2 Tasting Notes

98

I should caveat all my reviews with the statement that green teas are pretty much all I want to drink these days, with very few exceptions. So when I say “tea,” I mean green tea. Some teas are bright and fresh. This tea is darker and sweeter, containing qualities I normally associate with a high quality black tea but still maintaining its green-ness (is that a word?).

I can’t get into the finicky steepings because I drink this throughout the day during work, so I fill the basket of my double walled glass tumbler, heat the water to around 170, pour it over the leaves and let them sit for just a few seconds…maybe 20? I add 30 or so seconds for each subsequent steeping. You’ll get four good steepings and the first two are the best. The key for me is not letting the first two sit too long…just kiss them with water.

Normally, I think it would be too rich for summer, but my office is so cold…I’ve ordered as much of the final stock as I think I can reasonably store. I know good teas will come this year and for years to come, but I will be very sad when last season’s Laoshan green is no more. 2014’s final harvest will be one to remember.

Flavors: Hay, Soybean, Spices, Vanilla, Vegetal

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 0 min, 30 sec 3 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

84

I have a raging addiction to green tea and normally, I like it thick as pond water, sweet, dark, heavy on the tongue with powerful grassy notes (gyokuro is my baby). But this tea was a nice variation on that theme, lighter, but still distinctly vegetal. The first time I worked with this tea I did they way it was recommended and the flavor was too much of a tease. The second time I did it my way… steeped low and slow to bring out its darker side. It was a wise choice for my palate.

The first term that comes to mind when tasting this tea is comforting. There’s a sweet, almost creamy quality to it on the front end…I think they’d say it was the chestnut referenced in their description but I’m not tied to any particular nut :) Now we’re not talking cream like the milk oolong (be still my heart), but nevertheless, the characteristic is present. It recedes against a vegetal background and you’re left with a satisfying, mild astringency and the faintest reminder of fresh mown hay that lets you know you’ve done something with your time. When work sucks, this is like a hug.

As for the shop itself, I couldn’t be more impressed with their model. Jamie says they visit the sites themselves and have actually abandoned sites due to a lack of quality in soil, air pollution or lack of sustainability. I asked Jamie about the notes he and Garrett leave in the shipping and he said they’re love notes to their customers. I’ve loved every tea I’ve ever tasted from this shop (milk oolong WHAT?!?!!), I appreciate their philosophy on business and life, and then I receive regular love letters from them? Is it possible to fall in love with a tea shop?

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 2 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML
Garret

awwww…. this makes our day! Thank you so much for taking the time to write about your experience(s) with this tea. 50% of the time I brew this one up “grandpa style” in a glass or a tea thermos. I like the bolder cup of this tea as it sounds like you do.

I was just going through some photos with customers in the shop of the area this tea was grown in. What a nice visit that was. Climbing the mountains to get to the tea, breathing that misty cool air. Oh, I must have some of this tea now!

Garret

That was such a treat to speak with you today on the telephone! Glad I had the time and the opportunity!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer