Verdant Tea

2021 Reserve Spring Laoshan Black

2021 Reserve Spring Laoshan Black

CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
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SPRING 2023 PRE-ORDER

This spring 2023 pre-order tea from the He Family in Laoshan is available to reserve on pre-order while supplies last.

This tea is arriving now and shipping in within the next week!

Crafted By the He Family

Pioneers and community leaders in Laoshan Village, the He family is one of the first to plant tea on the misty ocean-facing slopes of the Taoist Holy Mountain they call home.
  • true
    savory
    85
    brown sugar, raw cocoa
    true
    spice
    85
    sandalwood, cinnamon
    true
    floral
    40
    honey
    true
    fruit
    40
    persimmon
    true
    sweet soothing spice

    Tasting Profile

    • savory - brown sugar, raw cocoa
    • spice - sandalwood, cinnamon
    • floral - honey
    • fruit - persimmon
    • texture - sweet soothing spice
    • DATE OF PICKINGApril 21, 2021
    • Laoshan VillageShandong Province
    • ELEVATIONsea level
    • longjing quntiTea Varietal

    This new 2021 spring harvest is now in stock!

    This tea is the earliest curled Laoshan Black from the He Family of 2021 - carefully crafted with hand-picked buds underneath the protection of the greenhouses, then oxidized slowly to bring out sweet, chocolatey flavor. The He Family is offering this early Laoshan Black harvest to show off the wonderful flavor that their craft in roasting and oxidizing brings to tiny budset Laoshan tea. The stored sugar and nutrients of the earliest Da Tian pickings has more sweetness and lingering aftertaste than later harvests. 



The He Family also recommends:

  1. 2023 Spring Laoshan Black
    2023 Spring Laoshan Black
    This relatively new tea is fed by sweet mountain spring water and oxidized in the sun for three days before finishing to bring out signature chocolate notes. Mr. He perfected this tea as a proud reflection of the bold Shandong spirit and the perseverance of Laoshan Village. Laoshan Black is a labor of love to prove to the world how wonderful teas from Northern China can be. The body is light and smooth, without astringency.
  2. 2022 Autumn Laoshan Black
    2022 Autumn Laoshan Black

    The He Family’s Most Popular Tea. This cool autumn season harvest black tea is packed with flavor and aromatics, fully oxidized and roasted to achieve the iconic malty, chocolatey, honeyed Laoshan Black flavor.

  3. 2022 Autumn Laoshan Gongfu Black
    2022 Autumn Laoshan Gongfu Black

    Mr He uses meticulous black tea loose leaf finishing techniques to twist and curl these beautiful buds, using traditional sun-oxidation to make a rich and deeply complex black tea. The result is Lashan’s most mineral-forward and complex black tea to date. This tea is fed by mountain spring water, picked by hand, and cultivated sustainably using traditional chemical-free farming techniques including growing rows of soybean between rows of tea to restore nitrates to the soil. The finished tea picks up the rocky minerality of the soil, and careful low temperature roasting brings out deep brown sugar sweetness.

Spring 2023 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!

Liu Jiaqi with her brother Mu Mu
making Reserve Flat Pressed Laoshan green
fresh 2023 Laoshan tea leaves
spring 2023 Laoshan tea plants
brewing fresh Laoshan green tea
fresh picked Laoshan tea buds

photos courtesy of He Qingqing, April 2023

  • 'Laoshan is known all over China first as a Taoist holy site, and second as the source of some of the best water in the country. The water gained its fame when it was included as the master ingredient in the original Tsing Tao beer recipe.'

  • 4
    6-8
    208
    30 seconds
    10
    5
    6
    208
    10 seconds
    8
    4
    12
    room temp
    8 hours

    Steeping Instructions

    Western

    4 g.6-8
    oz.
    use 208° watersteep 30 secondsresteep many times
    add 10 sec. each infusion

    Gongfu

    5 g.6 ozuse 208° watersteep 10 seconds
    add 8 sec. per steeping
    enjoy many steepings

    Iced/Cold

    4 g.12
    oz.
    use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
    8 hours
    add ice & enjoy