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I am always happy to try a new Laoshan tea. Unfortunately, I am starting to run low again. After finishing the sample of this tea that I received from Verdant, I only have two more left (I have another spring green and a spring black from another vendor). I won’t be able to order any more for the foreseeable future due to upcoming medical expenses, but I guarantee that I will acquire more Laoshan tea as soon as I am able. This one is definitely on my shopping list.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse (I do not always rinse green tea, but wanted to make sure I washed away the grit and leaf dust with this one), I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 175 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 10 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, I noted that the dry tea leaves emitted mild aromas of sweetgrass, asparagus, soybeans, and hay. After the rinse, the aroma became intensely vegetal with a hint of nuttiness. The first infusion produced a similar, albeit slightly more balanced aroma. In the mouth, notes of sweetgrass, hay, soybean, asparagus, and spinach were immediately detectable. I also picked up on an indistinct nuttiness that I could not immediately place. Subsequent infusions were more robustly grassy and nutty on the nose and in the mouth. I began to pick up distinct impressions of chestnut at this point. I also began to note aromas and flavors of corn husk, lime zest, and honey. Later infusions were mild, offering predominantly sweetgrass, corn husk, and chestnut aromas and flavors underscored by minerals, asparagus, and soybean.

Normally, I enjoy the later harvests more than the spring harvest when it comes to green teas, but here I found that I enjoyed the spring harvest more than the autumn harvest. Compared to Verdant’s Autumn Laoshan Green, I found this tea to be more robustly vegetal and grassy, but with just enough nuttiness and underlying fruitiness to keep it interesting over the course of a session. I like my green teas to be really vegetal, so this hit the spot for me.