Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha Blend from Verdant Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black & Oolong

Where to Buy:  Verdant Tea

Tea Description:

This batch of Laoshan black is particularly malty and sweet, qualities drawn out by hand-crafted Minnesota wild rice and organic fair trade jasmine rice toasted in small batches. We add organic cacao nibs to give a darker and more comforting aftertaste, and a touch of Shui Jin Gui Wuyi oolong for its nutty caramel notes and savory aftertaste. All together, we think this new take on Genmaicha very much embraces the tea’s humble origins and stays true to the warm and satisfying nature of toasted rice tea.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

Mmm!  Wow!  This Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha Blend from Verdant Tea is AMAZINGLY good!

OK, so, what do you think of when you think Genmaicha?  Green Tea with rice, right?  Well, forget everything you think you know about Genmaicha … because this totally unique blend from Verdant Tea challenges everything you thought you knew about Genmaicha.

Instead of using a green tea for a base of this “Genmaicha,” Verdant Tea chose a rich, malty Laoshan Black tea and added toasted jasmine rice.  Then Verdant added a touch of Wuyi Oolong which lightens the Black tea a little while giving the overall cup a smooth texture.  And then … just to make it absolutely irresistible to this chocoholic, Verdant Tea added cacao nibs!  Yum yum yum!

And that’s really what this tea is reducing me to … murmuring “yum yum yum” as I sip it.  It is so good … so darned good that I find it difficult to come up with wordsy prose to celebrate it … it summons my inner child with its sweet, toasty, chocolate-y, caramel-y delightful deliciousness.

But since I am writing a review … I’ll try to tell you what I’m tasting.  The black tea in this blend is most prominent, and as I mentioned before, it is rich and malty.  Not bitter.  Having tried the Laoshan Black Tea from Verdant previously, I know that not all of the chocolate-y notes that are dancing on my palate are not due to just the cacao nibs.  The Laoshan Black Tea has a pleasing chocolate-y note as well.  The chocolate notes and caramel notes of this tea really take this blend to an “over the top” status … this is so delicious and decadent!

The Shui Jin Gui Wuyi Oolong (which I haven’t yet reviewed but my Sister Azzrian has) brings a touch of fruity character as well as a nutty undertone and a touch of caramel to the cup as well.  The rice adds a delicious toasty taste to the cup as well as dimension to the nutty tones of the cup.

And then … as if this tea needed another reason to drink it … there is CACAO NIBS in it … which means MORE chocolate.  And you all remember my chocoholic’s equation, right?  Some chocolate = good and more chocolate = better.  This blend takes it right to BETTER with more chocolate!

This is just totally yum.  I am sad now that I only purchased the sample size of this because I know I’m going to be craving it!