Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
“This wild-picked Golden Fleece is an exquisite lesson in texture, and one of the truest flavor embodiments of Yunnan itself. . . .This is the finest, most nuanced and intriguing Dian Hong we have ever encountered. Wang Yanxin, our sourcing agent who has devoted her life to Yunnan, has been searching for a Dian Hong like this for years. Every time she sends us pu’er, she includes 30-40 Dian Hong teas, and Jin Jun Mei teas. This time, she only sent us one, and wrote on the bag “this is the one. Best Dian Hong. Taste slowly.” She was so very right.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have had Golden Fleece from Verdant Tea since it was released on Verdant Tea website. I actually ordered it twice because the first order was gone in a flash. I had thought I would save the second bag I bought and hoard it, but the fact is tea is best when fresh, and I would not want to deprive myself of enjoying this tea while still fresh, let alone deprive the tea of giving off the best cup possible. So I have opened my second bag and I am enjoying it daily until it is gone. When it is gone I will most likely purchase another bag if it is still available on the Verdant web site. As of right now it is still available so if you are tempted by this tea – get some while you still can!
This is everything that could be desired in a black tea, especially in a morning cup. It is toasty, creamy, and the aroma is one that will wet your appetite for breakfast or sustain you and give you all the flavors that a calorie ridden decedent breakfast would. Everything you will find in the aroma, you will also find in the flavor. There is a malty, maple flavor, along with a fresh hay laying in the morning sunrise dew flavor, a spun sugar flavor, a subtle vanilla flavor, and a cocoa flavor. That is just on the top levels of this tea!
Once you relish in those beautiful top note flavors you will find yourself emerged into a world of sweet spices, such as cinnamon, clove, and even a taste of paprika.
The mouthfeel is like that of silk or satin, creamy and luxurious. It offers a very full mouthfeel indeed!
This tea can be steeped many times offering new layers and flavors in each cup which is always quite enjoyable and my preferred method of brewing (gong fu style). However, if you want your first cup to be richer, fuller, creamier, or just don’t feel like fussing with a gong fu sitting, by all means enjoy it western brewed as you can’t go wrong with this tea. You will still get two to three steeps out of it western style. Its just such a fine tea however you may find yourself feeling that gong fu brewing is a must. I prefer drinking this tea on weekends when I can take a bit more time in the mornings and go at a slower pace, enjoying up to eight or more steeps.
There are other wonderful flavor notes to find in this tea – some of the base notes I find are mushroom, oak moss, rock mineral, and wood. There is a dry finish to this tea which is due to the base notes.
According to Verdant’s Website: “ Instead, this is a subtle experience that will appeal to lovers of fine oolong and pu’er.”
I could not agree more! I myself am a lover of oolong and pu’er so they are absolutely correct as I fully appreciate this fine black tea.
I always say that good tea, which is defined by each of us alone, should evoke a thought, a feeling, or a memory, and for me this tea evokes the thoughts and feelings of friends, family, good times, warmth, and love. This is why I have chosen this tea for my Christmas Time Tea and why my review of it is posted today, Christmas Day. I will be enjoying this tea all day today as I spend cherished moments, and make forever memories, with my family and friends.
Merry Christmas to all.
Another Verdant Tea Giveaway!
Hello Everyone!
This is not a giveaway that we are hosting, but, since the Verdant Tea giveaway last week was so immensely popular, I thought I’d let you in on another giveaway that Verdant Tea is hosting themselves! This is a great opportunity for those of you who still want that taste of Verdant Tea!
Here is a copy/paste of what David from Verdant Tea sent to me:
By the way, we are starting a giveaway today for the last ounce of our 1996 Mengku Sheng Pu’er. If anyone who doesn’t win the Tea of the Month subscription wants to participate, it is another chance to try Verdant Tea. Here is the product page for that Mengku: http://verdanttea.com/teas/1996-wild-picked-mengku-sheng-puer/ And here is the link to the giveaway: http://verdanttea.com/giveaway/
This was sent to me this past Friday, so, the giveaway has only been going on for a few days.
Best of luck to you! And don’t forget, we have a different giveaway going on every week during our Season of Giveaways! How long will this season last? I don’t know for sure, but it’s going to be a very happy, generous season, indeed!
Verdant Tea – Our Next Sponsor in the Season of Giveaways!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US NEXT WEEK THOUGH, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER GIVEAWAY SOON!
So far, we’ve had a phenomenal response to our Season of Giveaways! It looks like this season will extend well in to February … so there are going to be LOTS of chances to win!
But … I’ve got to be real here, THIS prize is one that I covet. I want this prize. If there was a way for me to declare myself the winner, I’d do it! But, alas, I can’t. What I’m driving at, though, is that this is one of the very best prizes yet! You’re not going to believe it … I still can’t believe it!
Verdant Tea is offering a full THREE MONTH membership to their Tea of the Month Club! Yeah, you read that right. Three months of tea from Verdant Tea! This is a $75. value! JACKPOT!
Verdant Tea is easily one of my favorite tea companies because – quite simply – they offer some really amazing, high-quality teas that are hard to find … some teas that I’ve not been able to find anywhere else! Their Laoshan Black tea is amazing, they offer some incredible Apothecary blends like their Xingyang Silk Road Spice, and of course some amazing Pu-Erh (when it comes to Pu-erh teas, I think that Verdant Tea is my #1 choice) like their Yanxin’s Reserve ’04 Shu Nuggets.
So imagine how amazing it would be to receive a box from them EVERY month for THREE months! Unbelievable, right?
To enter:
- First, visit Verdant Teas. Take a look around. While you’re there, get an idea of what teas interest you the most.
- Comment on this blog post. While you can earn additional entries, without the comment on this blog post, no entries will be eligible. Be sure to include in your comment a way for us to contact you (let me know if I can contact you on Steepster or on Tea Trade, for example, or provide your email contact information), I mean, in case you win, I need to be able to let you know that you’re the winner, right? In your comment, mention which tea you’d like to be part of one of the boxes that you receive from Verdant Tea. Now, I can’t guarantee that this tea WILL be in one of the three boxes, but, we’d like to know which teas from Verdant EXCITE you the most.
- Want to earn additional entries? OK! First, tweet about this contest. Your tweet should include a link to this contest, and you should also include @SororiTeaSister on your tweet so that we can see the tweet easily. Please also come back to this blog post and let us know that you’ve tweeted the contest, and include a link to the tweet.
- Another Entry? Sure! Go on facebook and mention this contest on your page. Again, be sure to include a link to this contest in your facebook mention, and after you’re done, come back to this blog post, and comment that you’ve mentioned it on facebook and provide a link to your facebook page so that we can verify it. (and yes, we do verify each and every one of these!)
Since this is our largest prize yet, I thought I’d throw in a couple of extra bonus entry opportunities:
- Bonus Entry #1: You can earn a bonus entry by liking Verdant Tea on Facebook.
- Bonus Entry #2: You can earn an additional bonus entry by following Verdant Tea on Twitter!
- Bonus Entry #3: You can earn an additional bonus entry by following our blog! To follow our blog, simply click on the little button that you see on the bottom right of the screen, and add your email address! It’s that simple!
OK, so, there are a few things you need to know. It was pointed out to us in the last giveaway that we neglected to mention who was eligible to enter this contest. This contest is open to all US and Canadian residents, except for those of us who are SororiTea Sisters and those who work for Verdant Tea. All other US and Canadian residents can enter.
You can enter until December 7. A winner will be picked via random.org on December 8, and after the winner has been contacted and verified, we will announce the winner and send the information to Verdant Tea so that the winner can claim the prize.
Best of luck to all entrants!
Congratulations to Raven for winning this giveaway during our Season of Giveaways! We will have another giveaway soon … keep your eyes peeled!
Happy Thanksgiving … and Don’t Forget Tea on Black Friday!
Photo from Wikipedia, click on the pic to go there.
Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers in the United States, and to those outside of the US, I wish you a happy, warm and healthy day!
Tomorrow is the biggest shopping day of the year here in the United States … it’s also known as Black Friday! And while many will be rushing out to their favorite department stores and electronics stores to get the some of the best bargains of the year … I want to remind you that there is also some really amazing deals on TEA available online on Black Friday!
Here are just a few … please keep in mind that this list is in no way complete, and is compiled based on the information that companies have sent me. If you are a tea company offering a Black Friday deal, please feel free to comment below and tell us about your deal! Tea shoppers want to know!!!
BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
- A tea company that is new to us here on SororiTea Sisters but did give us the opportunity to try out their amazing new system where we can design and create blends ourselves is Uniq Teas! It is so easy and FUN to design your own blend! There are many different flavors of teas to choose from, and you can choose the percent of which flavor goes in to the tea. I had a blast creating my blend – Click here to see my blend. You can also click here to see TeaEqualsBliss’ Blend, and click here to see Azzrian’s Blend. Uniq Teas will be having a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale: 50% off PLUS get a free tea ball infuser with your first order.
- One of my favorite tea companies, Kally Tea is also having a special Black Friday sale – one day only! All tea orders placed on Friday will be automatically DOUBLED! That means if you order 2 ounces of Tangerine Spice, you’ll get another 2 ounces of Tangerine Spice FREE! Order 4 ounces of Almond Fondant, get another 4 ounces of Almond Fondant FREE! This is a great sale to stock up your tea cupboard … and also a chance to share some of your favorites from Kally Tea with friends!
- Another favorite company: Della Terra Teas has a super special Black Friday sale going on. 40% off all teas from midnight until 10 pm on Black Friday, with a special Door Buster sale where select teas will be 60% off from 6-8 am, then again 3-4 pm, and finally from 9-10 pm (all times are EST), and other deals will be going on all weekend long, through Cyber Monday … be sure to check their website for more!
- Mighty Leaf is having a 30% off sale for Black Friday that has been going on all week! And don’t forget that you get FREE SHIPPING with all orders that are $50. or more!
- Another SororiTea Sisters favorite – Verdant Tea – is planning a very special Black Friday! On Black Friday, they will be unveiling “two new kinds of tea never before tasted in China or the West.” Wowza! I can’t wait to find out what these teas will be! They also state that they will be offering some special deals on Black Friday too … you definitely need to check them out!
- Tea Licious is also having a Black Friday special that begins tomorrow, November 23 and continues through November 30: Save 30% on all Black Teas … and save an additional 5% on Friday and Saturday (November 23 & 24) by entering the code BF2012 in the coupon field at final checkout! In addition, you will receive FREE samples of their three newest teas with EVERY order!
- Lots of SororiTea Sister favorites offering deals this Black Friday! Here’s another: Persimmon Tree Tea is offering 20% off on all their teas all weekend long, starting today and ending November 25th.
- The Tea Merchant is offering a Happy Saturday (instead of a Black Friday) sale, Save 25% off all tea and tea ware this Saturday only, just use the code 25Special in the coupon field at final checkout to enjoy your savings!
- Peony Tea S. is offering 30% off on all teas and 20% off on all tea ware! This sale will be going on through Sunday, November 25th.
- Harney & Sons is offering Free Ground Shipping on all US orders now through November 26 (Cyber Monday!) But savings with Harney is not available ONLY to US customers… International customers can receive a $5.50 credit toward their shipping charges by using the code: Black12.
- Teajo has a great bunch of offers for Black Friday through Cyber Monday: FREE shipping on all orders over $25, 30-45% off their entire selection of teas and tea makers, a NEW 12 Tea Sampler for just $25, plus Double Rewards for Members!
- Samovar is also having a Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Save up to 50% on select teas and tea ware through November 26.
- Den’s Tea is having a special Thanksgiving sale that will extend through noon on Black Friday. Save up to 30% on selected tea, tea gifts, tea ware, tea accessories and books!
- Adagio Teas is offering Free Shipping on all orders through November 26.
- Maeda-en has a special holiday sale going on now through 12/16, Save 20% on selected teas.
Also of interest (I hope) is this: SororiTea Sisters will be hosting another giveaway that will start tomorrow at 6 am EST. Just visit the blog, and read the announcement to win something very exciting. This is the Season of Giveaways here on SororiTea Sisters!!!
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I am sure that many other tea companies out there are offering specials on Black Friday … so if you know of any, please feel free to add them in the comments, or as I said above, if you’re a tea company and want your information included here, add a comment with a link!
So, after you’ve had time with the family and enjoyed the fantastic feast, be sure to get some tea shopping done! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Yunnan White Jasmine from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
New Spring 2012 Harvest!
This jasmine makes us understand what jasmine is all about. It starts with a silky smooth silver needle white tea from Yunnan with notes of cinnamon sweetness. Jasmine blossoms are scattered around the tea while drying for several nights in a row, and removed in the morning to be replaced by fresh blossoms, scenting the tea in the traditional method. The result is a perfectly integrated flavor, that starts off with the textures of a white tea, and sweetness drawn out and extended by a silky jasmine aroma. Continue steeping this out, and an intriguing apricot jam flavor starts to come out and compliment the subtle spice of the yunnan white. In later steepings there is even the slightest hint of pine needle.
ICED: Perfumed florals are more potent, with an exquisite silky texture and notes of melon and banana fruit salad.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so pleased to sample this tea. I was surprised at the first flavor note I tasted being that of nut, rather than jasmine. Interesting because I have not really noticed anyone else picking up on that in other reviews, and it is not listed on the Verdant site as being a flavor note in the tea. Everyone experiences their tea in their own way though. I find the jasmine to be natural and light in the first steeping. A light sweetness and a slight rock mineral quality, but no one note is standing out in the first steep beyond the nutty flavor I am now so focused on. The mouthfeel is creamy, and the cup color is very pale yellow, almost beige, and quite clear. The after flavor is somewhat vegetal but only so slightly, more like a green tea than the after taste of a white, but lovely. Everything about this steep is slight, delicate, gentle. Now I am not saying I detect absolutely no jasmine in the flavor, I do, but even then it is faint and does not make me declare this a strong jasmine tea. I think however that is what is so lovely about this cup, the jasmine is so natural that it does not make you feel assaulted by its note. Toward the end of the cup of this first steep I am beginning to pick up on hints of a baked sugar confection flavor. Quite enjoyable!
In the second steep more of the notes come forward and the color of the brew is slightly darker. There are some lightly cinnamon notes but to me they come over as more like a black pepper which is delightful and awakens the senses. This note is detectable both in the aroma and flavor. Fruity notes are also coming forward which taste like red and blue berries. The sugar notes develop more as the cup cools. Jasmine is still of course a flavor note that is present but unlike many jasmine teas this one does not come over like grandma’s perfume! For those who have experienced a jasmine before and hated it – you must know that not all jasmine teas are created equal. There is a distinct difference between one that is done well and one that is not. This is done to perfection. A natural jasmine will taste, and for that matter smell far different than an artificial one. I leaned this long before my tea journey through natural perfumery and essential oil training. There is nothing quite like true jasmine.
Steep three evokes somewhat of a savory flavor palate with the citrus and linen notes in the background. There is a light drying sensation now on the tongue with grapefruit and orange notes. I am also detecting an oregano flavor. This is quite pleasing and surprising! I was not expecting the savory notes.
I am going to get many more steeps out of this tea!
All in all – a wonderful experience! I enjoyed this tea while listening to a Reiki CD and it was such a glorious way to welcome a new day!