Autumn Laoshan Green [duplicate]

back to a green tea after drinking blacks….
The dry leaves are like a forest green, curly, toasty
I love this. When brewed…The smell of raw sunflower seeds, green beans and butter….then the final brew tastes like butter, sunflower seeds (raw) and maybe fava beans? Smooth
It’s a beautiful light emerald green color

Smooth and crisp. I liked it.

After reading some of the other reviews on this one I had to try it. On opening the bag I got a really intense spinach aroma. The leaves are beautiful, all tightly and finely rolled. ON steeping, the aroma switched and was toasty with some spinach undertones. The liquor is pale yellow with a very very faint umami smell to it. The taste is..extraordinary. Very faint notes of spinach and green bean, a little umami, and a caramel finish. Very, very smooth, almost…seductive. I like this one.

This has the most amazing aroma. I only wish it tasted a bit more like it smells. It really is quite good, but I guess I’m used to sencha. One thing I found distinctly remarkable is that I was getting that tangy-sweet flavor in later steepings, simluar to that experienced in later steepings of sheng. It was definately intriguing. The smell, alone, is by far one of the best aromas I’ve ever encountered. I tried it western-style length, in gaiwan, and it was definately too strong. Therefore, I might’ve liked it better had I not over-done it.

The leaves are forest green colored, tiny and curly just like the picture Verdant Tea displays. This is my new favorite green tea! The flavor is smooth and creamy with a hint of vegetal flavor at first but finishes with butter.

I use two teaspoons, water shy of boiling, and steeped for three minutes.

I really like the description of cacao nibs, as its an excellent way to describe it. Wheat grass blended with the cacao nibs. You get a faint bitterness, and a full mouth feel. Mild astrengency. The heaviness of the tea though leaves no doubt that this is an autumn picking. A good nuttiness throughout, not quite chestnut…maybe walnut?

I think after drinking this tea I have determined that I like spring picking more. This was a little too full on (though maybe perfect for the winter).

Trying this after the Autumn Harvest Laoshan Black and the dry leaf scent does bare some resemblance, very fresh and sweet with a bit of cocoa. Will all of this village’s teas taste like candy? I wasn’t going to find out. I didn’t trust the recommended western brew time suggestion of 3 mins but decided to compromise on 2, big mistake. I could smell it over steeping even though my kettle said it had dropped to 170 before I poured. Overcooked argaragus bleh, though I took a few more steeps enough to know there was good body there and a bit of spice. I should have saved the rest of the sample packet for the next day, but I was frustrated and wanted my tea. I tried it again for less than a minute, I should have lowered the water temp and steeped for 30 seconds because it still turned out “over cooked” I resteeped these leaves at 150 for 30 sec but the damage was already done. Very sad, I’m sure it would be excellent gonfu style but I won’t be ordering any of it, unless it is included as a free sample with a future purchase. I would like to compare autumn harvests to spring, but I still have the dragonwell style sample. Another day.

Edit 5/15/12: So grateful to have another sample of this, already much better, though it is certainly finicky, or perhaps I am sensitive to strong greens? A bit fuller and more savory than this spring. It is both warmer and cooler, in a very autumnal way. There is a warm creamy salinity on the tongue and a coolness that fills my nostrils. Interesting. Can’t say I’m getting any cocoa yet but shall keep on steeping on.

This is a very unusual green tea for me because i’m used to ones with a very vegetal taste. This one has a more earthy taste with notes of chocolate. I could pick up similarities between the green and black versions of the Laoshan tea. I prefer the black one though.

More than impressed by this free sample of Autumn 2022 Laoshan Green from Verdant Tea.

5g sample in 100ml porcelain gaiwan.
Warm leaves smell really roasty, nutty, cacao nibs.

1st infusion (80˚C, 0:20)
- Sweet, delicious, umami seaweed.
- Rating: 88
2nd infusion (81˚C, 0:30)
- Wet leaves smell like snow peas, roasted kale or broccoli, with lovely char, starchy, sweet. Liquor has less sweetness but still subtle fresh vegetal flavour.
- Rating: 85
3rd infusion (83˚C, 0:30)
- I seem to have pushed this harder than the second infusion. Colour is much darker, flavour is stronger, but no astringency, super smooth, just an excellent infusion of a green tea. Strong enough to stand up to food / snacks.
- Rating: 88
4th infusion (84˚C, 0:30)
- Similar to previous.
5th infusion (84˚C, 0:30)
- Still delicious, and I’m amazed because this could pass for a 2nd infusion. Still a bright, fresh flavour, smooth and balanced. These leaves are far higher-quality than I would have expected. Pairing this with my CNY cookies and bak kwa.
- Rating: 89
6th infusion (84˚C, 0:30)
- Gave this to my dad.

Verdict: A great reminder of how delicious Laoshan teas are, and reminder not to be prejudiced against Autumn harvest teas. The longevity and smoothness of these leaves is commendable. I would purchase either from Verdant or from another seller (my boyfriend’s father lives near Laoshan and he sometimes brings back Laoshan tea for me as well, but his version is greener and less strongly roasted than this one).

Drinking this after the Spring Reserve Green was a mistake. This has a latex-like flavor that overpowers everything else. Not very smooth, has quite a bit of astringency and bitterness.