#laoshan

Today I tasted the black tea counterpart to the Laoshan green teas I’ve discussed in recent posts. The tea itself looked very similar in appearance but with a charcoal black color to the leaf.

The dry and wet leaf both shared a very strong burnt aroma. Smokey but not pleasant like a Lapsang tea. Notes of burning charcoal and burnt coco.

The brewed tea was much lighter then then aroma had led me to believe. It has a similar vegetal note to the green variety. A taste that reminded me of baked yams, and charred potato skins. The burnt flavor sadly was very strong and present in the front of every infusion which very sadly in my opinion, totally ruined the flavor of the tea. The aftertaste also left a burnt flavor. The mouth feel was exactly the same as you would get after eating something charred.

I’m not gonna lie, this tea was awful. Very disappointing especially in comparison to the classic Laoshan green tea. It is the first tea to be given the said 1 out of 5 star rating. I won’t be purchasing this one again.

So this is the Imperial grade version of the Laoshan green tea I tasted earlier. Very similar is appearance to the classic version but the obvious differences came in the aroma and brewed tea.

The dry leaf had a fragrance of fresh cut grass, steamed broccoli and an aroma similar to the smell you get when opening a new bag of salted potato chips. A salty, cooked potato type of aroma, unlike the more roasted chestnut aroma of the classic version. The wet leaf revealed more of a sweet grass scent, with a cooked spinach type of aroma.

The brewed tea was quite thick and umami but not quite as flavorful as the classic. It really presented flavors of steamed spinach and a little bite similar to swiss chard. Further infusions had a similar flavor, but I noticed a very small note of the sweet grass I smelt on the wet leaf at the very end. The mouth feel and aftertaste was very much the same as actually eating steamed greens, especially slightly bitter greens like collards or swiss chard.

I can honestly say that I did not enjoy this version nearly as much as the classic. The flavor was lacking in my opinion and really left me unsatisfied. I found the flavor and aroma of this tea to me much more dull in comparison. My recommendation if you are into green teas and want to give Laoshan a try, go for the classic! 2 out of 5 star rating.

This savory first flush green tea comes from the Laoshan Village, located in the province of Shandong. This is one of four Laoshan teas I purchased in this order. The other three being an Imperial grade version of this green tea, as well as a classic and imperial grade black tea version.

The dry leaf of this tea, is particularity pleasant to admire just for it’s vibrant color. It has a vibrant aroma of fresh grass and green veggies like broccoli and green beans, with a hint of roasted chestnut on the end. On the wet leaf, I really got a better sense of the nuttiness and an aroma similar to blanched greens and a light grassy note.

The first infusion was very umami with flavors of toasted rice, cooked spinach, roasted peanuts and a nice smooth buttery finish. The flavor of toasted rice became more upfront on the second infusion with an added bitterness but nothing overpowering or intense. Reminded me almost of a Japanese Genmaicha. After a few more infusions the tea became sweet, more mellow and focused more on the grassy notes.

The aftertaste has a clean finish, a litter bitterness on the throat, and a feel of fresh spring air.

Now admittedly I am a harsh green tea critic. I generally like my teas to either be very robust or light and mellow. However in the case of green teas, I crave a tea that is not to savory or robust, but also not so light as a silver needle. Green teas I have always found for my taste are usually a hit and miss. I have very very few green teas in my personal collection that I like to have regularly. This one did however come very close to the marker I was searching, but not quite there. That though does not change the fact that it is a very flavorful and aromatic tea and so I am rating it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Perhaps I’ll find what I am looking for in the Imperial Grade version of the tea?

Try it here:

https://yunnansourcing.com/products/classic-laoshan-green-tea-from-shandong

This is the first tasting of many I’ll be doing in the next few days. With my new batch of teas I order a small variety of teas grown in Loashan Village in the province of Shandong, China. The first tea on our list is this first flush “Pine Needles” green tea.

The dry leaf released a beautiful, sweet, grassy aroma as soon as I opened the pouch. Such a wonderful fragrance I had to go back for a second sniff. The brewed tea came out as a very bright, light yellow color. The flavor of the tea was very mild, sweet, and umami with a nice mellow vegetal note and thick feel on the tongue.

As with all these new teas, I will be rating them out of 5 stars. And for this tea after careful consideration, and multiple steeps I am rating this a 3 out of 5 stars. This tea was very pleasant and light, with a good balance of sweetness and umami flavor. And I really enjoyed the thickness of the soup. And for the price, a sample size came with a very fair amount of tea, as the dry leaf is very light. I will happily enjoy finishing the pouch and perhaps in the future will purchase it again.

Try it for yourself at the link below:

https://yunnansourcing.com/products/laoshan-village-pine-needles-green-tea