Autumn Hearth

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Autumn Hearth drank Anxi Fo Shou Black Tea by Verdant Tea

I tried this for the first time last week but words were escaping me, the only things I could think of were chocolate, raisin, rum and a bad pun: I like this tea “fo sho”, yeah…

I love these little one-two serving packets, so convenient and unintimidating. Oh well if I mess this up I still have a dozen more! I feel like this tea, Verdant’s Yu Lu Cha and Mi Lan Dancong Black all need a side by side brewing. They all have this oolongy Laoshan Black thing going on, though I’m sure each is quite unique, its hard to find them just based on memory.

The first time I tried this I could not find any hints of Anxi Tieguanyin, but there are some lovely honey orchid notes present in this first cup steeped a bit longer than my first gongfu session (15 secs instead of 3-5). I also get Big Red Robe, which I love and miss. I really liked Laoshan Black and Big Red Robe together, so this is a winner.

I’m going to steep it out through the day and I hope to find some of those single malt scotch notes. I really love Bonnie’s tasting note on this and completely agree that the raisin notes are golden raisin and the chocolate feels very raw at the beginning. Already this session is yielding a much fuller bodied tea and I’m looking forward to brewing this western style for the husband who will have none this sparkling mineral nonsense (aka how I love my teas). Also, yay 275!

2013-01-22 16:31:39 -0500

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Invader Zim 2013-01-22 16:40:30 -0500

I’m glad I’m not the only one to think “fo sho” when I see this tea!

Lynxiegrl 2013-01-22 17:20:50 -0500

Annoyingly enough so do I.

Azzrian 2013-01-22 19:15:34 -0500

I just got mine today and can’t wait to try it but waiting because I just had hot sauce on pizza and I don’t want my palate to be disrupted by that when I sample this tea!

Terri HarpLady 2013-01-22 23:53:11 -0500

LOL, I also was trying to think of a ‘fo sho’ comment, so I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s mind is twisted that way! :D

Kittenna 2013-01-23 02:35:30 -0500

Haha, me… four?

Anyways, I was also thinking that I need to do a comparison of chocolatey blacks, including this one, Yu Lu Cha, Laoshan Black, Zhu Rong…. However, as I think the only one stably available to order will be Laoshan Black, which I find highly satisfying, I suspect I will never get around to this. (Yet I will still be curious about the subtle differences, so I encourage you to do it! Haha)

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Druid, artist, poet, mum, lover of tea, ritual and myth. I grew up on Celestial Seasons herbals but fell in love with straight loose leaf tea working at my local Teavana for a year. I am grateful for the introduction and the experience, but have moved on.

I see tea as an experience for the senses, I like to imagine tasting the land and the weather as well as the effect of sun, air, fire and the human hand. I have a soft spot for shu pu’er, yabao, scented oolongs, wuyi oolongs, taiwanese tea as well as smooth naturally sweet blacks, creamy greens and surprisingly complex whites.

I began ordering lots of samples from Upton to educate myself on different varieties of tea we didn’t have at work and have fallen head over heels for the unique offerings from Verdant Tea. I am learning things I like: buttery mouthfeel, surprising sweet or spice notes, woodiness, mineral notes, depth and complexity and things I don’t: astringency, dry and sour notes.

I collect tea tins and am in danger of collecting pots, though I am trying to restrain the urge due to current lack of space. I brew mostly in a glass infuser mug or a tea maker, only using cast-iron for company now (still need to get a gaiwan) and tend not to sweeten my teas unless they are British or fruity and iced, which is not often.

As far as ratings, I lack a definite system and haven’t been assigning numbers lately, wanting to spend multiple sessions with a tea first. I usually only log a tea once, unless it is a new harvest or I have significantly different observations, but will go back and edit or comment if I find something interesting or new.