Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Laoshan Green Tea is the epitome of humble beauty, a tea cultivated on the slopes of a Taoist holy mountain, naturally shaded by ocean mist, and sweet and creamy like a comforting dessert, yet unknown outside Shandong province where it grows. As Laoshan Green grows into its role in the west as one of the top rated, most highly praised green teas available, we thought it was time to return to its humble roots with a Laoshan Genmaicha.
This Genmaicha is warm, comforting and savory, a perfect balance of toasted rice and creamy green tea. We take a mixture of fragrant jasmine sticky rice for its sweet, thick milky quality and blend it with our own locally harvested Minnesota wild rice, picked on canoes on our northern lakes, and carefully toasted in tiny batches in-house to yield the perfect puffed rice for Genmaicha. The wild rice adds a deep nutty and vaguely floral sweetness that perfectly compliments the green-bean taste of our fresh Laoshan Green.
Taster’s Review:
Laoshan Genmaicha Green Tea from Verdant Tea is not available from the vendor at the present time, but, I decided to do this review anyway, in the hope that it will become available soon! It’s a really lovely Genmaicha!
It is also one of the more unique Genmaicha teas I’ve ever come across, and for that reason, if you are a “purist” and are looking for the traditional Japanese style Genmaicha, you may find this to be a bit too different for your taste. There’s nothing wrong with being a purist, mind you! I’m just saying that this tea is certainly different from the standard Japanese green tea blended with toasted, popped rice.
I infused these leaves twice, and the two infusions really tasted very much like two different teas! The first infusion tasted very much like the Laoshan Green tea with very subtle toasted rice notes. The vegetative tones were prominent, with creamy notes that melded quite beautifully with the vegetative tones. However, it was difficult for me to taste the “Genmaicha” in this tea … that is I didn’t taste a lot of the toasted rice flavor, and I found myself wanting to taste that sweet, nutty flavor together with the luscious creamy tones … because I thought they would just be … heavenly together!
The second infusion was definitely my favorite of the two, and that’s because this time, I could taste the toasted rice! It was still not quite as prominent a flavor as I normally experience with a Japanese Genmaicha, but it was more prominent than the first infusion. The Laoshan Green tea was not quite as creamy or vegetative this time. It was still very flavorful, but the flavors were more mellow this time, and I suspect that this is why I could taste the rice.
I found this Laoshan Genmaicha to be a really unique Genmaicha experience … perhaps one that is a bit too different for the purist, but for someone like me, who enjoys trying teas that take a twist on a classic favorite … this one is right up my alley!
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!
Mi Lan Dancong Black Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Mi Lan Dancong Oolong and Laoshan Black are two of our favorite teas in existence. Little did we know that out there was a tea whose flavor profile perfectly combined the best elements of each. At least, until we found this Mi Lan Dancong Black.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wowza! This Mi Lan Dancong Black Tea from Verdant Tea is seriously awesome!
It’s been a little while since I’ve had a tea from Verdant (at least a couple of weeks!) and when I don’t have one of their teas for a while like this has been, I sometimes lose sight of just how amazing their teas really are! If you haven’t tried tea from Verdant Tea, you really are missing out. Their teas are spectacular, some of the very best that I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried a few teas!)
The brewed tea has a lovely fragrance that reminds me of a dark Oolong with its notes of sweet honey, and then there are elements to the aroma that also remind me of a black tea like a subtle note of wood and spice. It’s really a pleasant experience to deeply inhale before taking a sip of this tea, it really enhances the overall sip by allowing the olfactory nerves to first experience the tea before the flavors wash over the palate.
As I sip, I notice a slight vegetative tone that is kind of unexpected. I don’t usually experience vegetal notes with black teas … but here, I do. The tasting notes on Verdant Tea’s website suggest notes of avocado, and being a California girl, I have to disagree somewhat (I know my avocados!) but, I do see where the comparison can be made. This is more savory than the avocados I grew up with (my grandparents had an avocado tree in their backyard!) but, there is a certain creamy element to this that is vaguely avocado-esque. There is also a slightly sour note … reminding me of an avocado that has been sliced and then doused with lemon juice to maintain its color. So … yes, I do see the comparison.
I love all the contrasting flavors within this cup. The aforementioned sour and savory tones unite with the thinned honey-esque notes that sweeten the cup. And then there are the amazing floral tones that dance on the palate! Such a beautiful tea, very satisfying afternoon cuppa!
Immortal Springs Laoshan White Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
After decades of innovation and working to perfect their green tea, the village of Laoshan has entered a golden age of diversity in their tea offerings. Just a year ago, our friends, the He family, started making black tea as an experimental crop, improving with each harvest. This black tea has quickly become our most popular offering. Now, for the first time, Laoshan White tea is available.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is some of the greenest white tea I’ve ever seen! In fact, had I not read the label and opened the pouch myself, I would have sworn it was a green tea. The leaves are so tiny, deeply green, and beautiful, like the youngest of spring leaf buds eagerly waiting the day it will open and drink in those golden rays of sunlight.
Oh… how lovely. This greenish-gold liquid is heavenly to sip! It has a beautifully soft mouthfeel – like fluffy soft velvet, and the flavor is sweet and vegetative. Again, had I not known I brewed a white tea, I would think this was a green tea based upon the sip. It has a very green tea flavor to it with the vegetative tones, however, there is also a delicateness to this that suggests a white tea to me.
The tasting notes for this tea suggest a sugar snap pea taste, and I get that. It is very sweet and crisp, like the sweetest, youngest sugar snap peas that have that distinctive SNAP when you break them between your fingers. This crispy crunch to the vegetable displays the freshness of it just as the flavors here suggest the freshness of the tea.
As I continue to sip, I notice hints of a sweet nutty taste. Not so much a toasty nutty taste, though. It tastes not quite raw, but not completely roasted either… like an almond that is just slightly under-roasted. It still has that creaminess of the raw nut, very smooth … but without the bitterness of the raw almond. In fact, there is nothing bitter whatsoever about this tea. It’s purely sweet from start to finish … and as I continue to sip, and especially in the later infusions (I steeped this tea six times) I noticed a honey-esque tone emerging, tasting somewhat like the honeysuckle notes I remember from my childhood and also vaguely reminiscent of a wildflower honey.
As I mentioned, this tea is good for multiple infusions – I steeped it six times, but I think it could have endured several more! – and the flavor just keeps getting more and more interesting with each infusion. This one is a MUST TRY for white tea enthusiasts – this one is so beautiful and memorable … the kind you want to spend an entire afternoon with, because there is so much beauty locked inside these tiny, delicate leaves.
Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
The summer 2012 Laoshan Black harvest is in!
Cutting open the first bag of our latest harvest of Laoshan Black is like stepping in to some fantastical cottage in the forest where fudge is being simmered on the stovetop, and the wafting dark chocolate caramel aroma mixes with the flowers and grassy smells coming in through the open windows. The aroma of the wet leaf adds a semolina sweetness of bread baking.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second of the three teas that were part of the last Steepster Select box (the Founders Favorites box), as well as the second of two of the three teas in that box that I had previously tasted and reviewed. But, I certainly didn’t mind receiving this tea – even though I had tried the Laoshan Black tea from Verdant previously – because this tea is so good. It is nice to have it back in my stash of teas, if only for a short while! I will enjoy it while it lasts!
And, even though I have tasted and reviewed this tea before, this is a whole new harvest, so, I feel perfectly alright with composing a new review for it. New harvests often bring new flavor to the cup, so it is interesting to me to see how this tea compares to the previous batch I tried. (I believe that the first batch that I tried was Spring 2011, and this is Spring 2012)
Well, it’s still very rich and flavorful, with amazing chocolate-y tones. I taste the malt notes, which give it an almost “Malt O’ Meal” kind of flavor (one of my favorite hot cereals … I miss the chocolate Malt O’ Meal, I could never seem to find it in my local grocery store, and I’d faithfully look for it every time I’d visit for months and months – probably more like years – and I finally gave up. I might try looking next time I visit to see if it’s there… then again, I suppose I could make my own with some of the cocoa powder that I have in the cupboard. It’d probably be better that way!)
Anyway, this first infusion is very full-flavored. I taste hints of cinnamon and notes of caramel-y sweetness. I think I taste more of a caramel-y taste this time than I remember with that first cup (then again, it was quite some time ago!) and perhaps less of the honey-esque tone. It is nonetheless pleasantly sweet and rich. Very similar to what I remember from previous Laoshan Black tastings.
If you haven’t yet tried the Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea – I highly recommend it. It is truly one of the most remarkably satisfying black teas I’ve ever tasted.