Shae Send Message

My first Andrews & Dunham tea ever! It’s as good as promised. I steeped according to the directions on the tin. With one teaspoon, I thought it might be a little light. It wasn’t. The tea was just strong enough, and I could taste the caramel notes I’d read about. Very good morning cuppa.

Michelle’s Tummy Tamer

This is the last of the custom blends that Michelle sent in our swap. I really loved the Assam, Sage, and Lemongrass blend, and I think I like this one almost as much. It’s obvious that it’s puerh, but not because it’s fishy or anything. It just has that unique puerh aroma that I really enjoy. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it’s certainly distinguishable as puerh. I typically prefer shou and I believe that’s what’s included in this blend. The mint pairs really nicely with it. I can’t remember if the company is listed on the bag, but I’d be curious to know where the puerh is from. I think I would probably buy more of it on its own. It has such a good flavor, very deep and dark.

Autumn 2020 Harvest
Date of Picking: October 2020

Dry leaf smells nice and chocolaty. The taste isn’t doing it for me today though. I know in my mind I’m comparing it to the Jin Jun Mei I had earlier this week. I guess I should have had that one last, since none of my other Verdant teas can seem to compare.

Autumn 2020 Harvest
Date of Picking: October 2020

I again failed to write a tasting note for this as I was drinking it, but my main takeaway was that it tasted like bread crusts. Is that weird? Or even a thing? It’s not the fluffy middle, but the darker almost burnt ends that I’m getting here. I noticed that lovely chocolate aroma from the dry leaf but was completely missing it in the cup. Compared to yesterday’s tea, this one didn’t quite rise to meet my expectations.

2020 Harvest
Date of Picking: May 2020

I didn’t take many notes on this one as I was drinking it. Instead I wrote down some words as I made my way through the cup. The dry leaf had a chocolaty aroma, but the flavor was surprisingly fruity. I was able to narrow it down to berries and then strawberry and finally strawberry jam. That’s it – it tastes jammy! What a really delicious tea with so many layers. I’m sure those with a more refined palate could find so much more.

I just had this last week (twice!), but it absolutely fits today’s sipdown theme – National Pack Rat Day. It’s a tea I normally save for special occasions or especially bad days. It’s no longer available, so the day it’s finally gone I’ll probably be devastated (not an exaggeration). It is both a tea I just can’t bring myself to sip down and a permanent cupboard staple (at least it was until Teavana went under). I don’t have much to add to the notes I’ve already written – this is my ultimate tea. In fact, I’m bumping this from 96 to 100 because to me it is perfection.

Oh hot hibiscus, how I love you!

Okay, really this isn’t as bad as I was expecting. Sure, it’s making my mouth pucker and dry up like a raisin but the flavor’s alright with a little honey thrown in. And of course it tastes better as it cools. This is the last of my opened herbals, so I’ll be moving on to a few teabags next. Glad to get these marked off my list. My husband can have the rest.

Spring 2020 Harvest
Date of Picking: Late May 2020

On to my next Laoshan Black from Verdant. This time I made it the way I would normally steep my black teas. In the bag, it has that chocolate syrup aroma that I love so much. Baked bread while steeping, that same mineral note in the first sip that I found in the Autumn 2019 harvest. The chocolate is more forward in this cup than in the last, which I enjoy, but I also did a poor job steeping the last one so it wouldn’t be fair to compare them too closely.

I’m working through a list of opened teas, trying to drink the ones I haven’t tried yet. This means that my list consists of either new teas or herbals I’ve been avoiding. This is one of the herbals. I’m not sure what it’s meant to detox from my body, but it certainly smells like a medicinal tea. I think it’s the dandelion root. While steeping, I picked up on some mint (even though there isn’t mint in the blend, curious) which made me hopeful but now it’s just the bitter dandelion root. Honey helps the flavor some at least.

I’d like to blend my own teas and tisanes one day, but goodness I want them to taste good. I know this is probably nutrient-rich, but I’m much less likely to drink it again knowing it tastes the way it does.

I should say, I do like this company’s other products. Especially their salves and tinctures. They also make a good mushroom cacao. I like to support them because they are local, but I’ll probably stay away from their herbal blends unless my husband picks up one to try (which is how we ended up with this one).

Autumn 2019 Harvest
Date of Picking: September 2019

I made an order with Verdant a month or so ago and decided to grab a small amount of each of the Laoshan Black harvests available so that I could try each and compare them. I should have used more tea and/or more water for this one; the flavor is much lighter than I would have liked. I think I’ll resteep and see how it holds up. Holding on the rating for now.

Second Steep
6 ounces water + 212 degrees + 20 minutes

The second cup leaves a lot to be desired, and I’m certain it’s because I botched the first cup. There is a mineral flavor in this steep that I hadn’t noticed before, plus something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Overall, it’s far too light for my taste.