Earlier this week, David and Geoffrey and I were so excited to get to try the latest harvest of Laoshan Black from the He Family!  There’s nothing quite like your first taste of the season; from opening the bag as everyone gathers around for that first amazing aroma, to those very first sips and contented sighs.

Did you know? This season, the He Family set aside an entire harvest to finish as a black tea, just for all of you! Normally, the Mr. He will wait a month of more into his fall harvest before making his family’s now-famous Laoshan Black.  This year, he decided to make a special harvest of black tea, much earlier than he otherwise would – all because of YOU and your ever-growing love for Laoshan Black.

 

We almost always brew in a gaiwan when we are tasting new tea for the first time. Though we have yixing tea pots dedicated to almost every category of tea, the non-reactive nature of porcelain makes it more ideal for evaluating aroma, color, taste, texture and aftertaste.

 

I always love the beautiful, rosy orange color of Laoshan Black, and this harvest was no exception.  With fall well-and-truly in the air, I was struck by just how well the colors fit the autumnal mood (especially in contrast to out little blue cup from Wang Huimin!).

And the taste this season?  Just beautiful!  Rich and dark, the malty notes almost remind me of toasted bran.  The cherry notes from this spring are darker, with more citrus.  It reminded me of dried figs (so good at this time of year, chopped up with autumn apples, toasted nuts and cinnamon!) or candied cherry tomatoes, while Geoffrey and David were reminded of elderberry, raisin and darker dried cherry.

To be honest, I’ve been drinking Laoshan Black now for so many years, it is sometimes difficult to resist simply saying, “This harvest really tastes like Laoshan Black!”  The cocoa aroma, the smooth sweet brew – no matter which harvest I drink, Laoshan Black is iconic.   

 

Of course, our resident center-of-attention Tea Cat, Loki, couldn’t resist getting into the act. 🙂

Wishing you the best on behalf of the He Family, and from all of us at Verdant Tea!