Wuyi Whiskey Trail

I found this tea in one of my overflow drawers and felt it was overdue a try. Steeping in my ManaTea steeper and a large mug. (Easy steeping while I cross stitch).

This tea bares a wooden and smokey scent in both the raw and steeped forms.

Flavour is smokey with some astringency and a sweet after taste. Wood, leather and burnt bread notes.

It’s actually nicer than I expected. Like a mild Lapsang with a sweet finish. Very autumnal!

So this time I’m doing it without the leftover matcha in the cup. I’m working the night shift and the coolest thing was watching the owl and a tiny (baby?) skunk face off right in front of the door. Now for the tea I get a nice warm feeling from drinking it. I definitely taste oolong. I would probably taste more if I hadn’t burned my tongue in my impatience to drink it…

This is it! The last unlogged tea in my cupboard, and the last sample to try from beelicious. Thanks again for the huge bag of goodies!

Compared to the unblended Wuyi Big Red Robe, this one isn’t as strong or roasty. The oolong here reminds me even more of a honey-citrus-heavy Dancong, which is also enjoyable. There’s a hint of cocoa, a savory quality, and something like woodsmoke. Not sure how whiskey-like it is, but it is interesting and a completely different, and lighter, experience than the base tea.

I sipped down this one as well, by cold brewing the last bits of it. It was a little intense as a cold brew, but drinkable. It didn’t make it any more whiskey-like, but I didn’t really expect it to. Overall a decent blend but kind of boring (like I am finding many oolong-sarsaparilla blends). Next!

I was skeptical of this one, because Cask Strength was supposed to be bourbon-inspired as well, and I found that one super icky. But this one didn’t have any suspicious ingredients in it, so I allowed myself to hope. I’ve only barely tried it so far (I’m steeping it in my tiny 2 oz teacups), but it’s definitely not icky and actually pretty good!

Update: as predicted, it goes great with chocolate. (72% with cacao nibs. :)

Wow! This is amazing!

I was very hesitant about this month’s Verdant Blends Box because I had read that the blends were going to be whiskey inspired, and I am not a huge fan of whiskey or nearly any other alcoholic drink. With this reservation, I opened the box and read the descriptions of this month’s blends when the box arrived today. I was intrigued with the descriptions and decided to make a cup of this blend first. And, I love it! This is my favorite blend so far from this subscription.

The aftertaste is really fantastic. It is so rich and creamy and long lasting. All the flavors blend together so well that I have no idea how to describe the taste of this tea.