I am a huge fan of this tea but I don’t see it getting too much love on Steepster most of the time. I think this is because it was overshadowed by Laoshan Black for years. I could totally see why when LB was super rich with chocolate decadence, but my bag from the most recent harvest is much less cacao and much heavier on grain notes like barley, so a bit less enjoyable to me overall. Note: chocolate junkie here.
That said, THIS tea is kind of the opposite. My bag from 2013 was good, but not as delicious overall as the most recent harvest. I have both still in the cupboard and they smell distinctly different with the newer harvest having a much richer aroma. The leaves even look different- thicker, more tightly curled, darker and shinier than the previous batch. The taste is more bold and flavorful with rich cocoa and roasted sweet potatoes drizzled in honey that reminds me of the old LB with a super smooth texture. The aftertaste is a tiny bit drying and almost.. crisp? Either way, the transition is interesting and the overall experience is quite wonderful. It also holds up to multiple resteeps beautifully. I’m on my second and the leaves haven’t even unfurled yet. If you haven’t given the lovely Yu Lu Yan Cha Black a try and enjoy blacks with a flavor profile like this, I highly recommend it. Happy Saturday all!
TLDR version: I LIKE TEA SO MUCH. OM NOM.
Flavors: Chocolate, Drying, Honey, Malt, Smooth, Sweet Potatoes
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Ymmmm
Yummm
I ordered LB and this in my last order from Verdant (last month, or so) and, I was totally surprised to find that I prefer this one to the LB! It’s more rich and complex, and the leaf gives more satisfying infusions… So surprising! :)
Sounds delicious!!
Excellent review Nightshifter!
Thank you! For this harvest, I totally agree with you Deliriums. If you had asked me 1-2 years ago it would have been a different story when LB was in full chocolate glory. Isn’t it interesting how teas can change so much from one harvest to the next? I can’t help but to wonder if it was prepared exactly the same each time. I would expect some variation, but this much makes me think maybe new technique or equipment?
The change in harvests is absolutely wonderful to me…to taste differences like vintages of wine is so fascinating. It really is a drastic change, though! I would assume it was prepared the same way and the change is all in the leaf itself, but maybe I’m wrong. I wonder! :)
AH, even though I like this one a ton more than Laoshan Black, I’ve had many more cups of Laoshan (maybe because my sample of this one is smaller?) The new harvest sounds amazing!
Ymmmm
Yummm
I ordered LB and this in my last order from Verdant (last month, or so) and, I was totally surprised to find that I prefer this one to the LB! It’s more rich and complex, and the leaf gives more satisfying infusions… So surprising! :)
Sounds delicious!!
Excellent review Nightshifter!
Thank you! For this harvest, I totally agree with you Deliriums. If you had asked me 1-2 years ago it would have been a different story when LB was in full chocolate glory. Isn’t it interesting how teas can change so much from one harvest to the next? I can’t help but to wonder if it was prepared exactly the same each time. I would expect some variation, but this much makes me think maybe new technique or equipment?
The change in harvests is absolutely wonderful to me…to taste differences like vintages of wine is so fascinating. It really is a drastic change, though! I would assume it was prepared the same way and the change is all in the leaf itself, but maybe I’m wrong. I wonder! :)
AH, even though I like this one a ton more than Laoshan Black, I’ve had many more cups of Laoshan (maybe because my sample of this one is smaller?) The new harvest sounds amazing!