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this is such a delight. i didn’t anticipate on having this tonight, but somehow, nothing else seemed like a better choice.

the smell from the bag was like a medium to dark roasted wheat bread somehow dusted with cocoa or baked with unsweetened chocolate. this tea is even more impressive now that i have become familiar with it (what with multiple cups and resteeps ever since my purchase).

the taste- delicious. an extremely unique black tea (for me, anyway- since all the black teas i’ve had so far have come from India or Sri Lanka..) this China black is light, dry and roasted with warm, cozy bread and grain notes. the chocolate in this does not overpower anything (although you can certainly taste it), but goes beautifully alongside the baked bread.

i can imagine how this would make a smashing genmaicha! that is not in any way to say that LB needs to be dolled up, but with such a beautiful natural flavor, it would be a brilliant idea to amp up the chocolate, roasted, toasted breadiness in this. since i already love genmaicha as a rule, Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha—i’m looking at you!

delicious. i’ve had this so many times that i never logged, and the few times i did i logged it under Starbucks green tea frap/matcha frap although i’ve never had it as a frap. for me, the powder is already so sweet and satiating it doesn’t need any syrup, let alone frappification! with soy milk, this tastes like some kind of vanilla marshmallow treat with the slightest touch of grass.

i know this isn’t straight matcha (and i have plenty of those in my cupboard! not to mention wonderful, unsweetened flavored matchas from Red Leaf) but there’s something about this scandalous confection that’s so good. can’t decide if the matcha powder Starbucks/Tazo (?) makes is giving off the marshmallowy flavor or if it comes from the kind of soy milk they use, but either way, with the correct number of scoops it’s perfectly sweet and is delicious consumed hot or cold.

there have been instances where i’ve been too full after dinner to even take a sip (tonight is one of those nights) so i’ll either refrigerate it or let it sit and cool on my night table and drink it first thing when i wake up.

rating not based on what i believe to be the quality of this mint tisane as actually it’s quite a smooth albeit lightly perfumey taste following the strong aroma of pure mint in the sachet. mint gum is what comes to mind, menthol and all. it’s nice i guess. to put things in perspective, i’d take this over Tazo’s Refresh or Harney and Son’s Mint Verbena if given a choice. probably because i find the quality/flavor of the mint here a bit sweeter/more appealing.

have a 2nd sample of this that i plan to enjoy after a meal. wanted to try this out. also- why is it called melange? it’s not a mixture of anything. i was hoping for some other herb, perhaps fruit or even green tea base. that would have made this more exciting (?).

straight mint is certainly not my thing but i can appreciate it at appropriate times.

bittersweet dark chocolate that is deep and rich- drizzled with honey, mixed with dark roasted chestnuts and lightly burnt whole wheat toast. amazing. i only add a little honey to this which both draws out & sweetens the chocolate and honey notes, turning this into a decadent dessert. but it’s light enough where you can enjoy several cups. it didn’t once occur to me to add milk to this and i couldn’t imagine doing so!

a delicious black tea with the most amazing nuances. i love the cocoa in this. burnt toast with unsweetened cocoa spread and honey in the background. with no additives the ‘burnt chestnut’ note is more pronounced, but chocolate is still there. this has a wonderfully ‘chewy’ texture to it, i think because the toastiness of the flavors creates the semblance of dryness- but literally this is a dry, smooth tea with no astringency at all. it is just a genre unto itself.

i see why everyone raves about this. for a straight tea it is genuinely impressive.
reminds me of my beloved Black Dragon Pearls but with lots more body & depth!
ordered 4 oz. for my first blind buy of this & i don’t regret a thing.
in fact, i plan to order more, as well as Mr. He’s 1st picking Laoshan Black, Laoshan Roasted Oolong, and Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha.

i always get 2 solid infusions out of this & each one is lip-smackingly delicious!

the more i drink this tea, the more i come to appreciate it. and it is just perfect after a cup of dessert tea or robust black to which i normally add milk and sugar. i really get a strong flavor of pecan and oats while the dry leaf smacks of rich maple syrup (and it is a wonderful smack, by the way). for me, the maple aspect doesn’t come through so much in the flavor, but that is perhaps because it isn’t sweet like syrup and therefore i don’t recognize it. but this is still a bewitching blend of unsweetened pecan oatmeal in a cup.

for me, oolongs are something you can enjoy any time of day. they’re versatile and surprisingly light though satisfying. this particular offering from Butiki is a lot of fun.

having recently acquired Verdant Tea’s Laoshan Black, which brews up surprisingly light for a black tea, there’s something about it which reminds me of darker, roasted oolongs like Formosa, or in this case—Nilgiri Frost. could be something as simple as the color/body of the tea liquor, or perhaps it is the shared nutty nuance with regards to flavor. either way, both are really delicious.

going to have my 2nd infusion of this lovely Oolong right now!

ETA— now that i think about it, there is a gentle tang- something seemingly ‘green’ beneath the pecan nuttiness of this tea which contributes to its delicacy.