2022 Reserve Pine Needle Green
Green Tea
He Family – Laoshan
Crafted By the He Family
- DATE OF PICKINGApril 18, 2022
- Laoshan VillageShandong Province
- ELEVATIONSEA LEVEL
- Longjing QuntiTea Varietal
Mr. He’s daughter Qingqing, co-owner of Verdant Tea, pioneered this finishing style with her father. She loves the long delicate twisting technique for the way the leaves dance in a glass pitcher as they unfold yielding a delicate nuanced brew that lasts over multiple steepings. The hand pulled and twisted finish on this early shade-grown reserve harvest shows off the delicate deep-green buds that the family picks with so much care, cultivating with sustainable chemical free farming, and fed by sweet mountain spring water.
- DATE OF PICKINGApril 18, 2022
Tasting Profile
- floral - clover honey
- vegetal - cucumber
- spice - ginger, coriander
- savory - creme pattisserie
- fruit - melon
- texture - minerality
The He Family also recommends:
- 2022 Reserve Laoshan Gongfu Black
True Competition-Level Black Tea from Laoshan. This is the earliest, sweetest, most delicate harvest of the year, meticulously hand-rolled and twisted in the style of high-end Wuyi tea. The "gongfu" finish brings out notes of nutmeg, brown sugar, and fine dark chocolate.
- 2022 Spring Laoshan Gongfu Black
Hand-Twisted Craft Black Tea. First flat-pressed, then hand twisted, Laoshan Gongfu Black is a difficult finish favored by the He Family to bring out sparkling minerality in their tea. This spring tea has notes of rose, caramel flan and tropical citrus.
- 2021 Spring Laoshan Black
The iconic chocolatey and malty Laoshan Black Tea. This hearty rich and malty northern cool-climate tea is hand-picked, fully oxidized, rolled and fired in a family workshop. The He Family brings out notes of chocolate brownie, cinnamon, cherry and honey.
Spring 2022 Update from the Fields
Cold weather in Laoshan means smaller yields, and a long season of shade-grown covered green tea before the protective greenhouse coverings come down.
A very mild spring with very little rainfall has made for particularly concentrated creamy textural green tea and black tea. Cool weather persisted longer than usual, which kept protective shaded coverings on through April. This meant slow growth, but particularly tender sweet buds.
Not only is He Qingqing busy helping her parents finish this spring's fresh tea, but she and her husband are also celebrating the arrival of their son Liu Mu-Mu, just a few months old and already helping with the fresh Flat Pressed Laoshan Green.
Congratulations to the He Family for a wonderful spring season!
photos courtesy of He Qingqing, April 2022
'Thankfully 2019-2020 was a mild winter compared to the last two years, meaning that the plants in China’s northernmost tea growing region did not suffer frost damage. The He Family's plants have been able to recover, and this new recovery growth has been rich and tender, a boon for the He Family after so many difficult years.'
Steeping Instructions
Western
5 g.6-8
oz.use 175° watersteep 20 secondsresteep many times
add 10 sec. each infusionGongfu
5 g.6 ozuse 175° watersteep 5 seconds
add 4 sec. per steepingenjoy many steepingsIced/Cold
5 g.12
oz.use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
8 hoursadd ice & enjoy
Product Photo Gallery
photos courtesy of He Qingqing, April 2022