Five Year Aged Tieguanyin

Wow, it’s been a really long time since I posted a tea review. My internship this summer has been a lot more hectic than usual, and I really just haven’t had time to sit down and write a substantive review, but hopefully that will be changing the next two weeks or so. Anyways, I actually rather excited about today since I finally have both my new Gaiwan and small teacup from Verdant! Big shout out to the guys at Verdant for working with me to get the cup to me after my local post office returned it without sending me a notice!

First steep, ~20 seconds with hot water. I got distracted by some computer issues, and steeped this a bit differently than normal, but the result is amazingly creamy. The tea actually had some very lovely floral note, not I’m a bit rusty so I couldn’t really speculate as to what they really tasted like. One thing that I really found amazing was just how different it was from another tea I have that is similar in age, albeit it was roasted every 6 months for the duration of its aging period. That tieguanyin had a very pronounced caramel flavor which would overshadow the more delicate flavors of the tea, but this tea from Verdant is much more balanced. I really can’t wait to see how it develops.

Well, it was bound to happen. Apparently there was still some water left in from the previous infusion, so this second batch came out a bit bitter. Don’t get me wrong it still tastes better than some tea I’ve had (COUGHGolden PeakCOUGH), but there is a lot of bitterness in this cup. IT is interesting to note that I can still get a bit of a floral flavor from the tea, but not anything that special. Oh well, hopefully the next try will work out better.

Decided to drink (one of?) my sample of this today. Possibly Monday too, if I decide I can stand having the tea sit out for that long. Probably not though. I can’t remember if this was a free sample or one I purchased so I’ll just throw a shout out to Verdant anyway.

I haven’t liked oolongs much so far, but I’ve had incredible luck with the teas from Verdant in broadening my horizons with really good tea. This one is slightly roasty, and sweet. And I can definitely taste the bready-malt taste in the aftertaste. Like you’ve just eaten a really nice dense bread with nothing at all to go with it. Sometimes I eat sourdough like that. I don’t really get much floral from this, though it’s showing up more as the tea cools down. This is a very interesting tea.

3/5 (see my bio for more info on my new pared down scale)

So oolongs. Now I have a million of them, and I’ve learned wine-y, peachy Taiwanese ones are my favorite while milk and coconut oolongs, at least last I checked, taste bizarrely marshy to me. Haven’t had the famous TGY type yet, so here we go! Did the rinse and western-style 30 second thing per Verdant’s site instructions. I dig the color of this one—first steep’s a creamy, pretty pale gold hue—and the smell is sweetly floral. First tentative sip is surprisingly buttery as well as a bit oaky and hay-like—reminds me somewhat of the kind of Chardonnays that flooded the wine market in the ’90s and people are now reviling but I still enjoy (I mean come on, wine that tastes like buttered toast! Ha). Lots of round sweetness with non-animal farm evocation—sunny days smelling hay and flowers.

Ack, husband just called to say he’s coming home and wants to know if I’ll go with him out to do some sudden errands. Guess I’ll finish this up later.

2nd steep: whoa, much roastier, to the point I’m almost reminded of roasted nuts, yum. Color’s a darker gold hue. The floral element has deepened and become more concentrated, but not at all in a cloying way. Jasmine, it seems. Plays well with the hay and oak thing still going on. Very different from the first steep, and I probably like this one better but they’re both quite nice.

steeps 3-6: the roastiness lasted through all the steeps, and the tea got mildly fruit-sweeter towards the end. Didn’t notice much new, just a smooth unfolding of elements already identified, though I admit I was a bit distracted as our power went out right after dinner and the internet broke and wasn’t resolved until this morning.

Ok, I’ve got enough to be worried about with my interview tomorrow – I’m not going to let this tea get in my way. It’s time for a sipdown and I’m trying this is my little gongfu pot.

Oolongs are difficult for me because they all taste so similar. This one is floral and a little grassy with a very clean/spring-y taste. I don’t get the “intense juiciness” promised in the description, but I am getting a bit of the peppery aftertaste.

I’m not going to rate this because I have a long way to go before I can appreciate oolongs.

Love at first sip!

My first Tieguanyin, got it as a sample from my first Verdant Tea order and I guess that the best partof it is that I just learned a lesson. Like Martinis, expensive teas must be an acquired taste… and one that I have yet to acquire. I read reviewers raving about flowers and honey or bananas and creams. To me it tastes like hay tea, and I dont mean any disrespect for anyone, I am sure that those comments come from highly experienced and respected tea connoisseurs, and Verdant Tea is a respected company, so I am sure its just me… and since this is my own tasting note, I have to say it as I see it, or better said, as I taste it, and this is simply not my cup of tea. Lesson learned, not to order expensive teas before I do taste a sample. And then, remember to retaste as my tastebuds are trained!

I had this tea much earlier this evening, while watching an episode of Merlin. This is a very cosy brew. It’s nutty with just a hint of floral. I wouldn’t mind having it in my cupboard once in a while.

This tea brews surprisingly light (almost white tea light), so I was worried at first that it would be light on the flavour side too. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.
The tea is floral – but mellow. It isn’t a perfumy floral that assaults your senses. It’s a delicate, sweet floral, that still has great depth and a never-ending malty aftertaste. When I first smelled the dry leaves I thought that there was something of the milk oolong in their scent. This note remains in the surprisingly thick and creamy texture of this tea.
There’s also an elusive, more full-bodied flavour that’s lurking in the background, giving this tea more body. Perhaps wheat? straw?
2nd brew – floral notes are still there, but they are even more toned down. Other flavours emerge. Some tanginess, some pepper, some olive oil – this tea requires too much concentration to define in one sitting. Decided to quietly drink it, and leave reviews for later. A wonderful tea

Got my first tea of the month shipment from Verdant and figured I would try this one first. The dry leaf is delicately rolled and lightly oxidized….still a lot of green color their. I gave the leaves a quick rinse with 190 degree water and got started.
First infusion(5sec.): Very pale in color with light berry and possibly currant notes. Taste is sweet and mildly creamy with berry in the background….looking forward to the next infusion and having that berry come through more.
Second infusion(5sec.): Color slightly darker. The berry is still hanging in there and now there is a predominant toasted character. Flavor is stronger berry with sweetness giving way to light olive. Mouth-feel is creamier.
Third infusion(5sec.): Sweeter still berry but creamy mouth-feel is more subtle. A dryer spiciness is coming through in the finish.
Fourth infusion(5sec.): More floral in the nose. Berry is gone from nose mainly to toast. Sweetness falling back. Vegital coming into the picture still with pepper spice finish.
Fifth infusion(5sec.): Rotated leaves as per instructions. Mostly vegital with the spicy finish. Sweetness is pretty much gone.
I will probably do a couple more infusions to see where it goes but overall a very nice tea with complex subtle flavor. I will double the steeping time next to if it intensifies or just makes bitter.

Wow. That’s all I could think when first tasted this tea.

Having never had an aged tea I wasn’t sure what I was in for, but when I opened the bag and smelled the woody aroma I knew I was in for something I’d never tasted before. That dry smell left me a little unsure, but the wet smell is wonderful. You’d swear you’re walking through a freshly rain-soaked forest.

First steeping for 25 seconds the liqueur looked really pale. I was worried I hadn’t used enough tea or read the wrong directions, but the strong floral scent that wafted up in the steam told me otherwise. The flavor of the first steeping is richly fruity, with a mouthfeel like biting into a succulent peach. The sweet taste lingering on the back of my palate leaves my mouth watering for more. But, thankfully, there’s a soft vegetal undertone that mellows the whole experience and keeps it from being too sweet.

Second steeping for 20 seconds is when the leaves really start to unfurl and the liqueur darkens slightly to a bright champagne gold. The flavor is quite similar to the first fruity infusion, but things are starting to become more floral with a hint of olive oil developing in the flavor to further mellow it out.

The third and fourth infusions (each for 20 seconds) is when the tea really starts to evolve into something else. The flavor mellows and takes on a more buttery, vegetal influence than early steeps. The mouthfeel smoothes out and doesn’t make your mouth water so much. It’s still got a floral quality but it’s a really tame and relaxed one.

I can’t recommend this tea highly enough. My girlfriend doesn’t normally like oolongs (and is generally a coffee drinker) but even she thought this tasted smooth and delicious!