The best part about a portable gaiwan is that you can bring it places that would be too awkward for other tea accessories.
Nothing quite like a good session on the beach. Though our MN sand is kinda rough. 1st steeping. Couple of minutes.
Light yellow liquid. Mellow with no astringency.
Beautiful fuzzy leaves and gorgeous pale green leaves. Velvety and oddly floral in aroma. Or maybe more akin to a very dark chocolate?
Flavor is earthy. Slightly rough on the tongue with the third steeping.
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Leaf Type: White Tea
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
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Anxi Dan Gui/Verdant – skysamurai
This is my first time drinking a Dan Gui. But knowing it is an Anxi region oolong I have high hopes. The dry aroma is very fresh.
With summer garden scents. . . . though I only got to smell it once since I was outside at a splash pad with my kids. Not ideal tea drinking area but we tea drinkers have to make do.
Leaf is gorgeous. Blends of light green and darker greens. Refreshing flavor. Reminiscent of tie guan yin but lighter. The mouth feel is silky. The wet aroma is very interesting.
There is a spot in Hawaii where the forest and the ocean meet. Bits of plumeria and other tropical flowers with a fresh water meets ocean water aroma.
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for oolongs that are.
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2020 Cai Cong Anxi Oolong/Verdant Tea -skysamurai-
This is one of the more difficult oolongs I’ve tried to decipher.
Some are your basic sudokus while others are kenkens. This one is a different puzzle. A kendoku!
It has mineral quality the twists along with a unique vegetal feel. They say cucumber as a descriptor and I can definitely taste a bit of that fresh vine picked taste but there is also a hint of green bean, freshly chopped. Feel like I am making a salad.
The flavor becomes a bit charcoal heavy as the steepings progress.
One of my nostrils is being difficult so I am having a bit of trouble evaluating what it is that is in my nose.
Citrus maybe? This is very different for one of Master Zhang’s oolongs but it just goes to show his breath of knowledge and tea making prowess.
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
This tea originally premiered in the Sept. 2020 Tea of the Month Club box! Master Zhang cultivates this rare Cai Cong (菜聪) varietal to encourage biodiversity on his high elevation plot in Daping, Anxi. His careful processing has brought out a surprisingly floral-fruit flavor in this tea along with deep osmanthus florals and a sweet, long aftertaste. The light oxidation of this tea’s traditional finish complements the dessert-like flavors of Cai Cong with a buttery, creamy finish.
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2019 Original Tieguanyin Revival/Verdant Tea -Skysamurai-
Have you ever tried to use a dehydrator to dry herbs?
It gives you a good sense of all the work it takes to make a good tea. Too hot, too cold. Too long, too short. And so on.
A unique tea like this one, which one can tell just by looking at the leaves, requires concentration and years of hard work.
Let’s not forget either that Master Zhang uses the highest and above standards for sustainability when it comes to his tea and other plants. One sip of this tea transports you to the mineral rich mountains of Anxi, China. Straightforward mineral flavors. It’s like licking a wet rock.
Tasting the purest granite surrounded by spicy dark woody notes. They mention florals along with the woody notes but honestly all I can taste are the mineral and woody notes.
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
This unusual tea is based on Master Zhang’s ongoing research into early Anxi oolong teas with a half-rolled / half strip-style shape, and a very meticulous turning and fluffing process that goes further than most modern tea would. In this experimental offering, he applies this research to the Tieguanyin varietal and provides enough roast for a deep, rich aroma. The result is a very well-balanced tea full of toasted sweetness, rich plum, and an lilac floral complemented by lingering minerality.
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Autumn 2019 Special Grade Laoshan Black/Verdant Tea
Please do not mind me as I sit here and gaze at this pulchritudinous tea.
It is somewhat difficult for me to describe the color of these brilliantly twisted leaves.
It is dark brown with hints of grays and greens. The aroma is fresh, toasty, and warm. The wet leaf aroma is vegetal.
Slightly musty. What a unique flavor.
Toasty notes are the forerunners. Followed closely by a chocolate and cream sensation. If steeped too long it takes almost like burnt chocolate.
The after taste is a bit mineral and this really shows when it comes to the feeling it leaves on the tongue.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
Pioneers and community leaders in Laoshan Village, the He family was one of the first to plant tea on the misty ocean-facing slopes of the Taoist Holy Mountain they call home.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!