Laoshan Village Chai

Unbelievably sad sipdown. I had such a pleasure with a unusual masala chai blend each time I made it. I /might/ have taken too long to throw the last of it in the compost after cooking it (it smelled so gooooooooooood ;o;)… Thank you, Lily and David from Verdant.

So I tried Verdant’s Laoshan Black for the first time yesterday, and was curious what it would be like with chai spices. The answer? It’s AMAZING. I love the mix of spices they used here… There’s plenty of ginger, my favorite, and the sweetness from the berries is a great touch. Generally, I like to drink my chai plain (out of habit, because I drink most tea plain), and this tastes wonderful without anything added, which is a huge plus. The malty cocoa notes from the Laoshan base really elevate the whole blend. It’s savory and sweet, and the spicy aroma is mouthwatering.

Honestly, this might be my favorite chai ever. (Though I also purchased some Zhu Rong Chai… At the rate I’m going, it wouldn’t surprise me if I fell in love with that one too!) I love what Verdant Tea does with flavor in their blends. “Cozy” is the word that keeps coming to mind. With each cup, I just want to snuggle up in a blanket and savor the warmth. A perfect feeling for this time of year.

I need to stock up on this one for sure. (Despite the overcrowded state of my cupboard!)

ETA: So I just sniffed my empty mug, and guess what it smelled like? My grandmother’s homemade gingerbread cookie dough. Pretty much exactly. I’m so in love with this tea!

Note that this is not the pre-mixed blend currently offered by Verdant. I ordered Laoshan Black and their Chai Spice separately. For this cup, I used 2tsp of chai spice to 1.5tsp of LB. 10oz of water, boiling, steeped for 4min 30.

I had a cup of this before work yesterday and I’m having another today!

Now this is pretty good. It has an aroma of cocoa, berry, tulsi, and cardamom. The current chai spice blend includes two different kinds of tulsi. I’m a little saddened by that, honestly, because I associate tulsi with cooking spices and I don’t necessarily like it in my tea. Also I’m very sensitive to the aroma and taste. It’s not unpleasant—it adds an element of green freshness that I enjoy—but it is VERY strong. The other spices are well-balanced; not biting or overwhelming in any way. The LB is smooth and chocolatey without any bitterness or astringency.

Second steep was 5min. The tulsi has backed off some—thankfully! LB is able to shine through much more. Cocoa, wood, and a soft creamy mouthfeel. The cinnamon and fennel are more dominant as well. There’s a tiny hint of berry sweetness and honey at the end of each sip. Yes, it is good…but I’m not overly impressed. I loved Laoshan Village Chai when I had it a year ago. I blame the tulsi this time around.

Also really good. Bready, especially while on the stove, per the Laoshan Black (it just smells like salty bread these days to me, dunno where all the yummy chocolate and oats from my first batch of LB ever tried went off to…). But that mellows once in the cup, and the balance of spices is very nice, an ideal basic platonic ideal type chai.

Stovetop, water then milk per Verdant’s website instructions, with honey added towards the end of warming.