Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
Production Year – 2012
Production Season – Spring
Production Region: Jiangxi Province, Wuyuan
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tastes so crisp and light! It’s such a refreshing tea.
It’s very reminiscent of spring, the season in which it’s produced. It has that light, fresh taste that reminds me of new plant growth in the spring, the tiny leaf buds as they begin to open and turn everything green again after the cold of winter. So sweet and pure.
The vegetative notes fall somewhere between grassy and steamed baby spinach. The grassy tones are very mellow and slight, not quite tasting as grassy as some other green teas that I’ve tasted but, it’s something a bit more than just your average, everyday steamed spinach too. It is mild and smooth, with a moderate astringency toward the tail. It has a creamy delivery – smooth from the start and then toward the end the astringency leaves the palate feeling clean and refreshed.
Quite a lovely tea! I was sad to see that all that remains of this year’s harvest of this tea are a few samples … it’s a delicious tea, one that is definitely worth trying. Keep an eye out and watch Life in Teacup’s website for an announcement, as they are planning on taking pre-orders for this tea just before next year’s harvest! This tea is definitely worth the effort.
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.
Jun Chiyabari FTGFOP1 First Flush (2012) from Rare Tea Republic
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Republic
Tea Description:
This easy-drinking selection has a minty aroma and a smooth, full flavor with soft notes of dry apricot in a light liquor. A sweet, balanced selection.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve got to tell you, this year’s first flush Darjeeling teas seem to be green in color! Each of the three first flush Darjeeling teas I’ve tried from Rare Tea Republic, while technically categorized as black teas because they’ve been oxidized, all have leaves that have made me go back and check the website to make sure that I’m dealing with a black tea and not a green!
That’s neither a bad thing nor a good thing … I’m just so used to looking at a leaf and being able to determine what type of tea it is. Admittedly, there were a few times I’ve judged incorrectly … perhaps more than a few. But, I would say that I’m about 90% accurate with those judgment calls. But with the three teas I’ve tasted from this past spring’s harvest offered by Rare Tea Republic: the Phoomsering, the Wah, and this Jun Chiyabari, I’ve had to double check to make sure they’re black teas and not green!
But no matter … really, what it all comes down to is the taste, and taste (and quality!) wise the teas from Rare Tea Republic simply are the best! This Jun Chiyabari is no exception. It is so deliciously flavorful, with interesting notes of cream as well as a crisp, cooling sensation that is quite mint-ish. I do taste the sweet, dried apricot flavor to this as well – and it’s quite a lovely contrast to the zesty, herbaceous mint-like tone.
What also sets it apart from other Darjeeling-esque teas is that it doesn’t have the same level of astringency that I often experience with a Darjeeling. The finish is dry and sweet (like a fine wine) but, it isn’t overly astringent. The delivery is smooth from start to finish, providing lovely, sweet fruit tones that I am finding irresistible.
The lovely lightness to this cup makes it a delightful choice to serve in the afternoon, when you’re looking for a little pick-me-up but nothing too heavy or assertive. That’s not to say that this isn’t packed with flavor – it is! But it is such a creamy, smooth kind of flavor.
Really quite wonderful! The kind of tea you’ll want to spend time with – often!
Spring Harvest (2012) Laoshan Green from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
The nuance and texture of this early spring picking is one of the most fine and complex that we have seen from Laoshan Village. The body is perfectly smooth, silky and creamy, while the aftertaste lingers in the back of the throat with a sweetness that only an early spring tea could achieve.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Apparently this spring was quite cold in the Laoshan Village where this tea is grown, resulting in a smaller harvest of this tea. It also resulted in a sweeter, richer tea, and that much is evident from tasting it. This is one of the most remarkable pure (unflavored) green teas I’ve tasted.
While I noticed the oat-like qualities of this tea with my first tasting, what really blew me away was the sweet, creamy aspect of this tea. It was thick and rich, almost like a high-quality green Oolong might be, with a delectable creamy taste and texture that reminded me almost of a fine Milk Oolong. But … even better, because with a Milk Oolong, there are some distinct floral notes that cut through the creaminess and with this tea, there really isn’t that sharp floral tone to cut through the sweet, creamy notes.
Now, I’m not saying that the floral notes of a Milk Oolong are bad. What I am trying to say is that because there was such an indulgent, creamy flavor and texture to this tea with hints of vegetation, what this Spring Harvest Laoshan Green tea did for me is transport me to one of the happier memories of my childhood – visiting a friend’s family farm, and having a delicious, home-y breakfast complete with the most amazing, fresh cows milk. Not fresh from the grocery store, or fresh from the dairy farm kind of milk, but fresh from the cow that was able to graze in the grassy meadow kind of milk. The flavor of this tea reminds me of that deliciously, pure, unadulterated milk with hints of grass in the background.
No, this tea isn’t as creamy or thick as fresh milk, but, the flavor reminds me of that sweet, delicious taste of fresh milk. I was so excited to be drinking something that reminded me of such a delectable memory.
With my second cup, I was able to put aside my memories and focus a bit more on the tea. Yes! I do taste the oat flavor here, reminding me a bit of warm, nourishing oatmeal with a touch of creamy milk mixed in. It has a very soothing quality to it. Further steepings became less creamy, and more vegetal, but still intensely sweet.
What a delicious journey this tea provided. Although this spring’s harvest was a bit smaller and the result is a more costly tea, the deliciousness of this tea is worth the price … think of it as an investment in good taste!