Verdant Tea

2026 Reserve Spring Laoshan Black

2026 Reserve Spring Laoshan Black

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early spring Laoshan Black
Hand-twisted and hand-rolled for an iconic finish and intense complexity. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla, caramelized banana, butterscotch pudding and cocoa with lingering sweetness.
April 2026 ♦ Laoshan, Shandong
Carefully oxidized early spring buds for iconic sweetness. The fresh 2026 harvest is coming soon and available for pre-order!
ETA: May ♦ Laoshan, Shandong
early spring Laoshan Black
Hand-twisted and hand-rolled for an iconic finish and intense complexity. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla, caramelized banana, butterscotch pudding and cocoa with lingering sweetness.
April 2026 ♦ Laoshan, Shandong
Carefully oxidized early spring buds for iconic sweetness. The fresh 2026 harvest is coming soon and available for pre-order!
ETA: May ♦ Laoshan, Shandong
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SPRING 2026 PRE-ORDER

This spring 2026 pre-order tea from the He Family in Laoshan is arriving now and available to reserve on pre-order while supplies last.

This tea is arriving now and shipping ASAP!

This spring 2026 pre-order tea from the He Family in Laoshan is enroute coming soon and available to reserve on pre-order while supplies last.

This tea is expected to arrive at the beginning of June. Orders containing this pre-order tea will wait to ship until all teas in your order have arrived. 

Crafted By the He Family

Grown using old-school organic farming techniques on the rocky foothills of Laoshan, protected by ocean mist and fed by sweet spring water.
 
Grown using old-school organic farming techniques on the rocky foothills of Laoshan, protected by ocean mist and fed by sweet spring water.
    • DATE OF PICKINGApril 2026
    • Laoshan VillageShandong Province
    • ELEVATIONsea level
    • longjing quntiTea Varietal

    This tea is the earliest curled Laoshan Black from the He Family of 2026 - carefully crafted with hand-picked early spring buds picked in the first flush after the winter green house covers are removed. After picking, the buds are 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 these early "Da Tian" pickings has more sweetness and lingering aftertaste than later harvests. 


  • true
    70
    cocoa, butterscotch pudding
    true
    65
    cinnamon, cardamom
    true
    75
    caramelized banana
    true
    60
    vanilla
    true
    deep, rich, sweet

    Tasting Profile

    • savory - cocoa, butterscotch pudding
    • spice - cinnamon, cardamom
    • fruit - caramelized banana
    • floral - vanilla
    • texture - deep, rich, sweet

The He Family also recommends:

Spring 2026 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!

He Changke works with fresh leaves
fresh picked Laoshan tea buds
fresh 2026 Laoshan tea leaves
fresh picked 2026 Laoshan tea
brewing fresh Laoshan green tea
spring 2026 Laoshan tea plants

photos courtesy of He Qingqing, March 2026

  • '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

Product Photo Gallery

He Changke works with fresh leaves
fresh picked Laoshan tea buds
fresh 2026 Laoshan tea leaves
fresh picked 2026 Laoshan tea
brewing fresh Laoshan green tea
spring 2026 Laoshan tea plants

photos courtesy of He Qingqing, March 2026

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