95

This. I like. A lot.  The smell of the leaves- cocoa.  The brewed leaves- sweetgrass.  The cup both of those plus a nuttiness.  The taste morrre dark chocolate.  It has a good maltiness just when I was thinking that was something I didn’t like.  And the mouthfeel is pleasant, not really buttery but not too much dryness.  This like a white version of Autumn Laoshan Black.  Toddler agrees, chocolate or perhaps he is just humoring me.  This tea wins and I’m going to need a moment alone with it now. If it reinfuses well, I will be buying lots. I need people to share this with its that good, despite wanting to hoard it.

Update to add that I took this to work yesterday and the boss who is a big white tea drinker (though she does mostly fruit blends) said “Wow Autumn, this is really good!” and I know she wasn’t humoring me. Barista boy said there was something meaty about it. I didn’t like these two steeps as much as my first session, but the leaves at the bottom were broken and there was dust, so I imagine that and brewing in a teamaker instead of glass had something to do with it.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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Bio

Druid, artist, poet, mum, lover of tea, ritual and myth. I grew up on Celestial Seasons herbals but fell in love with straight loose leaf tea working at my local Teavana for a year. I am grateful for the introduction and the experience, but have moved on.

I see tea as an experience for the senses, I like to imagine tasting the land and the weather as well as the effect of sun, air, fire and the human hand. I have a soft spot for shu pu’er, yabao, scented oolongs, wuyi oolongs, taiwanese tea as well as smooth naturally sweet blacks, creamy greens and surprisingly complex whites.

I began ordering lots of samples from Upton to educate myself on different varieties of tea we didn’t have at work and have fallen head over heels for the unique offerings from Verdant Tea. I am learning things I like: buttery mouthfeel, surprising sweet or spice notes, woodiness, mineral notes, depth and complexity and things I don’t: astringency, dry and sour notes.

I collect tea tins and am in danger of collecting pots, though I am trying to restrain the urge due to current lack of space. I brew mostly in a glass infuser mug or a tea maker, only using cast-iron for company now (still need to get a gaiwan) and tend not to sweeten my teas unless they are British or fruity and iced, which is not often.

As far as ratings, I lack a definite system and haven’t been assigning numbers lately, wanting to spend multiple sessions with a tea first. I usually only log a tea once, unless it is a new harvest or I have significantly different observations, but will go back and edit or comment if I find something interesting or new.

Location

Baker Street, Berea, Ohio

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