Laoshan Black

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Cherry, Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Sweet, Malt, Mineral, Bitter, Cacao, Chocolate, Floral, Roasted Barley, Rye, Spices, Dark Bittersweet, Dates, Raisins, Sweet Potatoes, Honey, Cream, Roasted Nuts, Bread, Umami, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Burnt Sugar, Cocoa, Dark Wood, Molasses, Roasted, Tannic, Cotton Candy, Green Beans, Toasty, Wet Wood, Graham, Wood, Honeysuckle, Toffee, Black Pepper, Nutty, Smoked, Smooth, Flowers, Roast Nuts, Creamy, Fig, Fruity, Grain, Vanilla, Apricot, Nuts, Oats, Peach, Broth, Tea, Brown Toast, Earth, Licorice, Peat, Plum, Butter, Toast, Wheat, Dried Fruit, Stonefruit, Rose, White Grapes, Coffee, Rum, Salt, Smoke, Oak, Stewed Fruits, Black Currant, Toasted, Dill, Chestnut, Burnt, Cannabis, Hops, Coconut, Toasted Rice, Soybean, Butterscotch, Custard, Walnut
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Fair Trade, Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by Kittenna
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec 5 g 11 oz / 311 ml

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815 Tasting Notes View all

  • “SIPDOWN! gasp Alright…i have a bunch of backlogs to do but first i needed to pay attention to this tea. You see kittylovestea really wanted to try this, so i opened my bag up and realised i had...” Read full tasting note
    84
  • “Yes, I’m drinking this again! It’s my birthday, so I can drink anything I want! Of course, I can drink anything I want any day of the year, but this seemed like a perfect start today, & it...” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “Brewed up a bunch of this quite strong for icing – I’ll see how that fares in the morning! In the meanwhile, I’m enjoying a second infusion, which, possibly because it’s more than double strength,...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “I snagged 4 oz of the autumn version of this tea after feeling a bit anxious about the last of my spring tea getting sipped down. Now I’m pretty much at peace, enjoying the strong chocolate/barley...” Read full tasting note
    94

From Verdant Tea

This is one of the pioneer black teas from Laoshan. The village only started experimenting with making black tea out of their uniquely bean-like green tea a year or two ago.

Early steepings are remarkably smooth and creamy, reminiscent of a floral Big Red Robe in their creamy and luscious texture and heady orchid floral notes. The signature chocolate and barley flavor is more muted to balance with the subtleties of the texture. The best way to describe the sensation of drinking this tea is that of handmade butter caramels melting on your tongue.

Later steepings see a shift towards fruity raw cacao flavor, and strong Madagascar vanilla bean. The barley notes remind us of our time in a Tibetan village on a high plateau watching the barley harvest and breathing in the smell of the roasting grains over a wood fire. The aftertaste remains extraordinarily thick, like homemade whipped cream. Mr. and Mrs. He, who cultivate this incredible tea on their small farm in Laoshan Village have outdone themselves with this precious spring harvest.

Region: He family farm, Laoshan Village, Shandong

About Verdant Tea View company

Company description not available.

815 Tasting Notes

100
58 tasting notes

Dry leaf: This has a very creamy chocolatey smell. If I had to place it I’d say it smells like chocolate mocha filling that would go on a brownie. It has a very similar cocoa smell to teavivre’s black pearls, but it smells sweeter and has more of a creamy note.

Wet Leaf: The wet leaf has an extremely dark, chocolatey flavor. It reminds me of chocolate cereals from when I was younger. On top of the chocolate smell there is a smell kind of like a dried plant. It’s hard to place but it’s a strong, wonderful aroma.

Flavor: The taste is sooooooo surprisingly sweet. It has absolutely no bitterness or astringency. I am extremely surprised by how good this tea is. Verdant knocks another one out of the park. It has a dark cocoa flavor but it still isn’t overly strong. I’m not tasting any cinnamon but I am getting some vanilla and caramel flavor, especially on the swallow and aftertaste. The feeling in the mouth is incredibly moist and smooth. When you swallow there is a light vegetal taste and your throat feels very smooth.

Overall this is an absolutely amazing tea and I will be buying some as soon as I can

Preparation
Boiling
Sil

YAY so glad you got to try this. It’s one of my favourite blacks.

Lucy

Bah I wish I had gotten on ordering this one! I procrastinated and missed out on this batch..Hopefully the next batch is as amazing as this one sounds! =) Thanks for your review!

Insence&Tea

So far this tea and their handpicked spring tieguanyin are probably my two favorite teas. (My review on tieguanyin is coming soon) Unfortunately they’re rather expensive so I can only afford them for special occasions but they’re worth it. :)

Lucy

I completely agree about their spring TGY. I have the autumn version and it does’t completely blow me out of the the water like the spring version.

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90
212 tasting notes

The leaves are cute little twists. They remind me of little ringlets. My mother used to “finger” curl my hair when I was little, so I’ve seen pictures of me with ringlets all over my head. Perhaps I should call her up and ask her if she would like finger curl my hair now. ;)

So on to the tea, I thought this was very smooth and quite enjoyable. I had four solid gringo steepings. For the most part, I thought each steeping was a little sweeter, more refined but retaining the same flavors of dark chocolate, caramel, grain and malt. This also has a very interesting mouth feel to it. It’s heavy and full, much like real whipped cream.

This is an excellent tea and I’m glad we ventured out to buy from Verdant.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Azzrian

Awee Missy I bet you were a little cutie! :)

Dylan Oxford

Still is ;)

Missy

lol thanks. I have far too much hair to do that now. I bet that took a lot of patience. I was in the terrible twos for some of it. ;)

Ninavampi

“Gringo Steepings”… Hahahaha…

Missy

Dylan said that once and it has always tickled me, so I use it. :D

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100
557 tasting notes

This tea made me say a Bad word but in a Good way lol I don’t know what else to say but Thank You Wonks for this sample!!, I had to change my steepster sliding scale on 2 of my current favs to 100 pionts just so this could have 100 also, Awesome Tea! just read the other reviews.

Bonnie

Oh my! Is this the first time you’ve had Laoshan Black?!

Tommy Toadman

I don’t think i’ve had one from another company and I know this is the first time from Verdant, I guess it’s that weird that I’ve never had one? must be popular, i see why :)

ashmanra

I’m guessing it was “Day-yum!”

mrmopar

got to try this one!

Kittenna

I can’t believe you hadn’t had this one!! It is so fabulous; I hope it’s around forever!

Bonnie

mrmopar I’ll send you some!

Wonks

I’m glad you liked it. I always think that the best way to be introduced to something is with a prime example. Verdant is currently my favorite tea distributor, and I wouldn’t expect a lesser reaction really. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it.:3

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87
127 tasting notes

Alright, so I was going to wait a few days to try this one western style, but then I got really curious to see how it compared to gongfu brewing…so here we are!

Smell: I’m already picking up slight differences in the smell of this one. It smells much richer, and more like freshly baked brownies than it had in any of the gongfu steepings. The caramel, vanilla/cream, and cinnamon notes are really nice here, too. All of them are coming out and melding together. The smell is actually reminding me of these caramel turtle brownies my mom makes from time to time…YUM. The roasted smell I got before is still present, and it’s quite nice with the cocoa notes.

Taste: Wow. This a bit of a different taste then I’d gotten previously. The chocolate notes are very prominant, with those light cream aspects (almost like a whipped cream) creating an almost milky aspect. I’m only picking up very light cinnamon and caramel notes here; the cinnamon is somewhere near the end of the sip and the caramel is mild throughout, but most noticible in the center. I’m still picking up the grain-esque flavor I had before… wheat? I’m not sure how to describe it. The toasty aspect is also present throughout the entire sip. It’s smooth, slightly creamy, and very chocolatey. I’d say the cocoa notes this time around were somewhere between dark and milk chocolate.

Overall, I think I prefer this brewed western style (Thanks again, Bonnie). However, I still don’t know if it’s a cupboard staple. It is good, no doubt about that. It is also complex and unique, which I love. I just don’t know if I love this one as a whole. I may increase the steeping time a bit next time around – also, when I have more time, I’d love to try resteeping. Maybe I’ll add some cream to it as well.

Increasing the rating slightly to reflect this steeping.

Regardless, I’m glad I tried this one.

NOTE: I liked the flavor a little more once it cooled.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Rob Rauschenberg

I still really want to try this one. It sounds so unique. If you ever want to swap a small sample, let me know. Thanks for posting your review :-)

Emily M

I’d be willing to send a few teaspoons your way, should you want to try some. I’ll PM you!

Bonnie

Bravo!

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189 tasting notes

I feel like I can now consider myself an official steepsterite after having a cup of this notorious tea. I think the tasting notes have covered every nuance (chocolate, check; raisins, check), though I haven’t seen a mention of the ocean effect—deep inside there I feel waves of superclean seawater washing over my tongue. It’s a very smooth tea with a pleasant fruity aftertaste and a powerful kick. I don’t think I can genuflect at the altar of the Laoshan black to the extent that others have, but I can bow. A solid 88-90, definitely among the better Chinese black teas I’ve tasted.

Bonnie

You have intriguing taste! Enjoyable!

Doug F

Thanks Bonnie. I love your evocative reviews.

Bonnie

Who’s Doug? (I’d rather be provocative sometimes!) …don’t listen…I’ve had 4 hours of sleep…the smoke is keeping me up!

Doug F

Doug is a sleep-deprived father of two boys (4 and 2). I decided to switch from Triumph to my given name. No reason to hide!

Bonnie

Hi Doug! Nice to meet you! I am even more amazed you write so well with wee ones pulling on your legs!

Doug F

Thank you Bonnie. My reviews would be longer, but I rarely have time to allow my thoughts to unfold. I’m jealous of those people who can patiently infuse their teas 15 times! I’m pretty much a western brewer—except for my shu pu-erhs.

Bonnie

I had 5 little boys here last night and the 7 year old bipolar one was on a high! (3 adopted and 2 foster of my daughter’s 8 ). I collapsed on the couch and fell asleep as soon as they left! I raised more than my 2 also so I sympathise! Although, I am enjoying my alone time! :)

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80
15 tasting notes

EDIT: Lowering my rating a bit from a 95 to an 80. I was so excited to brew this initially and I think I might have looked into the tea a bit too much. The notes I found before seem to be hiding from me now (chocolate, sweet cinnamon) and I’m just tasting regular tea now. Quite disappointing. :(

BELOW IS MY REVIEW FOR MY INITIAL FIRST STEEP BEFORE MY EDIT:

What a nice tea! Got my order today and I immediately opened up the nice little pouch Verdant’s tea comes in and got started making some!

Mm, the smell of the dry leaves is INTOXICATING! It smells intensely of rich, creamy dark chocolate.

I brewed this up Western style as I heard from other peoples’ tasting notes here that Western style was the best way in which to brew Laoshan Black.

The wet leaves smell exactly like dark chocolate still, and at this point I can’t wait for my cup to cool so I could take a sip!

The taste is phenomenal, chocolatey of course with a rich creamy aftertaste left in your mouth. Wait, what is that lingering note on the back of my throat? SWEET CINNAMON!

YUM. What a great tea!

I noticed that the more times I make a certain tea the more that the different notes really pop and come out, so I’m looking forward to having more of this tea so I can taste more of the notes!

I can’t wait to have another brew of this which will most likely be really, really soon!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Azzrian

I prepared a sampler box for someone today and this was one of the included teas. It smelled SO SO good. Like straight chocolate!

Terri HarpLady

I love it :)

Bonnie

Me too.

TeaGinner

Azzrian – It does smell delicious! :)

Terri and Bonnie – It is a VERY good tea. I just hyped it up way too much in my mind and I can’t taste the notes as much. Hey, it may even be because I overdid it (having like 6 or more cups because I was so excited to try it.) I’m going to try another cup this morning and see if I can pick apart more notes.

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2291 tasting notes

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.

Chizakura

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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90
239 tasting notes

3g / 200ml glaspot
5m @ 100C

Oh dang, these parameters got me the best cup yet. Intense cocoa, light astringancy and a chocolate smell and aftertaste. The finish has slightly ore astringancy. body is smooth and clean, devoid of any “sandyness”? That grainy feeling you sometimes get.
I took a trip to verdants webshop and was this > < close to putting in an order. The campfire and caravan blends seems very nice. Been wanting to try some good high quality blends for some time, also nice to have for guests that doesnt fancy natural teas.
Probalby i will manage to hold out until spring harvest :)…. maybe….

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

I’ve been drinking Laoshan Black Tea for almost two years and it’s a one tea that I prefer brewed western style a little overloaded at 2-3 minutes. As a staple I add a little to herbal blends like Winter Ginger Sage or my own creations (a little goes a long way).

Dag Wedin

Ah i do prefer to use lots of leaf, but this time i wanted only a single cup :)
I would really like to learn how to make my own teablends :)
I am a bit overzealous when it comes to food containing only natural ingredients.

Bonnie

My local teashop has an herbal wall (all natural) so I’ve made a box of ingredients for blending. There are two spice shops in town too…within walking distance of the teashop that have natural ingredients and are sticklers for freshness. Colorado is big on ‘organic and natural’! So I have tulsi, dry ginger, several kinds of cinnamon, goji berry, burdock root, different citrus peel, I grown and dry my own mint, and other items. I buy organic cocoa hulls also. For tea, I try to buy the best I can afford. I also buy from people who I know have quality tea and who don’t use artificial chemical flavoring. (I have allergies so I’m careful) Most of the time, my blends are used for puerh blending with fruit or herbs or spices. Now and then I’ll get crazy.

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96
362 tasting notes

This is an amazing tea – the hype had mostly passed me by, I confess I tend to ignore a lot of reviews of teas which would be difficult for me to find. Ordering tea from outside the EU is risky, anything past 100 grams is subject to tax (and delay and flat fees on tax) and less than 100 grams the shippping so expensive for the quantity. I just might have to risk it because of this.

Angrboda very kindly and generously picked this for me in my last swap. After checking steepster the expectations were raised, and somehow how this lives up to it.

I can´t really add anything new to the great, complex tasting notes already done so not even going to try. This was somehow lighter than I expected (not a problem), and it is indeed magical at evoking scents of other things, while being tea, just tea. Chocolate, malty, vanilla-y and at second steep almost peppery – reminds me of another tea I loved, Theodor´s Milky Oolong which is also magical. Really fabulous tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Terri HarpLady

I drank a cup of this while fixing breakfast today :)
Glad you got a chance to try it!

Angrboda

I do that too. I automatically just assume that new names are out of reach, although I tend to be mostly hung up on shipping fees. It’s quite rare that I actually go and look them up. Sometimes I get a pleasant surprise when I notice that it’s actually a place I can shop at. :D Discovering a new shop is always twice as fun, though.

cteresa

I am a bit scared of customs – it´s not paying the 6% or 23% (yikes, harder) but the whole fuss and flat fees. European Union is OK, out of Europe, a bit scarier.

I still got plenty from your sample (thank you! a treasure indeed) and I am going to enjoy it very much but I just might bit the bullet and order from then when this is back on stock. They have free shipping on orders above 70 dollars IIRC? Did it work well?

Terri, it is a small world! Loved it.

Angrboda

It seems to depend on where you order from. I have more frequently been asked to pay customs on something coming from the US than something coming directly from China (although that has happened once as well. A TeaSpring order was held hostage for a WEEK before I got it). There is a small number of American vendors that I will shop with. Verdant is one, but I only shop there very infrequently and primarily because of this tea. I’ll try the others when I’m buying this one, but probably wouldn’t shop there otherwise. It’s one of those special cases. I can’t remember if I ever pushed it above $70 for free shipping, though.

cteresa

I am definitely considering ordering this when it is on stock – though 70 dollars worth of it no!

Hallieod

Here the post is pretty relaxed about duty, as long as it’s not much over the allowance, which is something like €45. But woe to you if you have a package from outside the EU shipped by UPS or FedEx. They are just MEAN and charge a massive handling fee for paying even a small amount of duty. You could always use my address if you want to order from Verdant and I’ll pop it on to you. They ship USPS so it would not be a problem!

Angrboda I’m so much less sensible than you about US companies – I got so sick of having to check shipping policies every time I read a tempting tasting note that I devoted a little notebook to it! I’ve already got info on about 30 or 40 companies. :) Not all US, obviously.

cteresa

Hallie, oh that is a good trick! Though sometimes companies change policies – I ordered from Harney in early 2012, decent shipping, checked again one year later, shipping was 3 times as much (40 dollars or something. And nothing worth it).

And I just checked with verdant, shipping was a reasonable $8.50 , so I did a pre-order of the laoshan black while bravely ignoring everything else. When it arrives, I will have to send you some – though I think question is, when, it will take some time I guess. But could not resist (thank you Angrboda, it was indeed fantastic!)

Hallieod

Ugh, change of shipping policies is mean, as is $40 shipping. Though that’s about Dammann Freres price to Ireland, which still makes me crazy cranky. Thanks for the offer, but have to admit I tried some that sil sent me, and I wasn’t that keen. Will try to explain later when I’m not doing one-handed typing!

cteresa

Yep – though I think teas can change a lot from batch to batch and their reaction to local water is always different.

And you are posting a lot already, am amazed! But it can surely wait!

Hallieod

True, and I gather there’s a big difference between the autumn and spring harvests for the Laoshan blacks.

:) you’re not seeing how very long it’s taking me!

cteresa

And just to add, that is some nerve from Dammann! 40 euros to ireland, and they are not even that good – Mariage Frères and Thé-o-dor (both of which are better tea companies in two very different styles) have about 25-30 euros shipping to Portuga. And they have much more varieties of rooibos – this is quite silly but I am so picky about rooibos and have been drinking a lot of rooibos lately and getting new good rooibos is also a deal breaker for any tea order. If I am going to spend money on shipping I want to get food rooibos as well. One of these days I will indulge in a biggish Theodor order. Mariage Freres I can get here, Theodor no, and I am jonesing for more Carpe Diem and more Milky Oolong and a lot of other stuff on my wishlist.

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812 tasting notes

my 300th tasted tea! i’ve reached a milestone.
i ordered this tea a long while ago and kept saving it sealed for the right time.
i woke up early so i would have time to sit with it. i used my special very British porcelain tea cup and saucer. and i read fanfic by one of my favorite authors.
it was my peaceful & quiet special tea party.

TeaBrat

Happy 300!

Bee

An excellent tea to celebrate a milestone with! Happy 300!

Sil

YAY!! Happy 300!!

Terri HarpLady

Congrats on 300! Sounds like a nice way to celebrate too!

ohfancythat

Happy 300! Your tea party of one sounds great :)

tea-sipper

I was trying to figure it out by your tasting note… but do you know if this is from the old batch or the new that you included in TeaboxB?

Shmiracles

hey tea sipper. this probably isn’t the sample from the ttb. i’m pretty sure it’s a sample i had bought a while back.

tea-sipper

Hmm… I wanted to try it if it was the older Laoshan that everyone says tastes better, but it is the same sample I have, I wanted to save it for others to try. thanks!

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