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One sip and I know this is a Verdant black.

When I first started out on Steepster, it seemed that Verdant’s Laoshan Black was a darling of the crowd….so I ordered it based on the praises of others. There was a note within the Laoshan Black that I struggled with. It hit my senses…well….it was just like standing next to a pot smoking crowd at a concert. I’ve been to loads of concert….boatloads. Arena rock in the late 70’s, Punk in the early 80’s, and everything in-between since then. Definitely pot.

So, here I am with a cup of Yu Lu Yan Cha Black and guess what note is the first to rise up and clock me in the schnoz? Yep, pot. Except that I’ve learned in the last year that some folks identify this hashish-y note as rye, which I think interesting, because if I focus on it in my head, I CAN see the similarities between the 2 notes! I once had a friend who came over from Ireland who thought that root beer and wintergreen were interchangeable…..I’d never thought about it, but now whether I’m having an A&W or a LifeSaver, I am reminded how similar they are once I focused on their similarities.

Sorry, back to the review. Pot/rye. It is what I feel is the quintessential note of Verdant Blacks, and it is at the forefront of this tea for me again. The cup holds lots of grain notes, a toasty deep grain that compliments the rye/pot note nicely. Joining the grain are a sweet potato and sweet earth note that anchor that toasty deep grain nicely. Top notes in this tea are a weensy bit of smoky floral…but just a touch….

As this cup cools, I’m finding myself rather liking this…rather liking this more than Laoshan Black, which is quite a complement, as from what I read this tea was a “hail mary” pass made in an attempt to save a neighbor’s tea crop. It is a luxe and flavorful cup of Verdant that carries with it more subtleties than Laoshan Black but as beautiful of a flavor profile.

A big thank you to TeaTiff for sharing!