Laoshan Black

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Cherry, Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Sweet, Malt, Mineral, Bitter, Cacao, Chocolate, Floral, Roasted Barley, Rye, Spices, Dark Bittersweet, Dates, Raisins, Sweet Potatoes, Honey, Cream, Roasted Nuts, Bread, Umami, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Burnt Sugar, Cocoa, Dark Wood, Molasses, Roasted, Tannic, Cotton Candy, Green Beans, Toasty, Wet Wood, Graham, Wood, Honeysuckle, Toffee, Black Pepper, Nutty, Smoked, Smooth, Flowers, Roast Nuts, Creamy, Fig, Fruity, Grain, Vanilla, Apricot, Nuts, Oats, Peach, Broth, Tea, Brown Toast, Earth, Licorice, Peat, Plum, Butter, Toast, Wheat, Dried Fruit, Stonefruit, Rose, White Grapes, Coffee, Rum, Salt, Smoke, Oak, Stewed Fruits, Black Currant, Toasted, Dill, Chestnut, Burnt, Cannabis, Hops, Coconut, Toasted Rice, Soybean, Butterscotch, Custard, Walnut
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Fair Trade, Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by Kittenna
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec 5 g 11 oz / 311 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

2 Images

252 Want it Want it

  • +237

285 Own it Own it

  • +270

813 Tasting Notes View all

  • “SIPDOWN! gasp Alright…i have a bunch of backlogs to do but first i needed to pay attention to this tea. You see kittylovestea really wanted to try this, so i opened my bag up and realised i had...” Read full tasting note
    84
  • “Yes, I’m drinking this again! It’s my birthday, so I can drink anything I want! Of course, I can drink anything I want any day of the year, but this seemed like a perfect start today, & it...” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “Brewed up a bunch of this quite strong for icing – I’ll see how that fares in the morning! In the meanwhile, I’m enjoying a second infusion, which, possibly because it’s more than double strength,...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “I snagged 4 oz of the autumn version of this tea after feeling a bit anxious about the last of my spring tea getting sipped down. Now I’m pretty much at peace, enjoying the strong chocolate/barley...” Read full tasting note
    94

From Verdant Tea

This is one of the pioneer black teas from Laoshan. The village only started experimenting with making black tea out of their uniquely bean-like green tea a year or two ago.

Early steepings are remarkably smooth and creamy, reminiscent of a floral Big Red Robe in their creamy and luscious texture and heady orchid floral notes. The signature chocolate and barley flavor is more muted to balance with the subtleties of the texture. The best way to describe the sensation of drinking this tea is that of handmade butter caramels melting on your tongue.

Later steepings see a shift towards fruity raw cacao flavor, and strong Madagascar vanilla bean. The barley notes remind us of our time in a Tibetan village on a high plateau watching the barley harvest and breathing in the smell of the roasting grains over a wood fire. The aftertaste remains extraordinarily thick, like homemade whipped cream. Mr. and Mrs. He, who cultivate this incredible tea on their small farm in Laoshan Village have outdone themselves with this precious spring harvest.

Region: He family farm, Laoshan Village, Shandong

About Verdant Tea View company

Company description not available.

813 Tasting Notes

100
18 tasting notes

Also finished this off yesterday and wish that it was in stock so that I could buy more.

This was great with milk or without. I then made iced tea out of the second steeping and let it steep for 5 minutes and chill overnight in the fridge. Tasty.

Overall very happy, just wish it was in stock from Vaerdant so I could resupply.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

99
4 tasting notes

This is my first review here on Steepster, and really my first experience with really high quality tea. I love black tea and grew up drinking strong English teas. Well, I was completely caught off guard with this tea. The first thing that came to mind when I smelled the dry leaves was standing over a pot as a pastry chef caramelizing sugar. That sweet smell as the sugar starts to melt and take on that lovely golden color. And then the chocolate notes hit, and never left. I will never dismiss the aroma of chocolate! It is welcome anytime.

I was a little confused about the brewing time, but that is the tea newbie in me. I dusted off my forgotten yixing pot and did what it said on the package, 3 grams of tea, 6 oz. of water, steep for 2-3 seconds. The tea was so pale I was confused because as I mentioned before, I am used to strong English black teas. I went on the website to try again and followed the brewing instructions for the “Western brew” which says to brew for 3 minutes. At about the 2 minute mark, I decide to watch the video and it seems the longest brew time mentioned for various brewing vessels was 10 seconds. I panicked because I was already past 2 minutes at this point. At any rate, I went with the 3 minute western style brewing time they have listed. It was a lovely golden color at that point. Not nearly as dark as any black tea I have had before. And the taste…oh the taste, it was just incredible. It is the most complex tea I have ever had. I kept getting a subtle smokiness and the chocolate was present the whole time. It was so smooth and just wonderful.

I ordered 4 different types of black teas from verdant and I can’t wait to try them all. If anyone has any suggestions with the brewing time, I would love to hear them. I am new at this and learning as I go along.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

98
8 tasting notes

Purchased this tea from Macha Tea House in Madison. It tastes (and smells) exactly like a brownie; malt and chocolate (brownies are pretty good). I will be going back for more. After the first steep, the in your face flavor was gone.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

96
22 tasting notes

Excited to try. I opened the bag and smelled the small dark curled leaves and instantly thought of chocolate. The dry leaves smell so good!

I’m going to brew this western style. Three minutes in boiling water. Here goes nothing!

The liquor is a light golden brown and smells sweet like chocolate but also reminds me of barley. This tastes like it smells to me. Creamy, smooth, sweet, chocolaty. Its amazing. The wet leaves smell so strongly of dark chocolate and something I can’t quite put my finger on.. Hm.

Second steep: Sweeter and smoother than the first. Honey! I’m drinking these cups so fast because it’s so delicious.

This tea is just so smooth and delicious. I could drink it all day. I will definitely be buying more.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.