First Verdant Order - too much Laoshan Black?
I’m thinking of placing my first order with Verdant.
What do you guys think? Is 4oz of Laoshan Black TOO MUCH? (I have had it before and I like it, but is there such a thing as too much? I’m really just worried about it going stale or something if it takes me a year to drink all that).
I’d order less but if I’m paying $9 for shipping, it makes sense to place an order for $40 and get free shipping.
I’ve never tried the other Verdant teas, but I’ve heard good things. I thought I’d pick up a few 1oz packs of different teas to round out the order. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Well you do always run the risk of not liking it, and when you don’t like it 4oz is a looooot.
Although I haven’t tried it myself, Anxi Fo Shou is also a popular choice. :)
I love Laoshan black.. many do it seems.. but maybe start with 2 oz first and get two more teas at 1oz to reach the $40 shipping? That way it it for sure won’t go stale (unless you hate it), and if you like it, you still have 2 oz to treasure until you get more! Which I’m sure you will as Verdant is AMAZING. Plus.. that way you’ll get to check out even more neat teas they have to offer.
maybe you will get thru it faster if you brew it gongfu style?
I thought gongfu used less leaf so it would last longer? (less tea and more steeps?)
I use ~7g of tea in a 4 oz gaiwan and steep times vary but most verdant tea i steep for (rinse) 5,10,15,20,… seconds. I tend to taste the rinse water to judge tea strength and how long i should infuse.
it is the way to go for quality tea – you get 15 steeps with different nuances as you steep :)
Thanks for explaining. I’ve tried gongfu but I find I use about the same amount of tea as I would to brew for my 16oz mug. So that seemed like it would go further with gongfu. I’m so new though.
I was lucky enough to try Laoshan Black and use both methods. It was really good both ways!
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Cavocorax – my personal recommendation would not be to pick up 4 oz. to start off. 2oz. IMO should be ample; if you love it, it should be easy to place another large order for it later! To hit free shipping (which I do strongly recommend going for, given shipping costs), I’d suggest picking up 7g samples of teas you’re interested in to get a feel for Verdant teas in general. That way you’re not stuck with a lot of tea you hate! Learn from my mistakes! :D
I agree with the rest.. Buy 2 oz of the laoshan and try other stuff. Why only try one verdant? Also if you have 4 oz it will no longer retain the special feeling you get when you get it out to drink it.
Ok I’ll stay with two oz, and then sample like crazy (with a few 1 ozs). I’ve heard such good things, that I’m looking forward to the experience. :)
I’ll be the rebel and say go for it. If you hate it, there will always be Steepsterites who want it and that could lead to sweet trades and friendships. That’s mostly because I am a sucker for a bulk deal though even though I know better. :) I will say that I have been hoarding the remains of my Laoshan Black for nearly two years now and it (impressively) is still strong in flavour!
That’s a good point about swaps! Especially for other Canadians. Even if I did 4oz, I’d still have $14 to try 1oz of other teas.
Go for it!!!, but there is no harm in trying other teas. Such good ratings it would be hard not to try a bunch.
I’ve actually been tempted to do the same thing and order a bunch of Loashan Black on my next Verdant order without ever having tried it before. I will say though that you can’t really go wrong trying a bunch of stuff from Verdant. That’s not to say I haven’t tried teas from them I don’t like much, but everything I have tried has been so unique I’ve been happy to have tasted it regardless.
I’ve only tried 4 of their regular teas thus far, so I don’t have a ton of knowledge of their catalogue to speak from, but if you haven’t placed your order yet I’d recommend the five year aged Tieguanyin. It’s got the floral quality you’d expect from a Tieguanyin, but with an added woodsy, earthy side that really elevates the whole experience to something special. I like it so much it’s got me conflicted over whether I want to get more on my next order or spend the money trying something new…
Thanks for the rec! I’ll try that one too!
(And at least I know I like the Laoshan Black – makes me excited to try the other teas!)
Wait – you already know you like Laoshan Black?? In that case, go right ahead with ordering 4 oz! I was under the impression that you hadn’t tried it. I didn’t check your tasting notes or anything.
Sorry – I should have been more clear, but when I corrected it, it looks like Steepster ate my note! :P
Cavo, I’ve ordered 4 oz of laoshan black 3 or 4 times now, & drank all of it every time (& that’s since September). If you’ve got the money & you already know you like it, get the 4oz. You won’t regret it! Meanwhile, sample some of the other blacks, especially the Anxi Fo Shou, & really, anything else!! I’ve loved almost everything I’ve tried from Verdant. I recommend the 1oz size over the 7G sample. 7G is only enough for 1 or 2 sessions.
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