, so I hope I can keep it up!

So this is my #1 most favorite plain black tea. It really isn’t much of a contest as it is regularly a type of tea I actively avoid. This tea smells and looks wonderful when dry. It has lots of barley/chocolate/subtle spice notes when dry. The flavors of the liquor are very similar to the dry smell. It is extremely tasty and reminds me more of an oolong than a black tea. I got more vegetal flavors this time, but they are very light. I was brewing this in a more western style and may have gone over the intended 4 min. but this has added a very interesting layer to the tea’s complexity. It is lacking in any bitterness. The extra long steep seems to have brought out this kind of crunchy-type bread quality pretty aggressively. It’s pretty interesting and I did not experience it on any of my other steeps.
Oh! It is almost sesame. That’s the descriptor I was searching for.

Just wow.
I never really care for plain blacks. But this? I could be a convert. Dry, this smells of dark chocolate and looks spindly, curled, and honestly? Beautiful. This tastes wonderful! Thick, cocoa-esque, barley, and just, does not really remind me of any other blacks I’ve tried. This tea has a very interesting mouthfeel.
I love this tea. More notes later!

So I received this yesterday! I’m so, so excited as this is my first Verdant Tea experience. I was really impressed by how quickly everything was assembled and shipped. The dry leaf smells of sesame and stone. The appearance is dark black/brown, and wiry. I’ll be doing multiple steeps over the day so stay tuned!
First steep: 10 seconds (after short rinse). This tasted a lot like bread to me with honey. There is some sweetness and some stone/rock flavor (my favorite). There is some very subtle nut notes tossed in there as well. Overall I’m pretty impressed with it at such a short steep time.
Second steep: 12 seconds. This one is a little darker than the first steep. The smell of this steep is even more nutty than the first infusion. The leaves have unfurled more and remind me of deep olive leather. Wow! The flavor is so different this time. There are caramel-like notes, nut, and much less rock flavor. It is roasty and almost creamy. Very satisfying.
Third steep: ~15 seconds. I kind of lost track of the time! I had a bit of a brain gap. This steep is much more mellow, sweet, and rocky. There is a very slight hint of spice in this; it is extremely subtle.
Fourth steep: ~20 seconds. I’m relaxing with this and some guzheng music (one of my favorites). It is bread like this time, roasted and grain-like. All of the flavors seem a bit more muted this time. Also flavors of almond skins and summer stones.
Fifth steep: ~25 seconds. This will probably be my final steep of this set of leaves. There are sweet honey and rock notes with a calming creaminess.
overall: I have really enjoyed this tea today. I have to say that Wuyi teas are generally my favorites. They are very complex and subtle. I think that I got just a bit tea drunk sipping this. I feel euphoric, happy, and relaxed. This is better than I’ve felt all week. Tea is a medicine in its own right.

I put these together today at about a half and half blend. It was actually really amazing! I can’t believe they didn’t try to sell me on this themselves. This somehow brought out some of the more rose/floral flavors in the Fig/Rose tea. It matches well to have the spice, nut, coconut, and fig flavors together. Overall it tastes like an indulgent treat.

The Teavana workers were super nice today! Very non-pushy, helpful, and quick. My husband and I were the only people there, so I think that it helped to have more attention. This tea smelled wonderful in the store.
This reminds me of that one fig tea that they used to have, but was discontinued. It seems like that one was the jumping off point for this one. It is very much a fig tea. There are also lots of nutty, sweet notes that I really love! The rose in this cup is near non-existent. If anything, at the end of the sip it has a bit of a berry flavor. If this was called fig nut it would make much more sense.
Overall, I feel like this was a great addition. I’m glad to see that the company is releasing more teas through the year instead of only once during the fall. My husband insisted that we should get some more of this one when we run out. So thumbs up from the both of us!

Seriously, this is a great relaxation blend. I steeped it twice, but I’m sure it could be taken even further. I am pretty sad that I’ve fallen so much in love with this the past week because the cost for it is exorbitant; maybe it’ll go on sale again at some point?
The flavors are clearly lavender, white tea, hay, carrot, random florals, and fresh herbs. This is an instantly relaxing blend. I don’t quite know what lends the blend to being so calming, but from the moment I start steeping this I feel much better. I’ve had a headache most of today and so this was a great way to unwind.
I feel that this is one of Teavana’s stronger blends, even though it should have more white tea, and that any floral/herb lover should try it at least once. It is unique as far as flavor profile (imo) and really is ambitious when compared to Teavana’s other fruit-laden, overly sweetened teas. This tea may seem frilly with its rose buds,candied violets, and carrot slices, but it just adds to the decadence. It is an experience in itself.

I’ve had a pretty downright stressful day here. Thank goodness I only have two weeks of school left until summer break! I may just start going bonkers otherwise.
So this tea is a potent one. It is not messing around when it says mint and berry. The mint is a much stronger player in the smell of the tea than the liquor; although it is there. This tea does have that odd creaminess that I just can’t get over. It is almost a flavor. I am unsure of how else to describe it. But if a punchy, minty, berry thing is what you’re after then I’d suggest this.

I had such a wonderful day! I had a long walk in the canyon and my husband purchased me a copy of the Dhammapada. I’ve noticed that I have not been drinking many of my black tea blends; this one in particular. I think that this is largely due to the fact that it was pretty low key. The flavor is mainly sweet almond and slight floral notes. The black base is also very evident in this one. I always am cautious not to oversteep this one.