Wang Yanxin did it- She actually acquired several more pounds of the Golden Fleece from her friends who wild-pick this tea in Yunnan. I didn’t want to breathe a word about it until the package made it to Minneapolis, I opened all the bags and tasted to be sure, but I can say that the Golden Fleece is back. It was somewhat mind-boggling to see the whole last batch sell out in one hour, so I hope that my work to convince Wang Yanxin to part with more than a pound this time will allow more people to try this tea.

Wang Yanxin is such an interesting character. Getting tea from her is not as simple as ordering it. She will allude to a tea that you never knew that she had, dangling it out like a test. If I ask to buy the tea, it is suddenly gone, ‘sold out.’ Only through a discussion of flavor texture and aftertaste will Wang Yanxin decide whether or not to part with teas like this. She wants to know that it is going to be appreciated and cared for. She wants to see the tea leaves advancing the tea culture. On the occasions that I can convey appreciation appropriately, we end up with tea like the Golden Fleece, Artisan Revival Sheng and Yiwu.

She is not trying to be temperamental. Indeed, her desire is to inspire people all over the world to fall in love with tea, and through it gain a respect for the leaf and a humility towards others. She wants small farmers to gain recognition for their tea without the pomp and glitter of brand name pu’er workshops. She is an idealist, but a fierce and practical one. The Golden Fleece is an incredible tea in that the majority of its complexity lies in texture and aftertaste, two elements of the tea experience that are underrated. In the west we tend to prize flavor above all else. Yet flavor is only a fraction of what tea has to offer. Golden Fleece gives so much in flavor, but so much more in texture, and sensation. Wang Yanxin is sometimes concerned about whether the merits of a tea like this will be noticed.

Thanks to support from so many friends on Steepster, so many intelligent and thoughtful tasting notes, and such a positive and humble attitude towards tea, I have material to translate and share with Wang Yanxin, making her more and more comfortable releasing teas like this.

The Golden Fleece will be available on our website Friday May 18th at 12 noon CST, along with an entirely new black tea offering, the Zhu Rong Yunnan Black, named after a dagger-wielding warrior queen of Yunnan. I hope that both teas are enjoyed thoroughly.
Many Thanks,
David

Kittenna

Noooooo I told myself no more purchases :( We’ll see how well that works out for me at noon tomorrow…

Autumn Hearth

Me too Krystaleyn, husband said $30 is my limit

jason

I already told my employees that the office is mine at 11:55! No way I’m missing out on it this time around if I can help it!! Thank you for the work you continue to do to bring teas like this stateside!

Kittenna

(Is anyone else moderately worried that Verdant’s site will crash due to too much traffic shortly before noon tomorrow??)

Charles Thomas Draper

I thought this was a secret. I hope I get some….

Bonnie

I GOT MINE!!! 2 oz. of GOLDEN FLEECE AND 2 oz. of the new Zhu Rong Yunnan Black! Yo Jason…isn’t there a movie about you getting the Golden Fleece huh!?!
It’s your destiny! I got the kindest message from a friend in Italy of all places informing me of the time today (I knew about it like so many who were on the list in case it became available again). We are a good group of tea people!

jason

I was able to get 2oz as well! Yes, the Argonauts and I will be enjoying this one soon!

David Duckler

Thanks for the reference Bonnie. I have been waiting for someone to make it. Great to look through the orders and see that I get to send this one out to so many of you. I am so glad that Wang Yanxin was able to secure a few more pounds of this one than last time. My hope is that it lasts at least through the evening and into the weekend, if only because I have put a claim on 4oz if it is left on Monday.

That Zhu Rong Black is something else too. It tastes great in a tasting paired with a Big Red Robe or Dancong to bring out the dark deep spices. I told Wang Yanxin about the excitement for today’s release and she was very proud and happy. I have another shipment from her leaving China next week and she said that we will be very pleased with some of the surprises inside.

Dinosara

Well I just ordered some at 8pm CST… I was so pleased to see it was still available since I wasn’t going to have internet until tonight. Can’t wait to try it (and the others I ordered!)!

Michelle Butler Hallett

An astonishingly beautiful tea.

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Comments

Kittenna

Noooooo I told myself no more purchases :( We’ll see how well that works out for me at noon tomorrow…

Autumn Hearth

Me too Krystaleyn, husband said $30 is my limit

jason

I already told my employees that the office is mine at 11:55! No way I’m missing out on it this time around if I can help it!! Thank you for the work you continue to do to bring teas like this stateside!

Kittenna

(Is anyone else moderately worried that Verdant’s site will crash due to too much traffic shortly before noon tomorrow??)

Charles Thomas Draper

I thought this was a secret. I hope I get some….

Bonnie

I GOT MINE!!! 2 oz. of GOLDEN FLEECE AND 2 oz. of the new Zhu Rong Yunnan Black! Yo Jason…isn’t there a movie about you getting the Golden Fleece huh!?!
It’s your destiny! I got the kindest message from a friend in Italy of all places informing me of the time today (I knew about it like so many who were on the list in case it became available again). We are a good group of tea people!

jason

I was able to get 2oz as well! Yes, the Argonauts and I will be enjoying this one soon!

David Duckler

Thanks for the reference Bonnie. I have been waiting for someone to make it. Great to look through the orders and see that I get to send this one out to so many of you. I am so glad that Wang Yanxin was able to secure a few more pounds of this one than last time. My hope is that it lasts at least through the evening and into the weekend, if only because I have put a claim on 4oz if it is left on Monday.

That Zhu Rong Black is something else too. It tastes great in a tasting paired with a Big Red Robe or Dancong to bring out the dark deep spices. I told Wang Yanxin about the excitement for today’s release and she was very proud and happy. I have another shipment from her leaving China next week and she said that we will be very pleased with some of the surprises inside.

Dinosara

Well I just ordered some at 8pm CST… I was so pleased to see it was still available since I wasn’t going to have internet until tonight. Can’t wait to try it (and the others I ordered!)!

Michelle Butler Hallett

An astonishingly beautiful tea.

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Bio

I fell in love with tea while doing work on classical Chinese language in China. I loved it so much that I went back for a year to research tea instead! Over a year and several summers in China I have had the chance to train in gongfu tea ceremony, and test the limits of my palate in tasting competitions. I was privileged to spend large chunks of time with farmers on their tea gardens, and was exposed to some of the smallest and most honest operations out there. It only made sense to go into business and deepen my relationship with tea and the farmers who make it with such care and humility. Now I own a small, but unique tea business importing the best teas that my farmer friends in China have to offer. Some of these teas are from regions that have never exported before. All of them have a story.

I will review teas on Steepster, because I think this is an awesome site, and a great community, but I won’t give them a numerical rating, as I don’t want to skew the system. I am having a great time here, and look forward to meeting more tea folk.

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Website

http://www.verdanttea.com

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