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Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea

Thanks to Chizacura I was sucked into trying this tea next. Now, i’m eating egg salad on lettuce (gf bread is a hassle, srsly), so my smell and taste might be biased.

Dry, this tea smells quite earthy and dark. I was hesitant. Steeped, this tea smells like chocolate dirt pie, essentially. You know when you make a pie with super loamy dark earth and lots of water, then chase your younger brother around with it trying to smoosh it in his face? Yeah. Add dark chocolate to that. It’s weird to have a tea smell like this.

It tastes surprisingly not like dirt! I see where everyone gets the thick chocolate and raisin tastes. This tea also has a bit of a weird sour note to me. Something must be wrong with either my tastebuds, or my dishes, because I’ve never tasted this in a tea before. With a 3 minute steep, this is bordering on astringent. Idk. I need to try more leaves next time (I’ll admit, i totally shorted my cup. 1 tbsp per 8 oz?!), and try it without mucking up my tastebuds with food.

Interestingly, as it cools this smells kind of like a super amped up version of the Strong Irish Breakfast from Steep that i had this morning with milk and honey…

Ok, i gave in and added 1/8 tsp sugar to the last 2/3rds of my mug. Yeah, that’s better. Still the sour (seriously, what is up with this? I can’t figure it out!), but the rest of the flavours are way better. Definitely need to try with more leaves.

People who liked this

Chizakura
Shmiracles
ashmanra
Angrboda
Kittenna
Anyanka
CrowKettle

Comments

Chizakura
Chizakura 2013-03-18 22:06:15 -0400

That’s funny, your description of the smell is EXACTLY what I thought about Read My Lips from DavidsTea. xD

I’m not sure where you’re getting the sour from though, because I shorted my cup too (I did one 1tbsp in 16oz. lol Yet it still tasted strong and hearty. 1tbsp in 8oz seems like such a waste)

Maybe try it again when you have the egg salad taste out of your mouth?

OMGsrsly
OMGsrsly 2013-03-18 22:08:52 -0400

I had it from the chocolate phoenix chai as well. I was actually so not into tea this morning, that I got a latte. Idk. Maybe today is just not a tea day.

OMGsrsly
OMGsrsly 2013-03-18 22:11:16 -0400

Oh, it definitely is strong and hearty though. It’s beaten my irish breakfast blend in a fight for strength, that’s for sure. I’ll try it again sometime this week. :)

Chizakura
Chizakura 2013-03-18 22:14:48 -0400

Yeah, perhaps today just wasn’t the day for it. I’ll have that too, where I think “I thought I remembered this tasted better” then I’ll have it a different day and I’m just WOWed.

Chizakura
Chizakura 2013-03-18 22:19:53 -0400

Random, but let me know if Anxi Fo Shou works well for western style? :) The website recommends gongu to the point that I don’t think it even offered instructions for western. xD I’d be more than happy to drink gongfu at someone else’s house, but I’m just too lazy to do it at home; I just make big hefty cups. xD

OMGsrsly
OMGsrsly 2013-03-18 22:26:58 -0400

The handout that came with it says half a packet for western. I’m guessing it’s for 3 min, but i was going to see what other people on here said about it. Just… not today. I don’t think i could handle any more weird sour teas today! I sort of do gongfu.

Chizakura
Chizakura 2013-03-18 23:11:10 -0400

yes, probably best to give your tastebuds a rest for the day. xD And thanks. :)

One thing about the Laoshan (this is probably because of the leaf shortage though) is that it doesn’t re-steep as well as people seem to say. Everyone says the second cup is very cinnamony whereas for me it tasted the same as the first except VASTLY weaker. The third I just dumped. Not pleasant having the tongue coating sensation but no taste. :/ The first cup I had was still incredibly amazing though. Maybe I’ll try in a 12oz cup next, maybe that’ll be the difference.

OMGsrsly
OMGsrsly 2013-03-18 23:35:44 -0400

Apparently i didn’t finish. I sort of gongfu using a soy sauce container from Daiso. Pour water in, pour tea into mug, etc, until the mug is full. :) The container is very tiny so i don’t have to use much tea.

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Profile

Bio

Black teas are my favourite, although I do drink the occasional green tea. I am exploring herbal and fruity teas for summer icing and winter evenings, and oolong and pu erh are new and exciting… although I do not like an oolong that tastes mostly of seaweed. I avoid mint, and my BFF is allergic to raspberries, so I read a lot of ingredient listings.

I have discovered that I do not like teas that are too roasty and toasty. Some Rig Red Robe teas are ok, some Yunnan Blacks are ok, some hojichas are ok. Just some. I seem to prefer traditional blends (oh Irish breakfast), Assam, Ceylon and Nilgiri types as unflavored morning caffeine boosts. Flavoured black teas are closest to my heart, and therefore take up the most room in my stomach.

My ratings are based on the little faces, and depend on what face I make when I sip the tea! :)

(Isn’t that a bling-tastic tea cup?)

Also: A map of tea places in Vancouver. I’ve been to some of them, but not a lot. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
http://goo.gl/maps/gXsKK

Location

Vancouver, BC, Canada

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