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Date drunk: 2023 Feb 5th
- 4g in 100ml gaiwan [[Gongfu brewing]]
- Rinsed twice
- Wet leaf smells woody, earthy, peaty, baked bread.
- First infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Surprisingly complex: sweet sugarcane, mushrooms, dark chocolate, flavourful and really smooth with no sharp edges (unlike the 2nd rinse which i sipped a bit of). Would have given higher rating if not for the slight dirt-like aftertaste. Since I stored this sample pack opened and unsealed for the past 2-3 years, that may have compromised the leaves.
- Rating: 89
- Second infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Flatter and less sweet than the first infusion (when hot). After cooled down, was better and sweeter. Still lots of mushrooms and umami flavour, but also that musty earthiness / dirt I don’t love. Again, could have been due to my improper storage.
- Rating: 83
- 3rd infusion (100˚C, 0:20)
- Silky. Dirt-like aftertaste is slighter now but still there.
- Rating: 86

It gave me 3-4 more infusions but already started getting lighter and lighter.

Rating: 86

Date Drunk: 2023 Jan 20th

- 5g in 100ml porcelain gaiwan
- Dry leaf smells clean and fresh, just a hint of funk
- Wet leaves smell strongly of sweet baking bread. Rinsed twice, though leaves already smelled clean after the first rinse.

- 1st infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Liquor is beautiful clear deep reddish-brown. Tastes flavourful, fleeting notes of mushrooms or a dull nuttiness (like cashews), but not as sweet as I’d expect from the aroma.
- Rating: 80
- 2nd infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Aroma of wet leaves: sweet and starchy like yams, chestnuts, fresh bread. Liquor tastes sweet now, very satisfying but not entirely smooth.
- Rating: 90
- 3rd infusion (100˚C, 0:20)
- Another nice infusion! But a little light; I’ll hit it harder next time, at least 30-45 sec.
- Rating: 87
- 4th infusion (100˚C, 0:45)
- Nice and bready and chocolatey, but still a bit thin. Will have to go for more than a minute next time; think these leaves might be losing steam.
- Rating: 84
- 5th infusion (100˚C, 1:30)
- Rating: 88
- 6th infusion (100˚C, 2:30)
- Rating: 78

- My Rating: 84

Date drunk: 27th Jan 2023

Warm wet leaf smells like buttery pastry.

1st infusion (80˚C, 0:20)
- Wet leaves now smell incredibly like butter green beans / butter spinach.

(This went on for seven more infusions, which I did not record…)

Date Drunk: 2023 Jan 21st (Spring 2022 Harvest)

- 5g in 100ml gaiwan
- Warmed dry leaf: smells super nutty toasted almonds, cashews, sweet, buttery
- 1st Infusion: 80˚C, 0:30
- Rating 93
- 2nd Infusion: 83˚C, 0:30
- not as sweet as before, grassy notes come out more
- Rating 88
- 3rd infusion: 85˚C, 0:30
- Too astringent I overbrewed
- Rating: 78
- 4th: 83˚C, 0:30
- really nice and thirst-quenching
- Rating: 90
- 5th 84˚C, 0:40
- Rating: 88

Rating: 88

Date drunk: 2023-01-26

- 5g in 100ml gaiwan
- Wet leaf smells incredibly clean and sweet, like baking bread + sweet crystalline ginger. Zero mustiness or fishiness or agedness
- Rinsed twice
- First infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Flavour is chocolatey, a bit “sharp” / tongue-cutting when hot, a bit flat and metallic when cooled. Not entirely smooth or rounded. To me this is daily drinker quality, good for pairing with breakfast.
- Rating: 75
- 2nd infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Liquor is delicious, savoury, lots of mushrooms. Aftertaste is not nice though, brief, empty, with just a tad of that tongue-cutting flatness.
- Rating: 81
- 3rd infusion (100˚C, 0:25)
- Flavour tastes bold and chocolatey. But still a little too ‘sharp’ and the body is too thin for my liking.
- Rating: 82
- 4th infusion (100˚C, 0:30)
- Rating: 72
- 5th infusion (100˚C, 0:40)
- Too light.
- Rating: 72
- 6th infusion (100˚C, 1:20)
- Rating: 80
- 7th infusion (100˚C, 2:30)
- Rating: 80

Verdict: It’s alright, nothing special especially for an aged pu er.
Rating: 77

More than impressed by this free sample of Autumn 2022 Laoshan Green from Verdant Tea.

5g sample in 100ml porcelain gaiwan.
Warm leaves smell really roasty, nutty, cacao nibs.

1st infusion (80˚C, 0:20)
- Sweet, delicious, umami seaweed.
- Rating: 88
2nd infusion (81˚C, 0:30)
- Wet leaves smell like snow peas, roasted kale or broccoli, with lovely char, starchy, sweet. Liquor has less sweetness but still subtle fresh vegetal flavour.
- Rating: 85
3rd infusion (83˚C, 0:30)
- I seem to have pushed this harder than the second infusion. Colour is much darker, flavour is stronger, but no astringency, super smooth, just an excellent infusion of a green tea. Strong enough to stand up to food / snacks.
- Rating: 88
4th infusion (84˚C, 0:30)
- Similar to previous.
5th infusion (84˚C, 0:30)
- Still delicious, and I’m amazed because this could pass for a 2nd infusion. Still a bright, fresh flavour, smooth and balanced. These leaves are far higher-quality than I would have expected. Pairing this with my CNY cookies and bak kwa.
- Rating: 89
6th infusion (84˚C, 0:30)
- Gave this to my dad.

Verdict: A great reminder of how delicious Laoshan teas are, and reminder not to be prejudiced against Autumn harvest teas. The longevity and smoothness of these leaves is commendable. I would purchase either from Verdant or from another seller (my boyfriend’s father lives near Laoshan and he sometimes brings back Laoshan tea for me as well, but his version is greener and less strongly roasted than this one).

Date drunk: 2023 Jan 19th

- 6g in 140ml Yixing pot [[Gongfu brewing]]
- Dry leaf smells like nothing. Wet leaf smells really sweet of stonefruit like apricots cherries, and a tingling cooling smell.
- Rinsed once. Rinse was flavourful.
- First infusion (90˚C, 0:15)
- Literally the words “Oh my god this is delicious” came out of my mouth when I drank this after it had been cooling on the counter for 1-2 mins (still warm). Mouthfeel and flavour tastes a tad soapy but somehow it still hits all the right notes. Brief sweet-tangy aftertaste. Liquor smells like a spring breeze, a grassy lush meadow with some floral sweetness. Just a hint of grounding woodiness at the end, but no astringency or bitterness.
- Rating: 94
- Second infusion (95˚C, 0:15)
- Spicier than the last. I’m getting something spicy like sage or white pepper. Slight sweetness but more savoury tasting than previous infusion.
- Rating: 84
- Third infusion (94˚C, 0:25)
- Liquor smells sweet and surprisingly nutty. I overbrewed a little – astringency coming out. Woody slight bitterness but it’s quite nice. Tingling spicy (menthol?) flavour is very apparent now.
- Rating: 84
- Fourth infusion (96˚C, 0:25)
- Rating: 82
- Fifth infusion (98˚C, 0:25)
- Rating: 78

Rating: 84

Date drunk: 2023 Jan 17th
- Purchased and first opened this sample in 2020, so it’s been ‘ageing’ in Singapore for the past 2-3 years.
- 5g in 100ml porcelain gaiwan
- Wet leaf smells like chocolate bread with a bit of funk – lovely
- Rinsed twice
- First infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Leaves smell sweet like baking bread and dried cherries.
- Liquor pale amber. Flavour still a bit light, maybe because I had just manually pried open the leaves before this so it’s like another rinse? Sweet aftertaste, not heavy sweetness but light like… sugarcane?
- Rating: 76
- 2nd infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Leaves smell like chocolate bread.
- Liquor clear dark reddish-brown. Full-bodied, delicious, sweet, mushrooms, wet rocks, bittersweet chocolate. Faint woodiness. This tastes like a pinnacle infusion for me.
- Rating: 88
- 3rd infusion (100˚C, 0:15)
- Liquor clear very dark brown colour. Tastes chocolatey. I’m also getting a lot of umami, mushrooms, brothiness, wheat. No earthiness or mustiness, which is how I like it.
- Rating: 89
- 4th infusion (100˚C, 0:30)
- Very smooth and nice. Sweetness is gone and a tiny bit of sharpness has crept in. Will drink this with my breakfast.
- Rating: 83
- 5th infusion (100˚C, 0:45)
- Even smoother and silkier than the previous. Still got chocolate notes, along with wheat, shimeji mushrooms, and almost creaminess.
- Rating: 90
- 6th infusion (100˚C, 1:00)
- Rating: 83

Verdict: Want to try this in a Jianshui pot at some point, after I get my aroma kit.
Rating: 85

Date drunk: 2020 Sep 19th

- 7g in 230ml Yixing teapot
- Rinsed once
- First infusion (95˚C, 30s)
- Rating: 82
- Second infusion (96˚C, 0:40)
- Rating: 80

- Verdict: After tasting the other “higher-end” raw pu-erhs, I have to lower this rating. Nothing special except for the slight smokey tobacco note, really just a daily drinker and I might get the [[2018 Yunnan Sourcing Mengku Huang Shan Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea]] instead and skip this entirely.
- My Rating: 81

Date drunk: 2020 August

Sampling this in my search for a fuss-free affordable raw pu-erh that I can throw 4-5g into my 230ml Yixing pot on a workday and not feel like it’s a shame to only get 2-3 infusions out of it. Like midway between Western-style and gongfu-style brewing.

Rinsed once.

1st infusion (95˚C, 30s): Wet leaf smells pleasant, fragrant. Liquor glows a beautiful amber colour and has a beautiful fruity-floral perfume to it – apricots, tangerines, green mango. Taste is a bit soapy / frothy though, and flavour is very light. Ooh okay now that it’s cooled down, it tastes really balanced (still subtle) and has a syrupy texture. Delightful!

2nd (96˚C, 45s): Wet leaf smells lovely. Liquor fragrance is fainter and more mellow / less sharp than the first. A browner amber colour, slight astringency.

3rd (98˚C, 80s): Liquor has same fragrance as 2nd infusion, and tastes slightly more bitter and astringent but also with an interesting marked smokiness. It reminds me of some kind of tangy ‘green mango’ green tea, and stimulates the production of saliva in a pleasant way.

Rating: 84