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Uniquity

332 Followers / 141 Following

Uniquity drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea

This is so intriguing. I have some experience with unflavoured blacks, but this is a totally different universe. I get a really rich thick liquor, almost brothy. I get what I refer to as cocoa notes, but I don’t know that it is cocoa per se. At first I wasn’t sure what I thought, but it grew on me through the cup. I wanted to use words like grainy and roasty and even malty, but I don’t know if those are associations or just words that got stuck in my head. Won’t rate until I’ve tried it again as this tea demands attention.

The beau pointed out that it has honey notes and I didn’t get that in the tea itself but in the aftertaste. Dark chocolate in the sip (but not at all bitter!) and sweet honey in the aftertaste.

Steeped 3/4 tsp in smallish gaiwan with boilling water for around 3 minutes.

2011-11-01 18:40:44 -0400

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ashmanra 2011-11-01 21:40:38 -0400

I hVe a couple of gaiwans and have used them a few times, trying to observe traditional methods. How do you manage not to burn your fingerprints right off? Unless I really leave that cup to sit a while, I get scalded!

Amy oh 2011-11-01 23:11:04 -0400

I’ve observed when I go for tea tastings that they don’t heat the water up to boiling most of the time…

Geoffrey 2011-11-01 23:39:31 -0400

@ashmanra – the honest answer is that you develop calluses over time. but you can also avoid the brim getting too hot by not filling the gaiwan all the way up. fill to 3/4… although with tightly rolled oolongs in particular the abundant leaf material can make it hard to avoid filling it all the way up. I tend to burn my fingers most when I’m doing a lot of consecutive infusions of a rolled oolong. my calluses are gradually developing and making it easier though.

Uniquity 2011-11-02 05:13:55 -0400

I actually did burn my fingers this time as some of the water opted to come out the side. : ( It has taken me a couple tries to be able to pour it without a whole lot of pain, but I definitely still feel it and move quickly. I do use boiling water for my black teas, but I also (as Geoffrey said) don’t fill my gaiwan to the brim, so it’s not too hot right at first. I still spill occasionally, or have to set it down for a second so I don’t start swearing. : )

ashmanra 2011-11-02 16:28:37 -0400

Thank you! I simply trained myself not to fill my gaiwan up very far and assumed it was a deeply imbedded Asian lesson teaching about the evils of greed! LOL! I have read about trick cups from way back that are still being made that will not permit you to get any liquid if you overfill them. I think someone linked to them long ago on the discussions threads.

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I am a lover of many things, but my prized possessions include my records, tea and books (not necessarily in that order!) I embrace local food and good cooking as much as I can, and place great value on time with family and enjoying the bounty of nature. While I live in a city at the moment, my heart lies in the country and I was married there in May under my grandmother’s apple trees.

I am drawn toward good Chinese blacks, enjoy some herbals and the odd roasted oolong. Greens and whites can make me nauseous, but I will have flavoured ones on occasion. While I don’t yet enjoy puerh, I desperately want to. Chamomile and coconut are the devil though, I wish they didn’t exist. Mint has been a particular favourite of mine since childhood, and I enjoy both flavoured and pure teas pretty equally. If it’s well crafted and delicious, I’m there!

As for ratings, I try to only log teas once or twice because I drink a lot of the same ones repeatedly. My rating is based on my perception of the tea at first tasting and is adjusted if anything notable occurs in subsequent cups. For some reason, I don’t really like to rate things below 60 even if I don’t like them, but I’m TRYING to use more of the scale, rather than just the top half.

86 – 100: WOW. I need this tea on hand at home, work and with every relative or friend I tend to visit.
76 – 85: This is a solid tea. I enjoy it, and would recommend it to others.
61 – 75: Just okay. I can drink it, but I don’t necessarily want to. Will try again if I have to, but life is too short to waste on average tea.
41 – 60: Bleh. Might finish it, but it’s not to my taste OR just doesn’t impress me at all.
0 – 40: No thank you, please. Take it away and don’t make me finish the cup.