Laoshan Black

I received the 2012 harvest as a sample with my latest Verdant order:) I had two ounces of the ’11 harvest, so it will be interesting to see if I can taste any difference between the two!

Backlog from yesterday. Nice copper colored liquor. Brewed in my gaiwan (4oz), 4g/4oz of boiling water. Quick rinse, then a short 3 second steep. Very chocolate-like aroma. Some dark malt and roast notes as well. Very smooth cocoa nib flavor. Mouth-coating, no astringency. Delicious.

Sample from a friend from Athens120 ml gaiwan, ~2gr tea, 93+C water, 45 sec infusion + 15 sec consquent

Dry leaves:
Appearance very small curly, mostly broken, very dark, maybe almost black. They do look that they got roasted to a very high degree. They do look like a green and I could assume that it’s the same leaves oxidized and roasted, but I might be wrong.

Aroma is roasted and malty, it’s almost like smelling chocolate malt(for brewing beer) but it has got a sweet quality, like dark dried fruits(if that makes any sense). I can’t say it reminds me of WuYi because it’s a bit to the sweeter side. I totally love the aroma and I can’t wait to smell it after steeping! Aroma is more to the roasted side than the oxidized side.

Color of brew: Dark amber, especially the first brews and if you brew a little longer, then deep orange and almost light orange the last brews. Amazing clarity but it’s easier for this style to have good clarity.

Gaiwan lid aroma: Amazing, especially the first brews, sweet, smooth, malty, dark candied caramel, overtones of chocolate. Amazing I won’t even smell the wet leaves.

Ok I smelled the wet leaves, they have an addition of smoke and light wood-ish :)

Wet leaves appearance: They don’t unfold much because of high roasting. Mostly broken (maybe because of my friend?), many buds and some leaves. Almost black.

Taste: Not very sweet, it’s got some smoke and wood to but ALL the fragrances come through amazing. Intense roasty, high roasted/baked bread crust, I won’t mention the aromas again…

Sweetish finish, beautiful aroma once again. Not much aftetaste and a very very light astringency, maybe from the roasting.
Medium bodied, light creamy texture and smooth though it’s very high roasted.

Amazing red tea mainly to the roasted side, but you can really see that Chinese people really know how to make Hung Cha. Respect to the roaster/tea master. I wish I could buy some but it’s very expensive for me. It really amazed me!

So this time I’ll try to rate a bit more technically, always by style:
Appearance: 15/20
Aroma: 18/20
Taste: 18/20
Body/Finish/Aftertaste/Qi: 17/20
Extra: 18/20
It could be lower because today I saw the cost of verdant teas but I guess I didn’t pay for it so… :)

I finally decided to drink the last of this one. The dry leaf smells like dark chocolate. This tea is amazing. It’s malty, cocoa notes, milk chocolate notes, a touch of cinnamon, and honey. It’s creamy and silky. There is a sweetness that kind of reminds me of marshmallow.. This tea kind of reminds me of a smores! YUM.

I ordered the 5 Teas For $5 pack from Verdant Tea last month and it just arrived!

First steep, 10 sec: Whoa chocolate! The more I sip, the more I taste fudge.
Second, 10: Chocolate aroma is gone completely. It smells like sesame. I ordered Adagio’s Sesame tea last month and I wished it smelled as good as this. I have a feeling I’m going to have to order this. Tastes like honey, really smooth.
3, 40 s: Chocolate flavour is back, but lighter.
4, 1 min: Sesame taste
5, 1:30 …regular black tea
6, 2 min: so sweet! Amazing chocolate and honey in the aftertaste. Like rice but not in a bad way.

And I lost track after that. I was so delighted with this tea. I didn’t expect it to live up to expectations but it surpassed them!

Water: 8oz Boiling

Leaves: Tiny black strands

Steep: 3m

Aroma: Dry leaf Dark Chocolate

Color: Golden Yellow

Taste: I’m happy to say I finally found a black tea that I like.The taste is smooth reminded me of drinking green tea.The scent of dark chocolate,the wet leaves the aroma is hard to describe.

Backlogging into another taste note this time around together with the cacao beans and intense milk chocolate like flavor that seems to caress ones palate is then followed by a youthful bean flavor much liken to green beans. Loving every sip of this tea!

I really have little to add to what has been said. This tea is excellent. Lots of chocolate brownie the first infusion, cinnamon with the second, and a creamy citrus with the third

My first shipment from Verdant Tea! I ordered this (autumn pick), the Yanxin Reserve ‘04 Shu nuggets, and the Autumn Tieguanyin. As I’m waiting for the water to boil, I’m clearing out a new section in my comfort drawer (filled with teas, chocolates, and coffees) for somewhere to put these new teas.

The dry leaf aroma really, really reminds me of hot chocolate. After steeping, the tea has more of a toasty/woods-y(? I don’t know where that thought came from, but it reminded me of walking in the woods on my high school campus just as spring was beginning to dry out into summer), malty aroma. I also want to say that I can sort of detect a hint of something cinnamon-y, but not as strong. I don’t know if it’s my mind playing tricks on me, though.

On first sip… tastebuds stunned, mind blown. Be back later.

1.5 tsp of leaves in 12 oz steeping mug.

The dry leaves have a strong malty smell and some smaller chocolate smell.

I made two steepings of these leaves.

1st: 205F, 4 min. The liquor is a clear, light brown-red. The aroma over the cup is like the dry leaves. The taste is surprisingly smooth, without astringency, with light to medium body for a black tea. There is a deep malty flavor and some soft bitter tastes. There is a tongue-tickling sweetness that I like, too. Some light astringency comes out with swishing this tea around my mouth with some air. I have no desire to add milk or sweetener.

After this cup, I went out to get the mail. As I was opening the mail box, I was hit by a strong, sweet aftertaste like after eating cookies.

2nd: 205F, 5 min. After tasting this company’s “First Picking Spring Laoshan Northern Green,” I expected some steamed edamame flavors from this tea. They appeared in this second steeping. All aromas and flavors noted above are here, but muted. However, this is definitely not just a cup of hot water. There is still no astringency, but I note a stronger bitter flavor. This cup is also quite smooth. The malty and chocolate flavors are smaller. A sweet flavor and a vegetal bean pod aroma are more noticeable. A sweet and beany aftertaste remained through a short walk to see the nice sunset after dinner.