Eight Treasures Yabao

While better than pure Yabao I still don’t understand what is this tea all about >_<

Hmm, I’m not really sure what to make of this tea. Maybe its because I’m stuck at work on a Saturday and grumpy about it, but I think I’d prefer the Yunnan green jasmine by itself. It isn’t bad or anything, just more complicated than is really necessary, I think!

Mmm, this is nice! I got a sample of this with my last sample. I’ve been curious about this one as everyone here raves about it.

The leaves are super pretty and colorful. The liquor is a bright yellow; to be honest I expected it to be reddish from all the ingredients in here. The taste was quite unexpected; it tastes like bubblegum and roses! Haha. Very sweet and unique.

I couldn’t drink this everyday, but it is quite nice for now and then. I have a sample of the regular Silver Buds Yabao that I’ll try at some point today too.

The only debate is what to do with the remaining sample. Ice it, or another hot cup? Hmmm… :)

Today has been a long rainy day. Was very slow at work but I have been very sore so thankful for my cancellation. Two clients was perfect for today. Also was able to get some much needed dry needling done yay! I have been very tense and stressed lately and this tea seemed to be just what I needed. It smells amazing. Very flowery and sweet like clovers. Mmmm this taste amazing! It’s very calming and relaxing. It tastes like flowers with raw sugar and some woodyness. It’s even kinda creamy with a hint of vanilla. I definitely need to buy more of this!! It’s so savoury! I think I’m going to make a second cup. I also made some iced tea for tomorrow if its nice out.

So for today we have Verdant Tea’s Eight Treasures Yabao. First a little history, Eight Treasures Tea (or Ba Bao Cha) is an herbal tea in the Traditional Chinese Medicine arsenal that is reputed to replenish Chi, stimulate the blood, and tonify the liver (among other things) but unlike most of the TCM teas I have tried this one actually tastes good. Take Verdant Tea’s spectacular blending skills and you have a unique version of a traditional tea.

Made from Yunnan Green Jasmine, Silver Buds Yabao, Organic Goji Berries, Organic Marigold Petals, Organic Whole Vanilla Bean, Organic Honeysuckle, Organic Rose Petals, Organic Elderberries, this tea is a thing of beauty. Certainly one of the most colorful teas I have seen, and I am a fan of the blooming teas! The aroma of this lovely tea is a mixture of fruits and flowers (as to be expected) the first thing you notice is this mix of tartness and fruity, similar to the way dried blueberries smell, following that you get a rich floral scent bringing both the jasmine and rose petals together and mixing them with an aster or strawflower like scent. Lastly it is followed with notes of pine resin, earthiness, and rain water. Yes, rain water, or at the very least the smell the air gets right before it rains during the spring. If this tea was available as a perfume or soap you can bet I would wear it, it smells that good.

After a good steeping the leaves are not as pretty, but it happens to flowers that way sadly. The aroma becomes very sweet and heady, like a mixture of pears, jasmine, and berries. It is what I imagine eating dessert in an exotic garden would smell like, it is very intoxicating. The liquid itself brings in more of the pine resin aroma mixed with fresh spring water and a touch of the floral.

Ah, the tasting! Do I detect dates? No, I think that might be the richness of vanilla beans, but is certainly has a slightly date like quality to it. This tea tastes very clean, or at the very least very cleansing. It is like drinking something pure and revitalizing, similar to drinking spring water that has been accented with pine and honeysuckles. It maintains its floral notes without being too heady which can be a problem with teas that have jasmine or honeysuckle in them. As the tea chills it takes on a sweeter quality with a slight citrus note from the goji berries. This tea could be enjoyed hot or iced and would be great for every season, but especially Spring or early Summer. I think it would be an excellent after dinner refresher, especially after a heavy meal.

I order this back in May and have been dying to try it!!! It is such a beautiful tea. So colorful yet subtle. I decided i would try icing it! I did the cold brew for 12 hours and I think I found my new favorite iced tea! Perfect for the summer! It’s such a refreshing taste and such a beautiful tea to watch brew! I think if I added a but if sparkling water it would be that much more refreshing of a iced drink for summer. I love it I love it I love it. I would just buy this is bulk just to use to look at it is that pretty. Ha ha I do recommend this tea. Next way to try it is hot.

oh my this one is delicious. its light, but at the same time the flavors are very complex. there is alot in this tea, and it’s hard to taste everything, but they meld very well.

Too lazy to look at the ingredients, but I can see/smell rose, pepper, tea buds, some berries and maybe some jasmine. There is a very nice peppery flavor to this tea. I was hoping that a nice cuppa would improve my headache, but alas, no. This tea is delicious though!

I am having this tea iced. It is light and refreshing with floral accents

Sample sipdown (sorta)!

Darby was so kind to give me a little packet of this in our first swap. I can definitely taste both the yabao silver buds (of which I have a package at home) and the jasmine – the piny roughness of the silver buds combined with the jasmine in an interesting way. Overall, the tea was quite light and delicate.

Now I’m packing up the rest of the sample I received so Jude can try some.